How to stamp nails with gel polish

Beautiful, well-groomed marigolds are the pride of any woman. Therefore, the topic of nail art is always in trend, new techniques and methods of decorating nails are being invented. Nowadays, manicure with a gel varnish coating and stamping on it is very popular. This technique allows you to make original drawings, patterns, ornaments and make the most daring nail designs a reality. The journalists asked the specialists what stamping is, how it is done, what you need to buy in order to start using this technique. You will find detailed information and instructions in this article.

Stamping – what is it, advantages

The term 'stamping' comes from the English word 'stamping', the meaning of which is not difficult to understand – stamping, embossing. Based on this, it can be argued that stamping in a manicure is a certain technique for performing nail art, suggesting that the pattern will not be drawn with a brush, but applied using a ready-made stamp. Simply put, prints are applied to the nails, covered with a resistant polymer material, due to which a certain pattern appears on them.

Stamping has a lot of advantages:

1. You can do a manicure, which will be no worse than a salon, at home on your own.

2. You can make various patterns even if you do not know how to draw or do not have pronounced artistic inclinations.

3. If you know how to paint, but do not want to spend a lot of time painting your nails, do stamping. It will help save a lot of time that it takes to complete a beautiful, unique or simply original manicure.

4. Learning to do stamping is not difficult, you do not need much experience in nail art or high qualifications. Moreover, if in the learning process you make a mistake, you can wash off the pattern and re-execute it.

5. If you are stamping on a gel polish, then you can change your nail design at least every day. After all, the pattern is applied to a resistant polymer coating, which is easy to clean.

6. There are many types of stamping stencils with different patterns, made from different materials. This makes it possible to bring any idea to life.

7. You don't need to buy any expensive equipment. If you have already purchased a special UV lamp for gel polish polymerization, all that remains is to select the appropriate stencil plates and buy a suitable die. There is a large assortment of such accessories on sale, including specialized kits, the price range is wide enough, you can buy both expensive stamps and plates, as well as cheaper devices. Since these accessories can be used repeatedly, this investment in your own appearance will soon pay off.

Are there any differences between stamping on gel polish and regular polish? There is no fundamental difference in manicure techniques. In both the first and second case, you simply cover the surface with a pattern using stamps. The only difference is that if gel polish is used, the pattern can be applied and washed off an infinite number of times without affecting the integrity of the polymer coating. If you are stamping on a regular varnish, then in order to remove the pattern, you will have to wash off the decorative layer on which this pattern was applied.

Necessary accessories, tools, fixtures

To learn how to make stamping for nails, you must first make sure that everything you need is available – consumables and tools. Experts recommend buying varnishes, tops, paints, stamps and other high quality accessories. How this is justified:

1. Working with quality materials is easier, and you are less likely to make mistakes.

2. When it comes to gel polishes and other cosmetic products, then quality products are safer for the health of your nails.

3. High-quality consumables and accessories will allow you to get an excellent lasting result.

4. Quality manicure fixtures last longer, so you actually save money by investing a little more money.

So, what you may need in order to do nail stamping on a durable polymer coating:

1. Preparations and tools for performing hygienic manicure.

2. Cosmetic preparations for decorative manicure – a primer for nails, a base for gel polish, gel polish (or several products of different colors), a top coat. These preparations are needed in order to create the background on which the drawing will be applied.

3. A special LED lamp, under the light of which the gel polish is polymerized.

4. Ornamental prints, plates on which the patterns and designs you need are engraved.

5. Varnish or specialized acrylic paint for drawing. Choose the colors and shades, the nature of the finish to your taste. Experts recommend using not an ordinary varnish, but acrylic paint for stamping. Such cosmetics are distinguished by increased brightness of pigments, they allow you to make a clear, even graphic drawing. They do not blur during nail art and do not smudge when you start applying the top coat.

