Born Pretty Store and Ya Quin An stamping polishes review + comparison

I was contacted by Nur Besten - the German Born Pretty Store storefront (also with free shipping) - and they asked if I would like to pick some items to do a honest review for them, and I happily accepted.
They also sent me a 10% discount code to share with you: GERL10, if enough of you use it, there will be a giveaway sponsored by Nur Besten!

I picked a set of 10 plates, but they was sold out in the meantime, so they will be sent to me the next time - and a set of gold and silver stamping polishes from Ya Qin An, click HERE.
Nur Besten also sent me the gold and silver stamping polishes from Born Pretty store - click HERE for the gold and HERE for the silver.

So I decided to do a comparison of these two brands, and I must admit that I think they are so alike, I cannot tell the difference...

Lets start with swatches over black on swatch sticks...

Here are the gold stamping polishes from Born Pretty Store (left) and Ya Quin An (right).
I think this beautiful warm golden shade is the same, and they are super well pigmented and stamp really well - I'll elaborate in my final conclusion.

Here are the silver stamping polishes from Born Pretty Store (left) and Ya Quin An (right).
I think the shade is the same, and they are super well pigmented and stamp really well. Both were on the thick side, the BPS was however really, really thick, and still not perfect after thinning with 20 drops of Seche Restore - I'll elaborate in my final conclusion, but it's probably the reason why the stamping isn't as crisp as it could have been.

I used the Born Pretty Store BPL-024 for the swatches.

Below you find the thinned and still thick Born Pretty Store silver stamping polish on a stamper with different pressure to the scraper...

Normally one scrape is enough, but in the the above one normal/light scrape is by far not enough...

The above is with one hard scrape...

And this is after two rather hard scrapes...

And before the final conclusion, lets see 3 manis...

The base is Esmaltes da Kelli Orion stamped with Born Pretty Store Silver, plate Born Pretty Store BPL 024, stamper Fab Ur Nails Jumbo Stamper. I wasn't happy about this one, and you will not see it again in any of the "My stamping journey" posts...

The base is Chanel Mythique 512 stamped with Ya Quin Ann Gold, plate Moyra 27 Dreamology, stamper Fab Ur Nails Jumbo Stamper.

The base is Bow Polish Motivation (magnetic) stamped with Born Pretty Store Gold, plate Delaney Plumes 002, stamper MoYou London XL Marshmallow Sticky.

Thoughts and final conclusion:
The silver stamping polish from Born Pretty Store needed 20 drops of Seche Restore and still wasn't really good, but I think I must have gotten a bad bottle.

The two golden ones both were perfect to work with!

They all are good for beginners as they do not dry nearly as fast as many other stamping polishes, but also not too slow. They give you extra seconds for scraping, pick up and placing the pattern on the nails without stress.

They are good for plates with shallow etching – but not so good for plates with deep etching if you are an experienced stamper, unless you slow down your normal speed.

The formula and colors seems to be identical.

They do not smell bad nor strong, but a bit more like paint than nail polish.

So all in all I really like them - especially the two golds!
They are going to be my to-go-to gold when I want to stamp with a warm toned gold - I am very impressed with both the golden one from Born Pretty Store and Ya Quin An!

Remember to use the above code to get 10% off!

The products in this review were:
Set of gold and silver stamping polishes from Ya Qin An, click HERE.
Gold and silver stamping polishes from Born Pretty store - click HERE for the gold and HERE for the silver.

1.500+ indie polishes and 100+ indie brands: Indies & swatches. 

Stamping nail art and gear, Freehand floral nail art, Freehand nail art (other) My social media links: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Youtube

Bundle Monster plate holders/organizers & clutches - review

Today I have a review and comparison of all available Bundle Monster stamping plate holders, organizers and clutches, 4 different types.
If you are in Europe they also are available from Pretty Polish!

First my beloved faux leather Bundle Monster clutches for the 6 x 12 cm plates with or without plastic backing.

They come in a steel grey and a cobalt blue with crocodile print.

