FAQ

We ship our tools worldwide. Please select international shipping at checkout. Please note that nail polish and gel polish CANNOT be shipped internationally and can only be sent in the UK. Please do not order these items internationally, otherwise your order will be cancelled and refunded.

Orders will be shipped the same day when ordered before 1.30pm (business days only). If the order is placed after this time or on the weekend, your order will be shipped the next business day. The KB Glow has a 1-2 processing time. Due to the pandemic, there are unfortunately many delays with postal services that are out of our control. Royal Mail have issues and staffing problems at distribution centres across the country which has in turn delayed services all over the UK. Whilst usually Royal Mail aim to deliver 1st class parcels in 1-3 business days, it is currently seemingly taking up to 10 business days for some areas. If you need your order guarenteed for next day, then please select next day delivery at checkout. We cannot provide tracking on standard selected shipping. If you wish for tracking, please select next day delivery at checkout or International Tracked for International Parcels (including Ireland). Royal Mail will only consider your parcel lost after 14 days. After this time if your order has not arrived, or for next day shipping options that have not arrived by 9pm, please get in touch. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

Products are non returnable or exchangeable unless there is a manufacturing fault. Any manufacturing fault, damage in transit or missing items must be reported with 48 hours of receipt of the parcel. It is the customers responsbility to check their order within this timeframe. We will not be able to provide any manufacturer guarantees or replacements after this timeframe. As a fault usually just affects one part of an item, in the first instance a replacement part will be sent and a refund will not be issued. We cannot replace items damaged, albeit it accidently by the customer. Care cards and instruction manuals must be adhered to at all times.

Something which is important to us as a brand is pricing our tool range affordable to our customers consistently. We offer our customers the very best price at all times, so we do not offer discounts on our products.

Due to the pandemic, face to face education is on hold for the foreseeable future. We are currently offering 1-2-1 online classes and have a variety of online classes available here.
For the latest dates or to book a 1-2-1 please contact us.

A non refundable 50% booking fee is required for each training course; the amounts are detailed with each course. All courses are subject to price increases, please check prior to booking. This booking fee secures your place and booking, your booking will not be taken or confirmed without a booking fee. The booking fee and remaining payment can be made by prior bank transfer, cash or card payment. This booking fee is non-refundable but can be transferred with notice to the same course only from an event held in Warwick. You can default on this three times before the booking fee is lost and you will be required to pay the full training cost. This transfer must be booked within 6 months of the original date and will not be redeemable after this period. This payment will also be subject to any price increases in this time and the additional amount will be payable. If you have paid for your course in full in advance, this is also non refundable and should you decide not to continue with your course at any date a refund will not be granted. The remaining balance will be due two weeks prior to commencement of the course and four weeks prior to commencement for courses hosted at other venues. If you book your place after this time frame, full payment will be due at the time of booking, which will be non refundable but as above, is transferrable with a minimum of 72 hours notice in Warwick only.

Please ensure prompt payment of the remaining balance to avoid late payment fees being charged. If cancellation is made, we reserve the right to charge the course booking fee in full. In the event of a cancellation of the course by the academy due to unforeseen emergency circumstances, your place will be automatically transferred to the next available or suitable date for yourself. Please note, all courses will run regardless of the amount of students booked and will not be cancelled if the class hasn’t a minimum amount of students booked. All course pricing is subject to change, please check prior to booking.

Receive an email or gift wrapped box gift voucher.

If youd like to receive an email copy, please email us to let us know and we will refund any postage charges. Please state the email address to send the voucher to and when.

If you'd like a posted gift wrapped box gift voucher, please select 1st class parcel at checkout.

Valid on training courses and katiebarnesacademy.com products only. T&C's apply. Can be transferred to another course with 2 weeks notice. Valid for 6 months. If for a Christmas gift, please state and we will date this from Christmas day. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. No cash alternative, no refunds.

If you require funding, please contact your local job centre or The Prince’s Trust.

20% VAT is added onto all courses and products purchased. Our VAT registration number is: 232761714.

