Magazine for the professional nail industry.
Issue link: http://nailsmag.epubxp.com/i/919688
86 NAILS MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2018 TOM BACHIK Nail Techs Who Changed the Industry Without a doubt, these prominent industry change-makers deserve our admiration — as do so many others. To add your voice to the conversation, email editor@nailsmag.com or nominate someone at www.facebook.com/nailsmag. Was the first or only nail tech to do something Was instrumental in developing new products or techniques Helped improve the work environment for nail professionals Elevated the perception of nail techs or the nail industry Served as an inspiration to other techs In honor of NAILS' 35th anniversary, we've come up with a list of 35 nail techs who've had a positive and lasting effect on our industry. Which name means the most to you and your career? There are so many remarkable nail techs accomplishing amazing things that limiting our list to 35 names proved to be quite a challenge. We don't claim the list is comprehensive, but we did follow certain criteria when making our selections. Each of the techs profiled below (they're listed alphabetically) made a difference in one or more of these five areas: World-renowned nail tech Tom Bachik has made headlines as a nail competitor (ranking on NAILS' Top 25 list many times) and manicurist to the stars, while his cutting- edge nail designs have been featured on magazine covers (including many for NAILS), other editorial and commercial photo shoots, and on fashion runways. Together with nail tech Tom Holcomb, Bachik was part of the startup team for Entity Beauty Products in 2005. In 2013, he appeared on an episode of reality show Project Runway to do nail consultations, educating the models and the general public about nails. He was recently named OPI Global Nail Ambassador. 35 ALLIE BAKER Veteran competitor Allie Baker has been doing nails for 20 years and is currently global brand ambassador for EzFlow (a position she's held for 15 years). In 2012, Baker earned the number- one spot on the NAILS Top 25 competitors list. When not globe-trotting for EzFlow, Baker can be found at her Medford, Ore.-based salon, Nail It! AMY BECKER Amy Becker first appeared on the national radar in 1994 when she made NAILS Top 25 competitors ranking, and the Wisconsin-based nail tech quickly leveraged competitions to build her reputation and skills. As an early adopter of gel nails (when most other techs were doing liquid-and-powder acrylics), Becker developed and refined gel application techniques before ultimately launching her own gel brand, Masterworks by Amy Becker.