SEASONAL NAIL STYLES
Hex-quisitely HAUNTING
Switch up client nail styles & your salon setup this Halloween with JESS WATTS’ roundup of fang-tastic artistry & décor options
CREATE AN EERIE AMBIENCE
Spice up your nail space with themed decorations and transform it into a witchy workshop where cobwebs meet cuticle care. Whether you’re aiming for ghoulish glam or a more sinister style, get clients in the spirit of Halloween with spooktacular decorations.
Halloween is the time of year when the temperature is low and creativity is high. It’s time to put on a spooky playlist, embrace the darkness and craft frightfully eye-catching nail designs. From mysterious and sweet to chilling and chic,
Scratch
has rounded up hauntingly striking nail looks and divinely deadly decorations to wow your clients and attract attention.
Kiki Yorkshire goes all-out autumn, with hints of Halloween emerging in the form of pumpkin and ghost decorations.
Khristie Lawton, owner of Doncaster salon, Kiki Yorkshire, believes that seasonal decorations can elevate a client’s experience. “Decorating for Halloween, Christmas or spring feels like a reset for the salon,” she shares. “It brings in fresh energy and keeps things exciting, and the team and clients enjoy the effort that goes into it. I treat the salon like my home, so the décor reflects my personality and creates a space that feels cosy and unique.”
Holly Rodgers of Hr Beauty, Morton, spooks up her salon with on-theme dishes of sweet treats and a ghost ornament.
1 Spooky Decoration £4 inc VAT
home.bargains
2 Ghost Diffuser £5 inc VAT
www.bmstores.co.uk
3 Glass Pumpkin Jar £4 inc VAT
www.bmstores.co.uk
4 Mystic Midnight Apothecary Bottle Scented Candle in Witches Brew £2.49 inc VAT
home.bargains
5 TK Maxx Halloween Fake Plant £9.99 inc VAT
www.tkmaxx.com
Mel Rosborough of Polished By Mel, Newcastle, complements her salon’s neutral aesthetic with ghost bunting and a spooky sign, adding a glimmer of gold with a pumpkin decoration.
TOP TIPS FOR TECHS
Sara Pinto, nail product director at Andreia Professional, shares that there are several ways for nail businesses to capitalise on spooky season: “Social media is the strongest tool. Share themed content, from sneak peeks of designs to short tutorials or reels showing transformations. Offering a ‘Halloween menu’ of nail styles for a limited time can also encourage bookings, while displaying a mood board or sample looks helps clients visualise their options.”
6 Orange Pumpkin String Lights £7.99 inc VAT
www.homesense.com
7 Disco Pumpkin Silver Decoration £2.99 inc VAT
home.bargains
8 Halloween Washable Door Mat in Trick or Treat £1.99 inc VAT
home.bargains
CREEP IT CLASSIC
Some things never go out of style, and at Halloween, this includes common creepy characters. Ghosts, pumpkins, skeletons, spiders and witches can be creatively crafted into cute nail designs for clients craving classic creations.
Norwegian nail artist, Bente Sørberg, used dark, earthy NailKind shades for the base of these spiderweb nails.
1 NailKind Nail Polish in Soul Sister £POA/RRP £8.95
www.nailkind.com
2 OPI GelColor in Grunge Queen £19.90 + VAT
uk.wella.professionalstore.com
3 The GelBottle Inc Gel Polish in Rogue £15.95 + VAT
www.thegelbottle.com
Rachel Dobson, owner of You Beauty (@ohyoubeauty__), West Yorkshire, notes that not everyone wants full-on freaky designs for Halloween: “Our nail clients usually fall into two camps – those who love to keep nail art classic, and those who want to go all-out. The classic crowd tends to choose timeless spooky icons, such as pumpkins, ghosts, cobwebs and skulls.”
4 CND SHELLAC™ in Opulent Onyx £14.95 + VAT
www.sweetsquared.com
5 Glitterbels Gel Polish in Lindy Lou £8.99 inc VAT
www.glitterbels.com
Glitterbels ambassador, Katie Taylor of Radiant Nails, Sidmouth, gave her client a trick and treat by using Glitterbels Blooming Gel to craft a sheer ghostly design. The purple floral accents were created using Glitterbels Hema Free Gel Polish shades, Lindy Lou and Soul Sister.
