I’ve wanted to try water marbling since I saw this picture on Pinterest!
image via pinterest
I’d never seen anything like it and knew I wanted to try. There are lots of tutorials and videos out there! Now I’m going to add mine! But I’m gonna be honest. At first, this was HARD! It took a good while to figure out the right process and end up with these nails! I’ll give you my tips though!
I did well and took pictures at the beginning, then gave up. Sorry! It was a long project! After a little twitter advice from Suze, I tweaked a little bit of the process/needs to make it easier.
What You’ll Need:
At least 2 thick** nail polishes
Shot glass/Disposable small cup filled 90% with water
Toothpicks
Clear Adhesive Tape (like Scotch Tape)
(Essie in Mint Candy Apple, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Fuschia Flare)
Also Recommended:
A small cup/bowl with Nail Polish Remover
Q-tips (specifically those pointy makeup ones!)
Paper towels
Steps:
- Apply clear tape around all sides of your fingers. This is the most time consuming part but it is worth it when you are finished. Get as close as you can to every edge of the nail. It’ll be less to remove later.
- Pull your water cup in front of you. Carefully drop nail polish into the water. It will disperse but still be opaque!** Drip in your next colors. It’ll create a bull’s-eye effect.
- With a toothpick, working quickly~~, pull through the polish to create the marble effect.
- Place your nail face down into the water where you want the design to appear. Dip and pull your finger out. Only a second or two, just make it long enough to cover the entire nail. It will dry quickly, so don’t worry.
- With your toothpick, clear away the excess polish from the water. It should all stick to the toothpick after a few seconds.
- Repeat the process with all of your nails! Remove the tape, and apply topcoat as usual. After your top coat has dried, use a q- tip to remove the excess polish on your skin. The pointy ones are super handy, here!
Left hand
Right Hand
**Use thick polish! You know, that only take one coat normally! If your polish isNOT thick enough, it will drip and then become clear. You’ll notice it immediately! This is where I messed up the worst. I didn’t realize my mistake for a good 10 tries. I went through a lot of tape!
~~The polish dries quickly in the water. If you take too long between drips, it will all congeal on your nail.
No matter what, it is all easy to fix. So if you do mess up, who cares, try again! Hopefully you can learn through my mistakes and enjoy your pretty new nails! I LOVE mine!
What do you think of water marbled nails? Have you tried this?
It recommended starting with clean, bare nails. Check! It also recommended trimming down the nails with small scissors. I didn’t do that step and it might have helped. 
