Water Marbling, Two Ways

promotional samples ahead

Water marble is, for me, one of the most challenging techniques in the world of nail art. Very few things have made me curse so loudly or so creatively. Turns out there is more than one way to make a blogger cry create a water marble. I decided to give it a try... after all, I don't think I had scared the neighbors with my language in a few weeks.

Like I said before, water marbles can be challenging. But they can also be stunningly beautiful when done right. Not to mention the fact that it is a bit of an ego-boost when a stranger stares at your fingertips in abject wonder. I do enjoy that.

Apparently, you can DIY decals with nearly the same technique as a water marble...but without the mess. I decided to give it a try. It was not as easy as I anticipated.

Colors Used

Sally Hansen Mighty Mango

NYC Tudor City Teal

Octopus Party Spume Fed

Octopus Party On a Cliff

OPI Amazon Amaz-Off

after 24 hours. totally not because I forgot about it

I made a goofy face in my water, because I wanted a more abstract and less swirly design. I had this 70s mod thing swimming around in my head after the Miss Argentina manicure. I decided to use the same colors and try the decal method. I plopped my colors randomly into the water and waited a day. 

After 24 hours, I slid the decal out of the water and blotted the underside dry. I was pretty hopeful. I easily applied it to my ring and pinky fingers, though I didn't measure as well as I could have. I was encouraged by how simple this was to do. Could I have been introducing myself to a whole new hobby?

As it turns out, the answer was no.

On my index and ring fingers, I had far less success. There were drags, lumps, bubbles and tears. Finally, after 4 tries (and using up the entirety of my decal on one fingernail) I gave up and did the marble the old fashioned way on my middle finger. I used to think that water marbling was a time-suck, but not anymore.

decals vs tradition. I vote traditional, all the way.

I think, in the future, I will reserve the decal method for making accents and weird details as opposed to full fingernail designs. Even when considering cleanup and prep, for me, traditional water marbles are more efficient and better looking. 

Tl;dr its a pain in the ass and not worth doing.