Look what I found at my local Wal-Mart! Now I know they have carried this kit for a while, but this is the first time I've picked one up. I'm familiar with the brand Pueen (even if I can't pronounce it. Does it rhyme with queen?) and I've always thought of them as a reputable company. I'm so stunned to see something as niche as nail stamping in a Wal-Mart! Can this make stamping go more "mainstream"? Anyway, this is the pink box, I believe there is also a blue box version as well as a few individual plates. (UPDATE: I got the Blue box and 2 individual plates so I will do a review on them as well. It also looks like there is another pink box called watermarbling. I might have to hunt that one down.)
Check out all that comes in the box and how well it works after the break!
It comes with one plate, 2 polishes, a firm opaque stamper, a small plastic scraper and instructions not only on the box but on a card inside it too. It is very well packaged and the parts don't rattle in the box at all.
Most nail artists know that the plate shouldn't be blue, that there is a film over the plate, but this kit is marketed for brand new stampers and so they have gone the extra step to include a sticker on the plate reminding people to peel the film off first. That extra little touch is so thoughtful.
Very cleanly etched. Crisp and clear. Full sized nail images are about standard, but if you have significantly long nails, they might fall short.
Another nice thing is that the scraper they include is plastic. I've gotten many kits in the past and metal used to be the norm. I hated metal scrapers. Sturdy plastic is my go to.
The stamper is decent. Its smooshy, which is nice for stamping, but its also shiny and a little slippery. That doesn't automatically mean it's bad for picking up, but it is a warning sign. It's also not clear, but I can understand why not. Clear stampers are more expensive (I presume) and not really necessary for new artists to use. That's more for if you really fall in love with stamping and want to do more advanced techniques. The stamper would be the first thing I would recommend to upgrade. (UPDATE: in the newer boxes it looks like they do upgrade it to a clear stamper!)
Black and white are the 2 most used stamping polishes I can think of. This kit comes with both. The only other polishes I'd recommend would be gold and silver.
The polishes turned out to be very thick and highly pigmented! I'm very impressed. Usually this is where most companies will "cheap out" on the kit to keep prices low. And it isn't just good nail polish, it is good STAMPING nail polish.
And the plate itself is sturdy and attached to a thick sheet of plastic. This keeps the plate from bending or twisting and more importantly keep the thin metal from cutting you.
Alright, enough jabber. Let's see what these plates can actually do!
Here I've used all that came in the kit. This is a first time using this plate.
It looks to be cut deep and even, it sure ate up the polish I put on it leaving a bald spot towards the end of the scrape. I think I could have been more careful on the scrape. I might have gotten a cleaner, less foggy image with a little bit of practice.
I did not have high hopes for the stamper. I think I've been spoiled by my clear squishy stampers, but this stamper actually performed very well. It picked up everything, even the fog that my inexact scraping left behind. I'm very surprised and pleased with its ability.
The stamp came out foggy and the edges of the lines are not crisp. Again, this could come from a imprecise scraper or from my own scraping mistakes. Do not let this get you down! I really think there is a learning curve in stamping and in using this box. Other than the foggy scraping, check out how PIGMENTED the black stamping polish is! I've seen many "intro to stamping" kits and the polish is usually junk. This is truly some quality polish!
With a gentler hand I tried again with the white polish. I got a much cleaner scrape and image this time!
And that white really shows up over the black. Dark polishes usually do well over light, but to find a light, or white, that will stamp over the darkest polishes? That's a rare treat!
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