Maniology Starter Kit Stamper Review

 

I have for you today a review of the Maniology Starter Kit.  It came in a really nice box and was packaged nicely.  The kit came with 2 stamping plates, 2 polishes, ice cube stamper, scraper and a stamping guide.  I chose the Bloomin’ Babe kit but there are 7 to choose from.  I hope the many pictures in this post helps you to get a good idea of what is included.  For all of the swatches, I only used what came in this kit.  Keep reading below to check it out.  Here is a link to their website to check out the products. Maniology

The Plates

 

The plates come with a protective blue film that needs to be removed before use.  The plates and images are really nice and are a good quality.  The etching is deep and there is a nice plastic backing.  I do like it when plates have this backing because when they don’t, the edges can be sharp.  The plates themselves are 4.25×2.4 inches.  A variety of full size, partial, and specific placement designs are on this plate.  The dimensions of the full size images are nice.  Full size images are 2.25cm or 7/8in by 1.5cm or 9/16in.  I have modest length nails and they fit just fine.  All of the images stamped really nicely.  I stamped using just their scraper, stamper and polish.  Monarch Dream was used to stamp all of the images from the M018 plate.  Soft Sage was used to stamp all of the images from the M019 plate.

The Polishes

 

There are 2 polishes that came with the kit.  Both bottles are 7ml.  Their standard size polish is 13ml, so I believe these are just the starter kit sizes.  Per their website, these can be used as a stamping polish as well as a nail polish.  Monarch Dream is a light to medium toned lilac.  It is a pretty color and stamped well over black and white.  Soft Sage is a light almost mint green color.  It stamped well over both colors, although I think you could see it more easily over the black.  Both of the brushes were nice and it was easy to apply the polish to the plate.  I included bottles of polish from other brands so you can get an idea of the size of the bottles.  The MoYou London and OPI polishes are both 15ml bottles.

The stamper/scraper

The kit comes with the ice cube stamper and scraper that both have the Maniology logo on them.  The stamper is a crystal clear silicone head that measures 1×1.5 inches.  It comes with a cap that is very nice to keep the head clean and in good condition.  Per the instructions, I just washed it with a mild dish soap and dried it carefully with a paper towel before using it.  DO NOT USE POLISH REMOVER, ACETONE, OR BUFF THE SURFACE!!!  This will ruin the stamper and the clarity.  The pictures show how good the clarity of the stamper head is.  This makes it easy to place the images precisely on the nail.  Now when it comes to picking up the image, I admit I had difficulties at first.  I’m used to the white silicone heads that are a tad firmer and seem to pick up any image every time.  Therefore, I just tried different methods of rolling and bouncing at different pressures.  After practicing with it for a bit, I can pick up a good image almost every time on the first try.  To remove any excess image left, I use a lint roller.  Now on to the scraper.  This scraper had a cute Maniology design on it.  The scraper is smaller and more flexible than I typically work with.  It is 2×1.5 inches.  I usually use an old credit card or club card to scrape.  Although this scraper was smaller, I think the amount of flexibility made it easy to use and I had no issues.  I do use 100% pure acetone to clean the scraper, so be advised that eventually this may eat away at the design.

Comparisons

 

 

I wanted to include some comparisons to products you may already have.  For the scrapers, the top is a Born Pretty scraper which is the size of a credit or club card but quite a bit more flexible than the Maniology scraper.  The bottom right is a MoYou London scraper which is smaller height wise, thicker and more rigid than the Maniology scraper.  For the stampers, all of them are the crystal clear silicone.  The top left is a Born Pretty stamper with a diameter of 4cm.  It’s a tad squishier than the Maniology one.  The top right is from MoYou London with a diameter of 3.9cm.  It is a bit firmer than the Maniology stamper.  The bottom left is also Born Pretty with a diameter of 3.4cm.  It is about the same firmness as the Maniology stamper.  Don’t mind the cloudiness.  I use this stamper for specific things which made it cloudy.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this kit.  I think it is good for beginners just getting into stamping as well as people who have already been stamping.  This kit gives you an idea if you’re going to like their other products that they have.  I would recommend trying this kit out.  The stamper/scrapers are all going to come down to personal preference of size and firmness and what works best for you.  I have already ordered more plates so keep an eye out for those reviews in the near future.

 


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4 thoughts on “Maniology Starter Kit Stamper Review”

  1. I’m new to nail stamping and am about to sign up for the Maniology kit, could you describe your technique with their clear stamper? Did you roll or press and how much pressure did you use? I’ve had a lot of trouble with the MoYou clear stamper

    1. Hello Yvonne,
      That is a great question. The clear stampers can be a little finicky. I found that for all of my clear stampers, the Maniology one included, rolling the stamper with light pressure works best for me. There are a couple other factors to keep in mind as well. For example, a good quality etched plate as well as stamping polish does make a difference. I own the MoYou Crystal Clear Stamper as well. I did have problems getting it to pick up images at first. My best advice is to practice. Practice different pressures and angles that you scrape the plate at. Too high of an angle or too hard of a scrape and you’ll remove the majority of the polish from the design, making it more difficult to pick up images with any stamper. Most importantly, don’t give up!

    1. Thanks Alley,

      That’s a great question! There is a difference between stamping polish and regular polish. Stamping polish is generally thicker and more pigmented than regular nail polish. When you are stamping an image on your nails, the layer is thin and therefore the polish needs to be highly pigmented to stand out against the color you are stamping on. Sometimes you can use regular nail polish to stamp if the color is opaque in 1 coat.

      Here’s a link to the stamping polish we carry at our store: Colored Stamping Polish

      Happy Stamping,
      Jenae

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