Good, Better, Best!

Let's play a game: Good Better Best!

This weekend, at Mrs. Lacquer's house, I had an awesome time attempting to stamp my nails using the Konad stamps. Looking through the plates, I decided to go with houndstooth- WINNING. What could be better/easier than the classic houndstooth?!?

Fortunately Mrs. Lacquer had already attempted the stamping process and knew which polishes work well (FYI: the consistency of the base color is not important, but the opaqueness of the stamping color is what matters. A good stamping color is opaque in one coat. Consider yourselves informed lol). Below are the colors I used:

From left to right: Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine in "Spark," Sally Hansen Color Quick polish pen in Silver, and "Rage" by Orly.

(Paper towel background by Brawny lol)

Watching Mrs. Lacquer practice stamping a zebra print, I thought, "This looks easy, and the results are super cool! Let me get my hands on this bad-boy!" I was snapped back into reality after the first attempt to stamp:

It wasn't hard, but precision is the key. It took several fingers (a actually, a whole hand lol) to get the hang of pulling back the cuticle far enough to allow the pattern to start at the edge of the nail:

So here is where the fun begins: let's rate my work! Good, better, best!

GOOD:

Not bad for my first attempts at stamping, right?! Also, this pic shows a comparison of using Orly "Rage" (top) vs. Sally Hansen's Color Quick pen in Silver (bottom) as the houndstooth color. Thoughts/opinions???

Better:

So the stamping looks a little bit better on these nails.... still some imperfections with the polish in the pattern, but overall not bad.

Best:

Here is my crowning beauty! Isn't she lovely! It only took me seven practice nails to create this gorgeousness! I rated this the best because you can't tell if the base color is blue or silver, and the pattern reaches all edges of the nail. I was interested to see how the pattern handled under normal wear & tear. After only one thin coat of SV, I have to say that I'm impressed; no chips or peeling from the pattern, and it has been three whole days.

Verdict? Konad nail stamps are fun to apply, have lots of different patterns, and are stunning on the nail. I guess I'll have to get my own kit!

What are some of your favorite color combos when stamping?

Do you prefer the Orly "Rage" or the Sally Hansen Silver?