6. A small scraper (scraper) designed to remove excess pigments from the engraving.

7. A special stamp for stamping, which is designed to transfer the ornament from the engraved plate to the surface of the nail plate. This accessory looks like a small plastic piece shaped like a cone. Its size is 10-15 centimeters. The lower surface of the base is elastic and convex, made of rubber or silicone.

Experts draw your attention to the fact that plates with pictures, a scrap and a stamp can be bought separately or in a set. Which one is the best? Let's try to figure it out – the pros and cons of buying sets:

1. The manufacturer has included in the kit everything that may be needed to perform stamping on nails, except varnishes. Accessories are made in the same style. You don't have to worry about forgetting to buy something. Most non-professional kits cost less than the individual parts when bought one at a time.

2. The quality of the stamping accessories sold in the kit may be inferior to the quality of the products sold separately. In addition, the set may not include the exact stamping patterns you need.

It's up to you to buy a set or individual components of the required list of accessories, because both options have their advantages.

Preparing for nail design using stamping on gel polish

If all the necessary consumables and accessories have already been purchased, you can prepare the nail plates and begin the artistic process. It is unacceptable to apply gel polish and decorate the coating if the nails have not been pretreated, since the result will disappoint you, you will simply waste your time and materials.

Preparation of the nail plates consists in performing a hygienic manicure. It is better not to do a trim manicure, because if you remove (trim) the cuticle, apply gel polish, and then the drawing, it will be possible at least in a day. And if the cuticle is badly damaged – only after complete healing of the tissues. Therefore, it is recommended to perform a simpler and safer unedged manicure:

1. Disinfect instruments. Especially if they are used not only by you, but also by other people, even family members.

2. Prepare a bowl of tolerably hot water, a towel, nail files and buffs, in general, everything you may need to perform a hygienic manicure.

3. Remove the decorative coating from the nails, if any. It is advisable to use preparations for this, which do not contain acetone.

4. Give the nails the desired shape with a file; it is not recommended to use scissors or pieces for this purpose, since there is a high probability that you accidentally cut off not extra millimeters at all.

5. Submerge the fingers of one hand in hot water for 5-10 minutes to soften the cuticle and become more pliable.

6. Apply a special remover to the cuticle to dissolve the dead film. If you don't have a remover, simply push the cuticle towards the base of the nail with a special rounded edge pusher or soft orange stick.

7. Remove the keratinized skin on the sides of the nail plate, only proceed carefully so as not to violate the integrity of the living tissue.

8. Process all the nails in sequence, first on one hand, then immerse the fingers of the second hand in hot water, and then repeat all the manipulations.

9. Dry your nails thoroughly with a towel or blowing warm air from a hair dryer. After that, you can apply gel polish and stamp on it.

How to do classic stamping on gel polish

In order to stamp on the gel polish, you must first apply the gel itself and let all the layers dry thoroughly. The sequence of actions in case you use three-phase systems (base, gel polish, top coat):

1. Treat the nail plates with a dehydrator and degreaser. As a last resort, you can use alcohol at a concentration of 70-90%.

2. Apply a primer to your nails to protect them from the negative effects of polymers.

3. Apply a base or a base for gel polish to the nails, it will improve the adhesion properties of the surfaces in contact with each other – the nail plates and the polymer layer.

4. Apply the gel polish of the desired shade to the nails, including a transparent product. Remember to seal your nails by running the tip of the brush along the free edge of the plate. Dry this layer under the light of a special UV lamp for manicure.

5. If the polymer coating is not dense enough, uniform and saturated, as you would like, apply one or two more layers of gel polish, each of which must be thoroughly dried under a lamp.

6. Apply a last resort to your nails, a sheer or sheer glitter top that gives the long-lasting finish a beautiful glossy finish and protects the resin coating for extra durability.

7. If the last topcoat has a sticky layer, remove it with a special product. After that, your nails with the completed manicure are completely ready for stamping. The pattern you will be applying can be corrected and washed off with an acetone-based liquid.

