A few weekends ago I declared Saturday Jelly Sandwich Day in my home, and today it's been Stamping Saturday around here. I've mentioned before on this blog that the weekends are when I really get to go wild with my manicures, and when I woke up this morning I was in the mood to bust out my stamper.
I reviewed the As Seen On TV Salon Express Nail Art Stamping Kit last November (click here for my in-depth review) when it first started showing up in drugstores. Nowadays, you can find it just about everywhere, from Big Lots to Ross to Target, etc. and it often retails for about $6.99 (be careful though, because some of the kits don't come with the double-ended stamper you see above).
I still love my stamping kit, but can you believe I have yet to buy any new plates for it?? I am so darned tired of the designs that came with this kit, so I want to thank reader Annette for giving us the heads-up on the You Tell Me page about a sale over at BundleMonster.com!
From bundlemonster.com:
*15% Discount: Valid
online only on Bundlemonster.com between 8/31/2012 at 9:00 AM HST and
9/7/2012 at 11:59 PM HST. Qualifying amount applies to merchandise only,
not value of gift cards purchased, packaging, applicable taxes or
shipping & handling charges. Cannot be combined with any other
offers or discounts. Offer is nontransferable and not valid for cash or
cash equivalent. No adjustments on previous purchases. Offer subject to
change without notice.
And did I mention that standard shipping is FREE? (Thanks so much for that tip, Annette!). I'm seriously contemplating getting this set. Anyone out there have it? Thoughts? The designs are adorable!
Anyway, back to my nails: with Fall just around the corner, I thought an argyle print would be cute for the weekend. I created this look using Essie Lollipop as my base color, and then I used my little $0.99 Essence Stampy Polish in white that I got from Ulta. And that's it!
Here's the plate I used, from my Salon Express Stamping Kit:
Not perfect, but keep in mind that these photos are extreme close-ups, and in real life they look darned near perfect to the naked eye! I'm getting better at centering my designs, but it still irks me that I can't seem to get the design to extend down the sides of my nails. Any tips on that would be greatly appreciated!
So...what are you rockin' on your nails this weekend?
The BundleMonster stamp designs aren't as deep as the Konad ones, so there's just a little bit of a learning curve / adjustment period on which polishes to use, stamp application, et cetera. But they're an absolutely excellent deal.
ReplyDeleteI bought two of the design-disc organizers: $15 gets you an organizer that will hold over 100 disks. And don't forget the sale that's going on now, take nearly $2 off of that price, it seems like a really good deal.
I would recommend agaist buying the organizer for a beginner. There are a few good DIY options that will hold just as many, and many of the are inexpensive. I got going with a $1 photo album and regular tape, per Kayla Shevonne's post. Nails and Noms also has a good one up using baseball card holders.
DeleteLaughing Muse: thanks so much for the great tips! :)
DeleteImpoverished by Polish: i've heard CD holders (the kind that are little books) work too!
Yes, DIY options are good for beginners. (The one other manufacturer I bought a stamp-plate kit from, they came in a box. Nice, easy storage.) By this point, I have all three BundleMonster stamp-plate kits, plus about a dozen Konad plates (I bought those before I found out about BundleMonster), and one stamp-plate kit from another vendor. I've bought three little photo albums (my dollar stores didn't have the miniature photo albums, so I ended up paying $5 apiece for 'pretty-looking' ones - nice, but not as low-cost), but at this point, having something that's sized specifically for these nail-stamp plates would be nice. Plus, it zips closed - like a CD case. Helpful when one's cat decides to test out the organizer's aerodynamic properties...!
DeleteOh I completely get that! It's like with any hobby...once you've amassed a lot of something, you start to want something more efficient, and professional, as storage. In the 90s I was really into cross stitch, and after doing it for several years, I had to invest in a super fancy case to store all my threads in order of color, etc. Come to think of it, I wonder what happened to that thing?? Lol! :)
DeleteI have yet to try stamping, and don't have a stamping kit - for a rookie like me, would you recomment the Salon Express kit or the bundle monster?
