Mani Mania: UberChic Beauty Stamping Plates Review

piCture pOlish Forget Me Not stamped with plate 1-02

Despite not being much of a nail art stamper, I've been playing around with UberChic Beauty stamping plates lately! The manicure above was my biggest success, and maybe one of my best stamping manicures ever. Though I'm not the best stamper, I've been having a blast putting together manicures with these plates. Keep reading to check out more of my results!

Colors by Llarowe Mom Jeans stamped with plate UC 1-03

What really stood out to me about these plates is how beautiful the patterns are. They're modern, well designed, on trend, and just really fun. Many of them have superfine, intricate details, like in the photo above.

I'm not particularly skilled in stamping, but these plates seemed to work well for me! Even the finest of lines picked up each time.

Here's some more info about UberChic plates:
- The plates themselves are pretty large, especially compared to the other ones that I have in my collection.
- The designs are large, and easily covered my nails with room to spare.
- Each plate has a general theme, which includes full nail designs plus coordinated single images.

Gelish I'm Brighter Than You stamped with plate UC 1-01

KBShimmer Summer 2015 neons stamped with plate UC 2-03

Purple rockstar gel manicure stamped with plate UC 1-03

Stop by UberChic Beauty to check out their plate lineup as well as their glitters and pigments! The plates used here can be purchased in plate collections 1 and 2.

I encourage you to go and check out the designs on the plates, because they really are well done. A stamper's dream!

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Rough and Spotted - Stamping Over Textured Polish

I don't think it's possible for me to wear textured polish anymore without eventually stamping over it. As I've said before, textured stamping is just so great! It tends to disguise imperfections in the stamping, that may or may not be a direct result of my *ahem* lack of stamping skills. Plus, it looks really interesting to boot!

Last time I wore a stamped textured look, you guys really seemed to like it! This one isn't quite as subtle or glamorous, but has a strange appeal all its own.

Nail polishes and products used:
Nicole by OPI I'm Stucco On You
American Apparel Hassid
Vivid Lacquer plate VL009 - Water spotted image

I'm wearing two coats of the textured polish in these photos, and added the stamping after about a day of wear. The nice thing about the spotted image on the Vivid Lacquer plate is that it's SUPER wide, which allows you to randomize the pattern across your nails (no two nails will look alike)!

I did have a bit of trouble with the large open spaces in the plate though. When I scraped the excess polish off, my scraper tended to clean out more of the image than I'd have liked. I'm not sure if that's due to the plate or my own inexperience.

As the texture begins to degrade and smooth out from natural wear, the stamping will be affected too. But, I got a few solid days of wear on top of my one day of wearing the texture naked!

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Star Bright - Reverse Stamped Glow in the Dark Stars

We're almost at the end of the 31 Day Challenge! Today's prompt is "inspired by a tutorial" and I took the opportunity to try reverse stamping, a technique I've never tried before. I always like the results other people get from it, and the Challenge is all about pushing yourself, so advanced stamping seemed like the way to go. I did struggle, but the finished product doesn't look too shabby! I used this tutorial from Drama Queen Nails for my guidance.

Nail polishes used:
Formula X Dark Matter
OPI Angel With a Leadfoot
Serum No. 5 I Gleam In Pink
Serum No. 5 Solar Power
Serum No. 5 Orange You Sunny
Serum No. 5 Ultra Violet
Serum No. 5 Indi-glo
Vivid Lacquer plate VL002

If you wanna try out this technique, be sure to visit Drama Queen Nails for her tutorial. The basic gist of it is that you create your own decals by stamping and painting on a plastic bag or a piece of wax paper. You peel the "decals" off, flip them over, and stick them on your nails.

I used five of the Serum No. 5 neon glows for this look, and it was AWESOME in the dark. Tiny little glowing stars, floating around. I love that they glow different colors, too.

Check out the other tutorials I've tried in the past:

• Cutie owl half moons
• Candy mermaid scales
• Floral pond manicure

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Autumnal Gilded Half Moon Stamping

Today is half moon day for the 31 Day Challenge, and the nail art I did is not exactly my most inspired! I do like the outcome, it's just not a showpiece. Truth be told, I was just not having it last night. We are a little more than halfway through the challenge now, and it is starting to catch up with me. Sleep was on my mind!

Nail polishes and products used:
Enchanted Polish Vampires Suck
Priti NYC Chrysanthos
Nailz Craze NC03 stamping plate
Half moon Nail Vinyls

After painting my nails with Vampires Suck and letting it dry completely, I blocked off the half moon shapes with the vinyls. I stamped over the vinyls using Chrysanthos, and then removed them to reveal the un-stamped half moons!

Since Vampires Suck is a gorgeous holo, I had to include some direct lighting shots, despite the stamping being harder to make out.

