KONAD: What? And How?

What Is Konad?

Konad is a brand/company that has created a unique process (to the nail world at least) for producing nail art. It consists of special polish, metal plates, and a stamper. Much like offset printing, Konad works by "inking" your image plate, applying pressure with a rubber stamp to lift the design from the grooves, and then transfering it onto your nail.

 

What You Need:

You Need [SHOWN ABOVE]:  Konad Top Coat (for sealing your design), Konad Special Polish (Made especially for stamping. Applies opaque even though it's only a thin layer), Konad Stamper, Konad Scraper, and Konad Image Plates (off-brand plates work as well, a.k.a. "Fauxnad") You ALSO Need [Stuff you probably already have]: cotton balls and/or Qtips, acetone, paper towels, and a tiny paintbrush (for cleanup)

 

How It Works:

This entire process should be done as quickly as you can manage. The "Special" polish dries very fast so you want to get it out of your plate and onto your nail as soon as possible.

STEP 1} Clean your desired image plate with acetone (or regular nail polish remover) to remove oils/lint from its surface. Let dry completely. **The pink plate holder is not necessary to have. I bought it because it looked fun



STEP 2} Apply a drop of Konad's "special" polish to the design of your choice. Brush to completely cover it. You don't need a lot, just enough to fill the grooves of the image.



STEP 3} With your Konad scraper at a 45 degree angle, lightly pass over the design to remove excess polish from the top of your plate. You should now see your polish-filled image. Set your scraper to the side.


STEP 4} Grab your rubber scraper and quickly roll it over the design to pull the polish out of the image plate. Roll only ONCE, from one edge of your stamper to the other.

STEP 5} Time to stamp your nail! Hold your nail and stamper eye-level so you can see what you are doing. Just like you did to pick up the polish, you are going to roll the stamper to release the polish onto your nail. Do NOT roll back-and-forth. Don't press too hard... and don't forget this is fun!

STEP 6} Wait a couple minutes and then use Konad's topcoat to seal your work. Lightly brush the topcoat over your nails. Try to cover it in as little strokes as possible. (You can try other topcoats but I've heard some cause smearing. Test first!)

Keep in mind, this takes practice! Believe me. My first attempt was not pretty! Whatever you do, do not give up :) Try stamping over an old manicure to get the hang of it. Then you don't have to worry about ruining perfect nails!

I purchased all of my Konad Supplies from OCNailArt. They are very pleasant to work with!