Top products from r/RedditLaqueristas
We found 269 product mentions on r/RedditLaqueristas. We ranked the 935 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
1. BONAMART World Pride Nail Tape Stripe Decoration Sticker Hologram, Set of 10
Sentiment score: 14
Number of reviews: 27
Hologran Reflective Nail TapeEasy to ApplySet of 10 Rolls
2. Konad Nail Art Double Ended Stamper And Scraper
Sentiment score: 16
Number of reviews: 20
MANICUREPEDICURENAIL ARTNAIL POLISHSCULPTED NAILS
3. Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Nail Coat, Clear - .5 oz. oz
Sentiment score: 14
Number of reviews: 20
PROVIDES HIGH SHINE, GLOSSY FINISH TO YOUR NAILS: Bring your manicure to life with Vite Dry Fast Top Nail Clear Coat. Give brilliance to your polish, and cover them with an invisible shield, protecting the polish from nicking and dulling! It guarantees a glowing finish touch while preventing nails f...
4. GREEN FABWOOD 15pcs Nail Art Painting Pen Brush
Sentiment score: 11
Number of reviews: 15
This is a first dumb bullet
5. OPI Nail Strengthener, Original Nail Envy Nail Strengthener Treatment, 0.5 Fl Oz
Sentiment score: 6
Number of reviews: 12
NAIL STREGTHENER with added calcium and protein to build manicure ready nails that are harder, longer and stronger than ever beforeWEAK, DAMAGED NAILS are no match for OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener! Get ready for your nails to be envied by allAll OPI Nail Envy products can be used as a stand alon...
6. Bundle Monster Nail Art Nailart Polish Stamp Stamping Manicure Image Plates Accessories Set Kit 25pc
Sentiment score: 12
Number of reviews: 12
【MECHANICAL RED SWITCHES】Distinct activation feeling & offering the best tactile typing experience, also being ever so slightly quieter, fitting for office or gaming use. And you can get 4 spared switches as a gift
7. Bundle Monster Manicure Nail Art Image Polish Stamping Plates Accessories - Original 2010 Collection
Sentiment score: 8
Number of reviews: 12
8. 30Pcs Mixed Colors Rolls Striping Tape Line Nail Art Tips Decoration Sticker from Y2B
Sentiment score: 2
Number of reviews: 12
30Pcs Mixed Colors Rolls Striping Tape Line Nail Art Tips Decoration Sticker Hot Sale
9. Acrylic 6 Rows Transparent Clear Nail Polish Wall Display Rack - Holds up to 90 to 120 Bottles
Sentiment score: 5
Number of reviews: 10
High Quality Acrylic Rack with Pink Box ( Great for gift and Personal or Salon Display use)_20.5_ W x 24_H x 2_D Sign Dimensions_ 20.5_ x 4_6 Rows - Holds up to 90 to 120 Bottles (Depends on size of the nail polish bottle)Sign is Optional to Mount and Removable; Easy Assembly.FUJI Brand - Quality yo...
10. Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat Professional Kit, 4 oz Refill & 0.50 oz
Sentiment score: 9
Number of reviews: 10
TOP COAT FOR A LONGER-WEARING NAIL POLISH: Originally developed to protect and shield the nail surface, Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat Professional Kit is a resilient top coat for superior nail protection. It is specifically formulated to provide a strong satin finish when used over any nail lacquer. ...
11. MASH Professional 15 piece Nail Art Brush Kit Set
Sentiment score: 4
Number of reviews: 9
Mash, Top quality nail art supplies guaranteed!
12. MASH - 5 X 2 Nail Dotting Tool Set for Nail Art, Manicures and Pedicures
Sentiment score: 7
Number of reviews: 8
Special low introductory price! Get it while you can.Five different dotting toolsEach tool has two different sizes allowing you 10 different options.Enables you to create beautiful nail designs in secondsMASH, quality nail art supplies guaranteed!
13. Nail Polish Table Rack Display 60 Bottles
Sentiment score: 3
Number of reviews: 7
Counter DisplayStructured with heavy duty clear acrylicHolds 60 bottles including OPI, ESSIE, CHINA GLAZE16" x 11" x 2" (unassembled size)5 Rows
14. MelodySusie 12W Violetili LED Light Lamp Gel Nail Dryer for Curing LED Gel & Gelish Nail Polish Black + MelodySusie Nail Nipper
Sentiment score: 9
Number of reviews: 7
15. Winstonia 20 pc Nail Art Stamp Stamping Image Plate Set, Manicure Pedicure - First Generation
Sentiment score: 7
Number of reviews: 7
DIY NAIL ART: Achieve amazing nail art at home without spending time and money at nail salon. No drawing or painting skill, just stamp and transfer! These nail art stamping plates are popular among amateur and expert due to its uniqueness and easiness for an impressive manicure.EASY STAMP & TRANSFER...
16. GOGOONLY 200 pcs Clear Tips Fan-shaped Nail Art Display Chart Acrylic False Tips Practice Tool - 200 Tips in Total - BH000472
Sentiment score: 4
Number of reviews: 7
100% Brand new and high quality! Now each set comes with 4 Binder Rings as well!4 Sets of 50 pieces transparent sector fan boards - Totaling in 200 piecesYou can coat 4x50=200 different colors nail polishOnly Order from INBEAUTY to ensure you will receive exactly the same product as shown in picture...
17. Gel UV Nail Lamp, SUNUV 48W UV LED Nail Dryer Light for Gel Nails Polish Manicure Professional Salon Curing Lamp with 4 Timer Setting Sensor SUN2C
Sentiment score: 9
Number of reviews: 7
Painless Schema Design: Flexible Drying Options with 4 preset time control: 10s, 30s, 60s and 90s low heat mode, you can enjoy professional quality nail polish at home.Smart Auto-Sensing (no switch): SUNUV have made the nail lamp smart and user-friendly. Auto-sensor for on/off without pressing any k...
18. MyGift Metal Nail Polish Mountable 6 Tier Organizer Display Rack, Black
Sentiment score: 2
Number of reviews: 7
A beautiful nail polish display that conveniently mounts to the wall, freeing up drawer and counter spaceFeatures 6 shelves to attractively display a variety of brand name nail polish bottlesMounting hardware is included and made easy to hang instantly**Official MyGift product.** Nail polish bottles...
19. PUEEN Nail Art Stamp Collection Set 24E - LOVE ELEMENTS - NEW Unique Set of 24 Nailart Polish Stamping Manicure Image Plates Accessories Kit (Totaling 144 Images) with BONUS Storage Case-BH000018
Sentiment score: 3
Number of reviews: 6
Newest Unique Nail Art Image Plates Designed by PUEEN - Now comes with the storage case (color of case is sent randomly)!Comes with 24 plates. There are 6 designs per plate (total of 144 IMAGES!)Each plate measures about 1.8" (5.5cm in diameter) with sanded edges for easy, comfortable handling and a...
