Fun with the Salon Express Nail Stamping Kit

I had some extra time on my hands recently when my computer was in the shop, so what better way to spend some down-time than by playing around with my little $9.99 nail stamping kit, right?

If you missed my original review of the As Seen On TV Salon Express Nail Stamping Kit (available at most major drugstores as well as Sally Beauty), you can see my detailed review, with tips and hints, here.

If you're looking for a last-minute stocking-stuffer for the nail polish or beauty fanatic in your life, I can't recommend this kit enough. Like I said in my original review, it takes some time and practice, but once you get it down, the possibilities are endless and it's just so much fun. This little kit has made me a complete nail stamping convert. I had literally never tried nail stamping before I bought this kit (I was so afraid!) but now I'm kind of addicted to it.

For this first look, I used the following two polishes:

Sally Hansen Color Quick Nail Polish Pen in Green Chrome

Sinful Colors Seaweed

You can currently purchase these Sally Hansen chrome polish pens at Dollar Tree for $1 and also at Big Lots for $1.50.

Sinful Colors Seaweed ($1.99) is the OPI Stranger Tides dupe. It was available last summer as part of the Adventure Island collection (click here for pics of that display). I'm not sure if this color has made its way into the core collection.

 For this look, I used the little leaf design on plate number SE03:

After each stamp dried, I just repeated the design by restamping in different places on each nail until I was satisfied.

 (apologies for how dry the skin is around my nails--this weather is just destroying my hands lately!)

For these next two looks, I used two different base colors but the same stamping color:

Maybelline Autumn Leaves

Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow

Sinful Colors Winterberry

Maybelline Autumn Leaves is the most stunning reddish-golden polish I have ever seen. I professed my love for it in this post, but sadly it was a limited edition shade that released this past fall, so you can no longer purchase it (unless your local drugstores haven't taken down the display yet and you spot a bottle--in which case I say GRAB IT).

Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow is an OLD Xtreme Wear polish that I found at my local Dollar Tree last summer.

Sinful Colors Winterberry is a newer core collection color that I first showed back in October. I believe you can now find this at both Rite Aid and Walgreens.

The reason I chose Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow for my stamping color is because I wanted to show those new to nail stamping that you don't always have to have loud, bold, look-at-me designs on your nails in order to enjoy nail art. You can create something very subtle that is only visible when the light catches your nails. In some cases, I actually prefer a subtle nail design:

For this look I used plate number SE10 and the design is the paisley pattern on the right:

I tried to use different parts of the design for each nail because I like for each nail to look slightly different. Apologies for the tip-wear and chips--I took these photos three days into my manicure.

I think the effect of using a subtle stamping color over Autumn Leaves sort of looks like Christmas wrapping paper. I loved this mani in person!

And for my third design I used Mellow Yellow for my stamping color again, and Sinful Colors Winterberry for my base color:

For this look I used plate number SE11 and the "net" design on the lower left side:

 This look was so cool in person. At first when I would look at my hands, it sort of just looked like a shimmery purple polish, but then upon closer inspection you could really see the little details of the design. Subtle but so pretty!

After my first post about the Salon Express Nail Stamping Kit I received a lot of feedback from readers who went out and purchased the kit for themselves. If you were one of those readers, I would LOVE to know how the kit is working for you! And if you bought this kit but have yet to use it, I hope this post provides you with a little inspiration to bust it open and start playing!

All of the products featured in this post, including the Salon Express Nail Stamping Kit, were purchased with personal funds.