Since I posted my water marble nails I have had a few requests to put up a tutorial on how I do it so here it is. This time I decided to go for more pastel colours rather than brights. All the nails look different but I like that effect. Whenever I have the water marble on I always get stopped and asked what my nail polish is and where I went to get it done! The colours I used this time where a base coat of Illamasqua Caress, then alternating dots of Illamasqua Caress, Illamasqua Blow, Illamasqua Smash, Illamasqua Force and Avon Loving Lavender.
On to the tutorial:
Step 1:- Get a bowl that you are not worried about ruining and fill it with water, tap water won't work. I use cooled boiled water but bottled water will work as well if you leave it to get to room temperature.
Step 2:- Paint a light shade as a base on all nails, this doesn't have to be perfect as you won't be able to see it at the end. Tape of the nail you are going to dip. I use two pieces of sellotape, one across at the base of the nail and then a longer piece which goes along one side over the tip of my finger and down the other side. This helps to stop it being too messy and wasting loads of nail polish remover!
Step 3:- Start alternating drops of polish. This can be trial and error as some polishes just don't work and they sink rather than spreading. If that happens just clear off the surface with a cotton pad and start again.
Step 4:- Keep alternating dots until the polishes seem truer to colour on the surface (when you first start dotting the colours will spread a lot so they would come out really faint.)
Step 5:- Draw your pattern in the polish, you can use many different things to do this, I actually use a screw and it works for me. I have tried using cocktail sticks but it always seems to go wrong for me with them. I don't touch the very outer rings of polish as these tend to dry quickly and can mess it up. I pull from the outside in until I have a pattern I am happy with.
Step 6:- Put your finger nail straight into the polish over the pattern you want. Don't push all the way through just submerge your nail and hold it there.
Step 7:- With your nail still in the water use a cotton bud or cocktail stick and pull away all the excess polish as otherwise this will ruin your design when you pull your nail out of the water. Then remove nail from water.
Step 8:- This is the reason for the tape! As you can see the pattern has transferred on to the nail and also on the sellotape.
Step 9:- Remove the sellotape and you are left with just a little bit of clean up around the edges to do.
Step 10:- Remove any leftover polish from the surface of the water with a cotton pad and then repeat for all ten nails!
Obviously this is just the way I do it, there are many different ways and this s just the way I have found that works for me. If you are feeling brave you can dip 2 fingers at a time but just make sure to grab all excess polish between the fingers as it's easy to ruin the design when you pull them out of the water.
So there you go, that's how I do water marbling. I am going to grab my boyfriend next time and get him to film me doing it. I really hope this has been helpful. If you attempt this please let me know and link your photos or blog posts in the comments.