ReplyDeleteThe bundle monster set is just plates, so I definitely recommend the Salon Express because you need a stamper. :) Plus, it's easily accessible since you can get it just about everywhere...no need to order online. That way you can try it and see if you like it without investing much. :)
DeleteWhen I read the post I thought wait, I didn't tell her about that! Then I remembered it's the OTHER Annette. LOL
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you're such an enabler, G! How'd you know I spent a good hour or so researching stamping kits after she posted this on the You Tell Me Page? I checked three brands, looking at posts on various nail blogs, only to decide this was requiring just too much thinking for me right now. I went ahead and polished my nails wondering what they'd look like with a nice stamped pattern. Then out of nowhere you bring it up for discussion.
My other serious consideration was Born Pretty. If you purchase the sets, then it's cheaper per-plate for Bundle Monster, but less out of pocket for Born Pretty. I don't even own a single stamping tool, so how do I know I'll even like it?! Yet, I'm ready to buy the entire set (instead of just a single plate to try it out). LOL And to make matters worse, Bundle Monster has 3 sets - which one to buy?!
Decisions, decisions. How about you decide for us both, then I'll pull the trigger? LOL
If I might make a recommendation- The three plate sets by Born Pretty are not all the same size. The first series has smaller designs but by popular demand the 2nd and 3rd sets have larger images suitable for larger nails.
DeleteBorn Pretty does have some very budget friendly plates however be wary that some of the plates are a bit lacking. That is to say that they aren't fully etched and the design won't transfer. I highly recommend googling around if you know specifically which plate you want, there's a lot of review for specific plates out there.
Annette: lol!! You sound like me! I tend to research the heck out of things, and then half the time never pull the trigger and it all becomes an enormous waste of time! ;) Since you don't yet have a stamper, i'm going to suggest getting the Salon Express first. That way, you can see if stamping is for you, before you invest a chunk of change on a ton of plates. You'll have enough plates in the SE kit to keep you busy for a while. Problem solved? ;)
DeleteMimi: thank you SO much for the great insights. This helps immensely!! xo
er whoops, Correction: I meant to say not all three sets by BUNDLE MONSTER aren't the same size, not the BM sets.
DeleteI am rocking Zoya FeiFei, an awesome steel blue/gray glass fleck shimmer; the shimmers are many colors. It's very unique. I joined a shopping website called Copious, and you get $10 credit for joining. There are a lot of people selling nail polish there, not really much discounted but with the discount I got two Fall 2012 Zoyas for $7 shipped. Not bad!
ReplyDeleteOooh, great tip, hun! Thank you! And FeiFei is GORGEOUS.
DeleteOh! I ordered from Bundle Monster last year when they had the 15%. Although they're in Hawaii, I got my items very fast!
ReplyDeleteThat's great to know! Thanks so much for sharing! :)
DeleteThat color scheme and the way the white is applied totally reminds me of the red Santa lollipops (http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/72633/72633,1272495765,3/stock-photo-red-santa-claus-lollipop-51979759.jpg) that I used to get in my stocking at Christmas every year. I'm definitely going to look into that stamper, it seems awesome!
ReplyDeleteOmg you're so right!! Thanks for making that connection! ;)
DeleteThis set is the best out of all of the bundle monster sets. The full nail designs are large and deeper. I like the new MASH plates this YouTuber has great videos of all the new stamping plates soguesswhat11 is her name:) very helpful!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!! Yay! I think you sold me on it! ;) and thanks for the tip!
DeleteI don't think you can get the Salon Express designs from edge to edge if your nail is larger than the image... The SE full nail images are a LOT smaller than most other plate designs. But it seems people like the SE stamper over some of the others, so that's something!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I still see a little bit of the design left on my stamper after i've stamped it, so I don't think my nail is larger than the design. It's just that I can't get the angle right when I roll it over my nail. Frustrating. :(
DeleteInstead of rolling the stamper onto my stationary nail, I've taken to rolling my nail over the stamper. It takes a little bit of practice to make any stamping work right, but this is definitely what works best for me. Instead of putting my finger on the table and rolling the stamped image on, I hold the stamper up, usually at a 45 degree angle, and gently roll my nail onto the image. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, for anyone looking at storage options, my Dollar Tree has these little business card holders in the stationary aisle. I think there's something like 30 pages in the book (which is basically a small plastic folder), with three plastic pouches on each sheet that perfectly fits a round plate! I would have paid much more than $1 for such a perfect plate protector! I currently have two full Bundle Monster sets in it, as well as several Konad plates.
