Are you looking for the perfect gift for your favorite nail art loving buddy or even for yourself? You will love the selection that this kit from Beauty Big Bang has whether you are new to nail art or a seasoned pro!
How beautiful is this nail mail?
There are 12 pieces total in this awesome set. You get a stamper, a scraper, and 10 random circular plates with assorted designs. The downside is that you don’t get to select what designs you will receive, but I loved the surprise of opening the package and seeing what arrived.
Each plate comes inside a resealable plastic bag. The front of the bag is clear so that you can see the images on the plate. Storing the plate inside the original packaging is recommended so that the surface does not get scratched from rubbing against other plates or objects.
Basic instructions are printed on the back of the packaging.
The instructions aren’t very thorough as they don’t cover the first steps of stamping, such as removing the plastic layer from the plate, applying nail polish to the design, and scraping away the excess before transferring the image to the stamper. Seasoned pros won’t need the tutorial, but if you are purchasing this kit for a beginner, the recipient might be very confused as to what to do.
I think it’s very unfortunate that they do not mention the part about removing the plastic layer from the stamping plates first because the plastic is clear and not easily noticed. Also, trying to find a free edge to pull the plastic away is a little tricky, although I find that using an orange stick helps with this.
You can pick away at the edge of the plate to lift enough of the plastic layer to remove it easily.
As for the plates themselves, I think they are made by Blink, but they are clearly inspired by Konad. The etching is done very well, and the quality is top notch. As mentioned previously, you don’t get to pick which plates you will receive, but I loved the assortment of designs.
I would have loved to see some full nail designs, but the variety of single images is amazing and will inspire you to create some beautiful nail art.
The consistent part of the set is the stamper and scraper.
The stamper is much like the one that Konad offers. It is fairly firm, but it does a great job of picking up images.
Designs with large solid areas are picked up with ease.
Images with finer details also transfer nicely.
Notice that on the images above, the transferred designs have slightly fuzzy edges. This is because the stamper does such a great job of picking up the polish that if it is not completely scraped from the plate, the stamper will pick up some of the excess.
The best part about the stamper is that no priming is required, so it is ready to use straight out of the package. This prevents a ton of frustration on the user’s end! The only downside of the stamper is that the handle is small. It’s not a huge deterrent, but I’m spoiled by my collection of big stampers.
I do prefer plastic scrapers compared to the metal edged one included in this kit. I find that metal scrapes the plate, and this can cause the design to deteriorate over time. You can easily substitute an old gift card for the scraper included in this kit and get equally good results.
As for the nail art you can produce with this kit, take a look at a few manicures I created!
This whimsical assortment used a mish mash of many of the designs from the plates above.
There were quite a few Halloween images on the plates I received, so I made this fun Halloween manicure using some reverse stamping techniques to color in the designs.
I took advantage of the French tips plate to create this winter manicure.
Also worthwhile mentioning is that the French tip image is not quite wide enough to fit a thumbnail. It doesn’t cover about 2 mm of my nail, and I consider myself to have small nails. It is not easily noticed if one does not look too closely, but it may bother you if you like your designs to look absolutely perfect.
The French tip design covers most fingernails, but there is a slight gap on the left side of my thumb nail because the design is not long enough.
Overall, this kit is a great deal and a fantastic addition to any collection. You do need to provide your own polishes, but for anyone who loves stamping or nail art, this kit is a dream. You really can’t beat this price for a set of 10 plates, a stamper, and a scraper, and you will love opening the package to see which mystery grab bag plates arrive in your set! If you order this, please let me know which plates you receive in the comments below.
Diamond rating: ♦♦♦♦♦ (5/5)
If you are interested in purchasing this nail stamping kit, SKU: 34412 (retail price is $9.99 USD), the link for the item is shown below. Using code CHRISS will get you 10% off your order, and Beauty Big Bang offers free worldwide shipping. Happy polishing!