20. 48 Piece Rainbow Colors Glitter Nail Polish Lacquer Set + 3 Scented Nail Polsih Remover
Sentiment score: 4
Number of reviews: 6
Comes with 48 different colors (may differ from product image)Nail polish and Remover SetRACK/STAND IS NOT INCLUDEDRACK/STAND IS NOT INCLUDEDRACK/STAND IS NOT INCLUDED
Well, I'm quite new to this but I'll try :)
First off, are you sure your wife would like nail art? There may be a reason she doesn't use her nail polish?
Well, unfortunately there aren't many stores that sell stamping supplies. The best place for a lot of nail art stuff is Amazon.
If she's impatient/ always likes to be using her hands a fast dry top coat might be a good idea for her. Good ones are Seche Vite and Out the Door :)
Konad is the best brand to do with stamping about (as far as I know). Their stamper is the one to get. As for image plates- Konad ones are good but expensive. I would suggest getting a Cheeky or Bundle Monster pack. You can get so many different patterns I would suggest getting something like this or this, which has a variety of full nail images, individual stamps and french tip stamps. Also, if you do buy image plates etc. then I would suggest buying proper stamping polish, at least for black and white. Metallics work well for stamping too.
For nail art brushes, you can get them online but all of mine are actually acrylic art brushes. They tend to last well and you can buy them in store. Acrylic paints are really good for doing complex designs, over the top of a layer of normal nail polish. They're easier to mix, don't dry as fast and are cheaper than nail polish (if your wife would want to do art on her nails).
You can get dotting tools too, if you think those would be good?
I will say that some things are sold on Amazon from China, so the shipping times are quite large. They may not get to you in less than a month (depending on where you live).
Sorry if all of that was confusing or no help at all!
Sorry for the late response, busy day! If she's into stamping, I really like this set of stamping plates, but if you're not sure if she already stamps, you might want to get her a stamper too.
For more unique colors, I like shopping online a lot more than ULTA type stores (although those are great places to get polishes on clearance). ULTA should definitely have holo polishes though, and probably a few duochromes! I really like Color Club Beyond in the holos category (actually, all the Color Club holos are great! Probably the best ones IMO). As for duochromes, glitterbombs, and jelly glitters, I think indies are definitely the way to go. Check out this site, it has BUNCH of different indie brands, and the shipping is pretty fast. In particular, look at Enchanted Polish, Glimmer by Erica, A England, Hare Polish, Jindie, Ozotic (I have been trying REALLY HARD to resist this temptation especially), and Picture Polish. The last two jelly glitters I linked are from Sonnetarium and The Hungry Asian. I also really like Pretty and Polished on Etsy.
I also wouldn't rule out Amazon completely. A lot of polishes actually come from the same shippers, and usually shipping is really fast, and pretty cheap. China Glaze for example retails for $6-7, and they're usually $5 including shipping from Amazon. Also, shopping online is just easier :P For a few pretty unique colors, try China Glaze Some Like it Haute, Essie Bikini So Teeny, and Butter London Knackered.
One last thing, I forgot to mention another favorite luxury brand -- Deborah Lippmann! Seriously, if she's really into polish, getting a Butter or a DL will probably make her happier than getting the equivalent value in other brands, even if that doesn't make much sense.
A dotting tool looks like a pencil with metal balls on the ends. You can buy dotting tool sets with varying tip sizes for different sized dots. I've never heard of a bad quality dotting tool, so brand is not important here.
She might be interested in a stamping kit, or if she already has one, more plates. Konad is the brand of choice, but their plates are expensive. Bundle Monster plates are more affordable, although their edges tend to be sharp. Check out wowsocool for Konad plates. If you do get her a stamping set, get the Konad Special Polish in black and white, at least. Not all polishes work with stamping, so it's hit and miss, but the Konad polishes are designed to work with stamping.
Finally, she might appreciate some special effects nail polishes, like magnetic nail polish. That is all the rage right now. Essie also has a new glitter polish range out (called Luxeffects), she might like a couple of those. If you're in the US, you can check out the nail polish collections at Sephora, they do little gift sets with a variety of polishes that are quite nice.
Hope she likes what you get her!
*Edited to add: Oh oh oh, Sally Hansen Salon Effects! Haha, I just thought about what I would like to get and I really love those strips. They're real nail polish strips that you stick onto your nails. They come in really cool designs. Love them. There is a limited edition Holiday collection out now with some lovely designs.
Just start painting your nails and you will figure out what works best for you eventually. I've compiled a list of helpful links/videos that I've found helpful for me.
Dotting Tools:
Stripping tape:
The trick when you use stripping tape is to make sure your polish isn't old and too goopy, otherwise it will not be so crisp.
Cleaning
Nail Polish Brands
Top Coat and Base Coat
Nail Strengthening
Nail file
Have fun painting!
Here's some suggestions of the things you asked for.
First, a shelf to put her polish and supplies on. I have this one from Amazon which I like a lot.
Some of my favorite brands of polish: Zoya, OPI, Sinful Colors, Essie.
I know several people get on Etsy and buy Indie polishes (polishes from independent businesses and manufacturers). I don't have any experience with those, but there's some great ones from what I've seen here.
If she enjoys nail art, a set of Nail Art Brushes and dotting tools would be a nice addition. Make sure in that group is a small, angled brush to do clean ups around the nail and cuticle. VERY important for a clean look.
A base coat and top coat is also important. Look for a quick drying top coat. I recommend Seche Vite. Just be sure to tell her to read the instructions/tips for using it. It's a bit different in some ways. :)
Also, some cuticle cream with moisturizers, cotton balls or pads, Q-Tips, and Acetone polish remover are also some things she'll need.
That should be a nice beginners basket for her. I'm sure you'll get other suggestions as well.
It's kind of trial and error but I have had good luck with these!
The other accessories you will want are lint free pads and rubbing alcohol, and typical nail stuff (clippers, cuticle pushers, acetone, etc).
There are also tons of accessories that are fun with gel nail polish like nail powders, striping tape, glitter, gemstones, etc. I'd highly recommend picking up a black polish and a white polish too for nail art and stuff.
Let me say that it's so awesome that you are taking an interest in nails like this for your wife and kids. There should be billions more husband/dads out there like you! :)
First, this mani is awesome! I'm actually going to try this out myself. It's a great color combo!
As far as constructive criticism I would say clean up is what you should focus on next. The best way to do that is to get 100% pure acetone. Anything that says it has extra additives to help the skin, are nice, but they make clean up harder. Head to Sally's to get it, it's cheap.
Then order a set of brushes like this. I personally own this brush set and it rocks! Use the small angled brush to clean up her nails like this.
Then lather her hands up with moisturizer and offer her a nice hand massage while you are at it. She will love it! :D
Let me know if you have any other questions!
This is the lamp that I got. I highly recommend it, not only because it works really well, but because the shape of it makes it so you can paint your nails on top of it. Which makes a much bigger difference than I would have thought. It has motion sensor, so you can just stick your hand in to turn it on. Being able to stick your hand in makes it easy to flash cure (not as big of a deal for polish, but I use hard gel).
