The 4 Best Nail Stampers For Incredible Nail Art
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When you want to rock some nail art, the best nail stampers offer a cheap alternative to the nail salon. The ideal stamper for you has the right texture for your design — soft stampers are easier to use and therefore great for less precise styles, while firm stampers offer better control for people transferring intricate designs. You’ll also want to think about what size would make sense for your intended nail art, since smaller nail stampers work well for placing dainty nail design elements, while bigger ones work best if you’re placing a design that will cover your entire nail. Or, opt for a double-sided stamper that has two differently-sized heads.
Beyond texture and size, you should consider whether you’d prefer a transparent nail stamper, as these can allow you to get a better idea of where the design will appear on your nail. Clear stampers can be useful, but some stampers are only available in opaque designs, so you’ll need to weigh your priorities and decide if this matters to you.
Nail stampers need to be cleaned before use, and the cleaning process can vary between products, so you’ll want to pay careful attention to what the manufacturers suggest for maintenance. Some brands recommend that you prime your nail stamper, which means you’ll prep it by smoothing the surface with a nail file before using it for the first time. Some brands also encourage you to clean nail stampers after each use by using acetone, but other makers caution that the harsh chemical can tarnish or wear away steel stampers.
Finally, while a high-quality stamper is required for nail stamping, it’s not the only tool you’ll need — which is why it’s great that some nail stampers come bundled with other items. Nail polish is a necessity, of course, for both your base coat and the nail art itself. Stamping plates provide the art you’ll stamp on your nails, while scrapers get rid of excess polish for a cleaner design. Stampers can also lose stickiness with repeated use, which is why some sets come with replacement heads.
Whether you’re an expert or a beginner, these are the best nail stampers on Amazon.
1. A Fan Favorite Nail Stamper That’s Easy To Use
This clear, soft stamper has fans raving about how easy it is to place a design on their nail beds, with more than 2,500 reviews on Amazon and a 4-star rating overall. The brand claims the product doesn’t need priming, so you’ll be able to use it right out of the box. With a reasonably large stamper size of 1.38 inches in diameter, Amazon reviewers appreciate its ability to cover even larger nails — “It also has a nice large surface area so I can press in my entire thumb or nails,” one reported.
The stamper comes with a cap to protect the sticky head in between uses. It doesn’t come with nail polish or stamping plates, but you can use the included scraper to scrape excess polish off any plates you’re using. When you’re done, the brand recommends that you clean the stamper head with tape or a lint roller. It cautions against using acetone to clean, as it can damage the stamper over time. You can, however, use warm water and dish soap if you’re having trouble getting it clean.
Helpful Amazon review: “I am a total beginner when it comes to nail art so I wasn't sure how this was going to go. It worked perfectly! This stamper is really soft and transparent, which made it very easy to use. As someone who had literally never tried nail stamping until today, I had no trouble using it. It was easy to clean too.”
2. A Large Nail Stamper That’s Super Soft & Sticky
This soft, jumbo-size stamper is a good addition to round out your nail stamping collection. The opaque head means you can’t see exactly where you’re placing a design, but the 1.58-inch diameter surface provides plenty of surface area to work with, and Amazon users report it’s “super sticky, really squishy and easy to cover your whole nail.”
The stamper comes ready to use straight out of the package, with no need to prime. As with some other stampers, you shouldn’t use acetone to clean or prep the tool, as you’ll damage the product by wearing down the silicone. Instead, the manufacturer recommends cleaning up with tape or a lint roller.
Helpful Amazon review: “I am absolutely in love with this stamper. It is very large, very squishy and very sticky. I am a novice at nail stamping (only been doing it for 5 or 6 months) so I have ordered different stampers and stamping plates to see which was best. Ultimately, my research led me to this stamper as one of the best, and I 100% agree. The stamper is easy to use, it picks up a clean, crisp image, and it is easy to clean.”
3. A Firm, Double-Sided Nail Stamper
You can place both large and small designs with the Konad’s double-sided nail stamper, since it has two different heads — one Amazon reviewer suggests that the bigger one is just under an inch in diameter, while the smaller one is a little over half an inch. The nail stamper is opaque so you won’t be able to see exactly what you’re doing during use, but it also has a firmer texture, which reviewers report “is an absolute necessity for some designs with tiny detail work.”
While the manufacturer instructs that the stamper doesn’t need priming, some reviewers report that it can be helpful to rub a nail file over the surface before using to create a smoother transfer of designs. The brand also suggest that acetone works well when it comes time to clean. The nail stamper comes with a scraper, but it’s made of metal so could potentially scratch your design plates, according to Amazon users.
Helpful Amazon review: “I am so happy that I got this. I had success on the first try! It works [absolutely] perfectly [...] Plus the double ended feature is a huge bonus - it didn’t occur to me how useful that would be when you are only using a small image or need a certain section.The stamp part itself is firm, but it still has give when you press it down, and all you to clean it is tape.”
4. A Nail Stamping Kit For Beginners
If you’re new to the world of nail stamping and want to buy a nail stamper that comes bundled with basically all the stamping supplies you’ll need, this nail stamping kit from Biutee is a great place to start. The kit includes a double-sided stamper with a 1.1-inch head and a 0.9-inch head, plus two replacement heads for when they wear out. The stamper is also soft and transparent, making it ideal for beginners. In addition to the stamper, the kit comes with eight gel nail polishes, five steel stamping plates with different designs, and a scraper. Just note that the polish should be cured with a nail lamp, so you’ll need to grab one of those as well unless you already own one — both LED nail lamps and UV nail lamps should work just fine.
The manufacturer doesn’t suggest that priming is required or provide information about cleaning, but one Amazon user suggests cleaning with acetone.
Helpful Amazon review: “Super fantastic product. I've been doing nails for a long time but was always hesitant of trying out stamping so for the price of this kit I decided to give it a go! Totally worth it, the gels are amazing and would 100% buy separately for hand painting. I think this kit is awesome for the price and [...] beginning friendly”