8. If the tools you are going to use to stamp your nails have already been used, wipe them with acetone or a special cleanser to remove old paint residues, dust or dirt. Even the smallest particles of dirt can ruin the design, make it uneven or cause unnecessary stains.

How the classic stamping technique is performed on gel polish:

1. Pick up a plate with a pattern that you want to transfer to the nails. Apply a small amount of acrylic paint to its surface or, as a last resort, regular varnish if you run out of paint. It is enough to drop one or two drops from a brush into the middle of a specific pattern, then distribute the paint over the entire surface of the pattern with the same brush.

2. Using a scraper, more carefully distribute the paint over the engraving, make sure that the pigments fill all the grooves and depressions of the pattern, remove excess paint. The scraper should be held at a 45 degree angle to the stencil surface. The coating should be uniform, without bald spots, bubbles and other irregularities.

3. Take the stamp by the base, holding it with the bulge down. Place it on the plate with a pattern, gently roll the stamp so that the pattern you want is printed on its elastic soft surface. The process is similar to what happens when cylindrical printing is used.

4. Without waiting for the paint on the surface of the stamp to dry, apply it to the nail plate. You can lightly 'roll' the pattern to process the entire nail. The main thing in the process is not to smear the pattern. However, if such a nuisance occurs, or if you just don't like the way the ornament looks on your nails, erase the image with a nail polish remover and try again.

5. After the drawing on the surface of the nail plate dries, which can take 2-5 minutes, apply another layer of the top preparation on it. Dry this layer under a lamp and finish with a tackifier. If a drawing made with acrylic paint gets on the skin around the nail plates, you do not need to worry, this happens often. Simply wipe the leather with lacquer thinner after applying and drying the top coat of resin.

6. Such a classic version of nail stamping on gel polish allows you to perform ordinary patterns and ornaments – lace, snowflakes, any graphic images. But if you want to apply real mini-drawings made in several shades on your nails, you will have to master the technique of reverse stamping on gel polish using the gel polish itself. Reverse stamping is a real work of art, and in order to learn this technique, it is recommended to train not on your own nails, but on special plastic models that exactly imitate the size and shape of real marigolds.

How to reverse stamp your nails

The preparatory stage remains unchanged – do a manicure, remove and lay out tools and supplies, wipe the engraved plates and scraper with a remover or acetone.

After that, apply a primer, base, one or two layers of gel polish on your nails (do not forget to dry under a lamp).

Next, you need to act in this way:

1. Apply paint of a suitable color to the desired engraving, smooth it with a scraper and remove excess pigment. It is better to use a high-quality gel polish instead of paint, since all other manipulations will be carried out using this particular tool.

2. Roll the stamp over the pattern so that the outline is imprinted on its rubber or silicone underside.

3. In order to fill in the contours, that is, literally paint the picture as children do in coloring books, use the finest brush and gel polishes of the appropriate colors. The drawing is painted directly on the surface of the stamp.

4. Hold the stamp under your lamp light and dry the design on it. If after that it seems to you that the colors did not come out bright enough, you can repeat the coloring procedure a second time. However, try to make sure that the paint layer is not too thick.

5. Cover the drawing with the thinnest layer of transparent gel polish, dry it under the lamp. Remove the sticky layer if necessary.

6. On the nail, on which you have already applied several layers of gel polish, you need to apply the base again. After that, you need to take tweezers, pick up the image on the stamp, under one of the edges, attach this plate to the nail, flatten, carefully press and smooth so that there are no bubbles, creases, wrinkles or other irregularities. Particular attention should be paid to the area around the perimeter of the nail plate – at the cuticle and on the free edge of the marigold. At the base of the nail, it is convenient to press the film with an orange stick.

7. As a rule, the nail plate does not have the same shape as the pattern made on the surface of the stamp, it is smaller in size. Therefore, the patterned film will protrude beyond the contours of the nail. This excess must be carefully cut off with very sharp nail scissors with fine blades.