Take a trip down memory lane with these half moon manicures from previous years:

• Sweet and girly leopard half moons
• Retro striped half moons
• Delicate lace half moons

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Subtle Glam - Zoya Godiva with Stamping

Though I'm not usually much of a stamper, I often find myself eager to stamp over my textured manicures. The stamping seems to adhere better, it creates a really cool effect, and I get to continue to enjoy the texture that I love. In this manicure, I used stamping to add a subtle refresh to a nude textured polish.

I started with two coats of Zoya Godiva. After wearing it for a day or so (and ensuring it was completely dry), I added some full nail twinkle stamping using Nailz Craze plate NC02. I also tried out the MoYou US white stamping polish and stamper, which I received samples of at Cosmoprof. The stamper proved to be a vast improvement over the old Konad stamper that I had been using, so that made the experience a lot more pleasant.

This manicure feels like an Oscars red carpet dress to me. I'm thinkin' J.Lo, yeah?

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A Shortcut I'm Happy to Take: Water Marble Stamping

Water marbling: If you've tried it, you probably hate-love it (unless you're one of those girls with ridiculous natural marbling talent, in which case I hate-love you too). On one hand, it produces gorgeous results. Really unique, showstopping results. On the other hand, it's hard. Really hard. There are a million things that could go wrong at any step in the process. I've just never managed to do it without getting frustrated.

I was happy to take a shortcut for today's water marble effect. Enter: Vivid Lacquer's imitation water marble stamping image.

Though I've never been much of a stamper, I still found this much easier than marbling. I think it'd be gorgeous to do a rainbow gradient as the base and then stamp black "marbling" over the top.

I used:
Vivid Lacquer plate VL009
Sally Hansen Leaden Lilac
ILNP Indie Go

As always, I had no problems with the quality of the Vivid Lacquer plate. I really appreciate that the water marble image is oversized, so you can use a different area of the image for each nail. It definitely makes it look more realistic. Water marbling doesn't look 100% identical on each nail, and neither does this stamping!

Are you more of a water marbler or a stamper?

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Snuggly Pink Christmas Sweater Stamping

Hello my dears! I'm sorry I haven't had a nail post to share with you in a while -- I have been frantically Christmas shopping, running around, working... you know how the season can be! Today I have a stamping manicure that I have been wearing for the past two days or so. I started out thinking, "Oh, stamping! That will be quick and easy and fun!" but soon remembered that I am not good at stamping. Combine a lack of stamping skill with perfectionism and you are in for a long evening of re-dos!

I wanted to use this stamp and couldn't get a red-pink combo out of my head. I think Let Them Have Polish's Merry Pinkmas series is on my brain!

The base of this manicure is Seche Pretty Little Heartbreaker and I stamped the sweater pattern and matryoshka using Nailz Craze plate NC03 and American Apparel Downtown LA. Downtown LA is normally a red creme but it has a somewhat translucent consistency. When I stamped it, it turned a little pink-ish!

I also added some dots around the matryoshka to fill the empty space, but instantly regretted it. They look clunky next to the delicacy of the stamping. Oh well - can't win them all!

I have some great ideas for additional Christmas manicures that I am going to do my best to execute soon! Hope you are having a great and stress free holiday season so far!

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Party Perfect: Black and Gold Nail Art Ideas

I have been wearing a lot of black and gold manicures lately, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to highlight one of my favorite party pairings. Black and gold make a stunning combination: chic and glam, strong and bright, deep and dimensional. They're the perfect pair for all of your holiday soirees, and, great news, you can stretch them out through New Years!

I've got five looks to share with you today, plus I'll give you some quick breakdowns on how to achieve them yourself. Some are harder than others, but even beginner nail artists will find something to try here! Don't be shy... get your glam on!

The Polka Dot
Polka dot nail art is easy to achieve and a great place to start if you are just getting into nail art. All you will need is a tool to dot with! I used a nail art dotting tool, but DIY options include a dull lead pencil or the rubber tip of a bent-open bobby pin. Dip the tool into black polish and dot it onto your nail in an alternating pattern. Finish with topcoat. Instantly adorable!

Polishes shown: China Glaze Mingle With Kringle, China Glaze Liquid Leather

The Distressed Effect
Maybe you're not a traditional "glam girl" but you still want to rock some awesome, easy nail art at your holiday parties! My distressed effect tutorial will show you how to achieve this punky, grungy look that has all the edge of crackle but with added control and a more refined finish.

Polishes shown: OPI Goldeneye, American Apparel Hassid

The Cuticle Glitter Gradient
There are two ways to do a glitter gradient: from your nail tip and from your cuticle. I personally prefer the look of the cuticle glitter gradient, but both of them are sure to give you a chic and on-trend manicure. I like to put a drop of glitter near my cuticle, wipe off the brush entirely, and then gently drag the glitter out towards the end of my nails. You can add more glitter at the base of the nail to boost the gradient effect, too. Beginners will have an easier time doing this effect if they use a denser glitter, like the one I've used here!

Polishes shown: Cirque Ica Valley, Color Club Where's the Soiree?

