2/25/2012

Review: As Seen On TV Salon Express Nail Stamping Kit

**Just so you know I'm a nail stamping virgin. This As Seen On TV Salon Express Kit is the first nail stamping kit I've ever had. I've never used the Konad or any of the other popular kits, so for those of you that have experience in nail stamping, your opinion will probably be totally different from mine.

I bought the Salon Express Kit a few weeks ago at CVS,  The retail price of this kit is $9.99 but I happened to have $4.00 in CVS coupons so I only ended up paying $6 and change. I've also seen this at other drugstores and Sally's Beauty Supply.






Here's the contents of the kit:

(left to right) Dual ended Stamper, scraper and plate holder

The stamper has a large and a small end. Depending on the design you use and the size of your nail bed. 


The kit comes with 5 different metal plates. They came with a protective peel able blue coating. I already took them off of course. I'm not sure if I was supposed to cover them back up with the plastic. Too late bc I threw them away :/

Image holder for the plates. 


Here is the little pamphlet of some useful tips it came with:

 I tried this about 3 times and had no luck which was a little discouraging bc I usually pick up on these kinda of things pretty quick. I didn't have any special stamping polish but I've heard that you don't need them, so I tried using regular polish but I guess it wasn't thick enough. I've also heard a lot of people say it takes a lot of practice. 

The problem I had was that I either would only get half of the design to transfer onto the stamper or not at all. I ordered two stamping polishes in Black & White from The Born Pretty Store hoping that would help. My stamping polishes arrived today so I'm ready to dive back into this determined to finally get the hang of it. 

Here's a picture of the stamping polishes I bought. I didn't realize they were this small but I'll probably never use them both up and together they only cost $3.00.



On my left hand I used the black stamping polish and it finally worked!! Yeahh!! You have to understand my excitement, this is the first time after many attempts that I actually got the design to transfer onto my nail. 

Of course it's far from perfect but at least I know I can do it now. *Remember these pictures are strictly for the reviewing aspect. I know how horrible they look and I need to work on aligning the designs onto my nail better. I'm just glad I got them to stamp!

Using the design below with black stamping polish
                   


Here's my right hand using Sally Hansen's Insta- Dri Nail Polish in Speedy Sunburst. My ring finger was stamped with a different design from one of the other plates. It would have came out better if I stamped it more towards the middle of my nail. I know, the design is a mess but I'm glad to know I can use regular polishes too.

Using the design below (besides my ring finger) with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Polish
              
I now understand why everyone says nail stamping takes a lot of practice. I still need tons of more practice (obviously).  Even though I'm still very much a nail stamping newbie, I did learn some valuable tips along the way and wanted to list them for other nail stamping newbies out there. I hope these help:

TIPS FOR NAIL STAMPING BEGINNERS:
  • This can be a messy process so before you begin get your area set up. Make sure to protect whatever surface you're working on if you don't want nail polish on it. You can use paper towels, an old towel or anything that will cover.
  • You want to also have nail polish remover with cotton balls (the more the better) and maybe Q-Tips. Like I said it can get messy, plus you need to clean off the stamper and plate between each use.
  • The nail polish is the key to making this work. Like it mentions in the little pamphlet of tips, the thicker the polish the more it will adhere to the stamper. Stamping polishes work well but if you don't own any, Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri polishes work well and I'm sure there are a lot more brands that work too. I haven't tried any others so I cant say but polishes that only need one coat, or thicker metallic and shimmery polishes will work best. 
  • The directions say you can lightly file the stamper to get the polish to stick better. At first I was scared to try this but then I saw a nail stamping video on YouTube where they lightly used a buffer and filed the stamper vertically once or twice. I ended up trying this and I feel like it did help, it doesn't at all ruin the stamper. Just make sure not to use a rough file and file gently. 
  • I wouldn't recommend using the scraper that comes with the kit bc it's metal and will probably scratch the plates. I've been using an old credit card and it works great for scraping. I also noticed that if I hold the scraper (or card) at a 45 degree angle it helps. 
  • Work quickly when transferring the stamper onto your nail, if you wait too long the nail polish will dry onto the stamper and wont transfer onto your nail. 
VERDICT:
I totally think this kit is worth it, even though I've had some trouble with it, I'm pretty sure I would have the same problems if I were using the real deal. I like the dual ended stamper, this comes in handy depending on which design you choose and the size of your nail. This kit comes with everything you need, and I think 5 nail plates is a good deal for only $9.99. I love how there's a drugstore kit for nail stamping out there now that actually works!

