Hello again everyone! I wanted to do another nail tutorial for you guys and what better excuse than St. Patricks Day coming up in a few days? I'm not usually a huge fan of green nails, but for holidays, it's a fun way to show some spirit. Plus, no one can pinch you for not wearing green ;)
This how-to is slightly more complex than my other manicures, as it is a water marble technique. Water marble manicures are kind of messy and time consuming, but the outcome is so pretty once you get the hang of it.
In this tutorial, I'm going to show you the technique and you can either use it one all of your nails, or just for accent nails like I have done. And at the end, I'll show you how to water marble a cute shamrock for St. Patricks day!
What you'll need:
3-4 polishes (I picked light green, dark green and a silver glitter)
A plastic container with cold water
School glue (optional)
Acetone polish remover
A small brush for clean up
Q tips
A safety pin or toothpick
Start out by applying the glue with a q tip around you cuticle and the skin of your fingertip. This will help prevent some of the messiness.
Now grab your container with the cold water. I would use something that you don't mind ruining. I keep this little TupperWare container handy specifically for water marbleing. Take a polish and add a drop to the water.
Working quickly, add a drop of the next color you want, right in the center of the first color.
Do the same with the next color. It's important to work fast so the polish doesn't set. I keep all of my nail polishes completely unscrewed and ready for this.
Continue adding drops until you get the color pattern that you desire.
Now grab your safety pin or toothpick (I use the pin so the polish doesn't stick to the wooden toothpick) and gently drag it along the rings of polish to create the marble design.
Once you have a design that you like, dip your finger as flat as you can into the design. Use a q tip to pull the extra polish on the water away from your finger.
You should have something like this.
It looks super messy but that's what the glue was for. Gently wipe away the excess polish and glue with a cotton pad with some acetone on it. The glue shields the skin so it should scrap away easily. Any excess polish around the cuticles can be removed with some acetone on a small brush. The e.l.f. concealer brush is great for this. Now with a qtip, drag it along water to pick the excess polish in the water to prepare for the next design. Seal your design with a top coat and that's it! It looks much more complex than it really is.
A few tips:
*use nail polishes with a thinner consistency. I like Pure Ice, China Glaze and Essie for water marbles. Thicker polishes won't spread in the water as well and you design will come out chunky and it won't dry.
*once you draw your design with the pin, let it sit for a minute or two to allow the colors to set. This makes it easier to apply.
*letting the design set for even longer will allow the polish to harden. You can then use a toothpick or qtip to gently pull it out of the water and use it as a decal. Just cut off the excess polish like you would a nail wrap.
*the amount of drops of polish you add will determine the intensity of the marble design. Adding a lot will give you a more tye-dye effect.
*allow the design to dry completely before adding a top coat. If you try to seal the design while the nail is still tacky and wet with water, it will smudge and NEVER dry!
To do a shamrock:
Do the same steps of adding polish to the water. Now with the pin, gently drag it from the outside of the polish to the center.
Slowly drag it on the opposite side, going towards the middle.
Now do the same thing between the first two spots.
Finish it by doing the opposite side again and there you have it! A shamrock! Let it set and apply to your nail.
Well thank you for reading and I hope you liked this post! Tag me in any of your water marble designs on Instagram using #livforlashes. I'd love to see them!
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Email: liv_2008@icloud.com
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