Marble nails are popular, but you don’t have to visit a manicure salon to achieve the appearance. You can make your marble nails home with inexpensive nail paint and patience.
You’ll need room-temperature filtered water, thin or new nail paint, and toothpicks. It’s better to operate in a well-ventilated place while wearing gloves.
1. Begin with a white basecoat
Before you start marbling, apply a clean base layer. This will keep your nails looking fresh and prevent chipping during the marble design creation process. Once your base coat has dried, you may start thinking about colors.
When selecting nail polish, choose a few different hues that complement one another. It’s also good to have backup bottles if your first pick doesn’t work out. Choose conventional nail paint over gel, as the two react differently in water.
Once you’ve chosen your polishes, fill a small container with room-temperature water. Then, unscrew the caps on your nail polishes and carefully add a few drops of each color to the water.
Work quickly! If you leave the polish in water for too long, it will begin to dry. Swirl the polish around in the water using a toothpick to make a design. There is no right or wrong way to accomplish this.
Once you’ve established a good pattern, dip your nails in. Avoid touching the polish with your fingers while doing this since this can smear the design. Dip your finger into the nail polish ring at a 45-degree angle and try to align it with the design you want on your nail.
2. Select a few colors
Water marbling is a nail art technique in which nail paint is dripped into water and swirled to produce a marble-like texture. While it may appear hard, it is pretty simple to accomplish at home and an excellent way to add festive flair to your nails without spending much money.
The first step is to prepare your nails. Apply a clear base coat first, followed by a solid white polish to provide a brilliant foundation for your colors.
Before you continue, ensure your nails are dry and cover your cuticles with petroleum jelly, Elmer’s glue, or scotch tape to keep them clean.
Next, select a few hues for your marble nails. It’s preferable to start with a light color, such as blue or pink, and then add darker shades to create contrast. You can even add some glitter for a more festive appearance.
Once you’ve decided on your finishes, fill a cup with room-temperature filtered water. Then, unscrew the tops from your nail paint bottles and add a few drops of each color to the water. You will need four to five drops of each hue.
3. Add a few drops of polish to the water
Marbling requires warm water. Cold water may cause the nail paint to dry too rapidly, ruining your design. Also, have everything you need close by. Have some clear tape ready to wipe off your nails and cuticles, a napkin to clean up your toothpick/orange stick, and plenty of nail polish remover and Q-tips on hand in case you screw up or want to redo them.
Begin by adding a few drops of your first color to the water. You can add as little or as much as you want, but the more colors you use in the water, the more swirling your nails will look. If you want a more controlled appearance, consider blending a second hue inside the first. You can even use a third color to make a bullseye design.
When you have a few drops of your polish in the water, swag it with a toothpick. The more you swirl, the more your nail paint will appear marbled. This can be done in parallel lines for a more controlled look, or haphazardly for a more abstract impact.
The idea is to swirl it rapidly before the nail paint dries. Once it does, it will become tough to work with and adhere to your toothpick or orange stick unless you use nail polish remover to remove it.
4. Swirl the polish
Nail polish can dry in water, so work swiftly. If you wait too long, the pattern will begin to set, making it difficult to construct the appropriate design. Also, operate in a well-ventilated environment or outside, as nail polish has a strong odor.
Begin by adding a few drops of the first color. You can drop the nail paint directly into the water or use a toothpick for additional control. Make sure to place the drop in the center of the tub to prevent it from sinking to the bottom.
Next, apply a few drops of the second color inside and around the preceding dots. Repeat this process with the third color. You can try to follow a pattern or swirl the colors together. Remember that each swirl is unique; therefore, there is no right or wrong way to execute this.
Once you’re satisfied with the swirl design, dip your ornament into it. Avoid the outside 2-3 rings, which will dry and adhere to your toothpick. If necessary, wipe your toothpick clean before dipping again.
After you’ve dipped your ornament, remove it from the water and set it on wax paper or a drying rack to dry entirely. Then, finish with a clear top coat and admire your hard work.
5. Dip your nails in water
If you’ve been following Instagram’s swoon-worthy manicures (put #watermarblenails into the search bar and prepare to be stunned), you’ll know that water marble nails aren’t the quickest or neatest nail art look—but they’re lovely. It’s easy to see why the technique has been so popular; it provides a unique approach to paint your nails that cannot be imitated with any other nail polish form.
To complete the look, you need only a few drops of nail paint and some water. Nguyen recommends first preparing your nails by pushing back the cuticles and applying a white base coat.
Then, unscrew the caps from all of your nail polishes and place them in a tub of room-temperature water—not cold water, which will dry too rapidly. You want to add enough color to produce a swirl on the water’s surface.
Drag a toothpick through the colors once the polish is in the water to make a pattern. Drag the toothpick in parallel lines to create a vertical marble pattern, or swirl it aimlessly to achieve a tie-dye effect.
When you’re satisfied with the design, remove your thumb and pinkie nails and leave them aside. Before you begin, use Vaseline or coconut oil on the area around the nail to assist clear up any smudges that may occur later.
6. Scoop your nails out
Marble nails aren’t the quickest or cleanest way to paint your nails, but they’re certainly enjoyable and imaginative. The technique involves dripping a few droplets of polish into a cup of water, swirling them with a toothpick, and then dipping your nails into the pattern to get a marble-like appearance.
It’s not completely failsafe, but with a little effort and the correct components (room-temperature filtered water, thin or new nail paints), you may achieve a style that will wow.
You may use your preferred nail polish colors to create this look. However, you cannot do this with gel nail polish because it does not respond the same way in water as traditional nail polish. To prevent the polish from sticking to your cuticles, use a clear base coat or something similar, such as petroleum jelly, Elmer’s glue, or scotch tape.
Remove your nails from the water once you’ve finished creating your preferred pattern. According to Nguyen, “You want to scoop up the art with your nail more than dip into it. ” Keep some paper towels or Q-tips ready to remove any excess polish as soon as you remove your finger from the water.
Summary
Water marble nails are a fun and creative method for creating your unique nail art look at home. To begin, you’ll need room-temperature filtered water, thin nail paints, and instruments such as toothpicks. To create a clean foundation, begin by applying a white base coat to your nails.