We’ve been asking for gel stamping polish for years and brands are finally starting to deliver. There’s an endless list of regular stamping nail polish options but these brand new gel products make stamping on gel nails easier so our manicures can last longer. Stamping gels also create interesting nail art looks in blooming gel.
There aren’t many stamping brands with a gel option out right now but I’ll be adding more as more brands get on board.
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Amazon Customer Reviews
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Price: $28.99 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Amazon Customer Reviews
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Price: $11.25 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Amazon Customer Reviews
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Price: $15.99 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Amazon Customer Reviews
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Price: $18.99 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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Amazon Customer Reviews
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Price: $9.99 Shop at Amazon | Shop now Read our review |
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1. Born Pretty Stamping Gel 14 Color Set
Pros:- Great opacity
- Wide range of colors and finishes
- In squeeze tubes
- Trusted brand
- Can buy individually
Cons:- You only get eight milliliters
- Each tube is boxed which is a waste of paper
- Can be patchy over large areas
I love Born Pretty’s regular stamping polish so I’m excited about their gel option. Their gel stamping polish comes in a squeeze tube to help wrangle the thick consistency.
They’re richly pigmented and stand up well in opacity tests. Their white is crisp over black without dulling. They handle intricate line work well but because they’re so thick, they do have more trouble with larger patches of solid color. If you start seeing patchiness just make sure you’re using enough product and that you’re scraping both vertically and horizontally to fully coat the plate.
This set comes with 14 colors in a wide range including yellow, green, teal, baby pink, purple, blue, magenta, gray, bright pink, red, black, white, metallic silver, and metallic gold.
You can also buy each color individually, but when you buy them in a set you get a serious discount.
Find more Born Pretty Stamping Gel Set information and reviews here.
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2. Moyra Nail Stamping Gel
Pros:- Consistancy is most like normal stamping polish
- Easy to work with
- You get more product with 10ml compared to 8ml
- Great opacity
- Nice color options
Cons:- Not in a set
- No metallics
- Not as opaque as thicker brands
Brand new onto the market, Moyra has come out with a nail stamping gel that has the consistency of normal stamping polish. I’m not sure how they managed it, but they did. I love that there isn’t as much of a learning curve moving from stamping with regular polish to stamping with gel polish because it behaves just like the stamping polish you’re used to.
It applies with a nail polish brush so there are no brushes that need cleaning. They have a range of colors but not as many as other brands yet. I’m hoping they’ll come out with more colors as time goes on. Right now you can get colors like black, white, grey, green, and red.
They have nice opacity and their white is crisp over black. It doesn’t have the same pigmentation and opacity as thicker ones but it will absolutely do the job.
Find more Moyra Nail Stamping Gel information and reviews here.
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3. Ur Sugar All-in-One Gel Stamping Kit With Plates
Pros:- Five colors
- Black, white, red, metallic gold, mettalic silver
- Comes with stamping plates
- Stamper and scraper
- Liquid nail latex
Cons:- Not that many colors
- Paying for extras you may not need
- May not like the stamping plate images
If you’re new to stamping and want to get an everything-included set, check out this kit from Ur Sugar.
It comes with everything you need except for your normal gel nail polish and a nail lamp. You get five stamping polishes, stamper, scraper, liquid latex for nails, and eight reusable stamping plates. For colors, they’ve included the standard essentials: white, black, red, metallic gold, and metallic silver.
Find more Ur Sugar All-in-One Gel Stamping Kit information and reviews here.
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4. Biutee 12 Color Gel Stamping Set
Pros:- Wide range of colors
- Easy to put excess back
- Includes metallic gold and silver
- Very opaque
Cons:- Open tubs expose gel to light
- Maybe too thick
- Cannot buy individually
- Needs to have tacky layer removed
These nail stamping gels are about as thick as they get. They’re almost the consistency of a play-slime. You definitely need a tool to apply these like a brush or, even better, an orange stick or dotting tool because the consistency makes it slightly hard to get off of brushes.
The set comes with 12 colors including red, pink, purple, blue, teal, black, white, brown, metallic gold, and metallic silver. Their thickness gives them impressive opacity that you cannot complain about. They do perform best if you remove the tacky layer of your gel polish before trying to stamp onto your nails for some reason so just try to remember to do that and you’ll be set.
Find more Biutee 12 Color Gel Stamping Set information and reviews here.
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5. Mobray Stamping Gel Kit With Stamping Plates
Pros:- Affordable
- Black, white, red, yellow, gold, and silver
- Comes with stamper and scraper
- Includes two stamping plates
Cons:- Stamping plates are a little bland
- Paying for extras you may not want
- May prefer a flexible scraper
For a kit with extras try this Gel Polish Stamping Set from Mobray.
It comes with six tubes of stamping gel in the colors black, white, red, yellow, metallic gold, and metallic silver. You also get a clear stamper, firm plastic scraper, and two stamping plates.
Most folks tend to find learning to stamp on a flexible scraper is easier than a firm one, though a firm scraper can give crisper lines so if you’re brand new to stamping, keep that in mind.
Find more Mobray Stamping Gel Kit information and reviews here.
No more jelly sandwiches.
Before now, when you wanted to use the gorgeous images from your nail stamping plates on your gel nails you had to stamp regular stamping polish onto a gel base color and then seal it with a gel top coat.
It worked but it wasn't as durable since the non-UV layer weakened before the gel.
Why can't you stamp with regular gel polish?
Just like stamping with regular nail polish, they just don't hold up to what stamping demands on a polish. Normal gel is too sheer to show up when stamped. If you stamp white gel over black, it's going to show up a dirty grey--if you're lucky.
Because gel doesn't air-dry it tends to pool together. This is great for self-leveling but bad for intricate lines that end up warping and sliding into each other as the gel settles.
This new gel stamping polish is specially formulated to hold up to stamping. It's super opaque, heavily pigmented, and thick--like really thick. This isn't for painting your nails.
Nail stamping gel behaves differently than other stamping polish.
For starters, when you get your stamping image on, you have to cure it, just like regular gel.
You also don't have to work as quickly as you would with regular polish because it won't air dry. You can scrape and re-scrape your plate all you want. There's no rush.
It's so thick that you're going to want to apply it to your plate with a nail brush. It's got more of a consistency like builder gel or acrylic.
As always, if you are able, use hand protection as recommended by the FDA to less UV exposure.
UV gel nail stamping tips
If you're stamping with gel, it's even more important to use a liquid latex for nails product because the gel will get on your skin and you want to make sure all of the stamping gel is off of your skin before you cure it.
Also, if you're having issues picking up, try a sticky or marshmallow stamper.
Don't use your favorite stamper for gel because it can be harder to remove from your stamper and you may need to clean it with acetone.