Styling with THE STARS

COPIED

3 mins

TECH-NIQUE

Styling with THE STARS

Let your skills sparkle with technical & artistic step-by-steps from Scratch Stars Awards champions

Scratch Star spotlight

Who: Sophie Donaldson What: Scratch Stars Gel

Polish Stylist of the Year 2025 Why: Sophie has nearly 23 years’ nail industry experience. She runs home-based and mobile nail business, Sophie’s Cosy Corner, while also bringing her artistry to photo shoots and events such as London Fashion Week. Sophie’s work has been worn by Irish singer, Jazzy, at the Brit Awards 2024, and featured on the February 2024 cover of Scratch. How: A seasoned gel polish pro, Sophie thrives on creativity and precision. She specialises in intricate designs and statement-making yet wearable finishes.

WINNING WISDOM

Being part of the Scratch Stars Awards is such an honour. It’s joyous to be involved in something so special that has been created specifically for the nail industry. Being surrounded by talented artists on the practical judging day was incredibly inspiring. There was a sense of unity, and everyone was striving to be their best and share their passion and skill.

JUDGING DAY DOS & DON’TS

• DO keep your desk and yourself neat and organised.

• DON’T overpack – only bring what you truly need.

• DO practice working to time.

• DON’T look around the room – it wastes time and can trigger panic. Focus on your model and try to imagine it’s just the two of you.

Stained glass styling

Geometric patterns are having a major moment. Pair them with fresh spring hues and metallic effects, and you’ll create a striking stained glass-inspired design that shines.

You will need:

• Nude gel polish or builder gel.

• Silver metallic art gel.

• Striper brush.

• Gel polishes in dark pink, fuchsia, baby pink and light pink.

• Gel polish top coat.

Step 1 Prep the nail and apply nude gel polish or builder gel to create a smooth, flawless base. Cure.

Step 2 Using silver metallic art gel and a striper brush, paint a vertical line down the centre of the nail, then cure.

Step 3 Outline the edge of the nail using the same technique, and cure.

Step 4 Use the silver art gel to carefully paint a second border inside the metallic edge, keeping it approximately 2mm from the nail’s perimeter. Cure.

Step 5 Add six evenly spaced silver lines between the two borders, and cure.

Step 6 Continue to use the metallic art gel to paint a heart shape in the centre of the nail. Ensure each side is as symmetrical as possible before curing.

Step 7 Add a silver diagonal line through the middle of each half of the heart, to break the shape into four sections. Cure.

Step 8 Using a dark pink gel polish, fill in the first section of the heart and two segments of the edge. Cure.

Step 9 Add baby pink gel polish to the second section of the heart and two outer segments, then cure.

Step 10 Fill in the third section of the heart with fuchsia gel polish, also adding the colour to two of the outer sections. Cure.

Step 11 Use a light pink gel polish to fill in the remaining section of the heart and segments of the edge, then cure.

Step 12 Float your chosen gel polish top coat over the design, and cure to finish.

TOP TIP Work in stages across the hands. Complete each step on all five nails, then cure and repeat on the other hand. This prevents mistakes and ensures efficiency.