Product Review: Salon Express Nail Art Stamping Kit

I recently purchased this nail art stamping kit from Salon Express at the Rite Aid (you should be able to find it in many drugstores) in the 'As Seen on TV' section. I was intrigued by it because it seemed simple enough to use so that I could achieve salon-quality manicures without  paying a whole lot. The whole kit should cost you about $8-$10, so for that price I considered that it would be worth a try.

The kit comes with the following items:
5 metal stamping plates with various designs (as seen in the picture below)
1 stamper
1 scraper
1 stamping plate base


This kit is fairly simple to use if you read how to do it or watch a youtube video on how it's used, but it's also pretty self-evident. You place a metal stamping plate of your choice (whichever one has a design you like and want to use) onto the stamping plate base. Then you take a nail polish (preferably opaque so it shows up better) of thicker consistency and place it on top of the design stencil stamping plate. Then you take the scraper and run the blade over the design to wipe away any excess polish. Finally, using the stamper you want to quickly pick up the design from the stamping plate by pressing it pretty thoroughly onto the design and then rolling it onto your finger nail to transfer the design.

This is a fairly simple tool to use but it can be time-consuming so if you like to spend time on intricate nail designs, this is the cheapo product for you, but if not, don't bother investing in it. However, if you are really into perfect, precise looking nail designs, you may want to invest in a better set, such as the one Konad makes. Some of the designs on the stamping plates are really thin and over-complicated and will not show up on your nails because they do not transfer properly. You also cannot use glitter nail polish for the designs or anything that isn't very opaque and in stark contrast to your base coat of nail polish because the designs won't show up at all or appear smudged. With these drawbacks in mind, I still really like this product because it is very inexpensive and with a little effort you can have really cool designs that are sure to stand out! This was my first attempt at using the stamper with their cheetah print design. I was happy with the results.

DIY: Make your own glitter nail polish!

This is a very interesting idea and you can either make these for yourself if you're tired of the same old boring nail polish colors that you see at the store or aren't willing to pay a lot of money for new shades. You can either give these as stocking stuffers or gifts to your friends and family.

You can make your own glitter nail polish very simply and the tools you will need are as follows:

• inexpensive topcoat or nail polish in any color
• nail glitter or crushed makeup pigment/mineral eyeshadow
• funnel (or a makeshift funnel made out of paper)

First you will want to take your selected nail-polish or topcoat (choose a topcoat if you want the glitter to be on a clear background) and shake it up so that it is homogenized. Then you should choose which colors of glitter you want to use, they can be chunky glitter or fine mineral pigments and they can even be both. What you choose should reflect your personal style and you can achieve infinite amounts of different looks with this technique. Then you will want to funnel your chosen glitter, one at a time, into your nail polish bottle. Finally, all you need to do is shake your bottle and make sure you get the glitter evenly distributed throughout. This is a great way to make inexpensive nail polish colors from the 99 cent drugstore brands (like Wet 'n Wild).

As a tip for application, if you want to achieve a gradient effect, so that the tips of your fingers look as though they were dipped in fairy-dust, apply your first coat of transparent glitter nail polish starting a quarter of the way down your nails (if your cuticles are the uppermost, as in the picture above). Then apply the second coat only on the bottom half, and finally the last coat (or as many as you need for the desired effect) only on the bottom quarter