Katie is renowned for her experience and knowledge on the competition circuit and her obsession with the creation of the perfectly structured enhancement. For years, Katie has found that the industry tools were missing something: they were too long; too clumpy; blunt or difficult to use and she had to tailor her tools to get the desired results. With this in mind, and following many requests, the Katie Barnes Tool Range® was born. Katie wanted to create a range of tools which she could be truly passionate about and know that the industry was getting the best possible solution at a reasonable price. Development of the range began 2 years ago in 2017 and an extensive amount of research and testing has gone into the range, from both Katie and other respected industry techs, to ensure the tools and packaging meet the needs of the industry. With confidence in one hand and good tools in the other, we are excited to be able to launch the first products in the range: the KB Form Tailoring Range®; Cuticle Scissors and competition essentials such as Aluminium Form Support and Pinching Tools, with many more innovative tools to come. We have found that too many tools are packaged in unnecessary plastic which is immediately discarded, so we have researched and designed our packaging to ensure that it can be recycled or reused.

Scissors and sharp tools will last longer, and keep a sharp edge for longer, if you take the appropriate level of care. Although each of us has a preference for how to use our scissors, the essentials for scissor care do not change:

Separate storage

Keep your scissors in their protective box, a scissor case or holder, when not in use. Never store scissors together or touching – each must go in their own compartment. Tips and blades should be carefully protected from damage using the plastic cap provided. Never store them downwards.

Careful handling

Take care when putting scissors down and during working. The tips can damage easily. Take care when working with sharp implements and follow HSE guidelines.

Avoid drops

If you drop your scissors you’re best to get them checked by a professional. Even a little damage can get much worse if you keep using them without checking. A drop may mean they need a service and sharpen or it may make them redundant to use.

Take care when cleaning

If you are using a jar to disinfect your tools, you must protect the blade tips by placing a circle of cotton wool in the bottom of the jar.

Keep them dry

Store them somewhere dry. Even the humidity from warm air can damage them, making them rust, discolour or pit. Ensure tools are thoroughly dried after sanitising, disinfecting or sterilising.

Only for intended use

Use different pairs for form tailoring & cuticle work as cutting paper will blunt blades.

Do not share

Sharing is caring but not when it comes to scissors, brushes or tools! Sharing is often regretted. Even a small change in the way someone else holds and uses your scissors can quickly shorten the scissor’s life and make them feel like they never cut the same again for you.

Practice safe cuticle prep

Never cut living tissue. Follow our tutorial and guide here.

We often get asked when to use each of these blades on our scissors.

Simply put, curved cut curved lines and straight cut straight lines.

There is also a matter of personal preference and results wanted to achieve but these are our recommendations:

The curved blades have the sharpest point facing upwards allowing you to follow the natural contours of the cuticle zone to remove cuticle and hangnails without worrying about damaging the surrounding or the underlying skin. When tailoring forms with the curved blade it allows you to follow the natural contours and shape of the nails free edge which is curved. This saves time versus trying to achieve curves using straight scissors. The curved blades are ideal for making controlled cuts because they can be closed without the user needing to worry about accidentally cutting surrounding tissue.

Straight scissors are required to achieve a straight line such as when wishing to cut nail art items or relief cuts that are required to be straight to get the perfect form closure. They leave a smoother outline and finish.

Whilst our form tailoring scissors can be used to remove cuticle or hangnails, due to blade size, we recommend our cuticle scissors. However, whichever your preference most importantly it is essential to never use the same scissors for two different tasks. For example never use scissors to cut forms and the same pair to remove cuticle.

Why?

Is it just a marketing gimmick or is it really vital?

All paper products contain minerals that are abrasive and will eventually dull even a razor-sharp pair of scissors. Paper (and cardboard) filling and coating contain kaolin clay, titanium oxide, calcium carbonate and talc. These stiffen the paper, fill it out, and adjust how the paper absorbs ink. They can also be used to enhance opacity, whiteness, and pitch. Kaolin clay and ground calcium carbonate are quite hard and these are what can destroy a set of scissors that are not designed to be used with them.

This means that over time, scissors that are used to cut paper will blunt and need sharpening.

When working on areas as delicate as the cuticle area, using a blunter pair of scissors can make them more prone to causing damage due to additional force required.

Always keep different sets of tools for their designed purpose.

