I have only had a chance to use these once, but learned something that I had to do quite a bit of Googling to figure out. I tried to use the stamp with a gel polish and that does not work. Every time I would paint the polish on the plate, scrape off the excess and try to pick it up with the stamp, nothing would pick up on the stamp. I tried over and over again and finally had enough success to get a not-so-detailed and low pigmented stamp. After doing a bit of research I found that the gel polish (requiring UV to dry) does not get dry enough for the stamp to pick up the color from the plate. It is also a much duller result if you are able to pick it up.
After my nails were done with the gel (not as great as I was hoping) then I tested out some regular nail polish on a piece of paper and found the process soooo much easier and it looked so much better. After my test, I know these plates are going to work beautifully with a regular nail polish or a stamping polish. Now I am just waiting for my gel to chip away a bit so I can clean it off and try again with RNP.
One other little thing that was my bad, I was so excited to get started that I didn't fully read the instructions on the stamp. In my frustration with not being able to pick up the color using gel, I kept cleaning the stamp off with my dampened cotton ball using acetone. After reading the stamp box for fully I saw that it said "not acetone safe". So, just be careful there. Use soap and water.
Overall, the designs are so darling on this plate and the problems I had were my own doing. Although I do wish it said somewhere more clearly that gel polish does not work on the plate or stamp. But, I love all of the designs! This is such a diverse use plate as well. I purchased it because the designs can be used anytime of the year and not just in the fall because there are so many fun leaves and branches. I can't wait to experiment with colors and placement, etc. This is such a fun concept and has added a whole new creative aspect to my new hobby and self-care routine of nail art! Love it, love it, love it!
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