SUNUV SUN2C 48W LED UV nail Lamp with 4 Timer Setting https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0BCN9B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_LtLQBbS1H6PNS
Gelish is a great brand.
The other set you got, I've not tried the brand but it's a great price. Just be prepared for the colors you see on your screen to be different in real life. The quality probably won't be as good as gelish, either.
My personal advice is to skip the cluvaz gels and just get the gelish sets for now. Gel Manis last so long, you've got months worth of Manis just with the gelish sets. My experience is that the lower quality products end up being a waste of money because I never use them when I have better options available. Especially because these will be on your nails for 2-3 weeks. But you do you. Some people love having a huge collection.
But the pampering part is the easiest and most important! Maybe the massage isn't, but the nail treatments are key!
Learn to file nails properly:
Always file in the same direction!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RrfWakB-lI
Learn good cuticle care:
Use cuticle remover once in a while for a good clean up, but don't use it daily. NEVER cut the cuticles. Use cuticle remover and a PLASTIC tool to scrape nails (depending on the nail strength, metal scrapers can damage the nail) I use a makeup sponge to rub backwards from my nail after cleaning up my cuticles. To maintain, push your cuticles back frequently. I do this in the shower after the water has softened my skin a bit.
http://www.amazon.com/essie-Nail-Care-disappearing-cuticle/dp/B004FKCHHU/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
Use a good nail treatment polish as a base coat:
Most lacqueristas will swear by OPI Nail Envy.
http://www.amazon.com/OPI-Nail-Envy-Original-Ounce/dp/B00178TVXG/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1415653359&sr=1-1&keywords=opi+nail+envy
Get some good hand and nail lotion:
This is where you can pamper her with a nice hand massage, if you're willing to go the extra mile.
http://www.sephora.com/h-nail-cream-P152203
Her nails will be looking so fabulous before you even hit them with the color!
I recommend the Winstonia stamping kit. It comes with 20 plates and it's ON SALE RIGHT NOW! :O For less than $15. The only complaint I have about this kit is that the full nail stamps are too small to fully cover my thumb nail.
I agree with the other laqueristas who have posted that the Konad stamper is the way to go. As far as scrapers go, I've found that using an old credit card or gift card is best. If you get a stamper/scraper kit that comes with a scraper, that's great, but I still think that the plastic cards do a better job. I've also heard good things about the white double sided Winstonia large-sized stamper, but have yet to try it myself.
Be sure to look up stamping polishes before you try stamping. Most nail polishes won't work well with the stamping kit. I would recommend getting Wet n Wild "Black Creme" and Wet n Wild "French White Creme" to start off. They are much cheaper and easier to find than the black and white Konad polishes, and work almost as well. For colors other than black and white, I'd recommend googling generic brand polishes that are good for stamping. There are a lot of blogs that have lists of polishes that work well for this technique.
This is the set I got, mostly because WOO FREE SHIPPING: http://www.amazon.com/MASH-Marbleizing-Dotting-Manicure-Pedicure/dp/B00631JA8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368963458&sr=8-1&keywords=mash+dotting+tool
The one I could find at Sally's was like $5 for just one, so finding that set made me so happy. It's just like a plastic pen, but instead of ink, it's a metal ball at the top. As for nail art pens, I know Sally Hansen makes some, but I really haven't had great results. The formula is super runny and you can end up with a giant failure blot of color if you're not careful. :(
Also thank you. :D I had a lady literally grab my hand to look at them today (currently wearing the yellow base with pink roses from this post), and I'm like, "On one hand, it is so awesome that someone thinks my nails are worth grabbing. On the other, please stahp." Anyway, I hope I helped and you can be well on your way to owning your very own set of dotting tools!
I really like the Madam Glam gels.
https://www.madamglam.com
They last on your nails forever. I always wait till they're on sale and never pay more than $10 a bottle. The one step gels are awesome, too. Their formula is nice because it's thick enough to control well so you're less likely to flood your cuticles but thin enough to flow and self level nicely.
For brands you can buy on Amazon, Aimeili and Elite99 are both pretty good too. Aimeili has excellent pigmentation and requires fewer coats.
Be sure to get a good curing lamp with a wide spectrum. Then you don't have to buy a brand specific one. I have this one and have never had a brand it didn't cure correctly. $40 is a steal for one with a wide spectrum.
SUNUV SUN2C 48W LED UV nail Lamp with 4 Timer Setting, Sensor For Gel Nails and Toe Nail Curing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0BCN9B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3jLyCbPZBWTQ2
HAVE FUN!
Konad is great, but it's a bit more expensive. Their stamps are larger, so they cover a lot more area; this is highly beneficial when stamping thumbs. On the other hand, there are Bundlemonster plates. These are awesome and much cheaper, but tend to run on the small side. They're actually releasing a whole new line of plates soon and a they look awesome!! This is a great site for Konad plates and you can get BundleMonster from Amazon
I just started recently. I recommend looking at tons of videos on YouTube. They do reviews of stamping sets, step by step instructions on how to stamp, which polishes work for stamping, and which brands provide better results.
Since I'm just getting started I got this stamper set and this plate set and so far I'm really happy with them both. I did take the advice of many YouTubers and use an old gift card as a scraper instead of the one provided in the set since it was scratching my plates.
Dunno what else to say without getting too specific and writing a novel but honestly, stamping is so much fun and pretty easy to do. It's a fun way to take your nails to the next level.
Good luck!
Edit: Forgot to mention that if you have crazy long or wider nails that you might want to look into alternative stampers and plates since Konad and Mash (the brands I linked to, respectively) are more designed for normal/slightly long length nails.
This is absolutely amazing, I love it. Very handy for carrying in your purse. You could also add some flakies as a nice surprise, such as Essie's Shine of The Times if she doesn't have it already. A very popular cuticle cream is Lush's Lemony Flutter, however if you don't want to spend that much Burt's Bee's also makes a popular cuticle cream as well. OPI's Nail Envy is also pretty popular. :)
someone (who I've already forgotten, sorry!!!) JUST posted this which I imagine would get her off to a good start, if she doesn't already have a zillion randoms around. Sephora by OPI might also still be on sale and super cheap. They have colors/strips/and remover I think? Otherwise just amazon around, you can get striping tape for practically nothing, and rhinestones and fimo canes, oh my! That sound get her started.
I buy cheap polish for like accent colors, because I will probably almost never paint all my nails...yellow for instance. Otherwise I like Essie and OPI the best. You also may want to look into some of those clear plastic drawers for storage as well. Hope it helps!
I go back and forth with Kleancolor. I think they have some great colors and they are dirt cheap. My boyfriend bought me this Kleancolor set which comes out to less than $1/bottle.
On the flip side, I personally find them a bit smelly. I can't truly speak to their durability because I tend to change my polish before they have a chance to chip, but I think that if you use a good base and top coat, that in general will extend any polish wear time. As for application, I think this varies per finish. Their cremes go on alright if you wait for each coat to dry, but the glitters I have definitely require me to fish for glitter because the base tends to let the glitter sink. When I applied the neon amethyst base color I did have some goopy accumulation at the tip of one of my nails but when I started over on that nail and used a thinner original coat, I had no issues.
