BLOGS

With Rebecca Taylor-Shaw | Claw Culture Brand Ambassador | Nail Tech | Educator

It's officially less than one month until Christmas!(Eeeeek😬🎄) I’m sure we can all agree that this year has flown by! Let’s make this last month the best one there has been. After all, who doesn’t love Christmas?!💚❤️

The Black Friday sale is in full swing, so now is the perfect time to stock up on all of your staples, to keep your nail kit topped up for the mad Christmas rush. You might be struggling for inspiration with Christmas nail art and Festive colours, so here’s some ideas for you all💡

🎅🏼 Red Devil is from our new Autumn/Winter collection and it is stunning! It is highly pigmented and is the perfect shade for Santa nail art. Pair it with All White for his beard and fur around his hat, and VIP Black for his eyes. 

🎄Wilderness is a stunning green, and is the best shade for Christmas tree nail art. You can jazz it up with glittery shades for the star on the top, and all kinds of colours for baubles and tinsel. The sparklier the better!

💚 Wilderness and Palm Leaf mixed together, are the perfect match for Grinch nail art! This was such a popular design last year, and I think it’s going to blow up again this year too! 

💚✨ For those clients wanting simple nails, without nail art, Wilderness with one layer of Pegasus over the top is a stunning combination.

✨ Absolutely ANY colour with Pegasus over the top is gorgeous! It completely transforms any colour, and makes it perfect for the December Festivities. 

🩷 Razzle Dazzle is a perfect colour for all year round, but its deep, sparkly, cerise tone is a must for the festive season! Other gorgeous pink colours include Frosting, Pink Diamonds, Pink Gold and Fairy Dust - they will look stunning no matter what the occasion or dress code!

🤍 All White is a must have for any season! It is a great base colour, and is also the perfect addition to any nail art - especially Snowflakes and Snowmen ❄️☃️ All White used as a base colour underneath Mermaid White is a stunning look (Chefs Kiss💋)

🤎 Cinnamon is a fantastic colour for creating Rudolph! Pair it with VIP Black and All White for eyes, and Red Devil, or even Ruby Slippers for that shiny red nose!

❤️ Candy Cane is a gorgeous chunky red glitter, and is a beautiful addition to your nail kits, for those clients that love a lot of sparkle. For those wanting a finer looking glitter, Ruby Slippers is the perfect red!

🎄Crushed Emerald is a stunning chunky green glitter, and looks amazing as a full colour or incorporated into your nail art. If you want to make Crushed Emerald “pop” even more, put a layer of Palm Leaf or Wilderness underneath, as a base colour. 

💖 It is absolutely impossible for me to choose a favourite shade from the Holo collection - they will all make a perfect addition to your nail kit, all year round. But I would say that Holo Gold and Holo Silver are a must have for Christmas and New Year. They look gorgeous as they are, or even paired with chunkier glitters such as Billionairess and Vegas Baby. 

🪩 Cinderella Silver is a beautiful colour - especially when it hits the light😍 The shine and sparkle reminds me of a Disco Ball - perfect for those New Years Eve parties!

💙 For those clients that like a pop of blue at Christmas, Blue Shores, In The Navy, Denim, Blue Crystal and Elsa’s Touch are must haves! They all give Wintery, Frozen/Elsa vibes. Adding a simple snowflake to these colours will make a gorgeous, winter set of nails. 

🖤 VIP Black is perfect for the New Years celebrations, and if it is paired with any of the shades of gold or silver, then your client will be ready to party!

💅🏽 For those clients that aren’t allowed anything noticeable on their nails for work, then we can make their toes look gorgeous instead, ready for those open-toed heels that they will be dancing the night away in. One of my clients is a huge nail art fan, but she works for the NHS, so we do nail art on her toes instead! It is totally possible!👣

Rebecca x

Handy tips and advice for nail techs by our Brand Ambassador Rebecca Taylor-Shaw. 

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With Rebecca Taylor-Shaw | Claw Culture Brand Ambassador | Nail Tech | Educator

Let’s nail your pricing questions....

When it comes to pricing, budgeting and anything to do with finances, it’s a bit of a minefield! We never know if we are charging too much or not enough, and often base our prices on other competitors in the area. We need to start charging our worth, and pricing our nails based on the talents we have! I am going to break down some general pricing queries, so that you can see roughly how much Claw Culture products cost, per set of nails, which will enable you to adjust your prices accordingly.

