Hooray! I finally got to try out the coveted clear jelly stamper. With recent stamping trends, this stamper has got to be the most popular new tool. Let me talk about why that is. Most stamper heads are opaque; you cannot see through them. This may make it easy to see some stamped polishes (e.g., black stamping polish will show up great on a white stamper head), but I have one major complaint about them. I have no idea where I'm placing the image on my nail! This has been an endless source of frustration for me while stamping. Even when the other steps have been flawless, poor stamp placement results in a crooked and sloppy-looking manicure. This fully transparent stamper head resolves any such frustration! You can look through the back end of the stamper and see exactly where you are stamping your design. With this precision, stamping becomes a more enjoyable and rewarding process for me. This stamper has become my new favorite. The image pickup is slightly different from other stamper heads I've used, so I needed to practice a little to become acquainted with it. In the end, however, it's much easier to use than other stampers. If you've been debating on picking one up, I would encourage you to do so. Check out some of these stamping manis. In the first one, I double-layered the hearts with extreme precision! In the second one, I was able to finally use a centered stamping design. This was so satisfying!
Ah, I love a good floral pattern. It could be bright and cheerful or dark and moody. There's just a nice elegant feeling about them. The floral decal variety pack has something for any manicure: fun, stately, or romantic. Honestly, when I picked this item out, I thought I would only get one pattern! I was surprised to see four patterns included. As with all decals I have gotten from Born Pretty, I found these blissfully easy to use. Simply cut out the part you want to use, peel off the film, dip the decal in a cup of water, slide it off the backing, then stick it on your nail. In this first design, I cut triangular shapes from the decal. I applied the triangles over a white polish base, and finished it with a matte top coat. This design was so bright and summery, I loved seeing it on my nails during these cold winter months! I was pleasantly surprised to find that these decals are so easy to use for full-nail designs. Just use the same technique to apply the decal over your whole nail. Using acetone and a cleanup brush, you can easily remove the excess from around your cuticles. It's too simple!
This was my first time using metallic nail stickers. I have seen lots of pictures floating around lately of some really nice-looking metallic designs so I was really excited to test them. My verdict: YES! These things are fantastic. They are so easy to use! You cut out the part you want to use on your nail, peel it off the backing, and stick it on! I sealed it in with top coat to help it last long.
I have used some vinyl nail stencils before, and I believe they're a wonderful tool to have in your mani kit. This pack contained two stencil designs: zebra print and wavy lines. The stencils have crisp lines, and the adhesive is very effective. They are easy to separate from the packaging and stick to the nail. Once on the nail, the adhesive prevents polish from bleeding around the edges. You can either paint over the stencil just the same way you paint your nail, or you can sponge the polish on. I prefer the sponging method since it seems less messy (and you can add a gradient too!). In this first design, I sponged on a neon rainbow base, applied the zebra stripe vinyls, then sponged on some black glitter polish. I love this look! Now I'll be honest, my boyfriend came up with the genius idea for bacon nails using the wavy lines stencil! I laughed at first then decided I seriously wanted to give it a try. I'm keen on the results!
Bonus item! Now, here is an example of the fantastic customer service at Born Pretty. I requested to review these golden feather charms for my last review package. Somehow, it was overlooked so Alice at Born Pretty hooked me up by sending the charms as a bonus with this package! Isn't that great? These charms are so beautiful and delicate. I'm impressed by the shine and detail of these charms. Additionally, the backs are curved so that they are easy to comfortably include in a manicure.
I definitely had fun with this review post! Truly, the clear jelly stamper is my new favorite stamper. It's just perfect! I would say that's my top pick of the bunch as a nail art kit must-have. But everything was enjoyable and easy to use and you could employ your creativity to come up with a million unique designs! As always, if any of these items interested you, don't forget to use the code FEPX31 at checkout to receive 10% off your purchase on top of free worldwide shipping from Born Pretty!
Disclaimer: I received these products free of charge from Born Pretty for honest testing and review purposes. The opinions stated in this post are my own. All nails, designs, and photos are mine unless otherwise stated.