8. The last step is to apply a top coat to the glued ornament, dry it under a lamp, remove the sticky layer, if any.

If you are using not three-phase gel polish systems, but two-phase or single-phase, the sequence of steps for performing stamping does not change. First, one or two coats of gel are applied, then the drawing, then the last finishing coat.

How to choose a gel polish for reverse stamping nails

Gel polish that is used as a substrate or background for the stamped image can be anything. It is better, of course, to choose products from reliable brands, but in this matter you can focus on your own preferences and financial capabilities.

However, the gel polish that you plan to use to paint the contours of the drawing must meet several requirements, otherwise you can not even dream of a high-quality and beautiful manicure:

Good dense texture, allowing the cosmetic product to be effectively imprinted on the elastic surface of the stamp.

Increased pigmentation of gel polish. The drawing should ideally be applied in one layer, and at the same time it turns out to be clear, rich, bright.

It is desirable that a gel that does not have a sticky layer is used for the stamping pattern. The less manipulations with the drawing you will carry out, the less likely it is deformed, smudged or somehow deteriorated.

Quite recently, special gel paints for stamping have appeared on the cosmetic market. They perfectly print on gel polish. Alternatively, you can try this tool – Elise Braun stamping gel polish, it has many good reviews on the Internet.

How to stamp dry

This type of nail stamping may appeal to lovers of new and unusual manicure techniques. In this case, not stamping paint is used to complete the pattern, but finely ground dry pigment. Such a product can be found in the assortment of large manufacturers – CND, Additives Medium Green, etc. In addition to the pigment, you will also need a brush to work with fine powder, for example, ruNail and Finest Kolinsky NDO No. 6 brushes do their job well. You also need to prepare a new stamp, the pad of which you have not previously processed with a buff (read about the need for such processing later in the article).

The sequence of performing nail art:

1. Make a hygienic manicure.

2. Apply primer, base and colored layers – do not forget to dry each of them under the light of a lamp. The last layer of color gel polish should remain sticky, that is, it does not need to be dried.

3. Colored powder should be applied to the drawing selected on the stencil. You can combine different colors to your liking.

4. The stamp is pressed by an elastic surface to the pattern and intercepts the powder, after which the pattern can be printed on a sticky layer of gel varnish.

5. Apply a top coat, dry under a lamp.

Stamping with pigments

This stamping technique will allow you to diversify the design by coating the paint that is used to apply the pattern with colored powder. To complete the design, you will need black stamping paint and a manicure pigment (neon or rub).

The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. Perform a hygienic manicure.

2. Cover nails with primer, base and decorative layers, each of which needs to be dried under the lamp twice as long as usual.

3. Remove the stickiness on the last layer.

4. Select a drawing, apply paint on a stencil, spread with a scraper or a plastic card, transfer to a stamp, then from a stamp to a nail.

5. While the paint of the pattern has not yet dried, you need to dip a soft brush into the pigmented powder and apply the powder over the paint with light hammering movements.

6. After one to two minutes, when the paint with the powder on top is dry, excess pigments can be removed from the nails with a clean soft brush or paper towel.

7. Apply a top coat to your nails and cure the last coat in the lamp twice as long as usual.

Signs of quality stamping engraved tiles

There are two types of stamping tiles in total:

1. Original products of a specific brand. Such products, as a rule, have quality certificates.

2. Products of the 'noname' category, that is, those produced by small companies that do not even have the intention of earning a reputation among consumers.

Experts recommend giving preference to the first option. But there are a few more signs by which you can 'identify' quality engraved stamping plates without relying on the brand:

1. There must be an identification code on the plate. It can be a set of numbers or a combination of numbers and letters. This code allows you to identify the pattern or set of patterns that are engraved on the plate.

2. The plate in the package must be covered with a special protective film. It must be removed without effort and without residue before using the accessory for the first time.