They have room for 48 plates in the size 6 x 12 cm.
They have 8 pages with 3 slots on each side = 6 slots per page.
They have a 3 snap fold over closure.
They measure approximately 23.3 x 18 cm when closed.

I have 3 of them so far, and I love how sturdy and absolutely lovely they are to use!
The plastic is easy to see through, and I have plates from Bundle Monster, MoYou London, Born Pretty Store, Infinity Nails, Messy mansion and Pueen in them + a number of different brands without plastic backings.

For the smaller plates:

The faux leather peony pink organizer holds 168 plates (yes that IS a lot) in the standard 5.6 cm round or square plate size.
Each page has 6 slots on each side, so that's 12 plates per page, and there are 16 pages.

It has a fold over closure, nice and sturdy!
It is super easy to use in every thinkable way, and it's also very easy to see through the plastic pockets, so you quickly can find, what you are looking for.

It also has a mesh pocket for scrapers, vinyls, stickers or similar...

Another solution for the smaller plates:

Bundle Moster also have an almost identical organizer (168 plates in the standard 5.6 cm round or square plate size) that is closed with a zipper going all the way round, so there is absolutely no risk of plates slipping out of their slots, not matter how you turn it around.
This one is currently only available from Bundle Monster and only in black.

For the smaller collection of 6 x 12 cm plates:

This cute little faux leather hot pink clutch has room for 16 plates in the size 6 x 12 cm with or without plastic backing.
It has 8 pages with each 2 slots and it closes with a snap fold over.
It measures approximately 15 x 10 cm.

As you probably know some brands has a little bigger plastic backing on their plates, and for instance plates from Marianne Nails have both kinds, so I have one with the bigger backing in one slot of each page, and one with the smaller/normal backing on the other side of the page, this way the fit isn't too tight.
I also use it for 6 x 12 plates without plastic backings, I feel they are less prone to fall out of these slots compared to the bigger clutch with the horizontal opening.
Click on photos to enlarge them...

Conclusion:
I have absolutely only pros - no cons whatsoever...
I have very many plates, and it would be a nightmare if they weren't organized so that I easily can see what plates I have - and more importantly: find them.
And it really is easy, these Bundle Monster plate holders/clutches open like a book and I can quickly go trough the pages and easily see the patterns because the plastic is both sturdy and easy to see through - unlike many other plate holders I have seen.
And it most certainly doesn't make it less nice to have them organized in beautiful, sturdy and nice to work with clutches/holders like the ones from Bundle Monster - it actually makes stamping more effortless and fun, at least for me, but then again, I am a gear and gadget geek, I know :D
Speaking of which: did you see the review of the MoYou London plate holder? If not it's right HERE!

If you are in Europe the Bundle Monster clutches also are available from Pretty Polish!

1.500+ indie polishes and 100+ indie brands: Indies & swatches. 

Stamping nail art and gear, Freehand floral nail art, Freehand nail art (other) My social media links: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Youtube

12 clear jelly stampers: test, comparison and review

I have tested 12 different clear jelly stampers from different brands in normal, XL and jumbo sizes, and am showing how easy (or difficult) they are to see through and how well they pick up. I compare them, also according to price.

Why did I buy so many for this test: well, I am a firm believer of testing a lot of things within any field of interest, before I can decide what works best for me.
And I am curious also to test products that are cheaper but look the same as the more expensive ones. 

Before the test, let’s start with some facts about clear jelly stampers – and some trouble shooting!

Facts:

A clear jelly stamper is transparent to see through. You can see what you are doing and more easily place the exact part of the pattern that you want to use.

Clear jelly stampers do not need priming, other than a roll over tape or a lint-roller. Buffing will make them matte and you cannot see through them anymore.

Please only use tape or a lint-roller for cleaning, not acetone nor nail polish remover.

They are delicate, so treat them gently, and always store them upright and without the head touching anything - unless it comes with a protective cap.

The heads are all removable from their holder/can be replaced with a similar sized head.

