Why isn't stamping transferring? 7 rules for perfect stamping

On almost every basic manicure course, I heard girls say: "I don't think I can do it, because I don't know how to draw designs."

And every time I answered that nowadays a nail master does not have to know how to draw, as there are many techniques and ways to create designs that do not require drawing skills. One of them is stamping, which I suggest we discuss in more detail below.

The term "stamping" comes from the English word "stamping", meaning printing or impressing. In the nail world, it involves transferring a pattern from special plates onto a client's nail plate using a stamper and a scraper.

Personally, this is one of my favorite types of design, and importantly, an economical one. Why?

It is enough for you to buy a stamping kit just once, and then you can repeat it 10, 20, 100 times, while even regular stickers cannot be reused.

What is included in a stamping kit:

• Stamper;
• Scraper;
• Plates;
• Polishes;
• Nail polish remover;
• Sticky tape or a lint roller.

It is important to understand that your success in mastering stamping depends on the quality of these materials.

I suggest talking in more detail about the mistakes you might make in your work:

1. Choosing regular polishes instead of professional stamping polishes.
   The difference between them is that the former are more pigmented than the latter, so even if you manage to stamp the pattern, you won't be able to achieve a bright print on any color except white.
   + Choose professional polishes, stampers, and scrapers! Dark's arsenal includes the most convenient polishes that have good pigmentation and give you enough working time. The plates feature high-quality, deep embossing, which provides a crisp print.
2. Working slowly.
   + You need to apply polish to the plate and transfer the pattern to the stamper quickly.
3. Pressing too hard on the stamper.
   + While working with the stamper, you need to gently roll it across the plate.
4. Wiping the stamper with acetone-containing liquids. They damage its structure.
   + You should remove polish residues using sticky tape or a lint roller. In the case of pigments or powder (rub-on), water or Nail Prep will be enough.
5. Applying too much polish to the plate.
   + Of course, everything depends on the pattern: large ones require a larger amount, small ones require less, but you don't need to apply it over the entire surface.
6. Poorly removing polish residues from plates and scrapers. If dried on the plate, they will clog the depth of the embossing, and accordingly, the pattern will not stamp. Dried residues on the scraper make its surface uneven.
7. Working quickly with large patterns and, conversely, slowly with small ones.
   + On the contrary: after applying polish to large patterns, you should let the polish dry for a couple of seconds and then stamp it onto the stamper. With small ones, you should work quickly with liquid polishes.
8. Buying low-quality plates and stampers.
9. Making technical mistakes during work.
   + Hold the scraper at a 45° angle to the plate and remove the polish in any direction with 1-2 confident movements. Choose transparent stampers so it will be easier for you to orient yourself when transferring the pattern to the nail. Work quickly, do not press hard on the stamper.

Also, one of the most common problems with stamping is the top coat peeling or rolling up when sealing the pattern. There is only one reason here — a conflict between the top coat and the material used in the work, and you need to figure out which one specifically. It could be the residues of the remover, residues of the sticky part of the tape on the stamper (try replacing the tape with a lint roller), or even a conflict between the top coat and the polishes themselves. If you tried replacing everything and nothing helped, then my advice is to cover the nails one by one first with a liquid base or clear polish, and then fix it with a top coat. Also, don't forget to check if your matte top coat pulls the polishes along with it, because this happens quite often and it's a shame to ruin the work at the final stage. I advise you to pay attention to the matte top coat from Dark, as there is no such problem with it.

More problems can arise if you removed the sticky layer from the gel polish and after that the pattern has nothing to stick to during transfer, for example, in reverse stamping. In this case, you don't need to apply another layer of polish; it will be enough to apply a thin layer of Ultrabond.

And now let's move on to the creative part.

Stamping is not just a single-color print; stamping has an incredibly large number of execution techniques:

• Standard;
• Reverse;
• Multi-layer;
• Shadow;
• Gradient;
• Stencil.

You can do it using:

• Polishes;
• Gel paint;
• Powder (rub-on);
• Pigments.

You can even not use plates at all, but paint with a brush directly on the stamper, print your fingerprint, mix polishes on a flat surface with a scraper, and transfer it as a whole print to the nail.

Without exaggeration, the only things that can limit you in stamping execution are a lack of experience and practice, so try as often as possible and practice on tips if there are no clients around.

To summarize, I want to highlight 7 rules of perfect stamping:

1. Use only high-quality plates, polishes, and scrapers!
2. Work quickly and confidently!
3. Do not press on the stamper!
4. Choose bottomless transparent stampers.
5. Before transferring the whole pattern to the nail, don't forget to push back the cuticle and lateral folds!
6. Do not apply too much polish to the plate!
7. Keep your equipment clean!

I sincerely hope that my tips will help solve any problems you might have already encountered, or inspire you to dive into the world of stamping if you previously thought designs weren't your thing.
I believe and am confident that you will succeed.

Your master with 7 years of experience and instructor Anastasia Sukhova was with you.