Q. What is Konad?
A. Konad is a type of nail art, designed to assist those of us that are just a little bit rubbish at doing the normal forms of nail decoration. So forget about needing a precise hand, and the special brushes, tooth picks or whatever, because with Konad all you need are plates, polishes and stampers and you can do virtually anything. It's almost like magic!!
Q. Should I buy a Box Set to get me started?
A. This is totally up to you, and most importantly, your budget. The Sets are very useful for getting you going, but they can prove to be quite expensive. So, if money is particularly tight, I wouldn't recommend buying one. The key to making sure that you have everything you need, is just knowing what you really need, and what you can live without...
On the other hand, if you are happy to spend money on a set, then go ahead, because they are worth every penny, and you don't have to spend ages choosing which polishes and plates to choose from.
Q. So, where do I start?
A. When you're starting out, it's a good idea to get the basic tools. A lot of bloggers have different ideas of the essentials, but here are my recommendations:
- Stamper - A double ended one is good, if you can afford it, as they fit different sized fingers, however, I manage perfectly find with a single ended one, so if you're tight on cash, there's no harm opting for the single one.
- Image Plates - You can't do anything without image plates!! These can be quite expensive, so take time to pick one or maybe two that have several designs that you think you'd use a lot. Trust me, there are plenty to choose from.
- Special Polish - There is a lot of debate about whether or not you need to use the Konad Special Polishes, and from my own personal experience, no cheaper High Street brand matches the Special Polishes, because they tend to smudge. However, following conversations with other Konad-lovers, it seems to be the common consensus that if you use slightly more expensive nail polishes, then they should be fine, but this is entirely up to you. If you are going to buy a special polish, and only want to buy one, I recommend either black or white, depending on the colour of base coat that you use most regularly.
A. All of the Konad tools can be useful, but there are sometimes alternative options that could help you to save money. The easiest items that you could probably get away with not buying include:
- Image Plate Holder - This tool is designed to holder your Image Plate in place, so that it doesn't fly across the table. It is a handy piece to have, but instead you could opt to use blue tack to attach it to the table or DIY your own image plate holder using your imagination.
- Scraper - This is what you would need to scrape excess polish off the image plate, however, a lot of bloggers deem a business card, or even an old bank or store card to work just as well, so save your money.
Q. Do I have to use Konad polishes for a base coat?
A. Definitely not. Use whichever polish you want to wear, by absolutely any brand. Trust me, every colour looks great!
Q. Should I buy products direct from the Konad website?
A. Again, this is a personal choice, and entirely up to you. But, my only advice here, is just like when you purchase virtually anything, especially online, I strongly advise that you shop around. Konad products are not particularly cheap, especially when you end up wanting to buy so many products. From my own experience, Amazon sell products cheaper than the official website, so that is definitely worth a look.
Just shop around, and judge your decisions on what you find :)
Q. Which Image Plates should I chose?
A. I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but this is another personal choice. If you like cute stuff, there are a few that feature kawaii images, whilst there are leopard print ones for the stripey and dotty fans out there.
My personal favourites, are:
Image Plate: M36
M36, which features the butterflies that you can see in the brand logo (above) and you can see an example of this plate in action here. As you can see has lots of really cute floral images or:
Image Plate: M55
M55 features lots of different fruits, which I think are absolutely adorable and yummy. For an example of the strawberries in action, check out my past post here.One Final Note
Here are a few extra pointers that might help you on your journey to Konad Obsessive. They might look familiar, and that's just because they came from the Kat's Beauty Reviews Archive, and featured in a post that I wrote almost exactly a year ago, when I was first introduced to Konad:
A Few Helpful Pointers
- Scrape across the image plate, with the Scraper, in one firm movement, in order to ensure as much excess polish is removed as possible.
- Don't hold the stamp down for more than a second, otherwise the polish will be transferred back onto the image plate.
- The best way of applying the design is in a sideways rolling motion. This is where practice makes perfect, in getting them exactly where you want them,and so that they don't smudge.
- Allow the designs to dry, just as you would any other polish, before applying a Top Coat. Applying the Top Coat too soon, could cause smudging.
These are the only questions that I could think of that people might want to know about Konad, so if there is anything else you want to know about purchasing or using Konad, then I'll do my best to help in any way :)