Water Marbling Manicure

My 2nd Attempt at Water Marbling Nails:


Right hand:


Left hand:



This is my second attempt at water marbling.  This is the most difficult type of manicure I have tried so far.  This will drive a perfectionist insane!  I tried this about six months ago for the first time and didn't even keep the manicure or photograph it because the perfectionist in me couldn't stand that each nail didn't have a uniform amount of each color.  I used navy and burgundy and some nails had a ton of burgundy and others had way more navy.  I was unhappy with that.  This time I decided to practice again and find polishes that worked and just be happy with whatever the outcome was and to not concentrate on the fact that each nail looks quite different than the other.  Anyone know how many times you have to do this to figure out how to get the nails to look more similar?  My issue is trying to figure out where to sink my finger in the design.  My aim seems off sometimes as you can see in the photos above.  I started with my left pinky and it came out with a striped design that I love. The left ring finger landed up not getting enough color on it, that's my least favorite nail.  Then left middle has a pretty flower design, while the index finger has more of a traditional marbling look.  My left thumb has the side of a flower on it which I like.  Right hand, which I did second and with my left hand while I'm right handed, turned out with more consistent marbling.

Products used:


Manicure Keeper by Orly, Smudge Repair, Robin & Rose & Isla by Julep, Seche Vite

Steps:

  1. Apply nail polish remover with cotton ball on all nails to remove oils.
  2. Apply two coats of Orly's Manicure Keeper, a rubberized base coat, to prevent chips for up to 20 days.
  3. Apply two coats of Julep Isla (white pearl color).
  4. Apply scotch tape to skin surrounding the nail.  One piece on left side, one on right and one at the top.
  5. In Deer Park water at room temp in styrofoam cup about an inch from the rim, drop 8 drops of polish starting with Juelp Robin (blue color), then Julep Rose(red color), then Isla (white pearl color), repeat twice except skip last drop of Isla.
  6. Using a toothpick, draw from outside of cup towards the center to the opposite side about 5-6 times.  
  7. Sink nail at an angle into the area that has the busiest pattern with the most lines, sideways to the lines drawn.
  8. Blow on water for about 5 seconds and use a Q-tip to remove the remaining polish on water's surface.
  9. Pull nail out carefully and blow on polish and shake to remove any water.  Use a Q-tip for stubborn water drops.  Remove scotch tape.
  10. Repeat steps 1-9 for remaining 9 fingers.
  11. Apply top coat of Seche Vite.
  12. Use Sephora's corrective pen to remove any polish from skin.
  13. Add another coat of Seche Vite 1-2 times per week to prevent chips.

More photos:



So there you have it, it's a lot of work!  I dare you to give it a try!  You may find it easier than I did.  To view one of the tutorials I used, click here.  Another favorite nail tutorial site, My Simple Little Pleasures is located here.  I recommend watching several of her water marbling tutorials starting from oldest to newest.  The designs she comes up with are simply amazing!

Other manicures I did:


Thanks for reading, feel free to comment.  Would love to hear your opinions of this manicure and if you have tried it yet or will soon.  Have a PEACEful Day!

2 comments

  1. Those look GREAT Wendy! I love your colour combination :D As a fellow perfectionist, I too find it hard sometimes with water marbling to enjoy the outcome because all the nails aren't the same, but sometimes it just works :D Just a note, when I do water marbling, I always use chapstick rather than tape around my nails because it's so much easier to work with :D
    www.ericasnailsandmore.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. ty 4 the compliment, Erica! Yeah, I heard of that trick before.

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