For my nail art, these are my most used tools.
Stamping
I'm a big fan of stamping so I've tried a bunch of different stampers, scrapers, and plates. I'm not an expert by any means but these are some of my favourite products.
Although Konad's stamper is great, the best one that works for me is the one I ordered online from Winstonia. It's softer than the inside of a marshmallow! My stamping improved by 50% once I started using this stamper. The only problem is that the head of it pops off but I'm sure a little hot glue will fix that.
Konad's scraper works best for me, as well as their stamping polishes. I only use the black and white stamping polishes because it is also possible to stamp with regular polishes so I don't buy any of the other colours from Konad, though they work great. Some regular polishes are better than others, some don't work at all. You really just have to play around and see what works best for you. The best gold to stamp with is Maybelline Color Show Bold Gold; it goes on like a dream! I have so many backups of this polish for stamping.
Stamping Plates
I haven't tried every brand for stamping plates out there but I do know that Bundle Monster and Pueen are a couple of my favourites. They have great depth and unique, fun designs. I like Konad but their plates can be hit and miss. A lot of the time I find that the designs aren't deep enough so the polish dries too quickly and the stamper can't pick it up. I would still like to try Cheeky plates, I have heard good things about them. Many indie polish makers also sell their own plates that seem worth checking out!
Nail Art Brushes
The brush I use for more detailed nail art is the one pictured, which I got from Sally's. I have a bunch of other brushes (see below) but this is my go to brush for most of my designs. It's around $7 and I do end up buying one every month because it can get out of shape from a lot of use, especially since it's pretty thin.
Nail Art Tape
I also love using nail art tape in my designs. It's an easy way to create elegant nails. I ordered a bunch from eBay for around $2-$5. If you ever see a roll or two of this kind of tape being sold for more than $1, don't buy it!! There are much better deals online. I got around 25 rolls of tape for that price.
Stamping
I'm a big fan of stamping so I've tried a bunch of different stampers, scrapers, and plates. I'm not an expert by any means but these are some of my favourite products.
Although Konad's stamper is great, the best one that works for me is the one I ordered online from Winstonia. It's softer than the inside of a marshmallow! My stamping improved by 50% once I started using this stamper. The only problem is that the head of it pops off but I'm sure a little hot glue will fix that.
Konad's scraper works best for me, as well as their stamping polishes. I only use the black and white stamping polishes because it is also possible to stamp with regular polishes so I don't buy any of the other colours from Konad, though they work great. Some regular polishes are better than others, some don't work at all. You really just have to play around and see what works best for you. The best gold to stamp with is Maybelline Color Show Bold Gold; it goes on like a dream! I have so many backups of this polish for stamping.
Stamping Plates
I haven't tried every brand for stamping plates out there but I do know that Bundle Monster and Pueen are a couple of my favourites. They have great depth and unique, fun designs. I like Konad but their plates can be hit and miss. A lot of the time I find that the designs aren't deep enough so the polish dries too quickly and the stamper can't pick it up. I would still like to try Cheeky plates, I have heard good things about them. Many indie polish makers also sell their own plates that seem worth checking out!
Nail Art Brushes
The brush I use for more detailed nail art is the one pictured, which I got from Sally's. I have a bunch of other brushes (see below) but this is my go to brush for most of my designs. It's around $7 and I do end up buying one every month because it can get out of shape from a lot of use, especially since it's pretty thin.
Nail Art Tape
I also love using nail art tape in my designs. It's an easy way to create elegant nails. I ordered a bunch from eBay for around $2-$5. If you ever see a roll or two of this kind of tape being sold for more than $1, don't buy it!! There are much better deals online. I got around 25 rolls of tape for that price.
I ordered these brushes for around $6 from Ebay. I ordered two sets of brushes, so I have 30 in all and each set was around $3. These also come with dotting tools so it's awesome!! There is so much variety, it'll make your head spin. I use these brushes for cuticle clean up, nail art, mixing, etc. They aren't the best quality but honestly, they work very well. I haven't had to replace them or anything. I do use my Sally's brush most of the time but these really come in handy still. The only problem is that the white paint on the handles can come off really easily if you get remover or acetone on them but they are still useable after.
Coats (base and top)
For my base coat (to avoid staining from dark colours) I've found that Seche Clear works really well. I've had no staining from polishes since I've started it. I also really love Essie First Base Base Coat (more on that later). I also switch to treatment base coats when the need arises (more on that later too). When I look for new base coats, the one thing I really look for is no hardeners. This is a personal choice that doesn't work for others. When I use a hardening base coat or treatment for too long, my nails start to curl and ironically break, so I avoid them most of the time.
My absolute favourite topcoat is Seche Vite Dry Fast topcoat. I used to have to wait hours for my polish to dry and I would STILL get marks in it but SV dries it in 5 minutes. I usually do my nails right before bed so it's perfect because I never have to worry about ruining my mani. I don't recommend SV to people worried about chemicals because I've heard it's really bad in that department so read up on it if you've never tried it before.
Mattes!
I can't tell you how much I love matte designs!! I remember there being only a few matte polishes on the market in very select colours and now almost every brand has a matte topcoat! It's wonderful =D I haven't tried many so I can only give my opinion on what I've tried so far and honestly I've found one I love so I doubt I'll ever buy another kind. Many awesome nail bloggers spend effort on comparing a bunch of different brands so hopefully you can find your perfect fit! Mine is hands down OPI's! I've tried Essie's and it left non-matte streaks and it was so frustrating! OPI actually had this package deal for $10 (the price of their topcoat regularly) that came with the topcoat and two little bottles of gorgeous loose glitter. I bought it from Trade Secrets. It's a nice sized bottle compared to Essie's and my Essie one got pretty goopy towards the end. Another one I *might* try one day is by GOSH; their stuff is usually amazing so I think it would be pretty good.
For my base coat (to avoid staining from dark colours) I've found that Seche Clear works really well. I've had no staining from polishes since I've started it. I also really love Essie First Base Base Coat (more on that later). I also switch to treatment base coats when the need arises (more on that later too). When I look for new base coats, the one thing I really look for is no hardeners. This is a personal choice that doesn't work for others. When I use a hardening base coat or treatment for too long, my nails start to curl and ironically break, so I avoid them most of the time.
My absolute favourite topcoat is Seche Vite Dry Fast topcoat. I used to have to wait hours for my polish to dry and I would STILL get marks in it but SV dries it in 5 minutes. I usually do my nails right before bed so it's perfect because I never have to worry about ruining my mani. I don't recommend SV to people worried about chemicals because I've heard it's really bad in that department so read up on it if you've never tried it before.
Mattes!
I can't tell you how much I love matte designs!! I remember there being only a few matte polishes on the market in very select colours and now almost every brand has a matte topcoat! It's wonderful =D I haven't tried many so I can only give my opinion on what I've tried so far and honestly I've found one I love so I doubt I'll ever buy another kind. Many awesome nail bloggers spend effort on comparing a bunch of different brands so hopefully you can find your perfect fit! Mine is hands down OPI's! I've tried Essie's and it left non-matte streaks and it was so frustrating! OPI actually had this package deal for $10 (the price of their topcoat regularly) that came with the topcoat and two little bottles of gorgeous loose glitter. I bought it from Trade Secrets. It's a nice sized bottle compared to Essie's and my Essie one got pretty goopy towards the end. Another one I *might* try one day is by GOSH; their stuff is usually amazing so I think it would be pretty good.