When you start a blog about your obsession with nail polish, and a friend sends you a link to the video below with "You should try this!", there's really only one acceptable response to maintain your credibility as a self proclaimed nail polish guru. You say...
We're going to get the drink out early this time, front and center, as I sense some frustration in my near future! Since I anticipate this to be an intense mani, it's only logical that we bust out the... VODKA! Vodka & Lemonade is a classic, but this specific combination was introduced to the hubby and I by our neighbor (Shout out!). It uses San Pellegrino Limonata and Three Olives Vodka. It's such a refreshing drink! The Limonata is a sparkling lemonade, and it really helps to keep this drink light and fresh. Hop on over to my Recipes page if you need "exact" measurements that include ounces and such, and aren't comfortable with "pour vodka into glass".
After doing some "mani research", I felt confident enough to give this one a try. We'll see if the guru hat stays on after my attempt, or if I need to humbly step down to a mere nail polish fanatic.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
(While thinking, HOLY CRAP! What the heck is this???)
(While thinking, HOLY CRAP! What the heck is this???)
Now, back to the mani! I scoured Google and YouTube to learn about this crazy manicure, and I learned all the do's and don'ts of a Water Marble Manicure! This trend is pretty popular, so finding some tips didn't take too long!
DO | DON'T
|
I decided to use the 3 polishes below, and take a stab at my own little video. In addition, I'm using "White On" by Sally Hansen, Hard as Nails Extreme Wear as my base color.
Here's My Attempt
Warning! I'm fully aware that my video taking skills need some improvement! I needed two hands to prep the bowl, so I had the camera under my chin, which is why the bowl goes in and out of frame so much. On the plus side, I did figure out how to put music to the video, so you get to enjoy some really suspenseful music while watching this attempt. I hope it helps to portray the uncertainty I felt while doing this mani. If you pay close attention, I have about a 5 second pause before I put my hand into the water. The thought going through my head at that time...Don't screw this one up, this is your 5th attempt!
And Here's The Finished Look
I have to say, I definitely have A LOT of practice to do! I was so annoyed by the end of this mani session that after the 5th attempt, I got the 4 fingers in the photo above to turn out decent and gave up! I didn't have the patience to try this on the other hand. It took me an hour and a half to get those 4 fingers done.! I think the hubby said about 3 times "You're still doing that???". Yes, hubs, yes.
A few highlights...
While I think this look has a neat effect, I don't think I'll be trying this again for a while. Guru hat = off! (at least in the water marble world). I'll stick to my simpler techniques for now!
A few highlights...
- The Vaseline did help with clean-up; however, it was sort of messy and made my fingers very gooey and slimy feeling, which I didn't like. On one of my attempts, I actually forgot to put the Vaseline on (nearly panicked after I dunked my hand into the water), and I was still able to get all of the nail polish off of my fingers, so the Vaseline isn't an absolute necessity (but it will take a lot of acetone if you don't use the Vaseline)!
- The distilled water did seem to work better than regular tap water. I noticed that the nail polish spread more easily in the distilled water.
- I was not prepared for how quickly I'd have to work! The nail polish started to dry very quickly and created a film on the top of the water. In my first few attempts, by the time I was ready to use the toothpick to create the design in the nail polish, it was already dry and I was more or less just pulling nail polish across the water, or it was clinging to the toothpick! (Grr)
While I think this look has a neat effect, I don't think I'll be trying this again for a while. Guru hat = off! (at least in the water marble world). I'll stick to my simpler techniques for now!
Disclosure: The video that inspired this post was originally published on the Picture Polish Youtube page. Check out the Picture Polish channel by clicking here. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you stop by often!
Katey