Sunday, August 18, 2013

The Rare Stamping Manicure Makes an Appearance

What up?  So you know that you don't see many stamped manicures on my blog, just because I'm so rarely satisfied by their end result which means that they just aren't as fun for me.  If it's not fun.....why do it- right? I do have a few stamped manis today that I'm going to group together into one post today because I know some of my viewers really enjoy stamping. Like I've pointed out before, there are blogs out there that are mainly focused on stamping and they are brilliant.  As for me, I'm just eh about it.  Here's one stamped manicure from my nail files:


The colors I used for the manicure are Milani Quick Teal for the base color, and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Coin Flip for the stamping.  Not so bad I suppose, pretty subtle.
Another example of stamping:




And number three:



Now that you've seen my attempts, here are some things I've noticed about stamping:
1) It's very easy to become frustrated using this technique because it's hard to always get the image straight or fully pigmented.  Additionally it takes a while to get the rolling/stamping technique mastered.  Clearly I have not yet...expect to take some practice if you're going to invest in the tools.
2) Not all plates are created equal- some of the better ones I've noticed on other bloggers' posts are those that have mostly full images- not ones that have a lot of french manicure tip designs, or curved edges- that makes it all the more difficult to line-up the image correctly.  Some brands I've noticed putting out nice plates are Pueen, Shany, Cheeky, and Bundle Monster- but get their 2013 releases, as they're all catching-on that people want larger images, with no curves in the designs.
3) You have to allow a lot of drying time before you can stamp and it can sometimes be very frustrating that you go to apply your stamp and the image doesn't fully come off and you've messed up a nail or two and you have to remove the polish, reapply, and wait for another entire drying time- I'd say this one is a the biggest frustration for me.  If I have to take the base polish off and wait before I can try again too many times- I lose interest real fast.
4) Not all polishes are created equal for stamping.  From what other bloggers have said- one coater polishes and foils often make good stampers, but probably the most effective are the actual stamping polishes from Konad or the like that I haven't actually tried yet.  If I ever do I could give you an opinion of whether they're worth it.  I just have so many bottles of polish already... to have to go out and purchase many shades in another polish formula, just to be able to stamp...frustrating.

Well those are my feelings on stamping at this time.  Perhaps with more time and practice I'll have more or different insights to share with you.

How do you feel about stamping?  Have you given it a try yet?  Does it frustrate you as well?  Maybe you have tips for me.

Have another great one!

Song of the Day: Adrian Lux- Teenage Crime
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcQFUWWLY54
*disclaimer- this link is provided for it's audio and not video content*

Over and out.

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