Lična gospodična

Hello everyone!

I've recieved a few questions about this technique on my Facebook page, so I decided to do a quick how to with pictures about the advanced stamping technique. So without further ado, let's get started!

You'll need:
- stamping plate of your choice (I used BornPretty L028 stamping plate)
- stamper
- scraper
- stamping polish of your choice (I used MDU black)
- any colored polish (I used China Glaze 2030, which is sadly discontinued - you can try China Glaze Passion)
- any top coat (I used Essence 2in1 Base&Top Coat)

- dotting tool (or a thin nail art brush)
- nail scissors (or cuticle nippers)
- tweezers

First, stamp your design on your stamper. I had the best results with my trusted Konad stamper - but I also managed with similar types of stampers I got off of eBay. I don't think this would work with squishy stampers, but if you give it a try, please let me know how it works. :)
Make sure you take a larger portion of the design than you think you'll actually need, so you have enough room when applying to your nails.
Next, deposit some colored polish on you plate or a piece of paper, and with the dotting tool color inside some or all of the empty space. Try not to color outside the lines, as it will make your job much easier later, when you're cutting the design. I only used gold, but you can definitely choose more colors if you like. It will make the design stand out even more.

After you let the colored polish dry for a little bit (I like to leave mine for about 10 minutes to avoid smudging), it's time to apply a top coat over the design. It's crucial that you apply a generous amount of top coat with minimal pressure on the brush - again, it will prevent the design from smudging. After some trial and error I found softly gliding over the design works best.
If you double or triple stamp like I did on the hot pink stamper, make sure each design has an individual layer of top coat with enough space in between. Leave to dry for additional 10-15 minutes.


To check if your top coat is completely dry, apply light pressure on it with your finger - if it leaves no trace, you're good to go!
Peel the image off gently with your tweezers, or squeeze the stamper at the edges (like I did on the second picture below), and the image will pop right off.


Next comes the tricky part - put the image on each nail (obviously the one for your pinky finger will be the smallest, and the one for your thumb the biggest), and try to assess how much you need to cut off. I suggest going slowly, so you don't cut off too much and have to start again.
Leave a bit of border between your stamp and the edges of your nails, so that you can successfully apply top coat over the stamp in the end. You don't want it sticking out, as it will lift and tear off.

When you're happy with the position of all the designs, apply a top coat over your entire nail, and enjoy your new manicure!


To finish off, here are a few useful tips:

- make sure the image you select has a clean, full border
- you can use these stamps over normal or gel polish (I used them with Shellac, and they stayed on perfectly)
- you don't need a sticky layer to put these on - I would advise against it even, since you won't be able to reposition the stamp several times
- I found two thin layers of top coat over the stamp and entire nail at the end work best
- cheap nail polishes are great for this, so you don't need to spend a ton of money - if anything, consider buying a few good stamping polishes (check this awesome blog post by Copycat Claws to learn more)
- don't rush the process, leave each layer of polish to dry completely

And you're ready for action! If you try this amazing technique, please link your photos in the comments below! <3

Have fun creating,

- Maja

Ojla!

Na svoji Facebook strani sem prejela nekaj vprašanj v zvezi z napredno tehniko štampiljkanja, zato danes z vami delim slikovni vodič z navodili. Pa kar začnimo!

Potrebuješ:
- paletko za štampiljkanje po svoji izbiri (uporabila sem BortnPretty paletko L028)
- štampiljko
- strgalo
- lak za štampiljkanje (uporabila sem MDU black)
- katerikoli barvni lak (uporabila sem China Glaze 2030, ki žal ni več dobavljiva - lahko pa preizkusiš China Glaze Passion)
- katerikoli nad lak (uporabila sem Essence 2in1 Base&Top Coat)
- dotting tool (ali zelo tanek čopič za nail art)
- škarjice za nohte (ali klešče)
- pinceto

S pomočjo štampiljke odtisni želen dizajn. Pri tej tehniki se mi je najbolje obnesla dobra, stara Konad štampiljka - oziroma štampiljke iz podobnega materiala, ki jih lahko najdeš na eBayu. Predvidevam, da z raznimi squishy štampiljkami ne bi šlo, vendar me vseeno zanima tvoja izkušnja, če jih preizkusiš ti. :)
Pri štampiljkanju poskrbi, da odtisneš večji vzorec, kot bi ga sicer potrebovala, da si pustiš nekaj manevrskega prostora za kasneje.

Nato kar na paletko ali kos papirja nanesi nekaj izbranega barvnega laka ter ga z dotting tool-om nanesi na vzorec. Izbereš lahko le nekaj ali vse prazne prostore v dizajnu. Previdnost ni odveč - poskusi barvati le znotraj linij, saj ti bo to močno olajšalo delo kasneje, ko boš vzorec izrezovala.
Sama sem izbrala le zlato barvo, vendar jih za še boljši učinek lahko izbereš tudi več.