For me, the appeal of the above set was that they would fill out my color palette and I don't regret getting them at all. I think they are worth it for their price and they have some really vibrant colors. Whew, that was long haha sorry! I don't know how to be concise.
Hello!
I apologize for not linking in the first place! I got it on Amazon from this seller though it appears to be about $18 now, including shipping. Still, that is about $2/bottle! Great deal! But check around Amazon, you might find a better price. Definitely worth it!
I also got a bottle of Seche Restore for about $8 for when this gets thick. I actually use Restore on all of my polishes when they get thick. It's great! Here is a link to that :)
A pretty decent brush kit is definitely necessary to do a lot of art. I have this one and I really like it. You will also need some dotting tools that will help you create perfect dots. Some striping tape is really handy too. You might also want a stamping kit. Konad has a great one and you can buy it on Amazon.
Have fun!
I learned some new stuff, and wanted to give an update! Paging u/SuperMagicx as well, in case you're curious :)
Liz from the Nail Hub describes a way to test if your gels are being properly cured! She explains here about 10 minutes in, but in a nutshell, you paint the gel on a plasticy surface (I used a ziploc bag), cure it, then peel it off. Obviously there is a sticky inhibition layer on the surface, because gel which is in contact with oxygen doesn't cure (which is why we wipe it off with alcohol). However, if the backside is still wet at all, then your gels aren't being fully cured.
I didn't test all my polishes because I have a whole bunch, but I tried one from six different brands, and the only ones that conclusively cured all the way through were "no wipe" polishes; they work a little differently in that they don't have a tacky layer on top that you have to wipe off, and I'm not really sure how they work. But I cured all the gels for 2 minutes under a 48W UV/LED lamp, so it's definitely not a wimpy lamp, and the bottles that said how long to cure (many didn't specify) said that 30s-60s was sufficient.
So, in conclusion, I really think that it's important to match the brand of lamp and polishes!! I'll definitely be selling what I have and sticking with one brand. Some people never develop allergies even if they are exposed to uncured gel, so that doesn't conclusively mean that you would become allergic too, but (1) I have some allergies already, so maybe I'm susceptible, and (2) I really love gel manis and don't want to lose the ability to do them, and the risk (become allergic) doesn't outweigh the gain (avoid spending money on new polishes and a lamp).
Hope that helps! :)
Ahh! How wonderful! I just did mine recently too over the course of a weekend! It was very satisfying, but I think all the fumes may have killed off a few brain cells (one open window wasn't enough to clear it out).
If anyone here is planning on doing this, I second the recommendation for a cheap (or unused, I had an old, free OPI one that I've never touched) top coat. I also recommend that you let them dry for a while before applying the top coat. I got impatient and painted some sparklies while they were still tacky, and some of the glitter stuck on the brush, so some of my solid colors look like they have a little bit of sparkle.
Oh, I've also noticed that a lot of people have been waiting for ebay/long shipping times from Amazon, but I was able to get a nice set of 200 that came with two-day Prime shipping. If anyone is in a hurry, I liked the ones that I got. They are $10 for 200, which I thought was reasonable, but honestly, I didn't research that much.
Hmm. Seems like taming glitter is hard indeed. If anything, I can pretty much just pour on the Seche Vite after finding the huge 2 oz bottle on Amazon for like $12 lol. Worth it, even with the shipping price, considering what the actual nail polish bottles go! It's like a never ending refill. Guess I still just have to play with them until I find the right combination for each polish :)
Thank you! I got an 18 piece Modelones starter kit from Amazon that included 16 mini colors, base coat and top coat. For curing, I also got a MelodySusie LED lamp. All in all it was about $50 in total.
Gel polish starter kit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QL5GN34/?coliid=IAGTYPFLUB6E3&colid=181AZGV3HS4EW&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
LED lamp: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AXSQCGK/?coliid=I2S98XHUIRHVZI&colid=181AZGV3HS4EW&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
I followed the exact instructions they had on the Amazon listing for the starter kit, and they were actually quite in depth and useful, with pictures! I've always been very meticulous with regular polish, so I didn't find there to be a learning curve at all! This was my first try ever, and I've only gotten gel done at a salon once before, and I would say it took me about an hour overall including prep. I definitely encourage you to try it, it was very fun!
Oh goodness, and I forgot to mention you need to get a top coat and base coat. OPI is a good choice for a base coat, but I'd recommend a quick dry top coat (I like Seche Vite.) Again, if you're feeling fancy, a matte top coat is always fun to have, but not necessary.
I own both. In my opinion, there is a huge difference. Konad is just superior quality. The etchings are finer and more intricate, and as such you get a more impressive-looking result. Bundle Monster has a lot of great, fun designs but they do look less refined when compared to Konad. It just comes down to a difference in craftsmanship.
You linked to the old Bundle Monster 21-piece plates. They released a "new and improved" 25-piece set a few months ago, and it's a lot better than the 21-piece set. The designs are larger (old designs were too small for most people's nails), and there are a lot more full-nail designs. However it still doesn't compare to Konad, in my opinion. I actually regret buying it.
All you need is a stamper and scraper, yes. But I really recommend getting this stamper and scraper instead. The double ended stamper allows you to place full nail designs with the big end and accurately place smaller designs with the small end. Also, using that metal scraper will scratch and damage your plates, so use an old gift or credit card instead. :) Unfortunately it always comes in a bundle with the stamper so it's basically a waste.
That's my favorite plate! This is my go-to design when I just want to do something quick -but pretty- with my nails! I highly recommend it.
Amazon has a great deal, too!
Get something like the Bundle monster plates or search around amazon for different plates. There's plenty out there. Konad brand are the best, but also the most expensive, around $7 a plate, while the Bundle monsters end up around $1 each including shipping.
I would recommend getting the Konad brand stamper, the quality is the best, and it's only $2.90 from Konad site and if you are going to get a scraper (plastic gift cards/bank cards work fine) get the plastic bladed one, NOT the metal one - they scratch the plates.
I used these sticks:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00SKBXXS2/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I don't know if there's better out there. They're a little more uneven than my natural nails, so they made some créeme polishes look worse quality at 2 costs than they do on my natural nails. Clear is a better color choice though. I used to use white, but my sheer duochromes would look much more opaque than they were in actuality.
If you like any color, let me know and I'll be happy to tell you it's name :)
The BM stamping plates are pretty cheap, actually. The original set is $18 on Amazon, so compared to Konad, it's a pretty good deal.
Tell everyone that's what you want for a birthday or something. That's what I did. XD
My boyfriend said I shouldn't, and I just topcoated. I think it looks super pretty without it still. :D Next mani definitely will require some Fairy Dust action!!
