Friday, November 19, 2010

water marbling DIY

i got a rather large response last week from my water-dipping manicure post (here) so i am posting a DIY! i am technologically challenged so i have no fancy video but i do have plenty of pictures!!

the manicure works because of the differences in polarities of the two substances (nail polish + water) and can be really cool when done properly.



you will need:
*a cup full of water (make sure you don't really care about the cup because it is going to get all gross and you probably won't want to drink out of it again) - i guess a disposable cup would work best but i'm a terrible planner so whatever.
*a bunch of nail polishes - really try everything from sparkles to mattes...everything looks different
*top coat
*tape (duct tape probably isn't the best for this but again with planning/it was all i could find when i decided to do this)
*q-tips
*nail polish remover
*isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)
*newspaper/paper towels/magazine to work over (i am really trying to make an excuse to throw away this table...)


to do:
1. paint nails whatever color you like - this will serve as your background color
*i am using OPI: The Show Must Go On from the Burlesque Collection (swoon)

2. when they are dry, wrap as much of your finger tip as you can, avoiding the nail.  the easiest way is to put one piece of tape on the very tip of your finger and curl it round the edge then take another and wrap your actual finger -- it doesn't really matter except for clean up because all exposed skin is going to get polished


3. drip (large) drips of polish into the water one after the other -- you will see them spread out so just keep going until you think you have enough (again, try everything -- that's the only way you'll figure out what works for you) -- work quickly and when you are satisfied, run a de-cottoned q-tip (or toothpick) through the polishes to swirl the colors.
*for my first nail, i used OPI: You Don't Know Jaques and milani holographic "3D"

4. visualize what part of the swirl you want on your finger and DIP! (nail first, let your finger go into the water)


5. wait for the polish on the top of the water to dry and with your q-tip/toothpick dettatch the polish from your finger so when you pull it out all of the polish doesn't stick to your design


6. the polish will be dry due to the thinness of the layers in the water so you can immediatly pull off the tape to expose your finished product!

7. once the tape is removed just clean your exposed finger with nail polish remover!!

*for this manicure i did a separate color combination for almost every nail -- here are some more photos and TIPS at the end!!


much more successful color combo: Essie Playa Del Platinum + OPI: You Don't Know Jaques


much more controlled swirling 


voila!


finisheeeed!


hand 1 (note my ring and index finger are not marbled)


thumbs up!


hand 2 (all marbled)

TIPS...:
*work quickly
*don't use "quick dry" polish
*solid color polish leaves the cleanest swirls and a sparkle will kind of get mixed up in everything
*try EVERYTHING
*all different nails are fun - and creative -- so just do, do, do!!

happy friday!! xx

1 comment:

Ganai said...

Cool Post!

www.PeaceLoveandLace.com <3