Nail stamping is an efficient and creative way to quickly transfer pre-designed, intricate patterns onto your nails. For beginners who aren’t skilled at drawing nail art with a brush, stamping is a simple and easy technique. By mastering a few basic steps, anyone can effortlessly add complex designs to their nails, making them more eye-catching and personalized.
Prepare the Tools:
Before you begin, make sure you have the following tools on hand:
- Stamping Plate: These plates usually feature a variety of patterns. Choose the design you like to transfer onto your nails.
- Stamping Gel or Stamping Polish: Stamping gel is more suitable for beginners as it has a lower speed requirement. Stamping polish, on the other hand, requires quicker application; otherwise, it may dry on the plate and prevent the design from being fully transferred.
- Stamping Stamper: Used to pick up the design from the plate. It consists of a silicone head and a handle. The silicone head comes in both hard and soft options. Beginners are usually advised to use a fully transparent handle stamper, as the silicone head can be either hard or soft.
- Stamping Scraper: Used to scrape off excess polish from the plate, ensuring that the design is clearly visible on the plate. This is typically included when you buy a stamper.
- Cleaning Tools: Nail cleaner or 95% alcohol to clean the stamping plate, and tape to clean the stamper.
Stamping the Designs:
- Coat the design with gel: Select your desired pattern from one of the stamping plates. Paint over the design with gel. (Make sure that every detail of the design is covered and that every groove of the pattern is filled.)
- Scrape off the excess gel: Hold the scraper at a 45-degree angle to the stamping plate. Firmly scrape the excess gel away, until you can clearly see the design. ( Scrape from multiple angles several times to ensure the surface is clean, leaving only the gel in the grooves of the design.)
- Pick up the pattern: Pick up your stamper and roll it over the design on the plate, starting from one side of the stamper and rolling it to the other side. You should be able to clearly see the design on the surface of the stamper. Most of the gel should have been picked up from the stamping plate. (When using gel for stamping, don't move too quickly. Slowly and steadily roll the stamper.)
- Lift off the unwanted design: Use tape to remove the unwanted design from the stamper. (The design can be cured under the UV lamp for 2-3 seconds before removing the excess design to prevent the gel from shrinking.)
- Transfer the design onto the nail: Hold the stamper perpendicular to the nail surface. Once you have positioned it correctly, press the design straight onto the nail. Then, lift the stamper vertically off the nail. (Do not rock the stamper side to side, as it will cause the design to smudge.)
- Cure under the lamp until fully dry: The curing time varies depending on the wattage of the nail lamp, typically ranging from 60 to 120 seconds. (A handheld nail lamps generally have higher wattage, which allows them to cure faster.)
- Cleaning Tools: Use a cotton pad soaked with nail cleaner or 95% alcohol to clean any residual gel on the stamping plate. Use tape to remove any leftover design on the stamper.)