There’s no such thing as a scissor or tool with sharp edges that will never need to be sharpened regardless of quality, cost or guarantees. All scissors must be sharpened when they get damaged, dull or are nicked. By nature of repetitive use, tools will blunt over time. Think of your kitchen knives, including the most expensive - they all require sharpening to keep them in optimum condition to guarantee the best results at all times. If you use this when it is blunt, it will cause more pressure to be required and result in tearing rather than a smooth cutting motion. The same principles can be applied to your nail tools.

Don't throw blunt scissors, pushers, nippers and other sharp nail tools away. They are expensive to buy and to produce. Recycle by resharpening and servicing them with us and you are guaranteed to feel the difference, saving your money and the environment.

The even better news is that we are offering this service to be inclusive to all nail technicians and their tools, not just those of the KB Tool Range® brand.

The timeframe on this is dependent upon the amount of use, care, storage and any damage that may have occurred, however annually can be good practice.

Sharp tools are safer and more efficient to use than blunt ones. When a tool is blunt or thick, additional force is required to achieve the same results. This adds unnecessary stress on tech hands and can cause damage to the customers nails and surrounding skin.

We commission this out to a local tool sharpening expert who offers a professional tool sharpening service to give a new lease of life to your nail tools.

When there is damage, we will do what we can to bring back the sharp edge but if the damage is significant then they may be beyond repair and it will be necessary to purchase a new pair.

If you are unsure whether the damage is repairable, please email us an in focus, close up image to allow us to assess their suitability.

One you have purchased this service via the buy now button, please post your tool(s) to:

Katie Barnes Tool Range

36 Smith Street

Warwick

CV34 4HS

You will be responsible for this postage charge.

Once received, scissors are cleaned, inspected & tested for defects and damage before being sharpened and hand honed using a combination of modern and traditional methods using the very best equipment, professional abrasives and polishing compounds are used throughout this process. They are reassembled, realigned, oiled, balanced and tested again for perfect function.

This service requires a 1 week turnaround. We will inspect them following their sharpening and dispatch these back to you. The cost of this return postage is covered in the fee.

1 x tool sharpen & service £14.00 + VAT inc. postage

2 x tool sharpen & service £24.00 + VAT inc. postage

3 x tool sharpen & service £35.00 + VAT inc. postage

Book your sharpening service here.

Recommended and tested disinfection solutions with our #katiebarnestoolrange:

Barbicide® and Mundo Tool Disinfectant.

Do not leave longer than Manufacturers recommended time in solution.
When removed from the solution, dry thoroughly to avoid damage to the protective coating and potential rusting.
Whilst the blades are in this solution for the recommended time, place a circle of cotton wool at the bottom of the jar, to avoid blunting.
Wipe the blades with this solution or a disinfectant wipe occasionally to prevent a sticky build-up of glue from the forms.
Safe and tested for sterilisation in hospital approved autoclave units.
These cuticle scissors meet international standards for bioburden, and sterility testing.
CE certified and meet international standards to provide confidence in both the quality and safety of the product.

All of our metal tools in the #katiebarnestoolrange have been tried and tested in the Enbio autoclave so we can proudly recommend this autoclave as a method of sterilising our tools to our customers following correct sanitation and disinfection. To find out more information visit https://www.enbio.com/uk/enbio-s.html their website is super knowledgeable and offers so much advice from choosing the right autoclave, differences between autoclave and lots of fabulous facts on sterilisation. Enter katiebarnes at checkout to receive a discount.

Follow our video tutorial on how to clean your nail tools here.

Our tools are made from Japanese surgical stainless steel.

Why do we choose this?

Stainless steel’s chromium content is largely responsible for increasing the items corrosion resistance because it prevents the iron from oxidizing. If there’s no oxidation, there’s no opportunity for rust to develop. Our tools are also chromium coated to provide an additional layer of protection.

Japanese surgical steel is a higher density steel, making for a smoother surface, giving a finer, sharper edge that re-sharpens well. It is very resistant to corrosion and has a high carbon content. Our tool range is made from Japanese surgical stainless steel as the most corrosion-resistant form of stainless steel.

We are passionate about the environment and helping to remove to use of unnecessarily plastic packaging so hopefully you love our packing as much as we do and can find a new use for our storage box. If not, all of our tool range comes in recyclable cardboard packaging.

