Sometimes you decide to try the more affordable version of something, imagining it won’t be quite as good as the higher-priced comparable products but that it will still be decent. You know what I mean? This is what I thought when I picked up the Essence Nail Art Stampy Set at Shoppers Drug Mart (only $4.49!!)) a couple weeks ago, and boy was I surprised! Good surprise or bad surprise? Take a look under the cut to find out!
So this kit includes three things — a small and firm stamper, a metal scraper, and a stamping plate with 2 full nail designs and 7 smaller images.
In general I think this is a great selection of images! The two full nail sized designs are just the right size to actually cover my whole nail — one has a graphic zigzag type design and the other is a blanket of tiny flowers. 🙂 The individual images have a wide variety of shapes for you to use, though they’re all quite feminine: shooting stars, a bow, two different types of flowers, a heart, butterflies and swirly leaves.
The images all stamp well for me, though you have to use a firm stamper like the one included in this kit to pick up the image – smoother or clear stamping heads won’t work. I’ve used both one of the full nail designs and one of the smaller designs so far and both stamped really clearly and well, so that’s lovely!
And here’s a quick look at a mani I put together with just the items from this stamping set (along with nail polish, obvs)! The polish I used was Essie White Page, and then I stamped with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Black to Black, Plummet and Cherry Fast. The image juuuuuust covered the whole nail so if your nails are longer than mine you would be out of luck. 🙁 But if your nails are the same size or smaller than mine you’re good! 🙂
So the answer to my original question? Good surprise! Though the plate doesn’t stamp with smoother stampers, I have enough stampers similar to the Essence one that it doesn’t really matter. And the Essence stamper picks up just as well as my Konad and Born Pretty Store ones! For the price? Definitely a steal!
If you’ve wanted to try stamping but didn’t want to pay to get all the pieces individually (which can get expensive) then this might be a great alternative for you. It didn’t come with polish so that’s the one thing you would have to find on your own, but I’m sure there are already polishes in your collection that will stamp just fine without buying special ones.
Have you tried this stamping set before? Do you think you’ll pick it up the next time you’re at Shoppers? Let me know!
Thanks for visiting! xx
The Essence Nail Art Stampy Set is available for $4.49 CAD at Shoppers Drug Marts across Canada. You can check out Shoppers Drug Mart on facebook, twitter and instagram!