The "I'm Feeling Ambitious" Foil/Gel Combo
Nail foils let you achieve brilliant, mirror like effects, but most regular topcoats will crinkle the foil and ruin the effect. But did you know that sealing foil inside of gel can help keep the chrome finish intact? For this manicure, I started by applying and curing a black gel polish. Then, I painted a ruffian shape with nail foil glue, let the glue turn clear, and applied sheets of gold foil over the glue. After letting the glue and foil dry a bit longer, I finished the manicure with one final layer of gel topcoat. Instantly blinding!

Polishes shown: Sally Hansen Salon Gel Polish in Black Tie Optional, Sally Hansen Salon Gel Starter Kit
Foil used: Gold Spectrum from Dollar Nail Art, nail foil glue

The Stamped Manicure
Nail art stamping definitely has a learning curve, but it produces some amazing results. If you are unfamiliar with how to stamp, check out my stamping tutorial! It's an older post but the process hasn't changed since then. Layer gold swirls over black for an elegant effect!

Polishes shown: American Apparel Hassid, Essie Good As Gold
Stamped with: Nailz Craze plate NC02, Konad stamper

Which of these effects do you like best? Are you a fan of black and gold together?
Share your black and gold manicures with me on Instagram using the hashtag #hellochalkboardnails! 

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Girly and Gilded Mix & Match

A few weeks ago, my sister Kelsey stopped by to get her nails done. You may remember her (and her nails!) from the last time we did a nail photoshoot featuring leopard print and a faux fur lined jacket. We were talking about manicure ideas and decided to do a girly mix and match featuring pinks, golds, and black. I did some sketching while we hammered out the details, and once the manicure was done, we did a mini photo shoot!

Polishes used:
Seche Dives In Head First
Seche Pretty Little Heartbreaker
American Apparel Hassid
Zoya Kerry
Cirque Colors Au - related here

Embellishments used:
Bundle Monster plate BM-008 (crown)
From the Heart 1 plate (Be Mine and I Love You) - similar here
Black, gold, and silver rhinestones - similar here
Hex Nail Jewelry Etched Hearts

It's no secret that stamping isn't my strong suit, and let me tell you... it was even harder for me to do on someone else! Thankfully, Kelsey was patient with me.

The 3D embellishments turned out just right -- not too much, not too little. My favorite nail might be the black rhinestone "K" on the gold base, though I do love a good polka dot, too.

I enjoy doing these combination manicure/photoshoots, though they do take a lot to get from start to finish! Thank you to my dahling sister for doing the modeling!

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31DC2013 Day 25: Inspired by Fashion (Alexander McQueen Skull Scarf)

This prompt usually stumps me every year. While I do think that I have a decent amount of style, I'm not so up on exactly what's going on in the world of fashion. HOWEVER! One item I did recall when brainstorming for today's post was the Alexander McQueen Skull Scarf. Well, I didn't recall that it was specifically a McQueen piece, so I googled "black and white skull scarf" and connected the dots from there. See, I told you I don't know fashion!

This is what the scarf looks like for those of you who haven't seen it. Isn't it beautiful? I would love to own one, except for the price of course! Time to go searching for a cheaper alternative...

For my manicure, I started with a base of three coats of OPI Solitaire, a white Liquid Sand polish with small silver glitters. After letting it dry completely, I stamped on a pattern from Vivid Lacquer plate VL001 using Essie Licorice.

This was my first time stamping on a textured polish! It went just as well for me as any of the other stampings I've done, which is to say I had to fill in a couple of spots freehand. I've gotta stamp more often so eventually I won't have to do those touchups anymore.

I do like the way the stamping looks on the textured polish -- very unique.

Collage image, you know the drill!

More 31 Day Challenge
View upcoming prompts!
My inspired by fashion nails from 2012!
My inspired by fashion nails from 2011!

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31DC2013 Day 03: Yellow Bee Silhouettes

I've always had a fascination with bees. It's hard to say what it is, really, but I think they are so cool. Maybe it's their diligence? The way they all work so hard towards a common goal? I've always wanted to do a bee manicure but have had trouble coming up with an original and interesting way to do it.

For day three of the challenge, I thought I'd give it a shot.

For the base of my nail art, I started with three coats of Zoya Darcy. I figured that the warm, rich yellow color would contrast nicely with the black accents I had in mind!

I freehanded the bee silhouettes on my middle finger. I used a short, thin nail art brush which allowed me to get fine lines on the legs and have better control over the rest of the body. I also freehanded the honey drips and the dotted fly-lines.

The honeycombs on my ring finger are stamped with Vivid Lacquer plate VL002.

The stripes on my pinky were done using a tape manicure technique.

I loved wearing this manicure so much.
First, I love yellow polish a lot and don't wear it as much as I should!
Second, bees are awesome.
Third, I think the bee silhouettes are some of the best freehanding I've ever done -- I'm so proud of the way they came out.

More 31 Day Challenge
View upcoming prompts!
My yellow nails from 2012!
My yellow nails from 2011!

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