Reddit mentions of Winstonia Nail Art Large Stamper and Scraper Set, Soft & Squishy Stamping Smooth Pick Up

I don't use any polishes branded specifically as "stamping polish" (though Mundo De Unas is great from what I hear, ships from Mexico and apparently has a smell to it, but if you're okay with that it's a good try).

As far as drugstore and more easily accessible nail polishes, stampers, and plates go:

-Try to use any "one coaters" you already have. Thick, opaque polishes are what you want. DONT try to waste your time with glitters, sheer colors, etc.


-I use Sinful Colors for my black & white stamping, Sally Hansen Insta Dry for most everything else. It's coined insta dry because they're one-coaters, which leads to overall less dry time, not because they actually dry quickly which gives you more time to work while stamping!

-This is my favorite stamper so far. It's squishy and VERY large. My first stamper was from Wistonia, found here, but it did distort my images more imo. It's not a bad choice for beginners though!

-Plate quality is SUPER important. You want to use reputable brands that will have deep, consistent etchings (99 cent plates should not be trusted; if they work, cool! but don't expect good results every time for sure)


-My favorite stamping plates are from MoYou London and It Girl Nail Art (being upfront, one of my best friends owns It Girl, but they're excellent quality so I'm including her for you to check out).


Come see us over at r/RandomActsOfPolish! We also have a giant stamping master thread written by one of the mods (she's the owner and friend I mentioned). Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions :)

This is the one i I just got and haven't tried yet. and here is the konad one that i had good use of except on my whole nail ones lol

Dotting tools and stripers are going to be basically the same from most sellers on Amazon. Find one with good reviews and just go with it. Same for striping tape. As far as stampers available on Amazon, I always recommend this one. In fact, I just taught my mom to stamp with that one the other night! As far as stamping plates, a couple of good ones on Amazon are Winstonia and Pueen, though there are definitely others.

The stamper that you got with your kit may be a little softer, but it is not a "squishy." The small pink ones never are. I'm not familiar with the Emori polishes, so I can't comment on that except to say that very few polishes stamp effectively.

I would try:

• A stamper like this keeping in mind that squishy stampers sometimes need to be "primed" (like /u/The_Griffin mentioned) by buffing lightly with a fine grit file or buffer. I can't stress enough how much I think this is a major factor--even if you get better plates, you will still have a hard time with that konad stamper. If the price is too high, search "squishy nail stamper" on eBay and take any one of the knock-offs that specifically mention that they are made of silicone. If it does not work well right out of the box, it will need to be primed.
  
  
• A polish that is known to stamp well. Maybelline Color Show "Bold Gold" or any of the opaque cremes from the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri line work well. I've had success with Sinful Colors "Black on Black" as well. All of those are under $5/bottle.
  
  
• Even with working quickly, it takes some practice. If this is your second attempt, there's still a learning curve ahead. Don't give up! I would try varying your technique--scrape lightly on the plate, try rolling with your konad stamper (both plate and nail--it has no "give" so pushing down to get the image is difficult).
  
  When all is said and done, there is a chance that you just have some bad plates. Unfortunately, like most things, stamping falls at least somewhat under the "you get what you pay for" and the set you have is like $4.50 for ten. The very cheapest plates I have (in that size) are at least $1/plate. They may be using inferior materials or etching equipment. There are quite a few 1 star reviews of that set on the Amazon listing, many of them mention shallow etching.
  
  I like something like this for beginners. I have plates from this brand and know with certainty that they are good quality. In this case, the price is so low because this set was released in 2012 and the company is selling off old stock because they release plates 1-2 times per year. 26 plates for $12 is on-par with the set you ordered, but there's a very good chance this set will be much better.
  

Stamping does seem to be the thing lately. I have this stamper set from bundlemonster. The white one works okay for me, but I did order the Winstonia stamper the other day to try. I have mostly bundlemonster plates (the 2013 & 2014 CYO collections) and 3 MoYou which I've used with good results.

I keep this post from Copycat Claws bookmarked. She compares a bunch of drug store and stamping polishes by color so it's easy to see the differences. I've purchased several colors based on this post alone.

My current favorite for stamping is Cult Cosmetics. They are super opaque and I love the colors. DTLA, Melrose Place, and Paradise Cove see the most action. I've ordered a handful of MDU's but it will be April before I see them, most likely.

I got this stamper. you put nail polish on the image, use the stamper to pick up the image and transfer it to your nails. here is a little run down I found. I am no expert and that isnt my blog, but it may give you an idea.

I got this one.. The white part is kind of sticky though.

Of course !!
First you will a stamper !!

Some stampers are sticky or non sticky. They both work, just depends on your preference.
Like this

Stamper

Or like this

Squishyone.

I use old gift cards to scrap the nail polish off my plates. Watch a YouTube video to see how they do it. The trick is not to do it too hard !

Many plates work great but these are my favorite and easiest to work with
Pueen encore set

I also like moyou London plates, and born pretty ! They work great

As far as nail polish goes you can't stamp glitter!

I use sinful colors to stamp on top of my mani. Black/white stand out the most !
Just have fun stamping and don't give up. It's all trial and error !

If you don't mind waiting awhile for some plates to come in I've had really good luck with bornpretty store. I've even bought their clear jelly stamper and I've not had any issues. This is a crowd favorite stamper


For plates bornpretty, bundle monster, pueen, and winstonia all stamp very easily. Depending on how much you want to spend it can get a little pricey for plates...that's mostly because I have an addiction.




Check out their websites for bornpretty and bundle monster. Most of the time its cheaper to buy directly from them than to purchase it on amazon. Shipping from bundle monster is normally less than a week.

Happy cakeday!

My husband's 30th Birthday cake, made by a friend

Sad attempt at a birthday Mani. My thumb is supposed to have a cake on it.

I'd like to get into stamping, though I'm not sure if this is the best stamper

This is my personal recommendation. The white end needs a little prepping, but its wonderful! Its so squishy you can very easily stretch or shrink the image before you stamp, or use the marshmallowy of it to stretch as you're applying. Not my fav or making decals, but brilliant otherwise!

http://www.amazon.com/Winstonia-Double-Ended-Plastic-Scraper/dp/B00CJIOG0Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396986665&sr=8-1&keywords=winstonia+stamper

Traveling for work has its ups and downs. I teach veterinary practice management software, so I spend every week in a different animal hospital. It's hard being away from my family so much, but it works out because I get weeks off at a time whenever there are holidays mid-week. It's also nice to get to see so much of the US and meet new people every week.

I would totally recommend the Winstonia plates. Also their big squishy XL silicon stamper is pretty nice, and it has a hard pink end for smaller designs that I read is like the Konad one. It did take me several sessions of trying before I had any success, but I think that's probably just the normal learning curve.