I've been promising this review for a while now and here it is!
If you go to Konad's website, they describe their product as follows:
"Konad Stamping Nail Art ™ is a new and innovative nail-imprinting kit that allows you to stamp beautiful pre-designed images on your nails in minutes! Our kits do not hold back on quality, it delivers beautiful delicate images that hand painting cannot achieve.
Not only are the kits cost effective and time saving, but they are also versatile; You can also use them on accessories like sunglasses, cell phones, earrings, and almost anywhere you wish!"
I came across this in Las Vegas at the Adventuredome in Circus Circus. Of course, my daughter Tate was immediately taken by the idea of stamping a super-cool, intricate design on your fingernail in a matter of seconds! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued too.
The process is relatively simple. The patterns are etched into stainless steel plates. You take nail polish and brush over the design you want. Then squeegee the excess polish off and press the blank stamp into it so you can transfer it onto your nail.
Tate got a very pretty butterfly. I got a french manicure tip with a scrolly sort of design over it (see below).
And I have to say, it was simple and the results are fabulous!
So, suckers that we are...we bought a set. Now I realize you may be asking yourself some questions now. The basic set we bought comes with a plate of 7 designs, a small white nail polish, the blank stamp and the scraper you use to squeegee off the excess polish.
No, not just ANY nail polish can be used. I've read that if you cannot get the Konad special polish, then there are thick "china glaze" polishes that do well.
The set we bought was kinda steep, $30. I've seen the same set on eBay for around $17-$20. There are many imitators, so be aware of that. The biggest difference I can tell about the imitators is that the design plates are not as intricate and the designs aren't as sharp and clean as the Konad set.
BUT to try it out, I would recommend getting the set they have on Ulta.com for $2.99. The only thing it doesn't include is the polish. From there you could decide if you liked it and could invest in more design plates from Konad...I firmly do think they are the best. And they have new plates that have designs that cover the entire nail in one stamp!
When it comes to the special polishes, I think the two "must have" colors are black and white. You can work with any base color if you have those and they look great on your natural nail.
Now, let me tell you this. The key to being successful with this product is SPEED. I cannot stress that enough. If you don't get the polish scraped fast enough, it will not transfer to the stamp. If you do not get it from the stamp to the nail fast enough, the design will not transfer to the nail. I found that my first time out with my daughter, I had about a 50% success rate. While it was frustrating, I know the more I do it, the better I'll get.
I just need to keep an eye on eBay for some reasonably priced polishes...this small bottle isn't going to last too long while I'm working by trial and error!
The bottom line is that once you get it mastered, it's fun and relatively easy. I like that the designs are so intricate and precise. You can't get that with airbrush or hand painting.
