Tips for Water Marbling

Happy Sunday lacquer lovers....today I have a pretty water marble for you that surprisingly didn't put me into the crazy house. I have done so many water marbles and have found that Essie brand nail polishes work the best. They always spread well and they hold their vibrant color,which I know, is odd because many of their colors are so sheer. For this pretty little lady, I used Essie Cascade Cool, Essie Play Date, and Essie Turquoise and Caicos. These probably are my 3 favorite colors to marble with. Turquiose and Caicos is my all time top of the line, slap your grandma favorite. Have a look see....

Isn't she a beaut, if I do say so myself? Water marbling is so hit or miss, sometimes you want to thank the heavens it worked and other times you want to flip your nail table ala a famous housewife and be done with it. Luckily this one cooperated. Of course my camera didn't, and I managed one pic before it crapped out and died. But one is better than none my friends.

If you are having trouble with marbling, here are a few things I wish someone would have told me when starting out.

1. Make sure to use room temp bottled water. I keep my bottles of water in the same room I am planning on marbling in, for at least 2 days prior. (Yes it is this finicky)

2. Neons are tough to marble with....start out with a nice creme color. I find that Essie and Zoya polishes work the best but everyone is different. I just feel they spread out in the water the best.

3. Tape around your nail with plain old tape, but don't get too close to the nail or you will mess up the design when removing the tape. You can always clean up with a q tip and some acetone.

4. If you do find a spot near the cuticle that didn't quite get covered and is still showing your base color, don't trash the nail and start over....I put a little polish on a toothpick and GENTLY cover the area.(Whatever color is missing, if its a few go for the color that is taking up most of your nail) It doesn't have to be perfect, a good coat of Seche Vite can work miracles.

5. I swear by Seche Vite. It helps to hide any imperfections, and I have found it to be the most reliable top coat for a water marble. 

6. Use the smallest cup that you are comfortable with. I use a crappy little disposable cup that my wonton soup came in. Tee hee.  As long as the polish has enough room to spread to make the bulls eye you will be fine. I started out with a large bowl and trust me, the smaller one is so much better because your colors will be more concentrated and you will use less polish in the long run.

7. YOU WILL GET BUBBLES. You may not get any for a year but at some point you will find that pesky little brat sitting atop your otherwise perfectly marbled nail. Don't fret my pet. Let it be, resist the urge to pop it. You top coat will mask it. If you are like me, it will drive you batty but no one else will even notice it. Popping it will only show your base color and it will look 20 times worse than leaving it be.

8. Be prepared to go through the polish. It may seem like you won't use a lot because it's only a drop here and there right? Well that drop adds up and after doing a full 10 nails, you will be left with much less than you started with. I buy doubles of polishes I know I will marble with. I must have 5 bottles of Turquoise and Caicos. 

9. DON"T GIVE UP. When I first started, my nails looked like I had been through a tornado while getting a manicure from a blind monkey. YOU WILL GET BETTER. It's tough at first but one day your polish will spread like a dream, you will pull that nail out of the water....and all the cursing and beating your husband/boyfriend/wife (I don't discriminate) will all be worth it!!! 

Happy marbling kids!!!