Can I Use Regular Nail Polish for Nail Art Stamping Techniques? Do I have to buy Stamping Polish?

Do you need stamping polish for nail art stamping plate technique?

The short answer is no. In fact, some plate manufacturers discourage the use of stamping polishes.

When you were introduced to the stamping nail art technique, you almost certainly took home a little kit with an etched plate, a scraper, a stamper, and a stamping polish. As soon as you successfully transferred one image from plate to fingernail, you hopped online in search of more plates and stamping polish shades!  But, before you pay for the dozens of items in your virtual shopping cart, why not shop your makeup bag?  You've probably been painting your nails for years and have at least a few regular polishes sitting around.  Did you know that most regular nail polishes will work for the stamping plate technique?

You're going to want to get to know the attributes and limitations of the nail polish collection you already have before going to the expense of buying stamping polishes. 

How will you know whether a given polish might be suitable for stamping?

First, let's explore and sort your inventory (or a subset of your inventory if you have a colossal collection).  Set aside your top coats and base coats; those won't work.  Also rule out crackles: NEVER use a crackle formula on you stamper head—it will eat the silicone! You can rule out glitters and crellies because the chunky particles don't settle into the finely etched designs in a stamping plate.  Jellies and sheer toppers are unlikely candidates, but you may find them useful later, so you might want to do some experimenting on them a little later, so those can go into the maybe pile.  Metallics and frosts are the most likely to be opaque, followed by cremes (matte and glossy) and shimmers. These are your best candidates for "stand-in stamping polishes."  You may find that certain brands give you a pattern good or bad results, but I find it much more reliable to ignore brands and focus on nail polish finishes.

Now we have a series of tests to conduct:

In-bottle translucence test. How deeply can you see into the bottle of polish? If you can see straight through the bottle, then it will be difficult to create a linear design using this.

The brush test. Simply take out the wand and see whether you can easily determine the color of the brush. If the polish is sheer, it may not give you the coverage that you want for a given design. If the polish is opaque, it will likely give you the desired coverage. 

The consistency test. Another clue may be the viscosity of the polish. If it readily drips off of the brush, it may be too thin to be heavily pigmented. If the drops have some clinging power and hold onto the brush for a few seconds before dripping, then that might be a good candidate for stamping.  One-coat polish formulas often pass this test.  Oddly enough, older polishes that have lost a bit of their fluidity and have thickened slightly often make good stampers.  In fact, some nail artists will clean the jar thread well and leave the cap off overnight to allow some evaporation to happen.  Because I sell vintage polish, I personally avoid any alterations to the original formulas.  But the practice illustrates what role the consistency plays in the process.  If the polish is lumpy, goopy, or sticky, it could be thinned to serve a useful purpose.  Remember to use a nail polish thinner and not acetone nor polish remover.  These later  wreak havoc on nail polish and render the polish useless after a use or two.

The Line Test. Occasionally, you will find a regular nail polish that will not 'hold a line', meaning the design slides or morphs out of shape on the stamper head after pickup.  So, go ahead and paint an etched image, scrape off excess, and gently roll the stamper over to see if you can get a solid, steady image to pick-up.  Notes:  Colormates, Ellen Tracy, and one other off brand has failed the line test for me. Also, true UV/LED gel polishes do not hold the line. You can buy UV/LED gel stamping polishes. No UV required gel-like polishes can be used as standard regular polishes for the purposes of this tutorial.

The Swatching Test.  You don't need special nail art swatching sticks. I like to use my nail art mat to swatch ideas in preparation for a manicure—in fact, I don't even use a silicone mat, I prefer the clear chopping mats you can buy at the Dollar Tree.  You can even use a sandwich baggie.  I don't like to experiment on my natural nails, because I try to limit my exposure to acetone and nail polish removers because it is drying and toxic! Just try to execute the idea you have in mind using your polishes, painting down a little fingernail-sized patch of polish and try out your new "stand-in stamping polish."  Test them out on light and dark colors. Try images with fine lines and thick lines.  Take note of successes and failures. Pay attention as patterns emerge.  What brands tend toward the right attributes for you? Compare them to the stamping polishes you own.  This is also the stage at which you challenge yourself, break the rules, kick the tires, and push the envelopes! 

Now, let's spend a moment exploring those ultra-sheers, toppers, and jellies we left in the maybe pile.  If the polish is sheer, it may not give you the coverage that you want for a given design. However, sometimes sheer regular polishes have enough reflective pigment to create a stunning design, especially on dark colors. Or try a bright jelly over a white or nude polish.  You may find you like the effect, even if the contrast is subtle.  Expect some failures.  Finding out what doesn't work is just as valuable as finding out what does.

So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of stamping polishes vs. regular polishes?

Stamping polishes tend to be more heavily pigmented, meaning you can create a design with high contrast. Stamping polishes have a slightly longer dry time, which allows more time for a new nail artist to execute the pickup and placement of the images. The heavy pigmentation of stamping polishes make them poor candidates for foundation polishes because they chip, especially if your nails are healthy and flexible.

Regular polishes tend to create a more subtle contrast, and dry quickly which is very manageable for seasoned stampers.  Regular polishes can serve double duty as foundation polish as well as stamping polish which is especially cool when you want to reverse the design colors on accent nails.

Be cautious when using fast-drying formulas. Once you've learned to quickly execute this technique, and your speed is up, you could find success using fast-drying formulas. A popular substitute for stamping polish is Sally Hansen Insta-dry. They do tend to be heavily pigmented (often requiring a single coat), they are easily sourced at many chain stores, come in a large array of colors and finishes, and have an excellent price point.  While they can serve double duty as a foundation polish as well as be used for nail art stamping and reverse stamping techniques, new stampers may struggle with the shortened dry-time. And perhaps the most frustrating aspect may be their lack of durability.  If your nails are healthy and flexible, or you spend time with your hands in water, chipping may begin rather quickly which can be rather disheartening when you've created a stunning manicure that chips when you're making dinner or snags on your bath towel before you make it to work.  I have some of them, and I reserve them strictly for stamping since they make a poor foundation polish for nail art.

And, if you want to get into advanced techniques like creating make-ahead decals, those made with quick-dry formulas are going to be brittle even during short periods of storage. So, instead of purchasing Sally Hansen Instra-Dry polish chips on me within a few hours so I would prefer their Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear formula.  They are affordable, come in a good variety of colors and shades, are durable, widely available, and fairly pigmented.  The only drawback may be that a few more minutes may be needed for your manicure to cure.

Which stamping polishes are worth getting? Here again, rather than being partial to a particular brand, I feel that the palette is more important than formula. I personally have limited my stamping color palette to black, white, copper, silver, and gold. I find I can create most other looks with regular polish.

I will include a few observations about stamping polish brands. Hit The Bottle is a very good brand by all accounts with consistent results from color to color. Maniology has a very wide color palette and I like that they can easily be plucked from your skin with tape, making cleanup a breeze. I personally prefer Born Pretty for consistent coverage and price.  Nearly every brand of stamping polish must be purchased online, although Walmart sometimes carries a few Pueen products, and Ulta sometimes carries Caption nail art kits.

I am a big fan of acrylic stamping plates, and my favorite brand was Cici & Sisi (now out of business), and I own many of them. I even chose them as my manufacturer when having my own private line of stamping plates created. One of the tips on their website was to use regular nail polish instead of stamping polish for cleaner (smoother) lines.

Hopefully, these tips will save you money.  By buying fewer stamping polishes, selecting fewer fast-dry formulas, and getting familiar with the attributes of the polishes you already have on-hand, you can build a nail art polish collection that is worth every penny you've invested in your profession or your personal self-care routine!