When I first started getting into nail stamping my major issue was what polish to use. I know Konad have a huge range of colours but to be honest I think they're quite expensive and not too easy to get hold of in the UK so I started looking for alternatives.
Essentially any polish which covers well in one coat can be used for stamping, some brands work better than others but with a bit of trial and error you can find lots of inexpensive and easily accessible polishes which should cover all your stamping needs.
One brand which is particularly great for stamping with is Barry M. I've been a huge Barry M fan for years now; great products, easily accessible at reasonable prices (Superdrug and Boots stock Barry M and there is a website) and as a company they generally tend to be pretty on top of trends, as demonstrated by their recently crackle ranges, foil effects, duochromes and chameleon polishes.
On top of all those good points, several of their polishes stamp really, really well, so, for anyone who hasn't tried them yet here's a list of the Barry M polishes which I own and love to stamp with.
From left to right;
Denim (325)
Foil Effects Gold (320)
Foil Effects Silver (319)
Foil Effects Lilac (apparently limited edition)
Chameleon Pink (330)
Chameleon Blue (331)
When I bought the Chameleon polishes I wasn't sure I'd get much use out of them because although I love the colours in the bottle I wasn't so keen on the colours they turned when a topcoat was added. For some reason stamping gets totally rid of this dilemma as both colours remain true to the bottle colour even after you apply a topcoat over the stamped pattern. I can only assume it has something to do with the polish drying as you stamp with it, or some sort of witchcraft. ;)
All of these polishes stamp amazingly well, they go on really opaque and pick up easily for transferring to the nail. Of the 6 shown here the Lilac Foil is the palest and often a little harder to see on a similarly coloured base coat but over darker colours it also looks fab.
So, if you're looking for some easy to find, budget friendly stamping polishes to add to your collection look no further than Barry M!
There are definitely other brands out there which have polishes that stamp well but so far I've only tested out the Barry M range to a level where I am happy to blog and recommend them, hopefully I'll be able to do more, similar, posts in future with other budget friendly, high street polishes.
What do you use to stamp with? Any top tips for picking up a bargain stamping polish?