I just used my medium striper brush from this set and just did it slowly. Made sure that I did extra white white stripes, regular sized red stripes, and then itty bitty little diagonal red stripes. I am absolutely adoring the way it came out!
http://www.amazon.com/15pcs-Nail-Art-Painting-Brush/dp/B006L1DNWY
Get her a brush kit, I'm sure she would enjoy that. I'm not too sure about any nice stones (or gems) from Amazon, but as for nail polish, I'd get her CND Vinylux if she's using regular nail polish (if she's not sticking her hands in a light to dry.) Theyre great polishes and don't require a base coat, you just have to purchase their top coat.
They have a ton of colors, I don't know what her favorite is, but they have ranges of most besides yellow.
Okay, I'm gonna go a different direction than most comments already. I started with Out the Door but it smears any artwork for me. I switched to Seche Vite and haven't looked back. Seche Vite is 4 dollars right now on Amazon. (Cheap! CHEAP!) I have a mani on right now that has lasted 5 days and counting. It's magic. It dries within minutes. If you get her that one, make sure she does a little research on how to best apply it; there's a trick to getting it to set right.
Second, You don't have to leave Walmart or the drugstore to get decent polish. Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy is rocking my socks right now, and it's 5$ a bottle at Target here in California. Its a thick polish, and the color is incredibly deep after 2 thinly painted coats. I would also suggest going to a Kohl's/Marshalls/TJ Maxx and looking in the beauty section; they always have a few buckets of high quality nail polish for a few bucks a pop. (OPI, saw some Butter's in there a few weeks ago, etc.)
This Konad set is what I started with, and I picked three separate plates I liked to go with it. They have some other starter kits, but I didn't like the designs of the four plates that came with it, so it was just as cost-effective to buy the kit and plates separately. You can find the stamper on other sites as well, and ebay has a lot of nail stuff for pretty cheap, if you don't mind long waits for shipping.
Other stamping plates you can pick up are the Cheeky sets, which have 25 plates for usually about $25 on various websites. They have a variety of designs for cheaper than the Konad plates, but with the same quality I've heard.
My one important suggestion is that whatever stamping kit you get, don't bother with the scraper they give you. It's usually a metal scraper that scratches the plates and does a bad job clearing the excess polish off the plate. Instead, what I use (at the recommendation of a lot of people) is an old plastic gift card. It's wide and easy to hold, sturdy enough to scrape off the excess polish, and doesn't scratch up the plate. I had a lot of trouble with stamping until I switched to using it instead of the scraper that came with the kit, but I'm glad everyone recommended it to me!
http://www.amazon.com/Nail-Art-Double-Stamper-Scraper/dp/B002MZ8BK2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320550654&sr=8-1
This is what I bought a few months back when I bought my stamper. Some people may tell you that you need the special nail polish but I've always used Sally Hansen's black nail polish and found that it works just fine with my stamper and shows up perfectly. As for plates, one of my personal favorites that I find myself using over and over again the one with zebra, leopard, cross criss criss, and two little tip designs. If you think that you'll be using your stamper a decent amount, then I suggest you get the bundle monster. The plates from the Konad are a little too expensive for my taste, so I usually just resort to getting new plates from Amazon.
Awesome score. Seche vite really is amazing.
Lol, I'm always baffled why people buy it at "regular price" in store (as it's often $8+ in stores) when you can buy Seche Vite on Amazon for $5, free shipping included.
The color I used is Julep's Roc Solid. The tape is super cheap on Amazon. You can find it Here! I also used a jewel on my thumb (kind of hard to see) which was also super cheap on Amazon. You can find those HERE as well.
Nice work! They look pretty and healthy! This is how I stopped biting mine as well.
If you haven't done so already get yourself a bottle of Seche Vite top coat and some vitamin D.
I used to bite my nails because they were ragged and peeling. I found using nail strengthener to work wonders.
The cheapest place to get a lot of this is by search around on amazon, honestly. If I were you, I'd get a set of nail brushes instead of a whole set of striping polishes. Then you can use one bottle for multiple things. And here are some cheap, but good, dotting tools.
This is an add-on item, but it's the cheapest you're going to find orangewood sticks anywhere. You can also gets pearls and gems
Sanding blocks and nail files are pretty affordable at sally's. but if you can get into CosmoProf, it's even cheaper there. I believe a manicure bowl is also pretty cheap at Sally's.
Your biggest money sink will be nailpolish. There are some decent brands for fairly cheap, but overall....
I don't know if this is helpful, but here is where I got my Seche. I don't remember it being quite that cheap when I ordered, haha. But even with the shipping now, it's less than $5.
EDIT: Now it's $4.74 with free shipping...get on it! :)
I use the Bundle Monster plates instead. On Amazon, they run only $17.99. You'll also want to get a stamper. Some people like to have the plate holder as well, but I never bought it and I don't have any sort of difficulties.
You'll also definitely want to get some of the special konad polish. The most important one is the white polish. None of the white polishes I've owned are nearly opaque enough. Any thick black polish should work fine for stamping, as well as any strongly opaque color.
They are not too tricky to use, although it does take a bit of practice.
Well you'll need a stamper and a scraper, Amazon has a lot of different kits available. I have a set from Konad similar to this. Then you'll need plates, which mostly come in sets but then they have jumbo plates which is one big piece of metal with several designs etched into it. I've bought all my plates from Amazon as well, my favorite brands are MoYou London, Pueen, and Cheeky. Then as far as how to actually stamp I recommend youtube videos, there are so many helpful ones out there!
These are super cheap I love them. They are very thin though so for a design like yours you'd have to tape of the bottom and top of the zig-zag rather than one big piece of tape.
I would say spring for the Seche restore, and if you are going though a bottle that often, order the professional Seche Vite kit from amazon. $15 for a 4pz bottle plus a .5oz vs $45 for that much if you buy it a small bottle at a time. You will want the restore if you go that route though, the instructions say to restore your little bottle with a few drops before filling it up. But just think, no more dealing with trying to reach far enough into the bottle! I picked up the kit this month and am super pleased with it so far.
I think most rapid dry top coats are intended to be used while the polish is tacky, while I know some other no-chip/shine type top coats are meant to be used when the polish is completely dry.
Seche Vite and Out the Door are good rapid dry options. If you can't find these, then the Sally Hansen Insta Dri is pretty good too.
Gelish is a brand of gel polish that wears 14-21 day. This is the first time I'm trying it and I love it. Super easy to apply, I am on my 3rd week and no chipping yet (though I did get tired of the original color so applied the regular polish over Gelish).
I've got this lamp based on recommendations from some other Reddit Laquerista. I also got this set which I think of using as a foundation to protect my nails.
Thank you so much!! Yes, I just bought this lamp on Amazon after reading about it on here. It works great and was way easier than expected!
A nail stamper(link) / stamping plate(link) is something I think a lot of people even who love their nails might not have. And the plates are all different so even if they have a few already I'm sure there will be other designs on the plate they don't have. Basically they can stamp cute designs on their nails with their polishes they already have.
