DIY Ombre Nails

Here's a little step-by-step guide from our friend The Nailasaurus at Glamour for getting the fun and fabulous ombre nail art look at home.
13-gradient-nail-tutorial-finished-nails-holding-polish_bd.jpg
Before you start, make sure you have everything you need and that it's easy to reach from
wherever you're sitting. It's also a good idea to make a quick trip to the bathroom. There's nothing worse than creating an awesome mani and then ruining it because you didn't plan ahead!
What you'll need:
02-gradient-nail-tutorial-polishes_bd.jpg
Two color polishes and a topcoat. You can choose colors that compliment or go bold and pick two that clash. Experiment with different combinations and see what works.
03-gradient-nail-tutorial-equipment_bd.jpg
A sponge, a plastic sheet and toothpicks. I bought a big bathroom sponge and I just cut sections off when I need them. The sections don't have to be perfectly cut, as long as one side is flat it will work. You can use absolutely any sponge - a makeup sponge, washing up sponge or any other kind of sponge you can find.

If you don't have any of these plastic wallets in the house, raid the kitchen cupboards for some foil or baking paper.

The Fun Part!
04-gradient-nail-tutorial-base-polish_bd.jpg
Step 1: Using the lightest of the two colors, paint your nails and wait for it to dry completely.
05-gradient-nail-tutorial-two-colors_bd.jpg
Step 2: On a flat surface, paint a generous amount of the colors right next to each other on to the plastic. Make sure they're just about touching at the edges.
06-gradient-nail-tutorial-swirl_bd.jpg
Step 3: Using a toothpick, swirl the two colors together in where they meet. The area where they mix will determine the length of the graduation. So if you want a long graduation, mix a bigger section of the colors, if you want less of a fade, just mix them together a tiny bit.
07-gradient-nail-tutorial-pick-up_bd.jpg
Step 4: Take your sponge and dab it directly down on to the polish a few times.
08-gradient-nail-tutorial-sponging_bd.jpg
Step 5: Dab the sponge directly down on to your nail. Keep dabbing lightly and moving it very slightly up and down your nail.
09-gradient-nail-tutorial-after-sponging_bd.jpg
(You can repeat this step as many times as you need to. Just make sure each layer is completely dry before sponging again otherwise you will start smudging the bottom layers and ruin the whole thing.)
10-gradient-nail-tutorial-top coat_bd.jpg
Step 6: Add a topcoat. Or two or three! The sponging makes this mani very bumpy so you may need a couple of topcoats just to even out the surface.
11-gradient-nail-tutorial-clean-up_bd.jpg
Step 7: Clean up all the excess using a brush dipped in acetone or polish remover. I use a Q-tip dipped in remover for the big bits I can reach on my skin, then a small brush in pure acetone as I get closer to my nail and to make a crisp line near the cuticles.
12-gradient-nail-tutorial-finished_bd.jpg
All finished!
Do you like this nail polish look? Have you tried this technique before? Tell me what you think in the comments!

1 comment :

  1. I'll try it this weekend if my 2 grandkids gave me a chance,i love it its very simple nd it looks so difficult LOL

    ReplyDelete