Omg, I actually tried that exact technique for the first time when I did this design!!! It didn't work (the design didn't transfer at all) but now that I know it worked for you, i'm totally going to try it again! :)
DeleteAnd thanks so much for the tip! I didn't even think of business card holders! My local Japanese market has super cute business card holders for cheap, so you just gave me an excuse you head over there. Thank you! ;)
As someone that stamps quite a bit and has a LOT of plates from a variety of companies I do think getting the BM plates is worth the deal even when they aren't on sale. They have a variety of great patterns and the price is very economical. I recommend either the second or the third set though if you have longer nails since the images are smaller on the first series of plates. I'm not sure about the comments made by the first poster but I have never found that the bundle monster plates differ significantly from any other brand of plates including cheeky, red angel, konad, dashica, chez delaney etc. I could go on but it's IMO that a plate is a plate unless it is improperly engraved in which case BM is VERY professional about exchanging out plates that are too shallowly engraved. These plates are well worth your money.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing your insights. This helps so very much! I think i'm going to pull the trigger. :)
DeleteAnd btw, your blog is amazing! Wow, you are so talented it's not even funny! :) My sad little one color stamp design must have made you yawn. Lol!!
Shany Cosmetics also sells the round stamp plates for $15 but you get 25 plates. Their stamper set is like under $6 for the stamper, scraper and plate holder.
ReplyDeleteshanycosmetics.com
Thanks for the tip! Will definitely check that out. :)
DeleteI saw that a week ago & forgot to order it! Thank you for reminding me
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome!
DeleteWow, such great feedback. Thanks to all of you for sharing your tips and info, I no longer feel overwhelmed; you went above and beyond, offering info I never even though to ask!
ReplyDeleteAnd G, I almost ran to the store to grab the Salon Express, after all that research yesterday. I regretted not picking it up last month when I saw it at Big Lots. I'm going to try to get it this week and I'll look for the one with the double ended stamper (glad you pointed that out). There's always another sale around the corner, so by the time the next one rolls around I'll know for sure if I want a bundle.
[One comment I read on a nail blog (DIY Lady) is that the Salon Express scraper is junk - she recommended an old gift card - I might use a Pampered Chef nylon pan scraper.]
If it's a plastic scraper it's junk, you need one with a metal scraper. Also sometimes the stamper is too smooth so you'll need to slightly roughen up the pad with an emery board - some nail junkies recommend doing shallow cuts.
DeleteI have the Konad set and Shany set and both are pretty good. I wish my nails were in better condition to do more stamping.
I heard about the Salon Express kits through TV and wasn't sure if they worked or not. If the local news station still had their segment known as "Does it Work?" which they put all the As Seen on TV products to the test to see if they work or not, this would be an interesting thing to test out. But, it looks like you got it down G. If I had the sight to do it, I would do the stamping. If this kit came out during my high school years when I collected polishes left and right, I would do it!
ReplyDeleteI just cleaned all my nails yesterday! I had Grew Up in Cobalt from WNW on my toes, which is their dark blue chrome from their chrome set, and on my fingers, Milky Way from Revlon's Moon Candy. I did exchange the neon one for Orbit yesterday and did get Galactic since CVS sent me a 20% off coupon, so I couldn't resist and it sounded so pretty! I will be wearing Disturbia from WNW along with my silver crackle from Hot Topic Black Heart line for a review. This is going to be an interesting one! (Never used crackles.)
Amazon has Salon Express for $4.79 (free shipping with Prime or with $25 in qualifying merchandise). Pictured is the double ended stamper; I searched the reviews to see if anyone received the single ended one, but found nothing. I've been looking for something in this price range so I can order a book that's been in my cart (to get free shipping). Worst case scenario: they send me a single ended one that I can dispute with Amazon and get a refund. (I also checked eBay and the auctions ending soonest are doing so at a price very near this one.)
ReplyDeleteHey, G, check your e-mail--I have a spare plate with the seahorse on it that you wanted when you first got your kit! :)
ReplyDelete