We put one of those silicone French tip nail stampers to the test

Silicone French manicure stampers have been popping off on social media, so I’ve wanted to try one for a good while now.

Doing my own nails became an obsession of mine thanks to the lockdowns, born out of a desire to a) save money b) fill my time and c) still have nice manis when everything is shut.

So when I saw there was a tool that promised to give perfectly uniform French tips in seconds, my interest was definitely piqued.

These silicone tools can be found online in a variety of places – today, we’re testing the one that comes with this £16 French Mani Hack Nail Polish Set.

If you’re a standard polish kind of person, the kit includes two ’45 Second Speedy gloss shades’ with which you can achieve your typical French mani – a sheer pink for the base and a bright white for the tips.

I am not a standard polish kind of person, having been converted to the magical world of at-home gel a year ago and not looked back, so these polishes aren’t what really interested me about the kit.

It’s the silicone tip tool and the silicone tip tool alone that I’m here for.

So instead of the polishes in the kit, I’m using Mylee’s clear 5 in 1 Builder Gel (which is what helps my natural nails grow nice and long) one layer of their shade Birthday Suit as a base, and the bright red French Cancan for the tips.

All you’re meant to do is paint the silicone with a thin layer of polish, press your nail into said layer at a 45-degree angle, and hey presto, you’ve got a French tip.

My verdict?

This is definitely handy (pun intended), and I’m very happy to wear the results, but I still found it a bit fiddly.

It does make doing uniform French tips easier, but if you don’t take it slow and steady, you can still get a wobbly/patchy line.

All told, it took me about half an hour to get the layers and lines just right on one hand, but with practice, I’m hoping it speeds up.

This tool will be especially useful with you’re using your non-dominant hand.

I didn’t totally eschew the polish brush either, which helped tidy up the edges and any bare patches where necessary.

It was the combo of both the stamper and the brush that made the whole thing way faster.

All things considered, I’d say this is a useful thing for any DIY manicurist to have to hand (pun, again, intended), but it’s sadly not going to magically give you the perfect French tips in five minutes.

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