They are semi-firm and non-sticky = slightly squishy like in neither hard nor really soft. A few in this test are however more either hard or soft, I will describe that in the review of each of them.

To pick up use a gentle rolling motion with no/almost no pressure, they are different to work with than a rubber stamper like Konad or a squishy/soft stamper.

To transfer you also need a light hand, but some clear jelly stampers allows more pressure than others, so experiment...

The heads have here been removed on all types...

This is what my tape looked like after the testing ;)

Trouble shooting:

If you still have problems using your clear jelly stamper/s you can try to wash the head in warm water with dish soap – or give it a quick swipe with pure acetone, preferably use a lint free pad of some kind.

Review you pick up pressure, is it too hard?

Did you scrape too hard?

Is the transfer the problem – did you press too hard?

Remember to test on paper over and over again, it really helps you to getting used to your clear jelly stamper.

Disclaimer: I am NOT an expert, I’m on an everlasting stamping journey, but in the below test/review you will find my observations and thoughts!

For the test I used a black stamping polish polish: MoYou London Black Knight, and the plate is Bundle Monster BM-XL 206, where I chose this part of the plate because it has both thin/fine lines and thicker lines and solid areas.

For the visibility test I held the stampers over my favorite scraper, one of the MoYou London "Your Best Scraper" (comes with different images).

Let's begin. I will do a comparison within each of the 3 group - and at the end I have my final conclusion!

Small/normal size 2.5 cm head – all came with scrapers!

Left to right: No name/Born Pretty Store, No name from Ebay, MoYou London, Picture Polish and square no name from Ebay.
There are many other shops and brands selling stampers like the 4 first - some with and some without a brand name...

No name/Born Pretty Store:

No name/Born Pretty Store without lid, open bottom (came with BPS scraper so I presume it is a BPS) $1.81 including shipping.

No name from Ebay:

No name with lid, closed bottom from Ebay $1.67 including shipping.

Picture Polish Jelly stamper kit:

Picture Polish Jelly stamper kit with lid, closed bottom $12 + shipping.

MoYou London Kaleidoscopic clear:

MoYou London Kaleidoscopic clear with lid, closed bottom, also comes with storage box £7 + shipping (free shipping from £20).

Square no name from Ebay:

Square no name from Ebay with closed bottom $2.18 including shipping 2.8 x 2 cm head.

Normal sized 2.5 cm clear jelly stampers comparison, facts, pros and cons:

Comparison: The Picture Polish and the MoYou London stamper heads are slightly harder, than the rest, and the square head is the softest.

The three stampers with lid have identical holders in size and material.

Facts: If you have very curved nails (like some of mine) a softer stamper works better than a hard.
There is a huge difference in price.

Pros: The visibility is great in all of them, the first one does however feel a bit narrow to look through.

All 5 stamp well.

The 3 middle ones: It is nice to have a lid to protect the stamper head.
The small size make them ideal for small patterns.

Cons: The small size is not ideal for longer nails, but they are OK for my nail length.
A closed bottom is great in the beginning, but over time I imagine it can get dull from wear and tear, and the result is less visibility.

The acrylic holders doesn’t react well to an accidental squirt of acetone or polish remover, the surface instantly melts – so if the bottom is affected, it’s time to buy a new stamper, see photo below.

Fortunately only the side was affected by an accidental squirt of acetone...

XL – all with 3.5 cm heads and protective cap/lid for the top, closed bottom, all came with scrapers.

Left to right: No name from Rainbow Connection, No name from Ebay, Pueen Chunky Transparent soft and no name from Ebay.
There are many other shops and brands selling stampers like the 2 first - some with and some without a brand name...

No name from Rainbow Connection:

No name from Rainbow Connection £7 + shipping.

No name from Ebay:

No name from Ebay $3.49 including shipping.

Pueen Chunky Transparent soft:

Look at that ridged base of the Pueen :(

Pueen Chunky Transparent soft $8.99 + shipping.

No name from Ebay:

No name from Ebay $1.99 including shipping - identical to the Pueen but with a ever so slightly clearer base.

