Konad Image Plate Holder

Are you looking to take your Konad process to the next level? If so, you might be interested in this product.

Maybe you've experienced this troubling situation in the past::

You put your Konad plate down as usual and apply a thin layer of Konad nail polish to the desired design. Next you scrape away the excess polish. So far so good. But then, as you move in with your Konad stamper to lift up the pattern from the plate, you accidentally move the plate and smudge your design, forcing you to start all over again!

Never again, with the Konad Image Plate Holder! With this product, your image plate will stay in the same place every time. This allows you to maintain absolute control over the entire scraping and stamping process, no more worries. No more stress.

This image plate holder is manufactured by the Konad company themselves, so you know that it's is made of only the highest quality materials and will live up to all of the strict expectations that you've come to place in the Konad brand name.

How to Spot Fake Konad Nail Stamping Products

The Konad system of nail art stamping and the many products used in this process are collectively the hottest new thing in contemporary nail art technology. However, before you jump on the Konad bandwagon, there is one thing that you should be aware of. Many companies based in China are currently marketing poorly crafted knock-offs of Konad's line of products which, although visually similar to Konad, produce inferior results. If you want to offer genuine Konad results to your clients, you need to be able to avoid these knock-offs. In this article, I'll show you how to tell the difference between these shoddy fakes and the genuine article.

(By the way – in our store we sell only genuine Konad products. So if you are worried that you might have trouble telling the difference, you can always avoid problems by buying directly from “Viva La Nails”. I've tried both products myself and know from experience that only the real Konad system is worth spending money on.)

Scraper - the first item that you can look at to see if you are getting a genuine Konad product is the scraper. Notice how the Konad scraper on the left has the brand name printed clearly on the front and is of a slightly darker colour than the fake on the right. You can also tell the difference by the spacing of the holes on the scraper edge. The real product has evenly spaced holes while the fake does not.

The genuine Konad scraper features a straight and precise metal blade which leaves no excess nail polish on the plate.

Stamper - the original Konad stamper is somewhat hard to differentiate from the fake. However, if you look closely, you will notice that the Konad stamper has a slightly darker coloured surface. This results from using a higher quality material.

Image Plates - the difference in quality between the stamping plates is the number one problem with using fake Konad products. Fake plates are made using an inferior crafting method, resulting in imperfect designs.

The Konad plate (pictured on the left) was made using a precise advanced laser etching technology. As you can see, the fake image plate was created using an inferior laser technique, resulting in rough edges and inferior performance.

Fake Konad image plates have a dangerous sharp edge around the sides, again resulting from poor manufacturing. The producers of Genuine Konad products smooth the edges to prevent the possibility of injury.

Special Nail Polish - real Konad nail polish has a higher viscosity than regular nail polish or fake Konad nail polish. This results in a smoother application. Fake Konad polish also tends to come in duller, less vibrant colours, making it easy to spot.

Hologram - finally, the easiest way to differentiate real Konad products from the fakes is the Konad hologram, which you can see here. In it you can see a textured array of flowers and the Konad brand name. Fakes will lack this identifying marker.

The Result

The difference between the results that you can achieve with Konad and the results you can expect with a fake is obvious. Notice how the Konad nail art (on the left) is so much sharper and clearer than the fake Konad nail art (shown on the right). If you want your clients to be happy with their nails, by all means, make sure that you only purchase genuine Konad products.

Learning to Use the Konad Nail Art System

The 21st century has provided no dearth of new and innovative nail art techniques. One of the most effective and essential of these is the Konad nail art stamping system. Konad is a product which allows you to create complex nail art designs in less than a quarter of the time.

Konad's secret is its use of a pre-designed template model. The centrepiece of the Konad system is a special engraved image plate containing a number of “preset” patterns. This allows even a novice nail artist the opportunity to supply clients with consistently professional looking designs.

Now before we go on, allow me to warn you about something: There are dozens of companies now on the market who make tons of money marketing FAKE Konad products. I know from personal experience that these products are inferior in quality and simply cannot produce the same kind of results. For this reason, “Viva La Nails” carries only AUTHENTIC Konad products.

The great thing about Konad is that it produces very sophisticated looking results without requiring a sophisticated process. In fact, Konad is actually quite easy to use. And seeing that it requires only a few simple tools, it is portable as well. This makes it a great choice even if you are operating a mobile nail care business.

All right, enough with the small talk! Let's get down the process itself:

Step 1 – The first step is to use a fresh cotton piece and some acetone to carefully clean the image plate. This is a quick and worthwhile step which will increase the overall performance of your Konad system.

Step 2 – Assuming that you are starting out with a brand new Konad system, it is best to treat your stamper tool with a 100 grit nail file. Otherwise your stamper may be a little too smooth for optimum functionality. File it down lightly just as you would a nail surface.

Step 3 – Now use the same cotton piece with acetone to clean off the stamper surface.

Step 4 – At this point, paint a small portion of Konad Special Nail Polish onto the preferred image on the image plate. Make sure that you use only official Konad nail polish for this step. Regular polish or Knock-off polish simply won't produce acceptable results. This layer of polish doesn't need to be too thick, just thick enough to cover the design.

Step 5 – Quickly after you have applied the Konad polish, use your Konad scraper to make a quick scrape across the image plate. Move away from the centre of the plate towards the side, removing any excess polish. The pressure that this creates on the image plate may produce scratches on its surface. If this happens, don't worry. This is completely normal and will not have any negative effects on the system's future performance.

Step 6 – Keep moving quickly so that the polish does not dry. Pick up the stamper and press it very lightly onto the design on the image plate. This should be done by placing one edge of the stamper down first and then quickly rotating it down on the image plate and then right off again. No pressure is needed, just a single clean movement. After a little bit of practise, this will be just like tying your shoe.

Step 7 – Before transferring the design to the nail surface, check to make sure that it looks perfect on the stamper. It should look clean, without and broken lines, just like in the photograph shown here. If it is not, wipe it off with a cotton piece and some acetone and try again back at step number 3.

Step 8 – Now, transfer the design from the stamper onto the nail. You should again use the same type of movement that you used to get the design from the plate onto the stamper. Don't apply too much pressure; simply move the stamper from one side to the other in an easy rolling motion.

Step 9 – Once you have transferred all of the desired designs from the plate onto the nail surface, allow it to dry for a few minutes. Finally, use some Konad Top Coat solution to seal your design.
Just to make sure that this final tricky step comes off well, make sure to follow these two rules:

1. Use only REAL Konad top coat solutions.
2. Apply this top coat only ONCE. If you try to apply several strokes of top coat, you are likely to damage your design.

IMPORTANT!!! After each transfer, make sure to clean the stamper, scraper and image place off with a cotton piece and acetone. This is essential if you want to protect the quality of your designs.

And you're done! You've created a premium professional looking design in just minutes. While this technique may take a little practice, this is really very little compared to more demanding techniques. You should be working like a pro in just a couple of days.