Stamp Collecting

My love of infomercials is only beat by my love of the Price Is Right.  The commercial about an at home nail stamping kit kept popping up, but made it seem like it was for women with full acrylic nails that possibly drive mini vans. I didn't think much of it until I came across some photos online of stamped nails in great patterns and colors created by the Konad Nail Stamping kits, the more professional version of the As Seen On Tv brand but exact same concept:  metal plates; scraper; stamper. 

Konad is great, but they are not cheap. Each plate is around $7, which can add up, unless you want the same image on your nails, always. If not, it's going to add up fast.  I did my research and found that there are other brands out there with the same quality but with a smaller price tag. I opened up my Amazon account and got to clicking. My package arrived yesterday and I wasted zero minutes before trying it out. 

I purchased the Bundle Monster 21 Piece Plate Set. Totalling out at 139 designs, this pack for $18 is a great value! I also picked up the Konad Double Ended Stamper and Scraper for under $5, all from Amazon.com 

The designs range from curved designs; perfect for the tips of long nails, full nail designs, and also accent images like small cupcakes, flowers or holiday designs. From geometrics to full floral, there is something for everyone!

Each plate comes with a protective film on top that you need to remove before using and each plate is numbered clearly. ie. BM21

Out of all 21 plates, only one was slightly mis-manufactured, but it seems it's only off center a bit and won't make a difference in the performance.

 Stamping: 1.) Paint polish on the image 2.) Scrape off excess 3.) Press stamper on image 4.) Roll onto nail              5.) Seal with a top coat. 

It's actually that easy.  Well...once you get used to it. 

TIPS:

• Wipe off the image and stamper with a remover soaked Q-tip after each stamp.
• The plate edges can be sharp so use with caution!
• Glittery polishes generally don't work, and neons work best.
• You need a thick polish with very saturated color. Konad makes a special nail polish just for this which you can get on Amazon for fairly cheap. 
• There are lists on many sites of polishes people have used with success. Like here and here.
• Some colors only get intense when you apply a few coats, since you won't be doing that, those polishes won't work, keep those for your base coat.
• There are plate holders available but my research suggested that it wasn't worth the trouble. It seems to work great simply on a paper towel, which is also easy clean up!
• Trial and error is your best friend in this game! Play around with your technique. Some images need to be applied on the stamper from image plate by rolling it across, some work better when stamped straight up and down.
• Here is a great video on the application technique.

So far, I've found my cheap, Sinful Colors Nail Polishes ($2 at walgreens!) and NYC In a Minute work the best.

The only reason I didn't do a full, newly stamped manicure is because I ran out of nail polish remover (sadface) but I'm excited to try out new combinations and styles! Who knows, maybe I'll start decorating my nails per holiday and move on to holiday themed clothing as well!  *shudder* maybe not.