What you’ll need:
– A base color I used Sinful Colors in “Snow me White.”
– Colors to use for the marbling pattern. Add one or two shimmer or glittery shades for some added texture. I used Sinful Colors in “Glass Pink,” Sinful Colors in “Beautiful Girl,” Sally Hansen Insta-dry in “Sonic Boom,” Sephora by O.P.I. in “Personal Shopper,” and Zoya in “Austine.”
– A small cup or glass, about 3/4 full of room-temperature water
– A toothpick or orange stick to swirl the pattern
– Scotch tape
How to do it:
1) Paint your base color and let your nails dry completely. For my tips on how to get a great base, check out my first post.
2) Now you need to wrap the tape around the edges of your nails so you don’t get nail polish all over your fingers in the next steps.
First, wrap a piece around the base of your nail:
Then, take a longer piece and wrap it around the sides and top of your nail:
3) Here’s the fun part! Open all of your nail polish bottles so you can quickly pull the tops off when you need them. Then, make sure your cup of water is room temperature and still.
Now, take one of your colors and let one drop fall into the center of the water. You’ll notice it spread out in a circle across the top of the water. As it’s spreading, take another color and add a drop. Keep doing this until you have a few rings of colors.
4) Very quickly, take your toothpick or orange stick and drag it through the rings of nail polish to make the marbled pattern. You can do this as much or as little as you choose, but don’t let it dry!
5) When you’re happy with the design you’ve made, dip one nail onto it horizontally and continue until it is in the water. Pull it out slowly.
6) After a few seconds, swirl your toothpick around the surface of the water to pick up the leftover polish.
7) Repeat steps 3-6 for each finger and let it all dry.
8) When your nails are dry, slowly pull off the tape. Put on a topcoat and you’re done!