Hello folks!
*First post nerves*
So today I'm going to go over how I achieved the above two looks! Both use the same colours and stamping image, but Look 1 is just a traditional stamp, whereas for Look 2 I made my own nail decals.
To recreate this look you will need:
Step 1: Choose your polishes
So really this look works with any colour combo, but I decided to go for blue and orange as they are complimentary colours on the colour wheel. The actual polishes used were Barry M's Coconut Infusion Nail Paint in Flamingo and Seventeen Gel Colour in Hurricane. I bought both of these from Boots, but really any nail polish will work.
Now prep your nails with your basecoat of choice. I used Barry M's 3 in 1 Basecoat, Topcoat & Hardener, but any basecoat will do. It's just there to protect your nails from staining. Add a layer to all nails and allow to dry before moving on to the colour.
Step 3: Paint those nails!
For this design I started off by painting my pinky and ring finger orange, and my thumb blue, leaving my middle and ring fingers bare. What you do next will depend on which technique you choose to use!
Step 4a: Traditional Stamping Method
This method is, in my opinion, easier and far less time consuming, so if you're not too confident with your stamping or you are a little time constrained this may be the technique for you. Start by painting the left half of your ring finger one colour, and then the right half of your middle finger that same colour. The line doesn't have to be perfect (mine certainly isn't!). Once dry, paint the other half of your nail the opposing colour. You should end up with nails that look like the below.
Before stamping I find it better to add a top coat as this smoothes out the surface of the nail, and also makes it a little easier to correct any mistakes as there is a layer protecting the colours below.
Once dry go ahead and stamp away! Stamp the design across your ring and middle fingers. The plate I used is the JQ-75 plate from Biutee, which I purchased off of Amazon, but really any geometric design works. I prefer the clear squishy/sticky stampers as I have very curved nails and the squishy stampers allow me to reach every part of my nail. The stamper I have came with the Biutee set.
As I used stamping polish I was able to clean up around my cuticles using a piece of sticky tape, but acetone or nail polisher remover works too. Of course you can use a nail polish barrier such as liquid latex or nail aprons, but I don't currently have either.
Once cleaned up you should have nails that look something like this:
Step 4b: Reverse Stamping/Making your own nail decal
If traditional stamping isn't for you, or you want to get a bit more creative with the colours underneath the stamping design then you can always try making your own nail decal. This is somewhat similar to traditional stamping, but instead of transferring the design directly onto your nail you stamp it onto a layer of top coat.
Start by painting some top coat onto a sandwich bag. Once dry go ahead and stamp your design onto it. Then you can colour your design in! Don't worry too much about keeping within the lines as you will be flipping the decal when you come to put it on your nails.
Once everything has dried, simply peel off your decals and trim down to roughly the size of your nails. It doesn't have to be perfect as any excess you can trim off with nail scissors or melt down with acetone or nail polish remover.
To apply the decals add a layer of top coat and wait until tacky. Place the decal on your nail and gently press down, ensuring all parts of the decal adhere. Don't press too hard as you may tear the decal and ruin the design! Once place simply clean up around the edges.
Step 5: Top Coat
Finally, once everything has dried, add a top coat! I used an old matte top coat that I got from Avon (seriously, this thing is years old). I only used this as I couldn't find my Barry M matte top coat, but honestly the Avon one worked much better over stamping!
So that's the how to! I'm thinking about maybe continuing to post two versions of any designs I do i.e. one that's easier/quicker and one a bit more advanced, but I will see how this pans out. If you've made it this far thank you for reading this first post! Blogging is very new to me but I hope to form a routine as I get used to this.
Thanks again!
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*First post nerves*
 |
| Look 1: Traditional Stamping |
 |
| Look 2: Reverse Stamping/Nail Decal |
So today I'm going to go over how I achieved the above two looks! Both use the same colours and stamping image, but Look 1 is just a traditional stamp, whereas for Look 2 I made my own nail decals.