Pusti, da se barvni lak popolnoma posuši (približno 10 minut, da se ne spacka) in šele nato čez dizajn nanesi nad lak. Pomembno je, da pri tem ne "šparaš" in ga naneseš v kar debelem sloju, vendar pri tem s čopičem le minimalno pritiskaš navzdol - s tem se boš spet izognila nejasnemu vzorcu.
Če na katero od štampiljk odtisneš dva ali tri vzorce, kot sem na roza štampiljki storila tudi jaz, moraš na vsak vzorec nanesti svojo plast nad laka - pazi, da se te med seboj ne dotikajo. Za sušenje dovoli dodatnih 10-15 minut.

Da preveriš, če se je nad lak že posušil, s prstom rahlo pritisni nanj - če prst za seboj ne pusti sledi, si pripravljena na nadaljevanje!
Vzorec previdno dvigni s pomočjo pincete, ali pa s prsti stisni robove štampiljke (kot videno na drugi spodnji sliki), da se dvigne kar sam.

Sledi meni najzahtevnejši del - vsakega od vzorcev položi na posamezen noht (seveda bo tisti za mezinca najmanjši, tisti za palca pa največji) in oceni, kolikšen del moraš odrezati stran. Previdnost ni odveč  - pojdi počasi, da ne odrežeš prevelikega dela, sicer pa jovo na novo.
Pametno je, da med robom vzorca ter robom nohta pustiš nekaj prostora, da boš kasneje brez težav nanesla nad lak. Ne želiš, da vzorec gleda "ven", sicer ti bo odstopil.


 Ko si zadovoljna s pozicijo vseh dizajnov, čez celoten noht nanesi še nad lak in uživaj v svoji novi manikuri!


Za konec pa še nekaj uporabnih trikov:

- izberi štampiljko s čistimi in neprekinjenimi robovi
- napredno tehniko štampiljkanja lahko uporabiš čez navadne ali permanentne gel lake (sama sem pod njimi brez težav uporabila Shellac)
- za nanos na noht ne potrebuješ lepljive plasti laka - celo odsvetovala bi ti jo, saj štampiljke nato ne boš mogla več premikati
- ugotovila sem tudi, da se čez štampiljke najbolje obneseta dve tanki plasti nad laka
- za to tehniko brez zadržkov uporabiš poceni lake - če že, svetujem, da nekaj več odšteješ za kvalitetne lake za štampiljkanje (za več informacij obišči tale super blog, ki ga je spisala Copycat Claws)
- naj se ti ne mudi, dovoli, da se pred nadaljevanjem vsaka od plasti zares posuši

Tako, pripravljena na akcijo! Če preizkusiš tole čudovito tehniko štampiljkanja, svoje slike pripni med komentarje! <3

Uživaj v ustvarjanju,

- Maja

Ojla!

Ker se mi od rose gold trenda že tako ali tako cedijo sline - res je krasna barva - sem jo morala preizkusit tudi na nohtih.

Kot morda že veš, ali pa tudi ne, sem velika privrženka sistema CND Shellac, ki sem ga uporabila tudi za to popolno rose gold manikuro.


Po nekaj neuspelih poizkusih (s pomočjo plastičnih palčk iz eBaya), pa sem le našla najbolj čudovito, toplo in romantično barvo z dvema slojema barve Rosebud, čez katera sem nanesla en sloj barve Iced Cappuccino. Zelo pomembno je, da slednja plast zelo tanka, da ne prekriješ preveč rožnate podlage.


Iced Cappucino sem prav tako kombinirala z dvema drugima roza barvama iz Shellac sistema, in sicer Pink Bikini in Cake Pop. Mene te kombinacije niso čisto prepričale, morda pa so nekaj, kar iščeš ti? ;)


Katere pa so tvoje najljubše Shellac kombinacije? Vesela bom tvojih predlogov!

- Maja

Hey!

Since I'm all about the rose gold trend, and I think it's a magnificent color, I just had to try getting it on my nails as well.

Since you may or may not know, I'm a big CND Shellac fan, and it's what I used to get this perfect rose gold manicure.


After trial and error with several color combos (I used my nail pop color sticks that I got on eBay), I achieved the most beautiful, warm and romantic color using two coats of Rosebud, with one coat of Iced Cappuccino layered on top. Make sure the layer with Iced Cappuccino is extremely thin, so that you don't block out too much of the pink.



I also tried layering Iced Cappuccino over two other pinks from CND Shellac - Pink Bikini and Cake Pop. The result wasn't quite as satisfying to me, but this may be the color combo you are looking for. ;)


What are your favourite Shellac layring combos? Let me know, so I can try them! :)

- Maja