Nails by Sarah McKelvey

A little shimmer, a lot of detail ✨

Soft blush pink with delicate iridescent sparkle that catches the light so beautifully 🤍

Created using American Creator hard gel, with careful attention to structure, shape and those clean finishing details. Simple nails still deserve meticulous work.

Would you wear these? ✨

American Creator® Sunset Peach (use code SARAH for discount) 🤍✨

Your education with me is about to go a little further… 🤍✨

I’m delighted to announce an exciting new educator partnership with Emma Jackson, offering exclusive student access to her Educate platform.

Every student who completes a course with me will receive a personal access code, waiving the joining fee for Emma’s Nail Tech Members Club - an opportunity to continue learning long after leaving my studio.

With online tutorials, ongoing education, business resources and a community of nail professionals, you’ll have somewhere to build on your training as your skills and confidence grow.

Continued education is something I believe in deeply, and I’m so pleased to bring this additional benefit to my students through an educator I’ve always looked up to and admire, and somebody who I consider to be a a great friend and a genuinely lovely person.

As well as having ongoing support from me, this is an exclusive addition to your training experience. A new chapter for your continued development 🤍✨

(All past students prior to June also have access to this, please just DM me for the code xx)

Charlotte first came to me for accredited e-file training in June. Yesterday, she returned with three successful case studies completed, collected her certificate, and spent the day upskilling her gel application techniques ✨

Our 1:1 masterclass was tailored to the techniques she wanted to work on - non refinement gel application, adapting the structure for a ski slope nail, chrome and isolated chrome, French application and symmetry, and finish filing.

These photos and clips are a little look behind the scenes of the learning. We didn’t take a finished set photo because once the masterclass was over, I did her nails for her holiday ☀️

Seeing a student put her training into practice and come back ready to learn more is such a lovely part of being an educator. I’m so proud of you. Enjoy your holiday and your new nails 🤍✨

If there’s a technique you’d like to feel more confident with, message me about a 1:1 masterclass tailored to you.

A year ago today, I signed the contract for my very own studio 🤍 (Can you SEE the stress in my face?! 🙈😂)

After more than 15 years of building my business in one location, moving felt like a huge risk. I knew I wanted a space where my work would be more visible and where I could grow my education brand, but taking that step was still scary.

One year on, the studio is busier than I could have imagined. It’s a space where I get to care for my clients, welcome students and share everything I’ve learned over the years. Seeing it become what I hoped it could be means so much to me.

I used October to get the decorating done and then made the move at the start of November - I cannot believe that I’m nearly in a whole year!

Time flies when you’re having fun 🤍✨

A gentle reminder - your natural nails matter just as much as the finished set 🤍✨

A new client came to me recently with nails that needed some extra care. I don’t know the full history of what they’ve been through, so there’s no blame here. My focus now is on protecting the nail that remains and giving healthy new nail time to grow through.

I’m so passionate about doing my absolute best to help raise the standards of education in Northern Ireland 🙌🏼 An e-file is a brilliant tool, but the bit, speed, angle, grit and pressure all matter. So do thoughtful prep, the right gel for the client, careful application and gentle removal. None of those steps should be rushed at the expense of the natural nail.

We’re taking a considered approach with these nails, and I’ll share their progress as we go.

If you’re a Nail Tech who would like more confidence with your e-file or with choosing and applying gel safely, these are exactly the skills I teach in my accredited e-file course and 1:1 masterclasses. Send me a message if you’d like to learn more xx

9 weeks and 2 days later… 👀

I created this set on the 20th July, and my client returned last night with that beautiful, seamless growth and her colour still intact.

Results like this come from looking at the whole service - careful prep, a structure suited to the client, precise application and the right products. These are the details I teach in my Signature Skills courses, using the Kinetics system I work with in the salon.

Every client is different, and I wouldn’t recommend waiting nine weeks between appointments 🙈 But I do love showing what thoughtful technique can achieve.

If you’re a Nail Tech curious about the Kinetics products I use, shop directly with Kinetics Global before their 30% off sale ends on Sunday, and use my affiliate code SarahM for an extra 10% off.

If you want to learn the techniques behind the retention, message me SIGNATURE for course details.