I love my nails, and I just finally broke down and got one recently.
I have no experince with the Rio set but when I started stamping I bought the BundleMonster stamping plate set, and a cheap stamper and scraper from Amazon. I also got a few stamping polishes but they're not entirely necessary as many normal polishes work, it's just a bit of trial and error to see what does.
It's fairly cheap to get those essential bits, especially considering how many plates you get for the money you pay. And if you decide it's something you enjoy, you can always buy more plates. As beenardpinkles said, Konad are well recommended and have lots of lovely designs, they're just rather expensive.
get a small brush i use a small one from this set, some pure acetone nail polish remover, and a small container you never plan to use for anything else, like bent tupperware. You'll also want a paper towel or napkin.
do not use a plastic solo cup or anything, they melt when in contact with nail polish remover this is a huge mess, trust me.
Pour about a
tablespoon(oops!) teaspoon of the nail polish remove into the container (hard plastic or glass!). Dip the brush in then tap it on the side so there's not a ton of remover in the brush. Gently brush across the polish on your skin, carefully not rubbing your nail. Every few strokes tap the brush onto the paper towel or napkin and some of the excess pigment will come off and not smear across your skin. If excess color bleeds around just do another pass with the brush.If you want a REALLY easy clean-up, put a small layer of Vaseline, lotion, etc. around your nail (but not on it!) so the excess polish just wipes right off.
edited: wrong spoon.
I've used [Seche Vite fast dry Top Coat] (http://www.amazon.com/Seche-Vite-Fast-Nail-Ounce/dp/B00150LT40)
It's worked great on top of all my stamp designs!
Hope this helps!
The Seche Vite top coat is amazing! Best I have ever used. Seconding using the "floating" technique.
These are what I have, they're super cheap $2.42 and free shipping. It says they will take a long time to get there, it took about 5 days before mine arrived. I highly recommend them.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006L1DNWY/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I was searching 'best nail polish brands' and your post came up. Get here these 1, 2, and 3. They ship from hong kong and will take about 2 weeks to get to the USA but she'll love these because she can do designs.
I got mine from amazon too but they were a bit more expensive but worth the price since they weren't damaged or missing at all: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0069FDR96/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00
but i trusted the seller bc of their ratings
actually a few days ago i posed this same question to laqueristas because it just seemed to daunting to start something completely new like this. here's the post. u/norikotheninja's comment was definitely the most helpful.
i settled on gals' princess plate set and the konad stamper and scraper. the konad plates look nice, but not for $5 a pop. but definitely delve into the youtube videos that show you all the plates and techniques etc.
Konad can be bought online here http://www.ocnailart.com/ (not sure if they ship internationally)
Image plates are listed around $7
Plus you will need to buy the stamper
A cheaper alternative is the bundle monster
http://www.amazon.com/Bundle-Monster-Stamping-Manicure-Accessories/dp/B003ILUQPM
It is $18 for 21 image plates. You also will still need to purchase a stamper.
I hear the only difference between bundle monster and konad is that bundle monster image plates are sharper on the outside so you will need to handle them with a bit more care.
Also keep in mind that not all polish is good for stamping. Konad sells special nail polish (at an absurd price)
but thick kind of goopy nail polish works well also. I find that icing nail polish gets gloppy on me quickly so you may want to look in to that.
I got all of mine on Amazon. Below are the first things I bought. I'm pretty new too, but I'm building a nice collection. Not many of the nail items on Amazon are Prime eligible, but if you can find them, I would compare the non-Prime+shipping vs. the Prime one.
http://www.amazon.com/Bundle-Monster-Stamping-Manicure-Accessories/dp/B004XJNQXW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1319410273&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.com/Nail-Art-Double-Stamper-Scraper/dp/B002MZ8BK2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1319410273&sr=8-3
http://www.amazon.com/Debra-Professional-French-Manicure-Clean-Up/dp/B001MP0T2Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319410423&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Marbleizing-Dotting-Nail-Manicure-Pedicure/dp/B004OHQR1Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1319410439&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Nail-Polish-Table-Display-Bottles/dp/B004W8XLAM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409014093&sr=8-1&keywords=nail+polish+rack
This one holds 60, is fairly inexpensive and compact!
Also, when you make your move, be sure to wrap your bottles up in bubble wrap or newspaper or something. You don't want to go through the heartbreak of opening up your boxes to find broken glass and a puddle of sticky polish!
http://www.amazon.com/Brand-Register-Polish-Bottles-Unbreakable/dp/B00CJ0TZ2S/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1409014093&sr=8-6&keywords=nail+polish+rack
This is the one that I have, but yeah, it'd probably be better to wait until you're settled in your new place to invest in something like that.
I purchased this set: http://www.amazon.com/Bundle-Monster-Stamping-Manicure-Accessories/dp/B003ILUQPM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323438892&sr=8-1
I do have one Konad that I received as part of the rl exchange that I will be trying out next just to compare. So, at the moment I've only used Bundle Monster. I'm curious to know how other stamping plates compare as well.
I also purchased http://www.amazon.com/Nail-Art-Double-Stamper-Scraper/dp/B002MZ8BK2/ref=pd_bxgy_bt_img_b
So far CG works well for stamping. I'm excited to see if Essie, Orly, OPI...and others will work as well.
Kleancolors Metallic Mango might be that orange one your looking for! I recently purchased this and I fell in love with all of the metallics! If you have extra money to spend I would highly suggest it. Kleancolor's charcoal (which I also received) is very similar to iron butterfly and stone cold. (:
These Presto gels are considered art gels, so they're thicker and easier to work with for nail art compared to regular gel polish :) I highly recommend them if you're planning to use them for nail art. They also cured perfectly without shrinking over my gel overlay using Gelish, I mention this because I could not get the OPI gel polishes to cure over the Gelish stuff. I bought black, white, nude and the Britney Tokyo x Nail Swag set which are mostly primary colors, you can use them to mix your own colors.
This is the LED lamp I bought from Amazon, it's small but works fine.
I recently purchased this rack from amazon and the shipping was very reasonable and it arrived quickly. It mounted quickly and held almost all of my collection, although I am in need of a second rack already haha. I would definitely recommend it.
I just picked up the Cheeky 2012 and MASH 2012 sets for pretty cheap, with a Konad Stamper/Scraper Set. I've heard good things about Bundle Monster and Shany too, but these seemed to have more designs I liked. So there are realistically quite a few cheap options out there for you!
Plate W116. From Winstonia, it came in a bundle that I purchased from Amazon, has allot of great Holiday stamps!
http://www.amazon.com/Winstonia-Stamp-Stamping-Manicure-Pedicure/dp/B00B868SK4
I guess I'll tell you, since someone else just rudely downvoted you instead of taking 30 seconds to answer your question. That's striping tape.
OP, they look great! So many brides just play it safe and go with a French manicure, but this is so much more interesting.
I have this set: $3.50 with free shipping if you have Amazon Prime. They work great! Definitely recommended.