XL sized 3.5 cm clear jelly stampers comparison, facts, pros and cons:

Comparison: The stamper heads feels and looks exactly the same – and all have a closed bottom.

The two first stampers have identical holders in size and material. The two last stampers have identical holders in size and material.

Facts: There is huge difference in price. The Pueen and the similar name actually are only 3.2 cm.

Pros: The visibility is great in the two first.

All 4 stamp well.

Cons: As previously mentioned a closed bottom is great in the beginning, but over time I imagine it can get dull from wear and tear, and the result is less visibility.

The acrylic holders doesn’t react well to an accidental squirt of acetone or polish remover, the surface instantly melts – so if the bottom is affected, it’s time to buy a new stamper, see previously shown photo.

The two last/low stampers have a very poor visibility because of the ridged base – the Pueen is however by far the wort, the $8.99 + shipping is a total waste of money!

Jumbo – 4.4 cm heads, open bottom, not protective cap – all came with scrapers.

Left to right: Marianne Nails clear jelly 4 cm (head here not in holder) in the middle Daschica Jumbo Stamp 4 cm and finally UberChic XL clear stamper head & holder - all heads are the exact same size.
PS: The tiny smiley face in the loose head to the left is accidental, the head stuck to the table and suddenly the smiley face was there LOL - in person/in it's holder, there is no smiley :D

Marianne Nails clear jelly 4 cm:

Marianne Nails clear jelly 4 cm (no name on stamper) €6.50/$7.38 + shipping.

Daschica Jumbo Stamp 4 cm:

Daschica Jumbo Stamp 4 cm – clear jelly €6.95 + shipping.

UberChic XL clear stamper head & holder:

UberChic XL clear stamper head & holder $8.99 + shipping, also available from EdgyPolish, where I bought mine - and soon from Hypnotic Polish if you prefer to shop within the EU.

Jumbo 4.4 cm clear jelly stampers comparison, facts, pros and cons:

Comparison: The Marianne Nails and the Daschica Jumbo Stamp are the firmest of these 3, the UberChic is a little softer = allows a little harder press for pick up - but most of all it makes it easier for me to stamp my nails without distorting/breaking the pattern, as I can let my nails "sink" into the stamper.

They all have nicely rounded “edges” and are thick (high head compared with the other heads) and they feel sturdy.

The two first have identical holders, the UberChic has a ring that holds it nicely in place, and I love how close I am to the nail when I look through it!

Facts: Even if the Marianne Nails and the Dashica are called 4 cm and the UberChic 4.4 cm – the size is exactly the same.

They are wonderful to work with; I love all 3 of them.

Pros: The visibility is really great in all of them, and the larger size makes it so easy to see through them.
I love that they have an open bottom, that makes them even more easy to see through! 

All 3 stamp really well.

The height of the stamper and the rounded edges makes it so easy to do a rolling motion when using them.

Cons: None that I can think of. 
But I guess a minor con is the missing protective cap, but I store mine in an upright position away from dust and light, so I don't feel it's a problem.

Final conclusion: They all stamp well, no question about it! 

The 3 losers:

The Pueen ($8.99 + shipping) is IMO money out the window!

The similar no name from Ebay ($1.99 including shipping) and the square from Ebay ($2.18 including shipping), are just as/almost as bad, but the price makes it easier to move on and forget!

The 3 winners:

I love everything everything about these three stampers from Marianne Nails, Dashica Beautyshop and UberChic...
- but I do love the UberChick just a little bit more because it's a little softer and because the "see-through" area is bigger and closer to the nail - simple and genius!!!
I do however wholeheartedly recommend all three of them as wonderful clear jelly stampers!

A last thought: Remember the above is based on my personal experience with these stampers and my personal preference. So your winners might be different from mine, but I think we would have the same losers ;) 

I hope you made it all the way through this looong review and found it useful ;)

1.500+ indie polishes and 100+ indie brands: Indies & swatches. 

Stamping nail art and gear, Freehand floral nail art, Freehand nail art (other) My social media links: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Youtube