Once upon a time, I tried to do a water marble technique on my nails… and it was a complete disaster. Nail polish was all over my fingers, and bubbles caused the actual design to look pretty awful. This was really disappointing to me, because I was quite fond of the look that came with water marbled nails. Using the same technique I did to create my DIY nail decals, I found a simple way to create the water marble nail look without the mess.
- + Supplies: pen or toothpick, small cup filled with water, Ziploc baggies cut into small pieces, and polish. I chose three colors for my marbled look, but you can use as many or as little as you like.
- + Colors Used: Annette Classic with a Twist, Anne It Girl, Sasha It Girl
- + Step 1: Start by adding a drop of your first nail polish color and watch it spread in the water.
- + Step 2 & 3: Next, add a drop of your second and third colors, all in the center of the first drop of color.
- + Step 4: Using either the tip of a pen or a toothpick, begin to draw your marble. I usually start in the center and pull outward. Get creative with your design and have fun with it, there is no “right” way to do this and all nails will look different.
- + Step 5 & 6: Grab one of your cut up pieces of Ziploc bag and place it on top of your design in the water, make sure all of it sticks to the plastic. Pull the plastic out of the water, you will now clearly see the design you created.
- + Step 7 & 8: Place your piece of plastic (design side up) onto a towel and let dry fully. When dried, you should be able to pull your design off of the plastic.
- + Once you have all your pieces ready (I made 1 piece for each nail), it is time to prep your nails for application. Paint your nails with either a base coat or a color (completely up to you), and when slightly tacky- press your marble sheet onto your nail. To clean up the edges you can cut them off with a small scissors, or use a little nail polish remover! Seal with top coat, let dry, and you’re good to go!
+ What do you guys think of my marbled accent nail? I think it turned out pretty cute. Plus, I had leftover marble sheets, which I saved in a plastic baggie for future manicures!
16 Responses to How to: Dry Water Marbled Nails
Cassie July 11th, 2012
This is brilliant! Thank you so much for sharing! I will definitely have to try this! I always avoid Water Marbling because it is so messy and I think that this is the answer to my problem! Once again thank you so much!!!!
Liz July 12th, 2012
Too many extra steps for me. When I water marble I coat my cuticles and the skin around my nails with cuticle oil. The polish doesn’t stick and it can be wiped off with a paper towel or kleenex. No mess!
Lakishia July 19th, 2012
Wow! Great tip I will definitely try this next time. For some reason unknown to me when I watch tutorials on water marbling and try to replicate that I always end up with a mess that looks nothing near the look I was going for. With this process I’ll probably be able to get that look!
EricaStolman July 19th, 2012
Yes! I had the same issue with marbling and this process worked much better for me! Let me know how it turns out!!
Jennifer G July 23rd, 2012
Great Tip I was wondering if this process would work for water-marble. I have hand painted designs on the bags to apply and that worked. I will give this a try.
LuciaK August 5th, 2012
This is such a fabulous idea, I can’t wait to try this!!! Taping your fingers is time consuming and cumbersome. This eliminates so much of the mess factor, and those annoying bubbles! Thanks for the tip.
yvette January 1st, 2013
I’m going to try this also.
Brittany January 10th, 2013
This didn’t work for me at all. The polish just kept sticking together and made a giant mess!! I wasn’t able to do the regular water marble either.
delca February 2nd, 2013
Wow im so doing this tonight!!!!
Carolyn Qualls February 11th, 2013
Love it .
haylee February 24th, 2013
that’s soo cool i’m so gonna try this thanks for your help!!
Cherish Murray March 10th, 2013
Such a good idea. I’m always looking for a new way to do my nails, and I think I’ll start making marble patches, today. Thanx for the advice.
Rebecca Brewer March 21st, 2013
I like the idea of being able to keep some on hand for an accent ot when there isn’t time for a water marble, kinda like keeping meals in the freezer.
Krista March 24th, 2013
I just did this today! It worked really well. Thanks for the awesome tutorial!
Jessmb316 March 28th, 2013
This is a GREAT idea!!!! Especially if an idea pops into you mind once your nails are finished. Something to save for the next project.
Get Apples April 9th, 2013
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an incredibly long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyway, just wanted to say wonderful blog!