To begin stamping you need a stamper, scraper and image plate. I got mine from Rite Aid in a kit called Salon Express(they are also at Sally's and a few other places as well)
These are mine:
You can buy a Konad stamping kit offline but this one works just fine for me.
I now also have this set from Walmart:
This set was $6 at Walmart, and should soon be a part of their normal stock (i hope.) (more Info Here)
Tips and tricks to Stamping!
First thing I would like to discuss on this page is tips for stamping that I have learned throughout my process of stamping.
- First tip: If your scraper is metal DON'T USE IT! It can scratch your plates and mess them up. I recommend an old plastic gift card which won't scratch your plates.
- when scraping off excess polish, hold the giftcard/scraper at 45 degrees to the image plate and scrape across the image, without scraping too hard and removing all the polish inside of the image.
- I also have a plate holder, but some people don't like it very much because it is hard to clean. I use it so my plates don't slide around.
- Important Note: Practice Practice Practice! Don't give up just because it doesn't work the first time.
- Stamping can be kind of hard especially when you are trying to get the image perfect and it just wont happen! It can be a bit stressful. Don't stress yourself out. Painting nails is fun and stress free!
- when you stamp on the plate to pick up the image, it is best to press firmly straight down and not to roll the stamper over the image plate. (it is recommended to roll the stamper over your nail to get the full image though)
- My favorite tip for when you are having troubles but you get the jist of stamping is PAINT, SCRAPE, PICK UP, PUT ON. It is as simple as that. Don't make it harder than it is. Whenever I try really hard to pick up the image it doesn't work, so i just give up on it being perfect, and Voila! it is perfect. I don't know how that happens, but when I don't apply a lot of pressure, I just paint the polish onto the image plate, scrape off the excess(not too hard) pick it up on my stamper(without excessive force) and then I roll it onto my nail and it comes out perfect every time. With practice I am able to get the images you see on my blog!
My favorite Polishes for Stamping!
These are my favorite polishes for stamping. I am going to keep this list updated as much as possible!
My Go-Tos:
- Wet N Wild - Black Creme - My absolute favorite black for stamping! (used here)
- Sally Hansen - Whirlwind White - My go-to for stamping with white, but unfortunately this polish has been discontinued, and is really hard to find. :(
- Sally Hansen - Silver Sweep - The best silver I have tried yet
Others I reach for:
- Color Club Foiled Collection - I am pretty sure I have used most of these for stamping, and they are amazing. Most foils will be though!
- Foil me Once
- Hot Like Lava
- Antiquated (used here)
- Cold Metal
- Lumen-escent
- Perfect Mol-Ten (used here in the stem)
- Flirt! White Stamping Polish (used here)
- KleanColor
- Metallic Sapphire
- Metallic Aqua
- Metallic Mango
- Metallic Purple
- Jazz Olive
- LA Colors
- Red Striper (works over white see here)
- Orly
- Glitz(or Glitz and Glamour)
- Pure Ice
- Silver Mercedes(so I have heard, but I do not own it)
- Sally Hansen Insta-Dri(Most Insta-Dri polishes work well when stamping)
- Silver Sweep(used here)
- Whirlwind White
- Lightening
- Chartreuse Chase
- Night Flight
- Sinful Colors - Snow Me White - This one stamps fairly well, but I haven't tried it fully over black yet
- Wet N Wild - French White Creme - I used it to stamp once, and It shows up decently well.(compared here to Flirt White)
- Wet N Wild - Red Red - It works pretty well over dark colors; better if used over light colors.
Side Note: You do not have to buy the expensive "special polish" for effective stamping. I only currently own the Flirt White Stamping Polish that came in the pack, although it does show up better over black. If you are looking for a good black and white polish and are looking to invest in better polishes then I would suggest Konad.
Topcoat!
So your topcoat doesn't smear the polish, I suggest using a thick topcoat, similar to Seche Vite or Hong Kong Girl Topcoat. You apply the topcoat so that the brush doesn't stroke the polish on the nail, if it does this may smear the mani. If you are using a TC like Seche Vite, it will dry very fast, and shiny, and because of its thickness, it will not touch the polish.
This is my collection of my Stamping Plates!
These first five image plates I got from the Salon Express kit that I got at Rite Aid because I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a stamper/scraper set online. It was a great investment. The numbers and (actual) Konad dupes are:
SE11 - Dupe of Konad M57
SE10 - Dupe of Konad M51
SE12 - Dupe of Konad M60
SE02 - Dupe of Konad M25
SE03 - I couldn't find a dupe for it
Konad plates that I own. (currently only one)
Konad M73
Red Angel plates. (Individual images coming soon)
For Information go to this page.
Kiss Image Plate(from Walmart)
You should update this :)
ReplyDelete*THANK YOU* for the helpful hints. I just got my first kit and have found out through trial and error, that all nail polishes work the same :)
ReplyDeleteOn my next mani I am going to try using the card instead of the metal scrapper too!
I loved everything you wrote in this post. =)
ReplyDeleteI love love love those Cheeky Image plates! I've never seen them before.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great blog! So much helpful info! So glad I found it! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteLove this blog sooo much :)
ReplyDeleteThis is excellent!
ReplyDeleteI had this weird moment when you pictured your only konad plate. I stopped for a second and thought "that's the only konad plate I have too...she has excellent taste, we should definitely be friends."
Is that creepy?...