Nail Art Stamping with UberChic and Mundo de Unas
This is a week-old gel polish manicure that I spiced up with some stamping. The base color is a super dark blue called Cuccio Colour Veneer London Underground (see the original swatch here), and I stamped over it with two different patterns and colors. The patterns are both from the UberChic Love & Marriage-01 plate, and the colored polishes that I used to stamp with are Mundo de Unas Velvet & Lime.
I receive a lot of questions about stamping and recommendations on stamping polishes and plates. First, I can’t say enough good things about the UberChic Beauty stamping plates. The company was developed by a fellow stamping fanatic that was in search of the highest quality plates. Brittany designed the plates and images to work for the majority. The patterns offer full coverage on most nail shapes and sizes from large to small. There’s enough detail packed into them that even if you have tiny nails, the patterns will still be recognizable.
As for stamping polishes, I’m in love with the Mundo de Unas polishes. Of all of the polishes I’ve tested with stamping, these are by far the best quality and most consistent. They’re super thick and fast-drying and stamp perfectly every time whether you stamp light over dark, or dark over light. The company is based in Mexico and international shipping can take some time, but I promise it’s well worth the wait!
I also want to show you another awesome product from UberChic Beauty… the Uber Mat. The mat was designed to be used for stamping and nail art. It’s made of a material that’s acetone and polish remover resistant so you can easily clean it off. It protects the surfaces beneath from polish and acetone as well. If you’re doing nail art you can put some blobs of polish onto the mat for easy access. You can also practice stamping on the mat or create decals.
Below is a photo of the mat on my glass table. It’s translucent so you can see some of the pattern from my glass table top showing through. The mat is made of a super soft material and can be folded up and packed away when not in use and it doesn’t wrinkle or crease. Also seen in the photo are the Love & Marriage-01 plate, a couple MdU stamping polishes, my squishy stamper, Creative Shop stamper (available through Creative Shop and UberChic), and the UberChic scraper.
I used my Uber Mat to practice stamping to see what patterns and colors would layer well. I put a little bit of RNP base coat on the mat and then stamped over that. Below you can see how the design picked right up off of the surface. This is how decals are often created, though I prefer to stamp directly onto my nails.
Check out my stamping basics video for a quick overview of how stamping over gel polish works. I have since mastered the squishy stamper since making the video. ;) Let me know if you have any other stamping questions that aren’t covered here or in the video.
Aaahhh, you’ve covered some of my faves in this post – MDU (definitely worth the wait time!) and that incredible UberChic mat is EVERYTHING!! :-)
I don’t want to be “that” girl, but I’m not sure if you’ve ever mentioned the negatives of mundo de uñas. From my understanding the owner refuses to list ingredients for her products, which leads me to believe that it isn’t safe for use. I’ve also read a lot about people having reactions to using it (severe headaches; itching, burning, red blistered skin; difficulty breathing). I know these reactions don’t happen for everybody, but the people that they do happen to can’t say what exactly they were exposed to when they go to the hospital because the creator doesn’t want anybody to know. Not to mention it smells like something that should be used under the hood of your car and the smell lingers in the house. I wish I did more research before I purchased it besides looking to see if others liked it. Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know to use at your own risk.
Thanks for sharing. I just know it works well for me and wasn’t aware of any drama or issues surrounding the brand. It does have a very strong smell.
I have some reservations after trying MdU. I think you have to weigh those concerns and decide if you are comfortable with the risk. I did notice my head would hurt a bit if I took too long on a manicure. Of course, *extended* stamp swatching sessions with regular polish also did this to me. I ended up selling mine because it chipped right through the gel topcoat and my design would be ruined within a few days. I think it wore fine with lacquer, though. The bold colors are second to none, but I have been moving to other options in favor of better wear.
To keep gel polish topcoat from lifting with MDU or any stamping RNP, cleanse it after it’s set/dry with IPA on a lint wipe using little to no pressure. Allow that to evaporate and gel topcoat. Residue, it’s better to remove it under gel.
Also, I have a reported list from a chemist’s analysis of MDU found in a concerned indie polish Facebook group. It needs more context and review.
Also, I’ve been wearing MDU over 18 months sandwiched with gel polish, no issues, not that that means anything since everyone is different. For me, it’s fabulous, unparalleled stamping performance.
And the MDU analysis report: really doesn’t flag any concern, but I’m still reading it carefully and referring it to an accredited consumer product reviewer.
I’ve never had top coat lifting issues with MDU or any other stamping polish. My stamped manicures last just as long as normal.
I had never heard any of the negative health stories before I ordered mdu but I wish I would have done more research. I had the WORST sinus pain from using mdu! Everything on the left side of my face was pounding including my nose, eye, jaw, and head. Even my gums hurt. I didn’t make the connection at first because I used it outside and I’m usually not sensitive to strong smells. I used them just two more times and by then I was crying from the pain. Lying on a pillow felt like I was lying on bricks. Luckily my cousin didn’t have the same issues as me and she bought everything I ordered from mdu. I’m not knocking the brand at all, just sharing my experience.
I have been using Mundo de Unas products for more than 2 years and I think they are the most wonderful products I have ever tried for stamping, without them I was not able to stamp but now is very easy for me. I am not sure if you had checked their site, there is a lot of information, it says they are made of acrylic resin and free of lead, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin and Camphor and 100% free animal cruelty. It also says that since they are not regular polishes and smell different and are not recommended for all people. Anyway I just want to say that I love the brand and I really like the customer service. Ohh and I love the mani posted :)
This is so pretty! Thanks for sharing!!!
In other notes, I love this post. ;) I’m thinking maybe I beg for an order from UberChic around Christmas.
I’ve just used a silicone pastry/fondant mat (smooth) for years. it’s been awesome.
How do you get the mundo de uñas to stay under the Gelish? I see everyone with these fab manis and I can’t do them, it’s driving me mad, lol. I buff/cleanse the nail, use ph bond, base coat, 2 coats of color, wipe with 91% alcohol, (sometimes I lightly buff), stamp, lightly wipe with alcohol, top coat twice, wipe with alcohol. Immediately I am able to scratch the design off or it comes of on the final wipe. If anyone can help, I would be eternally grateful!! <3
I would really have to see it to say because it sounds like you’re taking the right steps. Is your top coat curing? I never have issues with stamped designs over gel using any brand of stamping polish. I top coat them and they last the full 2 weeks.
Yeah, everything is cured completely. I leave everything in for the proper amount of time as described by Gelish for their 18G lamp. I should probably also specify that only the large full finger stamps come off, not the smaller ones that sit in the middle of your nail (i always cap the free edge with every layer of polish). I’ll continue to top coat with rnp until I find a solution. =/ Thanks Andrea! Ps I wouldn’t mind trading nails with you ;P
Leah, I’ve not had any issues with stamping over gel either; as a matter of fact, that’s the only way I can stamp successfully since it’s easier to remove and start over if I mess up, not as easy for me over RNP. The only thing that sounds different to me than what you’ve described is that I topcoat/cure/wipe before stamping and then afterwards too.
Thanks Michelle, I’ll give that a try next time I do my nails or when I take this current set off just in case my bad luck continues, lol. I feel like I can’t get it to work because the TIO doesn’t get a good seal on the free edge since the stamping polish goes over the free edge of it’s a full nail design. I can get the smaller designs to work no problem. Anywho, thanks again and I’ll give your method a shot! =D
For full nail designs you have to be sure to cover the entire nail from edge to edge with the top coat sealing in the stamped design. Sometimes I apply two layers of top coat just to be safe.