3. All lines of the drawing must be clear, no disturbances in the image, notches and similar defects are unacceptable.

4. All engraving lines on the plate must have the same depth.

5. Also, before buying plates, pay attention to whether the size of the pattern matches the size and shape of your thumbnail. It is important to take into account the length of the plate, because you may want to grow marigolds and stamp them on them. It will be a shame if the length of the pattern is not enough for stamping on extended nails.

How to choose the right nail stamping plate

The choice of such accessories in the assortment of cosmetic stores is wide enough for the buyer to be confused trying to find the best option for himself. Let's analyze what criteria and aspects need to be considered when choosing plates for nail stamping:

1. The number of squares or rectangles with patterns on one plate. Naturally, it is more profitable to buy products that contain a larger number of ornaments than analogs. Even if initially you do not plan to use certain images, they may be useful to you in the future.

2. Themes of patterns on the plates. It can be New Year's motives, and emoticons, flowers, lace, abstractions, geometric shapes and figures, flags, letters, etc. The patterns are very diverse and you need to choose the right one to your liking.

3. Stencil plate making material. It can be metal or plastic. It is believed that designs engraved on metal surfaces are more durable and harder to scratch with a scraper.

How to choose a quality stamp for nail stamping and prepare it for work

A good stamping stamp is not easy to find. Most of them, presented in the assortment of nail art shops, are difficult, if not impossible, to use. In the reviews of women who tried to independently perform stamping, you can find many complaints about the quality of the stamps. It often happens that the pattern on the rubber / silicone surface is not printed at all, and the device turns out to be inoperative.

To begin with, let's denote that stamps, like engraved plates, can be original (branded) and non-original (all the same 'noname'). Also, all possible options for similar goods can be classified as follows:

1. Depending on how many 'working surfaces' the stamp has. An accessory can have one working side – the one that is soft and plastic. And also there are devices for stamping, which at one end have a stamp of the same size and degree of plasticity, and at the other end there is a second stamp of a different size. The head itself for copying the pattern print can even be removable. In this case, the set with the stamp base includes several heads of different colors. These accessories are convenient to use when you want to print a shade of ink that matches the color of the main die head. For example, white paint is poorly visible on a white surface, it is difficult to understand how well the pattern is printed.

2. Depending on what material the die head is made of. In modern production, rubber and silicone are used. The first option is not very successful, since rubber is characterized by increased cruelty. This material is not always able to repeat the shape of the nail plate when rolling the pattern. Therefore, the application of a solid pattern causes certain difficulties. In addition, rubber heads are usually very small, which does not allow for continuous coverage. In this regard, silicone material is more convenient – it is softer, more flexible, picks up and retains pigments well, allows you to apply a pattern to the entire nail plate at a time.

A brief overview of not too successful stamps for stamping nails – which options are better not to purchase:

1. Miniature stamp manufactured by Konad. This is an original high quality accessory that will serve you for a long time. But it has too little work surface. It is thin and flat, difficult to deform when imprinted on a curved nail. Therefore, experts recommend using this option only for printing individual fragments of a drawing or for performing a French manicure. It is not suitable for large stamping patterns over the entire nail plate.

2. A small stamp from an unknown manufacturer, which differs in that there is a scraper on the second side of the handle. Many women buy such a product in the hope of saving money, after all, there is a die and a scraper for one price. The advantage of this product is that the scraper will not get lost, which happens quite often. But the main working surface is small, which makes the tool not very convenient to use and certainly not universal for performing different stamping patterns.

3. Non-original stamp with a rectangular surface and a replaceable head. Accessories with rectangular work surfaces have been shown to be the most effective for stamping. But the fact that the die head is removable makes absolutely no difference if there are no other replaceable silicone pads in the kit. As a rule, such pads are absent not only in the die set, but generally on sale. However, given the low cost of such devices, they can be regularly updated without much damage to the budget.

