Nail stamping is a fantastic technique that allows you to create intricate images on your nails without any special drawing skills. Stamping gives outstanding results and only requires a few tools, but in order to get a flawless image every time, you need to become a stamping pro. Here is how to master the art of nail stamping!
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1. What you’ll need
To create a spotless stamping design on your nails, you will need the following tools:
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- Base polish
- Stamping polish
- Stamping plate
- Metal scraper
- Rubber or silicone stamper
- Liquid palisade (optional)
A couple of notes on the stamping tools:
- You can use any base polish you like, but the polish you use for transferring the images should be designed specifically for stamping. Stamping polishes are usually thicker and more pigmented and are clearly visible in a design.
- There is no right choice between a rubber and a silicone stamper. You can start with a rubber one, and if you don’t like the density or other aspects, you can try a silicone stamper.
- Liquid palisade and other skin protecting liquids are not a mandatory tool for a stamping session, but they make it easier for you to clean up your fingers after transferring the image, as some polish will inevitably make it onto your skin, not just your nails.
2. How to do stamping on your nails
When you have the tools for stamping at hand and chose the polishes for your design, follow these steps:
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- Apply one or two coats of the base nail polish, drying the last coat nearly completely.
- Put a drop of the stamping nail polish onto the selected design on the stamping plate and dab with the polish brush to spread it evenly.
- Hold your metal scraper at a 45-degree angle to the surface of the plate and quickly but gently scrape off the unneeded polish from the surface.
- Using the soft end of your stamper, press it onto the design to transfer the image.
- In a smooth rolling motion, apply the design to your nail. You need to press with confidence, but it’s also important to work quickly to prevent the stamping polish from drying out.
- Apply a layer of top coat (preferably the no-smudge variety) and allow your nails to dry naturally.
You can get an even clearer idea about stamping your nails the right way with this video tutorial:
Nail Art for Beginners: How to STAMP!!
This video is a lot longer than expected, but I really wanted to make sure that this video was helpful for those of you who may be struggling with stamping. Ultimately, practice makes perfect, but hopefully these tips helped anyway. If they did, it would be awesome if you gave it a thumbs up and subscribed!
3. Additional tips and tricks
The art of nail stamping may seem like an easy one, but there are many things that can go wrong in your first few attempts to design with stamps. Here are some extra tips and tricks to help you achieve the desired result every time:
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- It is extremely important for your stamping plate, scraper, and stamper to be completely free of oil and remains of nail polish. Stamping experts recommend cleaning these surfaces with a cotton disc soaked in acetone each time after applying the design to the nail.
- If you don’t feel like buying a special stamping polish but still want to enjoy the result, there is a chance you already have a suitable polish in your collection! If you own any matte, metallic, or regular nail polishes that can fully cover your nail in one coat, you can successfully use them for stamping.
- Instead of a special metal scraper, you can use an old credit or discount card, as long as it’s made out of plastic and has a smooth end that can be used for scraping.
- When you are just beginning your stamping adventures, you can do one or two accent nails on each hand instead of 10 designs to ease the challenge.
- While you don’t have much stamping experience, opt for abstract designs with no clear images – that way, even if there are imperfections in your designs at first, they will be nearly impossible to notice.
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