Unique nails with this stamping guide!

Here is a small guide on how to get started with stamping.

Before you start stamping, there are 4 things you should invest in.

•    A good stamper (A stamp used to transfer your design from the stamping plate to your nails.)
•    A stamping nail polish (A stamping nail polish is not a regular nail polish. A stamping nail polish is highly pigmented/saturated and can leave an imprint even if the layer applied is ultra thin.)
•    A scraper (A plastic card used to scrape off excess nail polish from the stamping plate.)
•    A stamping plate of your choice.

Before you start stamping:

• Remember, if it doesn't work the first time, don't give up. Stamping takes practice and there are many things you can adjust to make it work.
• Start by setting out all the things you need so you have them within reach.
• Make sure your nails are freshly polished and COMPLETELY dry.
• Start by cleaning your stamper and stamping plate with plate cleaner or nail polish remover to ensure there are no nail polish residues, grease, or dust on the plate or your stamper. This also applies to brand new stamping plates where you have removed the film.

Now we're ready to stamp:

• Apply a small amount of stamping nail polish to the chosen pattern on the stamping plate and use your scraper to scrape off the excess nail polish at a 45-degree angle. Scrape gently and don't press too hard. You may find that you need to adjust your scraping technique, as it can vary from design to design.
• Now it's time to use your stamper, and here you need to be a bit quick. Gently roll/press your stamper over the pattern to carefully lift the pattern onto your stamper. Check that it is complete and looks as it should.
• Quickly transfer the pattern to the nail by gently pressing the stamper down over the nail – you need to work quickly. The nail polish must not have time to dry.
• Let the pattern dry and finish your manicure with a topcoat. I recommend a topcoat for stamping, but you can also use your favorite topcoat.

Now it's time to clean up. Use nail polish remover to gently remove nail polish from the cuticle. You can also choose to invest in a liquid latex, which you can apply around the cuticle so you can easily remove it afterwards – but it's not a MUST for your first time stamping.
 

Nicehands.dk recommends:

Stamper:
If you are a beginner, Moyra's stamper no 1 is really good, as it is nice and sticky. If you are a bit more experienced, I recommend a stamper from Clear Jelly Stamper – they make some fantastic stampers that are transparent so you can see exactly where you are placing your design on the nail.

Stamping plate:
If you are a beginner, I recommend looking at the stamping plates from Whats Up Nails or from Clear Jelly Stamper. It is important to choose a stamping plate that is not too detailed, as it takes some practice to pick up such patterns.
You can see stamping plates here.

Now that you’re completely HOOKED on stamping, here are some things that would be nice to have:

Liquid Latex, Liquid tape – a beloved child has many names, but protection for your cuticles is a wonderful thing to have when stamping. It not only makes the process faster, but also the result neater. Liquid tape works by applying it, just like nail polish, to the cuticle area around the nail. When it dries, it becomes like a silicone blanket that protects your cuticles from getting nail polish on them.

Cotton claw. When stamping, you use a lot of nail polish remover to clean the plate after each pattern. It can often be difficult to avoid getting nail polish remover on your freshly painted nails – and that’s a shame because it dissolves the beautiful polish. The solution is a cotton claw. An extended finger you can use to dip the cotton in nail polish remover and then clean the stamping plate.

Sticky Pad is something completely new, but super smart. A Sticky Pad works exactly like a lint roller with sticky paper. But whereas a lint roller is round, a Sticky Pad is flat like a book. When you need to clean your stamper, you don’t have to wipe it off with nail polish remover every time; you can simply press it onto your sticky pad and voilà, it’s ready to transfer a new pattern. It’s not just smart, it’s also very quick.