Watermarbling Take Two using Sinful Shine
Monday, August 04, 2014My first attempt at watermarbling happened shortly before I revived this blog. Last October I attempted a black and orange watermarble with disastrous results. I had polish everywhere, and the polish on my nails was hideous. I took it off within twenty minutes of completing it. I was terrified of watermarbling, and figured that I probably wouldn't attempt it again.
I forgot about the technique for a while until I kept seeing gorgeous watermarbles from Gio of In Jeeb We Trust. I asked her for any advice and tips she could think of.
Gio's Tips:
- Use room temperature water. It's best to leave it out overnight.
- Tape around the sides of your nails with scotch tape for easy clean up
- Use a small circumference cup like a shot glass
- If the polish doesn't spread out when you drop it into the water it won't work for marbling
- Don't have a fan running while you marble!
- Once you take your nail out of the water, make sure you blow on it hard. That will help deal with those pesky bubbles.
I took those tips and ended up with a pretty decent second watermarble. After running through six different colors of polish I finally found two that worked. I used Sinful Shine Skinny Dipping and Sinful Shine Steel Reserve.
- Always use a new toothpick to draw your design.
- Remove all of the excess polish in the container before you pull your nail out
- Pick a neutral base color
- If you want your marble to be more opaque, use more alternating drops of color
My big mistake was assuming that Model City Polish's Hanging On A Vine would work for a watermarble. I painted it as my base color only to discover that it wouldn't work for marbling. You can see areas where the green wasn't covered by the marble. I also had to learn to move the polish away from my finger before taking it out of the water. My index finger is a good example of that mistake.
Other than that I was pretty happy with my second attempt. Gio's tips definitely made a difference. At this point I just need to practice!
Other than that I was pretty happy with my second attempt. Gio's tips definitely made a difference. At this point I just need to practice!