6 Halo Gel Polish in Mittens £5.95 + VAT
www.purenails.co.uk
Halo VIP, Holly Rodgers, created this pretty pumpkin design using deep red Halo Gel Polish, Mittens, and nude hue, Elise.
7 HD Pro Nails Design It! Colour Gel in Chilli Pepper Sparkle £13.49 + VAT
www.hazeldixonnails.com
8 Gel Junkie Gel Polish in Tangerine Dream £7.95 inc VAT
www.geljunkie.co.uk
9 The Manicure Company Gel Polish in Pumpkin Spice £8.82 inc VAT
www.themanicurecompany.com
Marnie Boswall of @thenaillologist showcases a playful pumpkin-themed nail design.
10 Roxi Gel Polish in Berry from £6 + VAT
www.nsinails.co.uk
“This year, I’m expecting to see a lot of playful but chic Halloween nails,” says Laura McInulty, CND™ education ambassador for Northern Ireland. “Every year, my diary fills up with requests for pumpkins, ghosts and cobwebs. Deep burgundy and metallic gold pairings look luxe and vampy. For a modern style, a mix of nude, white and black offers a clean but spooky-chic look.”
11 Cuccio Veneer Soak Off Gel Polish in Molti Marigold £8.99 + VAT
www.cuccio.co.uk
Christy Homolya of @littlenailhome used Cuccio shades, Be Fearless, 2am in Hollywood and Flirt for this spooky mix ‘n’ match mani.
Texas nail artist, Jasmine of @notorioushandjobz, combines the autumn aesthetic with Halloween heroes for seasonal nail art with a twist.
MACABRE MINIMALISM
Pinterest Trends
reports that searches for ‘minimal nail art’ have increased by 200% since last year. For a subtle nod to Halloween, consider a nude nail base with micro art and precision painting, or a slick cat eye finish. “Minimalist nail art with negative space is popular this season,” shares Sara Pinto. “This style offers a wearable version of spooky designs for clients who want something seasonal but chic.”
Derby nail tech, Kae of @kreatedbykae_, used the aptly named Lecenté Metallic Gel Polish in Pumpkin Spice for these gourd-geous nails.
Award-winning nail artist & founder of HD Pro Nails, Hazel Dixon, created this whimsical pumpkin nail art using HD Pro Nails Flex It! in Cover Peach, Colour It! in Tangerine Tabby and Art Gel in Jet.
1 Lecenté Metallic Gel Polish in Pumpkin Spice £11.99 + VAT
www.lecente.com
Blackpool home salon owner, Jenny Grace, used Glitterbels Acrylic Powder in Pinkerbel Cover as the base for this devilish design, and hand-painted details in a blood red hue.
2 HONA Detail Paint in Pumpkin £12.50 + VAT
www.homeofnailart.com
HONA Detail Paints were used by Bristol manicurist, Damon Evans, to elevate this ghost and gourd design.
3 Glitterbels Acrylic Powder in Pinkerbel Cover £12.99 inc VAT
www.glitterbels.com
4 Bluestreak Crystals Serinity Flat Back Crystals Non Hotfix in Pine Green Ignite, Dark Sapphire and Siam from £2.15 + VAT each (50pk)
www.bluestreakcrystals.com
Zorana of @nailartmuse makes creepy crawlies cute by adding gem embellishments to this spider design. Consider incorporating gems to sweeten scary styles, for details such as eyes.
5 HD Pro Nails Art Gel in Jet £9.50 + VAT
www.hazeldixonnails.com
TOP TIP
Minimal nail art typically requires a neutral base colour. Ensure sure you have plenty of nude, peach and pink nail hues to hand to suit various client skin tones.
6 Light Elegance P+ Gel Polish in Stormy Kitty £17.95 + VAT
www.lightelegance.co.uk
7 The GelBottle Inc Gel Polish in Pumpkin £15.95 + VAT
www.thegelbottle.com
Black cats are a spooky season staple. Jennifer Tsourvakas (@the_jen_of_all_trades) paints the feline form on a neutral base of OPI GelColor in It’s A Girl.
