Water Marble Nails

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I finally tried the water marble technique on my nails. The process can look complicated but after a little practice it definitely gets easier. My first attempt was not very pretty but by the time I tried it a few more times, it got better and better.
First off the things you will need are:

* A cup full of room temperature water ( I used bottled water because I know the water in our place is kind of hard and I had read it might not be as easy to use, I used a Styrofoam cup but be careful if you use this and polish drops to the bottom of the cup. I made the mistake of not changing cups and it made a hole in the cup and water spilled out everywhere. LOL)
* Tooth Picks
* Scotch Tape
* Base Coat
* 2-3 colors of polish you want to use (after several attempts I discovered that Nicole by O.P.I has worked the best for me)
* Top Coat
* Q Tips (for cleaning up around the nail)
* Nail Polish Remover 

I would recommend to use white as your base color and than pick colors that are in high quality and haven't dried or thickened due to age.

* So first you will want to apply your base coat and white base color. 
* Then you will want to apply the scotch tape around your nail to avoid having a mess to clean off your nail afterwards.
* Next, drip a few drops of each color on the surface of the water. Continue to drop the polishes into the center of the surface of the water to create rings of color. Try to work quickly otherwise the polish will harden. 
* Using a toothpick, make your design in the water. I started at the outer edge and dragged a line into the center.
*  Line up your nail with the design and place it in the water, aiming for the center of the design. Leave your nail and the taped section of your finger in the water for 5-10 seconds to set the polish (the polish will harden on top of the water around your nail). Then, before you remove your finger, take a toothpick and pull the hardened nail polish on the surface of the water away from your finger. Once cleared, you can pull your finger out.
* Repeat each step with every finger nail. (Can not reuse the polish that you just used on another nail)
*  Once you've finished each finger and your nails have dried completely, remove the tape and clean up any excess nail polish on your skin using remover and a Q-Tip.



I accidentally deleted the photo I had of my first attempt but trust me it wasn't too pretty. I had used Essie Marshmallow (White) for my base color. Than I had used a purple, pink and silver/glitter. I did not like how the glitter ended up coming out...so I took all the polish off and scratched those colors. For my second attempt:

I did not use a base color (just had a clear base coat) Used: Nicole; Play Fair, Nicole; Show you care and China Glaze; Street Chic.

My third attempt:

I used: Nicole; Play Fair, Nicole; Show you care, Nicole; Iceberg Lotus with the white base color Essie Marshmallow. 

This technique definitely does get easier with practice and it can be a bit time consuming but I have received lots of compliments and will continue to try different colors and designs.

Let me know if you have tried this technique and what works best for you or if you do it any differently.
Thanks for reading and happy painting :)