Review: Konad Nail Stamp Set

Have you ever wanted to do nail art but lack the creativity and skill for it? If you’re like me who can’t draw even if your life depended on it, then you’ll benefit from this product — the Konad Nail Stamp Set (P500).

It’s literally a stamp for your nails.

The nail set consists of a design plate, stamper, scraper, and white polish. The directions on using it is placed on the back of the box.

It’s fairly easy to use and you’ll get how it’s done after the first or second try. Basically, all you have to do is to apply the polish on the design plate, scrape the excess polish off the plate, press the stamper on the design with the polish, then stamp it on your nails. The only trick here is that you have to do it quickly to make sure the entire design sticks on the stamper and on to your nails. You also have to wipe the polish off the plate and stamper every time you use it so I suggest preparing a cotton ball drenched with acetone.

Here are some of the nail art I’ve “accomplished” using the stamp set. :)

It’s alright to use any top coat on your nails after this; it won’t mess up the design. In my case though, I have a very sucky top coat so it formed bubbles. :P There’s also a Konad Top Coat but I haven’t tried it yet so I can’t say whether it’s better at making the design last longer on the nail. I don’t think you need it though because the design doesn’t wear off, it’s usually the polish which chips first. 

I really love this nail stamp because it allows me to easily dress up my nails myself, though I wish I can make one with different colors like the one on the packaging. I guess you’d have to be a real expert to do those. Haha!

For P500, you’d think the stamp set has a very steep price but I think it’s worth it. It’s a cute way of dressing up your nails and easy too. 

I bought mine at St. Francis Square from a store located on the second floor, at the middle area. I forgot the name of the stall sorry. :) You can also buy it from online resellers like Konadph and Konad Nail Art by Angela.

If you want other design plates, it’s worth P160 - P180 a pop and can be bought from the same stores. Or…you can buy them in Divisoria for P20. :) It’s somewhere in 168. Yep, that’s a hot tip for you guys right there. :)

Review: Etude House Petit Darling Nails Matte # 10

No Style Tips this Sunday peeps! I’ve been busy so I had no time to write one. Anyway, here’s my long overdue review of Etude House Petit Darling Nails Matte, which was part of my things to review posted here.

One type of nail polish I’ve always been curious about are matte polishes. This is because I’ve always considered nail polish as glossy and shiny, and matte polish is definitely the opposite of that. They’re…well…matte. There’s also something about the frosted bottle packaging of these polishes that draw me. So when my aunt treated me to a shopping spree last December, I immediately looked for it in Etude House. Their line of matte polishes are called Petit Darling Nails Matte and are priced at P98 a bottle. Unfortunately, they only had it in one shade — this frosted pink color tagged as # 10. 

I would have horded lots if there were other colors, but this particular shade suited me fine. It has a pretty frosted nude-pink shade that looks sophisticated and classy, something you can wear to work without drawing dubious looks from your boss. 

With flash

Without flash

Since it’s matte, I had no idea what top coat to put. If I placed my ordinary top coat, it would turn my polish glossy so I settled with not putting any top coat anymore. It took me two coats to get a solid color. I noticed that application was a bit more difficult than my other polishes, mainly because this one was kinda streaky. It dries quickly too, though I’m not sure if this is a bad thing or a good thing. On the one hand, since it dries quickly, the polish is harder to spread because it forms clumps when you re-swipe the brush. On the other hand, the fact that it dries faster means you need not wait long for it to dry up. I guess you just have to find the right technique in applying it. I was more adept the second time I used this.

You might be wondering why I have a sort of glitter french nails going on there. Don’t get me wrong, the nude-pink polish looked wonderful on my nails. In fact, it made my morena hands a bit brighter. I just wanted a bit more pop on my nails at that time so I swiped some Bling Bling Rose from the Wannabe Perfumed Syrup NailsSet to achieve this look.

As for staying power, my polish unfortunately chipped after two days, though I must admit I was a bit careless with my nails then. I bet with a proper topcoat it would have lasted longer. But then again, I don’t know what top coat to use for matte polishes.

So…

Likes:

- Lovely shade! The nude-pink color is very versatile as it can match not only fair but also morena skin tones. Unfortunately, this is the only thing I like about the polish. Nevertheless, it’s worth buying just to get the shade. I really love its color!

Dislikes:

- Polish is streaky and difficult to apply.

- Chips quickly. It stayed on for a maximum of two days only.

- Not worth it for its price considering the first two factors I mentioned. But if you think splurging P98 for a nice polish color is a good deal, then go ahead.

Overall, I think matte polishes are a lovely alternative to glossy ones. It’s a simple and unimposing way of dressing up your nails. However, EH’s line of matte polishes don’t really give much in terms of staying power and it’s also quite difficult to apply so I guess I’d be trying from another brand next time.

How about you? Have you tried matte polishes? Which brand would you recommend?
Review: Etude House Wannabe Perfumed Syrup Nails

I used to prefer colorless nail polish before. One reason was because it was easier to do and second, I felt queasy putting colored polish on my nails then fearing that it might look tacky on my morena skin. I changed my mind though when I met my law school classmate and very good friend named Kimgirl (whose also a morena). She changes nail color almost three or four times a month, and mind you, she doesn’t choose the conservative shades. She dons bright oranges, vibrant reds, and shocking pinks and they all look great on her. 

Needless to say, I’m a convert now and a sucker for colored polish and other nail art designs. If you’re like me who loves decorating your nails, then you’d love Etude House’s (EH) Wannabe Perfumed Syrup Nails (P328).

This nail set is part of EH’s new Wannabe Collection featuring Annika Wester’s illustrations. Ain’t the artwork on the packaging so pretty? 

It’s a set of three polishes that’s meant to be used combined: the leftmost one (called Glam Pearl) is used as base, the middle one (Sparkling Silver) is layered on top of the base, and the last one (Bling Bling Rose…cute name!) is placed on the tips. 

Here’s how it looks on my nails.

Closeup

With flash

Let me just say, I love it! It’s so pretty and sparkly without looking tacky or gauche because the glitters are subtle and the gradient makes it look interesting. I have to admit, I kept looking at my nails while I was reviewing for my exams. It’s kind of distracting, in a good way. :)

Here are my thoughts.

Likes:

- What you see is what you get. You can achieve the model’s nails on the packaging by using the set. Definitely no image misrepresentation here!

- It’s fun and easy to do. Just layer the polishes according to order and watch the design unfold.

- Shades are usable with other polishes. I especially like Glam Pearl because I can use it on top of my plain colored polishes to achieve a shimmer effect.

Dislikes:

- Polish chips easily. One nail chipped slightly on the second day, and more chipped a lot on the third and fourth, Well, you couldn’t really hope for much when it’s just P328 for three polishes. Fortunately, this can be remedied by applying two coats for each layer, and finishing it with a good reliable top coat. I recommend placing two coatings of top coat too to be sure it won’t chip easily.

Recommendations:

- Aside from what I mentioned above, try putting two or three more coats of Bling Bling Rose because the pink shade gradually lightens after some time. If you want a vibrant pink on your tips, use three coats. 

- I highly recommend using this set for prom night! It would look great with a princess type gown and it could act as an additional bling bling too (pun intended)!

Let me know your thoughts about the product! 

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Themed by: Hunson