I also got this one from dealextreme.com for $1.40 plus free shipping. Quality's the same as the MASH tool, but you only get one, and it takes forever to ship.
I have a TON of stamping plates, and I've never bought one in a store. They're almost all exclusively online. Over 90% of the plates I own are from Amazon:
Bundle Monster Set 1
Bundle Monster Set 2
Red Angel
My favorite of these is Red Angel. You can see which plates I've used at my blog's Red Angel page. Below each plate image is a link to the posts I've used the plates for. If there's no link, I haven't used them yet.
Hope that helps!
This is what I got and it works pretty well =)
I actually bought these on April 11th and they just came in today.
I bought these specifically for the super free shipping because I also ordered four of these balls for frankening, so now I have 400 tiny metal balls!
it was super easy! I used this tape in white and just made 3 horizontal lines, 3 lines leaning to the left and 3 lines leaning to the right and just made them cross at the same points...if that makes sense!
Definitely not bad for a first attempt!
Dotting tools, brushes, and striping tape (or even more!) can all be found really cheap on Amazon!
I just bought this one and am pretty happy with it so far. I've only used it a couple times, but it's not that expensive, which is nice.
I bought this set: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B868SK4/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I used the birthday cake and two swoopy patterns that reminded me of scoops of ice cream. I messed up the birthday cake the most, I should have put it on my left hand. I just don't have the control with my left hand to apply the top coat without streaking yet, but I'm getting better.
http://www.amazon.com/Brushes-Dotting-Marbling-Detailing-Painting/dp/B00LBMK2KO/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1409020302&sr=8-10&keywords=nail+polish+dotting
This is the brush and dotting tool set, and it looks like it is still on sale.
http://www.amazon.com/Nail-Polish-Table-Display-Bottles/dp/B004W8XLAM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409014093&sr=8-1&keywords=nail+polish+rack
This is the table holder, and it looks like it is still on sale as well.
If you have Amazon Prime this is the best bang for your buck! 4 oz refill plus .5 oz bottle:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0027VCNGO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Nu8IDbTDMBMHF
Funny I just got these which appear to be exactly the same under a different name.
I wish it came with some extra rings though. I want to break my stuff up into more than four categories!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0069FDR96/ref=pd_aw_sim_bt_3?pi=SL500_SS115
I think that should work? I hope? Lol but yeah the different colored ones.
Thank you for your compliment. I used Bundle Monster Nail Art plates. It comes with 21 plates of different kinds and shapes. I bought the Konad scraper and stamper too for them. It took a couple of tries for me to figure out the timing between painting/scraping/stamping.
Oh, and I used Sinful Colors Snow Me White. I don't think I mentioned it. The main thing is, since Metallic Muse is so, well, metallic, the shine kinda hides the white of the stamp. But if you look at the nails in a way that light doesn't directly hit them, it shows really well, and it looks pretty, so I don't complain.
Yeah Sech Vite is amazing. These are the brushes I have.
red angel and
bundle monster
Got these on Amazon cheap for the amount and I love them.
If it helps, this is the set I have :) It comes with a dotting tool, too!
Not too shabby for a free handed job! If you want a cleaner, more smooth-edge look, invest in some nail tape!
I agree with Flamyngo! OPI Original Nail Envy changed my world! In the stores its like $20 a bottle but on amazon I get it for $8!!!! Check it out http://www.amazon.com/OPI-Nail-Natural-Strengthener-0-5-Ounce/dp/B00178TVXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344516901&sr=8-1&keywords=opi+nail+envy
I bought these and they work nicely
http://www.amazon.com/MASH-Marbleizing-Dotting-Manicure-Pedicure/dp/B00631JA8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346686491&sr=8-1&keywords=mash+dotting+tool
But I've also heard several times that unbending a bobby pin and using the rounded end works just fine as well
you can get it here
Hope that helps!
If you do choose to buy it I recommend buying it off of Amazon it is much cheaper than buying it at Ulta. I got mine off of amazon and it took like 3 days to ship.
it's a 15-piece MASH nail brush set. got it from amazon. also helps that the bf is an artist so he knows how to use the brushes to make those tiny lines. he's teaching me :)
Here you go! 4 solid ounces of delicious topcoat.
Sounds like you need Seche Vite. Completely dry in 5 minutes :)
Pueen 2013 Love Elements, plate #28!
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CDGR29G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Best of wishes to you! I hope you have as positive an experience as I've had. I have this lamp from amazon. Absolutely no complaints or problems with it.
I ordered a set off of Amazon. It was a great deal!
Same! Also....I think it's much cheaper off Amazon. I got 10 rolls for ~$1ish? Haha found it!
SUNUV SUN2C 48W LED UV nail Lamp... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0BCN9B?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
This is the LED lamp I use to cure my nail polish and it works well so far! I just buy beetles brand gel nail polish off amazon as well it’s very inexpensive.
This isn't the exact same kit as I have, some patterns are the same....less than $1/plate.
your stamps came out really nice! It's a bit trickier with full nail stamps though. I recommend getting the pattern right on the edge of the stamp tool so it's easier to transfer it flush with your cuticle if you know what I mean. If you don't know...you will.
Oh perfect, I have a couple of questions that I wanted to ask anyways!
I have no prior knowledge or experience with gel polishes and how they work (the only thing that I know is to apply thin layers and to keep them absolutely away from natural light hence the opaque bottles), but I would like to get into them especially because I want to try and apply some nail powders. So my questions are:
​
Oh and, one more that popped into my mind just now. Ever since I bought UNT's peel off base coat, I use it every single time. However it does ruin gradients as repetitive dabs to the nail surface will cause the base coat to thin out (I even waited ~20 mins for the base coat to dry before trying a gradient). So to anyone who uses a peel off base coat and does gradients on top of it, does it ever work? Or am I being a complete moron as the peel off will just cause lifts?
​
I will be very grateful to receive answers, thank you!
This here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002WVBEH8/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_Ff75tb179T0G8 it's amazing for the price!
> Amazon
adds to wishlist!
Edit: I really like this one too!
It was a fun vacation project, just marathon watched movies in between coats.
The swatch wands I just grabbed from Amazon, I only used about a third of the order though (wishful thinking I had that many polishes hah)
Clear Tips Acrylics
I didn't know where to go in person to get them, so I bought my supplies online from Amazon! I got this stamper and this set of plates and went to YouTube for lessons :)
You do want a brush that's on the stiffer side. You need it to keep its shape as you clean up, because when they fan out (as you know) you don't get the clean lines. I got this brush set and I started using one of the brushes that came with it until my friend picked me up a nicer one. The bristles or only about a 1/4" long, flat edge, and while you can bend the bristles it has a bit of resistance to it. Little things to look for.
Some brushes don't hold up well to the acetone. I see a lot of trial and error with most people, but a lot of the time it's the cheapiest brush out there that works for them. Now looking at that image, it's hard to tell how long the bristles are. Do you use the brush for anything else and would you be okay if you ruined it? You could trim it down with some sharp scissors (a little at a time) and see if that improves the bristles any. Generally the shorter the bristles, the more resistant they are to fanning out.