The tissue paper we use to pack our products is:

PH resistant, resists running, bleeding and fading
Made from 99% recycled pulp fibres
Approximately 35% of the electricity used to make this product is produced from renewable sources
Recyclable

The rigid board that the boxes are made from is called a "Grey Box Board" and is made from recycled pulp paper. This is covered with a layer of " White Kraft Paper". While this is not made from recycled material, it is a biodegradable material that will break down when composted.

The ribbon is a Gross grain material and this is also a material that can recycled.

When using our KB Cuticle Scissors only a thumb and 1 (index) or 2 fingers (index and middle) is required for successful results. This puts less strain on the techs hand. You’ll be amazing at what a light pressure is required.

It is important to hold the scissors on the finger rest (lined part of the handle). This prevents slipping when working and will ensure your scissors don’t get damaged.

The main difference between nippers and our KB cuticle scissors is that so much less pressure is required and a more delicate hand motion. As nippers are clumpier, heavier and stiffer a much stronger and whole hand grip is required and more force is needed to achieve results. With our curved cuticle scissors they are more lightweight and delicate (to work perfectly on the delicate cuticle area) and the pivot point on the scissors is so well made that the cutting motion is really smooth, meaning you can just use your thumb and finger/2 fingers just like tweezers. This is so much better on your hands in the long run too. And also your customers hands too. Many of our customers have reported a visible improvement in their RSI, carpal tunnel syndrome and other hand and wrist issues since changing from nippers.

See what our customers have to say after transitioning from nippers to KB cuticle scissors:

"They are easy to use and you have clear visibility and absolute precision that you don't get with nippers..I have the whole set including pusher and they are insane".

"For cuticles I would go for Katie Barnes curved cuticle scissors, they are super light and sharp and make for more precise cuticle cutting. I feel much more confident using these compared with nippers as you can really see what you are doing as your hand or the blades aren't in the way".

"I have had no issues at all. I like them cause there small and fit inside my hands but very sharp".

"I have [another brands] nippers and scissors and they are great, but I bought the Katie Barnes cuticle curved scissors and they are a game changer , so delicate and precise, no fear of cutting the skin, highly recommend them".

"I bought the cuticle scissors and they are fab, much easier then using nippers as you can really see what you are cutting, I couldn't warrant a [higher price for another brand], these were £20 and well worth it".

"The curved cuticle scissors are amazing! So small, fine and precise. I would never go back to a normal nipper! ☺️"

"As a fairly new nail tech im always looking for the best tools to improve my work. Well yesterday my cuticle [tools] just arrived from Katie Barnes and I'm so impressed by them. The precision is insane and the value for money is great. I just really wanted to share that with you all because I think this will be a game changer for me now and speed up my prep work!"

"So easy. Also a lot easier to see what you're nipping and better to hold as you dont have to grip it".

"Katie's cuticle scissors are a game changer. 35 yrs of using nippers - I can't believe how fabulously precise they are by comparison. never Again!"

"I literally just received mine today also and can vouch, these are an absolute dream to work with 😍 no more cuticle nippers, scissors all the way 🙌🏻"

Let’s talk about one of the most misunderstood and controversial subjects in the industry...

... The “cuticle”

I have created this diagram to show what we should ‘cut’. There is also a great diagram by Doug Schoon which details the parts of the nail.

True cuticle and hangnails are perfectly safe to carefully remove. But what is true cuticle I hear you ask? The simplest way to describe it, is the dry, white flakey ‘stuff’ you find on the nail plate. This is what and why my cuticle scissors have been designed. Due to their small size and easy action they are ideal for precise cutting of true cuticle and hangnails.

Due to the way we hold them and their blade size and shape, nippers and larger scissors can accidentally cut living tissue because their design is too big for the job we do as nail professionals.

Whilst I can agree the ‘jelly strip’ looks unsightly and techs and clients may want to remove this, by doing so we are compromising the safety of the client. We may cause bleeding (a clear indication that living tissue has been cut) and opening this seal can cause that client to be more prone to infection. This ‘strip’ acts like a callus; the more it is removed, the more it grows back as protection. Regular manicures and we forget the power of a good quality cuticle oil, would work wonders on this ‘overgrowth’.

If in doubt, don’t touch it. The trusted saying ‘better to be safe than sorry’ is so relevant.