I can't tell you how many times I have attempted a water marble design and got everything right, made the perfect pattern but when I tried to pick it up…FAIL! It is soooooo aggravating. Either I've missed the mark and didn't pick up the design I was aiming for or inadvertently shook when I hit the surface (I drink a lot of coffee and my nerves aren't great, it’s a wonder any of my nail art designs come out nice). Then of course there are those pesky bubbles from dipping to fast.
Well, after doing my DIY Nail Art Decals last week a thought occurred to me, why couldn't I make a water marble decal. Yes, I've seen tutorials on people making swirled pattern decals on plastic wrap but I wanted to make a true water marble design decal. So, after surfing You Tube I found a video by Sonal Sagaraya on making water marble decals. It seemed so incredibly easy that I had to give it a try.
Materials
Water
Cup/bowl
Base and top coat
Polishes of your choice
Toothpick (orange stick or dotting tool also works)
Wax or parchment paper (recommended but not required)
Make your water marble design like you normally would. Drop polishes into room temperature water, and use a toothpick to create your pattern. I used three polishes from China Glaze's All Aboard collection, 'Well Trained', 'Conduct Yourself', and 'Stop That Train' (stay tuned, swatches and reviews of All Aboard are coming soon).
But instead of dipping your finger in the desired design. Leave the water marble design and allow it to dry. This will take longer than normal because it is in water. When the design has dried enough to pick it up, carefully remove the design from the water. Use a toothpick or dotting tool and make sure that it is not attached to the side of your cup/bowl. Removing the decal is probably the most difficult part of this process, if you're not careful it will fold and wrinkle. I found that the longer it sat in the water to dry the easier it was to pick up and didn't fold or wrinkle as much. Lay the water marble design flat on a piece of wax or parchment paper. This is recommend because it allows the decal to dry out more without sticking to the paper. If you use a paper towel it may stick to it.
After giving the decal some more time to dry. Apply it just like you would any DIY polish decal. Start with applying a base coat, and while it is still wet place the decal on your nail. I recommend using a polish that you used in your water marble design as your base, this way if you accidentally tear the decal you have a color underneath that will mask the tear. Adjust the decal until it is in the desired location. Then use a cuticle pusher or orange stick to smooth the design. Then use a cuticle pusher and apply pressure around the cuticle to cut away the excess decal. Then buff the tip to get rid of any overhang. Apply a top coat to seal it all in place and perform a little clean up with acetone and a brush.
I think this decal method is so much easier and cleaner. Not to mention it takes all the guess work out of placement. You don't have to mess around with taping or covering your fingers. Though it takes sometime to wait for the decals to dry I think it is worth the wait. So, a super big thanks to Sonal Sagaraya for posting the video, I recommend you all check it out. I hope this little trick will help you all with your water marbling endeavors. Thanks for stopping by, see you next time.
Your Fellow Plebe,