Claw Culture increased a small number of their product prices on 1st October 2024, however; I’m sure you will agree that the products are fantastic quality and they've held their prices for a number of years, but with costs skyrocketing everywhere, a little increase to ensure that we keep receiving exceptional quality products, as well as fantastic customer service, is well worth it! 

Different shapes, lengths and styles of nails, will use different amounts of product. Below is a brief breakdown of how many sets of nails, on average, you will get out of each product.

The new price for the base coat, top coat, and the colours from the core collection (001-120), is now £7.50 each. On average, each bottle will last for around 30 sets, therefore costing only £0.25 per set - an absolute steal! You can also purchase 3 gel polishes for £20, which would be even cheaper at only £0.22 per set.

The price of the builder gels was unchanged and costs only £9.99 per bottle. On average, you’ll get 20 sets per bottle, which works out at just £0.50 per set. 

The XL top coat is an absolute must have for every nail tech! It lasts forever - I’d say on average you can get 50 sets out of it! The price increased to £10.50 per bottle, which works out at only £0.21 per set. 

A full set of builder gel nails, with gel polish (including dehydrator, primer, builder gel, gel polish and top coat), will only cost around £1.30 in products, and it will be even less if you buy bundles and use discount codes! If you charge £30 for a set of builder gel nails, you could be making a profit of over £28! 

As always, Claw Culture have some incredible offers available, such as builder gel bundles, gel starter kits, acrylic starter kits and student kits - by purchasing kits and bundles, you can create gorgeous nails for even less than the amounts stated above. A fantastic way to save money and keep your products well stocked, is to purchase the gel subscription box - for £19.90 you get 3 gel polishes of your choice, a free nail file OR glitter, and it will be shipped direct to you each month. There’s also a new builder gel subscription box available - it’s £29.99, every 90 days, and you will get 3 builder gels of your choice and 3 nail files. 

You can also take advantage of the brand ambassador discount codes, which will give you 10% off your purchase - use my discount code REBECCA10 to get even more savings! And if you spend over £40 you will get FREE shipping. 

Follow the link below to take you to the deals and salon packages page, where you will find all of the bundles, kits and subscription boxes available, to save you even more money! https://clawculture.com/collections/offers-kits

With Rebecca Taylor-Shaw | Claw Culture Brand Ambassador | Nail Tech | Educator

Nail products must be stored in a cool, dry place. They also need to be kept away from heat, direct sunlight and UV lights - if products are exposed to this, it can cause them to cure, change texture, or even discolour.

Sunlight through windows can also affect products, therefore it is best to keep them away. It’s important when positioning shelving, drawers and other storage solutions to ensure that they aren’t too close to the window. Storing in a drawer or cabinet is often the best solution.

All nail products are best stored at room temperature, or just below. Extreme temperatures should be avoided, as they can affect the consistency, and therefore the overall effectiveness of products.

Also, products should be kept away from fire, candles and extreme heat, as they are flammable items. 

In the winter, acrylic can often become runny and take longer to set, as it’s too cold, whereas gel products often thicken and can become harder to apply. In summer, it has the opposite effect - acrylic will set too fast, and it can be harder to manipulate the acrylic into the desired shape and thickness before it sets, whereas gel will often become runny, and therefore you may require more coats. 

Where possible, products should be stood upright, to prevent leaks and spillages. 

Once opened, products should be used within a specific time frame (this is usually indicated on the product). Claw Culture gel polish bottles should be disposed of after 12 months. 

Storage tips and ideas

Deep drawers, with drawer liners and drawer separators are perfect for keeping your drawers organised - this will also enable products to be stored upright.

I also have a metal lockable cabinet - this is perfect for keeping excess stock organised and safe, but also it is fire resistant, which is important, as most nail products are highly flammable. 

If you are a mobile nail tech, it is important to have a good quality storage case (preferably on wheels to prevent you having to carry all of your products and equipment). Products should be stored upright, so a deep case is crucial, and this will prevent the spillage of products too. 

Within the salon, I like to have a trolly at each station - this enables us to have all products that we need to hand, and keeps everything looking neat and tidy. The trollies are also on wheels, so can be moved as needed. I also have a trolley with multiple drawers, and it is perfect for storing nail art products and glitter! 

Where to purchase products

The items listed above are available at most major online retailers. 

For all nail products and equipment, head to the Claw Culture website - https://clawculture.com and use discount code REBECCA10 for 10% off your order!

Rebecca x