Sweet Squared

After 3 years cruising the high seas as a beauty therapist, I decided that the manicure desk was by far the most fascinating place on the ship. When I arrived back home, I shocked my parents by telling them that I was about to specialize in the small part of anatomy known as "nails". However, I spent quite a few years giving clients nails that resembled horse’s hooves... until I met Gigi - she changed my whole world! That was 1996.

I started my nail career by completing my CND foundation with Patricia Shaw in January 2004; up until then I'd been working in the ceramic industry, both teaching and manufacturing.  As I approached 30 I really need a change, a new challenge, something new to learn, I'd studied fashion and textiles at Art College and always had an interest in fashion, art and beauty, which lead me to nails!!  Like most people, I had mine done and just loved the process and the 'art' of nails. For me I can combine all things 'creative' while working with the public.  My first educator Pat encouraged me straight after my foundation to get out there and 'do' nails; I did by starting my mobile business the next week !!

I started my career in the Nail & Beauty Industry in 1996 when my first daughter Shai was born. It all started on a trip to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California, where Pretty Woman was filmed.  After a huge shopping spree and not being able to afford anything in any of the designer shops, I came across a Nail Salon.  I’d never had my nails done before so I decided to give it a go. The experience was amazing; they looked fantastic and I was so pleased. I could not stop looking at them, I knew there and then that I wanted to learn how to do this and make people feel how I did.

It's 1997 and I have spent my entire career in sales and management; I am dreadfully unhappy and having a bit of a mid-life crisis weeks before my 40th Birthday!  So, what did I do?  I decided to get happy!  I left the very well-paid job with all the perks that made me so unhappy and entered the world of nails.  I completed my CND Foundation course, started practicing and starting to build a clientele from home.  Within 6 months I opened my first wee salon - just me and my desk, praying for the phone to ring....fortunately word spread and the the phone did ring and I was soon fully booked. Fortunately I had a wonderful daughter who was ready to leave school and desperate to join me in the business. The rest is history

I was offered a Saturday Job at the age of 13 and from then on my Creative Journey begun. I sat and gazed as my boss did set after set of nails, and only ever dreamed of picking up the brush myself. One Saturday afternoon the brush was placed between my fingertips and my first nail was created. Running home to my parents screaming and shouting about this new found career at a tender age blew their minds but sure as ever the support was given and my training continued.

My passion for ‘All Things Nails’ started at a very young age.  I never dreamt it was possible to have such an exciting and rewarding career as I have within our nail industry here in the UK.
Fate took me to America at 21 years of age to the birth place of nails, WOW! Nails everywhere! I quickly enrolled at Beauty College and gained my State Board of California license in all nail services.  After experiencing salon work in America I returned to the UK and opened my first salon in 1987.  It grew at an amazing rate into the successful business that it still is today.

Start of my career   2001  L & P Foundation course, Became an ambassador  I think in 2003, Awards won    - All in L & P tip and overlay    1st comp at professional beauty show placed 3rd,    then  2 more at the professional beauty shows both placed 1st,  2004 Winner of winners again professional beauty show placed 1st.
My strengths -  Patience with students, perfection in all areas, passion (I still love this industry as much as when I started), enthusiasm
 

When did you start your career – October 2003, after completing my qualifications in Beauty Therapy I soon landed a job in a local salon, I soon realized I had a lot to learn and it was NOT a way of making a quick buck!  I gained great experience not only in how a working salon is run day to day but most importantly the need for excellent education and quality products.

Hi, I'm Katie Ellison from The Creative Nail Academy in Merseyside. I am based in my salon in St Helens, Merseyside which is situated 15 minutes from Liverpool city centre and is 5 minutes from junction 7 on the M62. I also provide classes in Cheshire for anybody from North Wales, Chester and the Cheshire area. I teach a variety of Creative courses every week, and run classes for up to 8 students. If you live in Merseyside or Cheshire and would like to find out more about our Creative Nail Courses, please call me on 07990 600 836 .

I first started my career as a Nail technician at 16 (1991). I had gone into a salon to have my nails done, I watched the girl applying my nails and thought wow, I’d love to be able to do this. As I left the salon, I left my telephone no and asked for them to call me if they ever needed a new apprentice. I told them I had enrolled on a beauty course in 6 weeks time but I wouldn't mind doing nails. Two weeks later they called me and I went for a trial, I loved it and never did enrol on that beauty course.

I started my journey into nails when I was a teenager as I was constantly doing and re-doing my own in various different colours and designs.  I loved the fact that I could mix different nail enamels together to create new colours and I loved the freedom this gave me to create whatever I wanted. 

Hello to One and All, ‘tis I – Mr Ketan Patel.  Here is some fun stuff you may or may not know about ME!!!  

I’ve headed up the Creative Academy in London since 1998 but I started out as a nail technician in 1989 after attending the London School of Manicure and Nail Technology. I used to work for Gina at the Knightsbridge Nail Centre watching her do nails and I just thought – ‘I know I could do that’... there wasn’t an inherent ‘love for nails at first site’ thing with me, I just knew that if given the opportunity – I could become a serious nail artist.

Looking back over the last 25yrs, my quiet determination has always been there, but I don’t know if I ever would have believed that my career would reach the heights it has.  My passion for teaching has continued to grow over the years and, I like to share - I am the eldest of four brothers and sisters so it comes naturally.  

CND has taken my raw talent and moulded me into an Education Ambassador that can take on a room full of people or I am equally as happy to sit with one student on a 1-2-1 and be just as content.   It is the pursuit of universal truths and the shared passion that all of us in the CND family have and we are proud that we can then pass this on to our students.  This continued training and passing on of passion has enabled me to achieve the accolade that I have tried to win for 8 yrs and in Sept 09 I finally won British Nail Professional of the Year at the British Beauty & Spa Awards.

After graduating from University with a Business Degree I worked in various jobs, but never felt happy or particularly challenged by what I was doing.  I had been having my nails done for several years and being really interested in the products and the theory had often thought about becoming a nail technician. I finally took the plunge in 2005 and from the first second of my Foundation course with CND, I was hooked.  From about the third second I knew I wanted to be an Education Ambassador.  I love a challenge!

I was brought up in the hospitality trade so dealing with customers has always been second nature to me.  I was the typical restless soul who wanted to travel around the world before I put down my roots!  My best friend had her nails done at Louise Gutteridge’s salon ‘Beautiful Nails’ in Telford and my Mom and I took ourselves off to have ours done too. 
It was at that moment that I knew I wanted to learn to do nails.  This drove my determination to find out where and how I could do this and I ended up calling The Creative Academy.  It was Samantha who booked me on my Foundation course in Leeds all those years ago and I officially entered the nail industry in 1995!  

My enthusiasm in nails started in 1999!!  I always did my own and my mum’s nails and she saw my passion for it and thought it would be something I could do whilst finishing collage - little did she know. . .

I did my first set of nails at age 15 with my Mum's kit while she was out shopping. I thought I would be grounded but instead I was encouraged!  I started full time as a nail technician in our newly opened little salon when I left school and I worked through the CND education programme attaining my L&P Master Artist Qualification in 2002 aged 19.

For as long as I can remember I always wanted to be involved in the “Beauty Industry”.  I qualified as a Beauty Therapist in 1987 and subsequently worked at a Health Farm, worked mobile, taught in College and had my own salon (not necessarily in that order!)   I trained in nails in 1993 learning 2 systems in 2 days!!!   Never feeling like I was getting the results I wanted for myself or that my clients deserved (no wonder), I was always on the lookout for a different product to use - until I found CND!  It was so much easier than anything I’d tried before and then I became hooked on their training, always hungry for more.