How to use nail stamps

Grasp the artwork of stamping in seven easy steps!

Intricate nail artwork with crisp, nice strains as soon as required awe-inspiring freehand expertise and quite a lot of time. Now, any tech can immediately obtain spectacular nail artwork with stamping, a way the place nail polish is embedded within the grooves of an engraved design after which transferred onto the floor of the nail utilizing a stamper. With observe, “it’s a quick and easy way to make nails look amazing with little time and effort,” says Melissa Fisk, a nail artist who focuses on stamping and the creator of nailrotica.com (she’s additionally @lissamel9 on Instagram).

Stamping requires three primary instruments: stamping plates, a scraper and a silicone or rubber-tipped stamper. Stamping plates are made from skinny metal and are normally etched with a number of photos per plate. Designs vary from small accents to fancy French ideas to detailed patterns that cowl a whole nail. Generally, plates which might be etched deeply make the cleanest photos. If you happen to’re new to stamping, Fisk recommends avoiding designs with very nice particulars at first. Small particulars can dry out rapidly and received’t switch properly if you happen to don’t work quick sufficient, says Fisk. Additionally, measurement issues. If a few of your purchasers put on lengthy enhancements, ensure to get plates with designs which might be massive sufficient to cowl the nails.

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Scrapers and stampers are available in quite a lot of shapes, sizes and supplies that change in firmness and suppleness. “Selecting the right tools requires some trial and error,” says Fisk, who notes that specifically formulated stamping polishes are a fantastic choice for novices, however technically you possibly can use most polishes to stamp (besides glitter, because it will get caught within the plate). Fisk prefers opaque colours in cream, metallic and holographic finishes. “The polish shouldn’t be too thick or too thin. You’ll need a medium consistency for a polish to stamp well.” What’s extra, the method requires pace and precision—which takes quite a lot of observe. Don’t hand over, says Fisk. Quickly you’ll be prepared to sort out (and cost a premium for!) superior stamping methods, comparable to customized decals and double processing. Right here, how to obtain the proper stamp, step-by-step.

How to Efficiently Grasp Nail Stamping

1. Earlier than you start, make sure that the whole lot you want is inside simple attain. As well as to a stamping plate, stamping polish and scraper, you’ll want a paper towel, cotton balls or pads, polish remover, tape and quick-dry prime coat.

2. Polish nails with the base colour and apply two coats of a quick-dry prime coat. Prime coat reduces the time you might have to wait earlier than stamping and makes it simpler to repair errors later, if crucial. (See the top of this text for the way to repair stamping slip-ups!)

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3. Maintain the stamping plate in place on a flat floor and paint the polish over the chosen design. Utilizing the scraper, instantly scrape over the polish at a 45-degree angle to take away the surplus lacquer from the plate. After scraping, the moist polish ought to utterly fill the grooves of the design and the plate’s floor ought to be clear.

4. To raise the picture from the stamping plate, roll the stamper throughout the design in a single clean, agency motion. It takes observe to get the appropriate stress—apply an excessive amount of and the polish can squish from the grooves; apply too little and also you’ll find yourself with naked spots within the design. Watch out not to raise or slide the stamper throughout the plate as you’re employed.

5. Place the stamper over the nail so the design is aligned correctly. (Observe: That is particularly vital when stamping French ideas or patterns that have to be centered.) Once more, utilizing one clean movement, press the stamper onto one aspect of the nail and slowly roll it to the opposite aspect to switch the design. Once more, you’ll want to work rapidly! Inside roughly two seconds, the polish on the stamper will start to dry and the design received’t switch utterly. When completed, if any dried polish stays on the stamper or within the grooves of the plate, clear them earlier than transferring on.

TIP! Wipe the scraper on a paper towel straight away so it’s clear for the following nail. 6. Use the sticky aspect of a bit of tape to take away polish residue from the stamper earlier than persevering with. Repeat the method on the remainder of the nails. Then, clear up any a part of the design that transferred onto the pores and skin.

7. Fastidiously seal the design with prime coat. Use a light-weight contact and float the highest coat over the nail to stop smudging the design.

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Ooops! Right here’s How to Repair a Nail Stamping Mistake

Incomplete transfers, smeared polish and crooked or warped patterns could be demanding when your subsequent appointment is ready. Fortuitously, it’s not at all times crucial to re-polish the nail from scratch. First, enhance your possibilities of fixing a mistake with out beginning over by avoiding base colour polishes that require three or extra coats. Then, at all times comply with with two coats of quick-dry prime coat, giving them ample time to dry utterly earlier than stamping. The laborious, glassy end will act just like the floor of a dry erase board, permitting you to take away a foul stamp with out ruining the polish beneath. A disposable, sticky lint curler gently rolled over the nail’s floor is usually sufficient to choose up a less-than-stellar switch (tape works, too!). For a cussed stamp, strive flippantly rubbing the nail with a lint-free pad soaked with a small quantity of non-acetone polish remover. After eradicating the offending design, refinish with prime coat and also you’re prepared to stamp once more. For extra fast stamping ideas, see our checklist.

-Leslie Henry of workplaypolish.com

Pictures: Armando Sanchez; nails by Karen Gutierrez (@karengnails)

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