My brushes get hard after I use them to cleanup, too. It's just the lacquer residue and acetone making the bristles stiff as they dry. All you need to do is let it dry out and then smooth the bristles when you go to cleanup next. I just flick the bristles back and forth a couples of times and it softens right back up. Soaking the brush in water for any real length of time isn't good for brushes in general. Well, I'm speaking from a purely painting perspective that soaking in water for extended periods of time will wreck the ferrule and your bristles will go ape shit. If you want to wash the brush, just run it under some water, gently handling the bristles (no tugging or extreme bending), then flick the brush to get most of the water off of it. Then you can reshape the bristles into their original shape, getting the edges straight and such. As it dries, it'll hold its shape.
Pretty reasonable on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00150LT40/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2RGW401VKH294
As a single dad several years ago I invested in these for my daughter. We loved doing her nails with different designs. Now at 20 she still has me doing her nails.
https://www.amazon.com/Winstonia-Stamp-Stamping-Manicure-Pedicure/dp/B00B868SK4
I went ahead and got a set of Kleencolor polishes from Amazon - 48 polishes for $42. There's a good range of colors, it's decent quality, and it's kept me busy!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005H8PTR4?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
This is where I got mine. You can't beat the price, especially with free shipping!
I use a different, much thinner/pointier brush to do designs like that. Kinda like the long/thin ones in this set: http://www.amazon.com/MASH-Professional-piece-Nail-Brush/dp/B005BG02BU
Seche Vite is fantastic.
That's striping tape! :]
http://www.amazon.com/Nail-Stripe-Decoration-Sticker-Hologram/dp/B0069FDR96/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369944717&sr=8-1&keywords=striping+tape
89¢ + free shipping
I bought mine on amazon.com. $4 for a set of 10 rolls and it showed up in a matter of days.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0069FDR96/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1333296466&sr=8-1
Very pleased with this purchase.
I recently discovered Seche Vite thanks to this subreddit its about $5 from amazon and is the most incredible fast drying top coat that doesn't really shrink, dries instantly and lasts days even on my lower quality nail polishes. Here's a link
Here it is on amazon and it's only like $8.50.
I'm not sure about the brand, I got it off Amazon for about $1. Here's the link for it. And thank you! :D
Oh!! The Bundle Monster set (http://www.amazon.com/Bundle-Monster-Stamping-Manicure-Accessories/dp/B004XJNQXW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1343503652&sr=8-2&keywords=bundle+monster+plate) has a couple of skull like images (ex: BM 225, BM 211) along with other Halloween themed stamping images.
Links for anyone who is interested:
Chevron stickers
Dotting tools
Stripe tape
O.P.I Nail Envy
These are the dotting tools that I use and I really like them!
http://www.amazon.com/MASH-Marbleizing-Dotting-Manicure-Pedicure/dp/B00631JA8S/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1382041964&sr=8-19&keywords=nail+dotting+tools
I use this one and really like it!
http://www.amazon.com/Bottles-Nail-Polish-Wall-Rack/dp/B002WVBEH8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371604768&sr=8-1&keywords=Nail+polish+racks
:)
I have one of these. :)
http://www.amazon.com/Nail-Polish-Table-Display-Bottles/dp/B004W8XLAM/ref=pd_sim_bt_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0RXEB5K5RQWW66FW20CN
They do! Yes, it is. I just asked, apparently he found it on Amazon.
yeah, I ordered mine from amazon for 93 cents. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0069FDR96/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You can use regular household Scotch tape, or if you want thin lines like you have here you can use striping tape. I get mine from Amazon.
Album Link: http://imgur.com/a/KQhm9
Products:
Go For Gold - Sally Hansen
Juliette - ILNP
XO - ILNP
Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
Hearts Vinyls - What's Up Nails
I think they hold well. I have two different types... Three have two screw holes at just the top, and the other five have two screw holes at the top AND bottom. I prefer the ones with four holes, but I've never had a problem with either. I get the swatch sticks on Amazon and I keep an inventory too :D
I found a nice big pack on eBay.
But if you don't feel safe buying on eBay, here's a link to a listing on Amazon.
:D
Sure! http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002MZ8BK2
See if that works.
It was something like this on amazon.
Looks like this.
Get yourself some dotting tools - http://www.amazon.com/MASH-Marbleizing-Dotting-Manicure-Pedicure/dp/B00631JA8S/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1358469927&sr=8-5&keywords=nail+art+dotting+tool
Brushes - http://www.amazon.com/MASH-Professional-piece-Nail-Brush/dp/B005BG02BU
Stamping plates - http://www.amazon.com/MASH-Nailart-Stamping-Manicure-Accessories/dp/B0080GV0Z0/ref=sr_1_11?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1368487380&sr=1-11&keywords=konad+stamping+set
A butt-load of make-up sponges, a box of fake nails (for practice), and acrylic paints!
Have fun on your shopping spree!!
I'm in Canada and I've only ever found it at Sally's for $6-$12 for a single roll. So I went on Amazon and got 30 rolls of the same stuff for $2!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00A76CPUA?pc_redir=1410065284&robot_redir=1
If it ends up working for you, it's a lot cheaper on Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/OPI-Nail-Envy-Original-Ounce/dp/B00178TVXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415585648&sr=8-1&keywords=nail+envy
I found it at a Nordstrom Rack for around $13 too!
This is the first stamping kit I ordered:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MZ8BK2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's worked fine for me so far, though I have heard people say that it's not as good for very long or very rounded nails. I also have this set of stamping plates and I am happy with the variety, but I'm not sure how "cheap" they are compared to other sets of plates:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CDGR29G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I do! The low heat is really helpful since the high heat can be a little too hot for me. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0BCN9B/ref=as_at?creativeASIN=B01N0BCN9B&linkCode=w61&imprToken=wwbNFMXgsqrqDPEK5aYI9A&slotNum=7&tag=lighttherapydev-20
awe man I got excited thinking I bought this but I have the https://www.amazon.com/Seche-Vite-Fast-Nail-Ounce/dp/B00150LT40/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1485206124&sr=8-1&keywords=top%2Bcoat&th=1 so I guess it's different?
For $3 more this one has twice as many swatch sticks. I just ordered these for myself last week after I spent some time trying to fine the most I could get for the cheapest amount.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00SKBXXS2?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd
If you wanna buy Seche Vite I would buy it on Amazon. I've went though about 2 1/2 bottles since September. Its my go to since I do stamping. I can't get any of the other topcoats to not smudge my art. [Its a ton cheaper on Amazon] (http://www.amazon.com/Seche-Vite-Shine-Professional-Refill/dp/B0027VCNGO/ref=sr_1_4?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1451488771&sr=1-4&keywords=seche+vite)
It's Bundle Monster's BM-201. I got it on amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XJNQXW)
If you are willing to wait for it, Amazon sells striping tape incredibly cheaply, though since it often ships from China it may take some time to arrive.