One thing I wish I could change was the image plates I received. Besides the plate that I used for the designs above, there's some images I don't really care for  (i.g. turtle, apple, pine tree, dragonfly and a few more). Those I will probably never use but it's fine bc you can buy different plates online for really cheap. I'm going to practice more and I know I will get the technique down sooner than later (I hope). So if you're new to nail stamping and feel like it doesn't work or you'll never get it, you will. If there's one thing I know about nail stamping it's that the more you practice the better you will get.

How do you feel about nail stamping and have you tried this kit? If you have any tips I would love to hear them :)


Product Rating: 4 out of 5 polishes!!




Click the links below :)

24 comments:

  1. oh didnt know these things existed! the stamp looks good on your nails!

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  2. NailsbyCarol8:41 PM

    I loved the plates, the full nail stamps are not that great, but you can work with them. The scraper didn't work for me... Too sharp I think. Nice review :D

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  3. Thanks!!! They actually look horrible, especially the pink stamps lol. But thank you!!!

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  4. Thank you!! Im still trying to work with it. I know I'll eventually buy the Konad

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  5. I love the plates and stamping, but am not a big fan of the full nail stamps. When I first got some plates a few years ago, I couldn't get it to work because I didn't realise there was a protective film over the plate that needed to be peeled off - embarrassing! 

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  6. AGirlandHerPolish9:26 PM

    Don't give up! It took me a long time with a lot of practice in order to finally master stamping, but it was so worth it!  I almost threw out all my plates because I was so frustrated!  The best polishes to use are those that are opaque in one coat.  Good luck and don't give up!

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  7. twofashiongeeks9:44 PM

    Great Review, Kelly. I've been thinking about getting a starter set for stamping, and this seems like a really good deal to start off with. 

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  8. BeautyByKrystal10:04 PM

    Oy, I've been looking for this everywhere. I saw NouveauCheap blog about it a while back and I've been searching for it ever since. I can't wait to buy this!! :D Great post!

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  9. lol Don't be embarrassed, it took me a few minutes to realize that there was blue covering on the plates :)

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  10. Thanks!! That's what everyone keeps saying so Im sure I will get it sooner or later. Even though it is frustrating! lol

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  11. Thanks!! I totally recommend getting this kit.

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  12. Yea, I first saw the infomercial and then I heard it was at drugstores. I checked everywhere trying to hunt it down. Even though it's a pain lol

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  13. I'm still kinda skeptical about thisssss.... we'll see if I'll get one but I'm sure you can nail yours[hahaha] LOL

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  14. Sammystannard5:26 PM

    Great post!! I have to get my hands on this :-) xxx

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  15. You should try it bc I bet you would catch on faster, you did a great job with the water marbling! I can't believe I haven;t thrown the whole kit out the window yet, its that frustrating lol

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  16. Thanks!!! You'll be able to find it at any store that sells As Seen On TV products

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  17. Oh Im not, Im gonna be a nail stamping pro one day lol (yea right)!

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  18. I haven't seen these at a store yet, but when I do I will grab one!! Can you buy the stamping polish in stores? You know I hate having to order things online!! :) lol. 

    I want one of these now though!! ugh! 

    Haven't talked to you in forever!! How is everything going?!?! 

    xoxo, nykki 

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  19. I didn't either, now I see them everywhere. Im sure they'll pop up soon around you. Unfortunately they dont sell stamping polishes online. I know, I hate waiting for things to get delivered. You dont really need the stamping polishes though. Sally Hansen's INSTA-DRI polishes work well, any polish that is thick should work. Let me warn you though, it takes a while to get a hang of. Im surprised I didn't throw it out the window lol. Keep looking around at any stores that sell As Seen On TV products.

    I've been good, how about you? Is school still crazy?
    xoxo

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  20. Yay! You're stamping!! I promise it gets easier/you get better! Just keep practicing!! (see, people say other polishes work; I'm still stuck on using the *real* stamping polish:) 

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  21. I know!!! Finally! But now I have to practice aligning the images on my nails. Some of them are harder than others. I do like using the stamping polishes better too. But I only have them in black and white. I found that a few from Sally Hansen's INSTA-DRI line work pretty well. One day I'll hopefully get it :)

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  22. I have the one from the Born Pretty Store and I am just getting the hang of it. I find some plates work better than others. I didn't buy the stamping polish but I use Wet and Wild's .99 polishes and they all work well. I have to get the process down they make it seem so easy on Youtube.

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  23. I only have the plates from the kit, but once I start getting better at it I want to get more. I didn't know that those W&W polishes work, I have a few of them and there so cheap. Good to know :) It def is a process!! lol.

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