4. Double-sided stamping stamps with white pads of different sizes. This tool is positioned as a universal tool. One surface is small and resilient, which allows you to leave small, clear prints of individual decorative elements. The other pad is large and flexible, adapts well to the shape of the nail, allowing you to apply full-fledged patterns on large and long nails. But there is one 'but' – such accessories can badly collect a pattern from a stamping tile.

In order not to disappoint you at all as dies for stamping, we will give an example of a successfully executed accessory. For example, the tool of the Born Pretty brand does its job well. It is a transparent silicone die with a hollow transparent handle. The manufacturer tried to take into account all the needs of buyers and brought to life a very interesting and practical idea:

1. When transferring a pattern or ornament from a tile to a stamp, from a stamp to a nail plate, you can see through the pad how the drawing lays down. That is, you have the opportunity to assess in time whether all the elements fall into their intended place.

2. On the transparent cushion, you can clearly see any color of the contours of the drawings – from white to black.

3. The density of the cushion is optimal for making designs and ornaments of any size on any surface, even a strongly curved one.

4. In general, if you experiment with different stamping stamps, you can quickly find the best option for yourself. They are not very expensive, so such purchases will not make a significant gap in the family budget.

5. In order for the stamping process to be successful, it is important not only to choose the right accessories, but also to prepare them for work. To begin with, the silicone or rubber surface of the die needs to be made not as smooth as it was originally. This is necessary for the rougher surface to adhere better to the varnish applied to the engraving of the plate. To increase the roughness of the material, it can be lightly treated with a nail polish buff. You do not need to be zealous in this matter, since you can easily spoil the stamp head, as a result of which the lines of the drawing or pattern will no longer be clear enough.

6. Also, before starting to work with the stamp, its working surface must be wiped with ZhDSL (nail polish remover). The villi stick to silicone very quickly, so additional cleaning will not be superfluous even if the stamp seems to be relatively clean.

Stamping for nails – tips for beginners from professionals

So that stamping is not accompanied by mistakes and only brings pleasure from a beautifully executed manicure, consider the advice of experienced nail art masters:

1. Save on acrylic paint or special gel for coloring the contours of drawings. Do not completely apply pigments to the entire engraved plate if you see that it is much larger than the surface of the nail plate, even on the thumb. Since stamping is a technique that involves a large consumption of materials, you can learn how to save them. To do this, apply a strip of paint at the very beginning of the drawing and distribute it so that it is enough to cover the nail, but not more.

2. Use a straight-edged plastic squeegee rather than a metal one. If necessary, you can even use any unnecessary plastic card. If you have a metal scraper, keep in mind that sooner or later it will begin to scratch the engraved plate, rendering it unusable.

3. Clean the engraved plate, scraper, and stamp surface immediately after nailing, before the paint is dry enough. This can be easily done with nail polish remover if the gel is still fresh.

4. It is not recommended to clean the surface of the stamp with cotton pads, sticks or napkins, which may leave tiny lint on the rubber or silicone. These particles can ruin your manicure next time. Therefore, it is best to use the sticky side of the tape to clean the stamp. If you use one side of double-sided tape, which has a more sticky surface, the cleaning will be better and faster.

5. As we already mentioned, when transferring a pattern to the surface of the nail plate, paint often gets on the skin around the nails. To protect your skin and make it easier to cleanse, apply a thin layer of oily cream to your skin. A more reliable way to protect the skin around the nail is to use a specialized 'liquid tape'. This liquid substance of a bright shade, which is clearly visible on the skin, is easily removed along with the adhering pattern – just pick it up by the edge with tweezers. Such a product is produced by many brands – MASURA, Kiesque Liquid Palisade, EL CORAZON Kaleidoscope Cuticle Defender, Pure Manicure Dance Legend, Skin Defender, Fire Star. And you can choose how it is more convenient for you to apply the drug – with a brush or a sponge, like a lip gloss.

We hope these tips will help you stamp quickly, easily and without mistakes!

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