Why put so much effort into something that will last maybe a week? Because the effect is truly beautiful, if executed successfully.
I have read lots of water marble tutorials. I have also attempted this type of nail art several times. Just this past month, I have had 3 very successful water marbling sessions. This has lead me to believe I am now qualified to give my tips and tricks to others in need, from those of you who have never quite been able to get water marbling down, to those of you who are looking to shake up your nail designs.
In the spirit of switching things up, I decided to try out a new nail shape. I've seen the almond shape on a lot of ladies lately, and it is something I have been thinking about trying. What was holding me back was the fact my nails aren't ever really very long, and I figured going almond would make them look stubby and stupid. However, I love the short almond look, and it turns out it has been very beneficial so far in terms of nail growth! Usually when my square shaped nails broke, it was one of the corners I lost. Without corners, I don't have this problem anymore.
Without further ado, here is the water marbling tutorial! The finished product will look like this:
You will need:
1 plastic cup
Water (filtered, room temperature; more on this later)
At least 2, but no more than 4, colors of nail polish
White nail polish
Several toothpicks or orange sticks
Nail polish remover
Tape (optional)
Step 1: Prepare Your Water
I cannot stress this enough: the condition of your water is the key to water marbling success. If your water is unfiltered/un-distilled, it won't work. If your water is too hot or too cold, it won't work.
For best results, take a plastic cup and fill it with filtered or bottled water (I learned from first hand experience, never use a styrofoam cup. The nail polish will eat through it).
If neither of these are available, use tap water and let it sit out for a day. Either way, you will need to let your water sit until it reaches room temperature (I told you, this is a high maintenance manicure). If you are the impatient type, it's a good idea to set up your water a day or two before you actually plan on painting your nails.
Step 2: Paint Your Base Coat
Get your nails all prepped like you would any manicure. Then paint a white base coat on all the nails you'll be water marbling. Water marbling causes polish to spread out thin and lose opacity, so the white base will help make those colors pop.
OPTIONAL: use scotch tape on the skin around your nail. This isn't necessary, and it's a bit time consuming, but it does make clean up a bit easier, as the excess polish will cling to the tape and not to your skin. I didn't do this in this pictorial.
Step 3: Start Dropping the <s>Bass</s> Polish
Open up all your polishes so that they are ready to go. Pick your first color, and let a drop of polish fall on the surface of the water. If your water is in good condition, it should spread out, like so:
Continue by dropping the next color in the center of the first, and so on and so fourth until you have this bullseye effect going:
The above photo is a primo water marble set up. If your polish looks like this, you're in good shape.
Step 4: Make Your Design
There are lots of water marble designs you can make, but I like to do a traditional zig-zag, which also happens to be the easiest. To do this, take your toothpick or orange stick and make a line from the center of your bullseye to the third or fourth ring from the outside. You don't want to drag the line to the outermost ring; this ring of polish is likely already dry, forming a sort of skin on the top of the water. Disturbing it may cause your entire design to collapse. More on this later.
Finally, draw individual horizontal lines, alternating going from left to right, then right to left, so that the surface of your polish looks like this:
Step 4 is the second trickiest part. There's a lot that can go wrong in the polish dropping phase. If everything was smooth sailing for you though, proceed.
Step 5: When I Dip, You Dip, We Dip
Now it is time to dunk your nail. Experts can dunk 2 or more nails at the same time into a single design, but if you are a beginner I recommend doing this one at a time.
Take your finger and place it at about a 45 degree angle to the water, nail side down (obvi) over the part of the design you like best. The angle will prevent bubbles from forming and give you a clean angle of entry into the water.
Dip your finger in, keeping it at an angle, and hold it underneath the water. At this time, using your other hand, take another orange stick or toothpick and dip it in the water. Gently swirl the orange stick in little circles through the polish being careful not to hit the nail you have submerged. What *should* happen, is that the excess polish on the surface of the water should cling to the orange stick, allowing you to "clean" the surface of the water before you pull your nail out of it.
Unfortunately, it's really hard to take pictures and clean the surface of your water with only one hand, so I was not able to capture this part on camera.
Step 6: Pulling Out
Once the surface of your water is free of polish, remove your finger from the water, keeping it at an angle to avoid bubbles. If all went well, your nail should look something like this:
Step 7: Clean Up Time
With your favorite polish remover, clean up your hippy skin. I find it easiest to use a cotton ball or q-tips around the knuckles first, and then use a cuticle/angled brush to clean up real nice and close to your cuticles.
Step 8: If Ya Liked It, You Shoulda Put a Top Coat On It
Finish it with a coat of quick-drying top coat and let it dry, and you're set!
Featuring Cirque's "Electric Circus" on accent nails.
Did your water marble not turn out as good? Are you cursing me and getting ready to chuck your phone in frustration? Wait! Hold that toss. Here's some tips that may help you next time...
TROUBLESHOOTING:
1. My polish didn't spread: Is your water in perfect condition? I'm serious, this is the most important step to water marbling success! If you're sure your water has been filtered/distilled and is room temperature, try using polishes all from the same brand. Different ingredients in different brands may cause them to not play nice together in water marbling. Once you get it down, you can experiment with mixing brands.
Also, creme polishes are easiest to use. I don't recommend water marbling with metallic or glitter polishes off the bat. The consecutive polishes then have to push through not only the surface of the water, but the particles of glitter, which may halt spreading.
2. My polish was picked up by my orange stick when I tried to make a design: Your water was likely too cold, or you worked too slow. You also may have dragged your orange stick too far to the edge of the bullseye.
3. When I pulled out, my "water marble" looked like a warped mushy mess: It happens. I don't know why, but I think it has to do with removing your finger from the water. Clean your nail up and try again, practice makes perfect.
4. My water marble has bubbles in it: Keep that nail at a 45 degree angle upon entry and pull-out! This prevents bubbles from forming. But a good top coat will also help smooth some of that out.
5. My water marble smeared: You top coated it too soon. Wait about 5 minutes before top coating.
Water marbling is an awesome technique to play with once you finally master it. Hopefully these tips will help you on your way to better water marbles! Sometimes, you need to read a bunch of tutorials before something "clicks" for you, but the best way to learn is to practice, practice, practice, and try not to get discouraged.
Any more questions? Comment below!
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