To recreate this look you will need:
- Basecoat & topcoat (if using the reverse stamping technique then you probably want to use a traditional top coat rather than a quick dry one)
- Nail polish in two colours
- Black stamping polish (or traditional polish if you have one that works)
- Stamping image plate (the one I used I got from a set on Amazon as my first venture into stamping)
- Stamper & scraper
- Clean up brushes & acetone
Step 1: Choose your polishes
So really this look works with any colour combo, but I decided to go for blue and orange as they are complimentary colours on the colour wheel. The actual polishes used were Barry M's Coconut Infusion Nail Paint in Flamingo and Seventeen Gel Colour in Hurricane. I bought both of these from Boots, but really any nail polish will work.
 |
| The colours! (The blue has got quite thick but honestly it's still okay to use) |
Step 2: Prep those nails!
Now prep your nails with your basecoat of choice. I used Barry M's 3 in 1 Basecoat, Topcoat & Hardener, but any basecoat will do. It's just there to protect your nails from staining. Add a layer to all nails and allow to dry before moving on to the colour.Step 3: Paint those nails!
For this design I started off by painting my pinky and ring finger orange, and my thumb blue, leaving my middle and ring fingers bare. What you do next will depend on which technique you choose to use!
Step 4a: Traditional Stamping Method
This method is, in my opinion, easier and far less time consuming, so if you're not too confident with your stamping or you are a little time constrained this may be the technique for you. Start by painting the left half of your ring finger one colour, and then the right half of your middle finger that same colour. The line doesn't have to be perfect (mine certainly isn't!). Once dry, paint the other half of your nail the opposing colour. You should end up with nails that look like the below.
Before stamping I find it better to add a top coat as this smoothes out the surface of the nail, and also makes it a little easier to correct any mistakes as there is a layer protecting the colours below.
Once dry go ahead and stamp away! Stamp the design across your ring and middle fingers. The plate I used is the JQ-75 plate from Biutee, which I purchased off of Amazon, but really any geometric design works. I prefer the clear squishy/sticky stampers as I have very curved nails and the squishy stampers allow me to reach every part of my nail. The stamper I have came with the Biutee set.
As I used stamping polish I was able to clean up around my cuticles using a piece of sticky tape, but acetone or nail polisher remover works too. Of course you can use a nail polish barrier such as liquid latex or nail aprons, but I don't currently have either.
Once cleaned up you should have nails that look something like this:
 |
| Note: I forgot to take a photo prior to adding the matte top coat, hence why my nails are matte here |
Step 4b: Reverse Stamping/Making your own nail decal
If traditional stamping isn't for you, or you want to get a bit more creative with the colours underneath the stamping design then you can always try making your own nail decal. This is somewhat similar to traditional stamping, but instead of transferring the design directly onto your nail you stamp it onto a layer of top coat.
Start by painting some top coat onto a sandwich bag. Once dry go ahead and stamp your design onto it. Then you can colour your design in! Don't worry too much about keeping within the lines as you will be flipping the decal when you come to put it on your nails.
 |
| Step by step of making your own decals |
Once everything has dried, simply peel off your decals and trim down to roughly the size of your nails. It doesn't have to be perfect as any excess you can trim off with nail scissors or melt down with acetone or nail polish remover.
To apply the decals add a layer of top coat and wait until tacky. Place the decal on your nail and gently press down, ensuring all parts of the decal adhere. Don't press too hard as you may tear the decal and ruin the design! Once place simply clean up around the edges.
Step 5: Top Coat
Finally, once everything has dried, add a top coat! I used an old matte top coat that I got from Avon (seriously, this thing is years old). I only used this as I couldn't find my Barry M matte top coat, but honestly the Avon one worked much better over stamping!
So that's the how to! I'm thinking about maybe continuing to post two versions of any designs I do i.e. one that's easier/quicker and one a bit more advanced, but I will see how this pans out. If you've made it this far thank you for reading this first post! Blogging is very new to me but I hope to form a routine as I get used to this.
Thanks again!
Follow on Instagram
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