State of the art nails

Ever since daring fashion stars such as Rihanna and Lady Gaga started frequenting salons and extending their talons to exceptional lengths, painting them peculiar colours, adorning them with jewels and then (in Gaga’s case) selling them for thousands of pounds of Ebay, the world has gone mad for over the top nails.

Simply polishing them a suitable colour in keeping with the season – a deep red for winter, a coral for summer – is no longer acceptable. In fact, it can be considered rather boring. Now, you must at least have them painted a neon pink or encrusted with diamantes. And it’s not just the more ïout-there’ celebrities that are trying it. Katy Perry famously painted Russell Brand’s face on each of her nails for a premiere, and Zooey DesChanel stencilled a miniscule Mini Mouse on each thumb. Painting your nails is no longer a chore to be done, but a form of art.

Changing your nail design has become as necessary as changing your sheets – if you want to fit in – and this has not gone unnoticed by brands, who are now catering for the popular trend by designing nail polishes that give the look of denim, crocodile skin, snakeskin, leather and more to your nails. Magazines have also cottoned on and are using the fad to encourage drive to their social media sites, for example, Grazia created the hashtag #manicuremonday, which readers can use to Tweet pictures of their manicures.

i-Salon’s spokesperson Sharon Frost believes this increasing trend can only mean good news for salons and spas that offer nail services and polishes. ïWhile there are kits available for customers to use at home, with celebrities donning such intricate designs, most will feel inclined to visit to a salon to get their nails done rather than attempt to do them themselves,’ she said.  ïIt will undoubtedly drive sales.’

Last year, US nail polish sales increased to a record £505m. To ensure that your salon is able to get on trend and tap into this wider appeal for nail art, use SMS promotions to let your customers know what’s on offer. As nail art has such a finite lifespan, you might also consider tracking when clients may be due for a follow-up appointment through your salon software.