8 OPI GelColor in It’s A Girl £19.90 + VAT
uk.wella.professionalstore.com
9 Artistic Colour Gloss in Voguing It Out! £9.95 + VAT
www.sweetsquared.com
10 Morgan Taylor Nail Lacquer in Main Street Magic £5.50 + VAT/RRP £11
www.gelishmorgantaylor.co.uk
11 Halo Gel Polish in Serengeti £5.95 + VAT
www.purenails.co.uk
Halo VIP, Lucy Woodward, used Halo Gel Polish in Serengeti to create this pumpkin party nail look.
12 Glitterbels Gossip Ghoul Hema Free Gel Polish Collection £35.99 inc VAT
www.glitterbels.com
13 Andreia Professional Meowgic Cat Eye Effect Gel Polish in MC4 £5.99 + VAT
www.andreiaprofessional.com /
www.salon-services.com
Holly Rodgers reveals that one of her most popular Halloween designs is this pumpkin stack, created using Halo Gel Polishes in Burgundy, Elise, Clay, Cashmere and Bare. She comments: “The look was a big hit last year due its subtle and adorable qualities.” Scan here for a step-by-step guide to creating the design.
SCREEN SCREAMS
Film and television have produced a variety of visual stimuli when it comes to spooky season. Add clients’ favourite creepy characters to their nails with detailed artwork or themed patterns representing the best of frightening film.
1 CND Brisa™ Glass Hard Sculpting Gel £59.95 + VAT
www.sweetsquared.com
Beetlejuice
nails are brought to life by CND™ education ambassador, Laura McInulty, using CND Shellac
TM
shades and Brisa™ Gel.
2 Nail Order Gel Polish in Glowstick £13.50 + VAT
www.nailorder.co.uk
3 Lecenté Holographic Glitter in Deep Red £3.99 + VAT
www.lecente.com
Six-time
Scratch Stars Awards
finalist & Lecenté Creator, Amanda Trivett, added sparkle to this design portraying horror movies,
IT
and
The Nun
. It features Lecenté Holographic Glitter in Deep Red.
Nail art designer, Jaz of @jazzynails.x, channels the Addams family with a nail look inspired by Netflix’s
Wednesday.
Jaz added details using HONA Detail Paint in Mirror Silver.
4 HONA Detail Paint in Mirror Silver £12.50 + VAT
www.homeofnailart.com
5 Hara Professional Gel Polish in Ebony £7.15 + VAT
www.haraprofessional.com
Hara Professional ambassador, Katie Lou Pritchard, predicts that ‘
Wednesday-
themed nails will be popular this year’. She created this monochromatic mani using Hara Professional Gel Polish shades, Ebony and French White.
Scan to view Scratch’s online gallery of Wednesday-themed nail art.
GHOSTFACE GUIDE
Light Elegance educator, Tina Li, shares the step-by-step process for creating ghoulish Ghostface nails, using Light Elegance ButterCream in Black Tie and Gel Paint in Primary White. Scan here for the full guide.
6 Light Elegance ButterCream in Black Tie £17.95 + VAT
www.lightelegance.co.uk
7 Light Elegance Gel Paint in Primary White £13.95 + VAT
www.lightelegance.co.uk
8 Andreia Professional Spider Gel in Black £5.99 + VAT
www.andreiaprofessional.comwww.salon-services.com
Spongebob Squarepants gets a Halloween makeover in this design by Lincoln-based nail artist, Chelsey Downie.
GORY GRAPHICS
Nothing says spooky quite like realistic gore and special effects. We must warn you that the following designs are not for the faint-hearted… Look if you dare.
9 The GelBottle Inc 3D Studio Gel
TM in Clear £12 + VAT
www.thegelbottle.com
10 Nailchemy 4D Sculpting Gel in Red £11.99 inc VAT
www.nailchemy.co.uk
Devin Strebler created this gore-some design featuring Freddy Krueger and plenty of texture.
Instagram.com/nailz_by_dev
The 3D elements on these nails by @daisynailstudio are intricately sculpted, with the eyeballs uncomfortably realistic.
Instagram.com/daisynailstudio
Taiwan’s @peggy._.nailupy pairs a creepy clown with bloodied body parts.
Instagram.com/peggy._.nailupy
11 Gelish Soak-Off Gel Polish in Hit The Hotspot £16.99 + VAT
www.gelishmorgantaylor.co.uk