Review (5/5): The plates alone are more than worth the price.
This is such a good deal! The stamping plates alone are *well* worth $3.99, even with shipping added. I have always found Born Pretty plates to be good quality, and these are no exception. All the designs I have tried so far (most of them) have been well etched. The plates have sturdy plastic backings that extend slightly beyond the edges so you can grasp them without worrying about getting cut. It's nice to have such a variety of different style designs to work with.The scraper is credit card style, which I like, but it is a little thinner and more flexible than I am used to using. I like a bit more body than this one has. Still it is usable. The stamper is small but nice. I like the transparent style so I can see where I am placing an image. I had a little trouble picking up polish with it at first, so I primed it by repeatedly stamping it on a lint roller, and now it works just fine. All in all, I would say this could be an excellent starter kit for anyone wanting to try nail stamping.
The template with cutouts is something I hadn't tried before. The way it works is that you apply polish to the stamping plate and scrape it. Then lay the template on the stamping plate, and stamp on/through the opening. You need a fairly soft stamp for this to press down through the opening. (The one in this kit works fine.) Then you stamp your nail. You have to work fairly quickly to get it placed after scraping the polish (or use polish that dries slowly), but it does work.. I will say that the cut out areas are a little bit on the large side for my not too long nails. It might be fun to try using it to make decals, but I haven't gotten so far as trying that yet.
So as a starter kit, or to expand your plate collection I would recommend this item. Note: I have no affiliation with the seller, and purchased this with my own funds-no promotional discount.