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Orange Watermarble Stripes (52 Week Challenge)

The themes for this week’s 52 Week Pick n Mix Challenge are orange and outlines. I chose to create some orange watermarble stripes, using decals.

These have been watermarbled without dragging through the image. I have wanted to use this technique for ages, to make (slightly curved) wide stripes on my nails. I’ve tried it a couple of times and it’s been disastrous. Previously, when I have dipped my nail in the water, it’s ended up a slushy mess.

So this time I tried it by letting the watermarble dry into a decal first.

Orange, black and white watermarble stripes using OPI A Roll In The Hague, OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and Calvin Klein Ebony Hates Chris - Black
Orange, black and white watermarble stripes using OPI A Roll In The Hague, OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and Calvin Klein Ebony Hates Chris – Black

It was still a bit messy. I let it dry in the water for over an hour, nearly two, but it was very pliable when I took it out and you can see a resulting slight stretch in the pattern on my ring finger. I would have preferred to cut it for the cuticles edge, but it was too soft, so I had to use acetone and a clean up brush, meaning it’s not as sharp and clean as I would like.

Orange, black and white watermarble stripes using OPI A Roll In The Hague, OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and Calvin Klein Ebony Hates Chris - Black
Orange, black and white watermarble stripes using OPI A Roll In The Hague, OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and Calvin Klein Ebony Hates Chris – Black

I used OPI A Roll In The Hague, Calvin Klein Ebony Hates Chris – Black, and OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls. They all marbled well. However, it’s still not entirely the look I was aiming for. I wanted mainly white, with different widths of black and orange stripes. I didn’t pay attention enough to what I was doing though.

 

 

52 week challenge

 

For this manicure I’ve used:
  • Plain orange nails: three coats of OPI A Roll In The Hague
  • Watermarbled nails: OPI A Roll In The Hague, Clavin Klein Ebony Hate Chris – Black, and OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls
  • Top coat: Glisten & Glow HK Girl


All manicure images are copyright to Kerruticles unless otherwise mentioned.

 

 

 

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Comments

Delphi

I’ve never read before about making decals out of a watermarbles by letting the polish dry on the surface of the water. How cool! I’m excited to try this as I have only once done a passable watermarble…on one finger. I’ve managed to pull off doing a decal though so maybe, just maybe, I could do this. You are so funny in your analyzing of technique and your profiency at it. Are you maybe one of those people who are harder on yourself than others are on you? I thought you did an excellent job! Would you mind answering some questions about this technique? Specifically: how did you remove the dried polish from the surface of the water? I imagine that after sitting for that amount of time, the polish was attached to the vessel all the around? Did you take a sharp utensil around the circumference first? Once detached, does the dried polish start to sink if water from below accidentally gets on top? Or do you hold the circle of polish with tweezers while loosening the edges so as to immediately be able to lift it as soon as it’s free? If not tweezers, what do you lift it with? Does the circle have a tendency to “taco,” by folding as it’s lifted from the water, with the bottom of it coming together? If it does that, does it stick to itself and become useless? Or, if it does that, is it easy to pull apart again? Do you transfer it directly to a paper towel or something until it’s completely dry, and then go about trimming it down for nail application? Or do you take it right from the water and lay it across your middle fingers before cutting? Do you apply anything to your nails first (e.g., base coat or color) before placing the watermarbled polish in order to have the nail bed surface be tacky so the decal can attach itself easily? It is it better to have dry and clean nail beds? You see, just a few questions. 😉 Thank you so much in advance if you have time and inclination to answer this!

Claire Kerr

Hi Delphi,

Thanks for the questions. Here goes with some answers for you…

I removed the polish with my fingers, but you’re right, it was stuck to the sides in places. I happened to have a dotting tool nearby, so used that to release the decal from the edges.

It didn’t sink. I think it could have folded onto itself if I had allowed it, but I sort of had it by one edge when I lifted it out and it came out OK. I had done it in quite a small vessel though. I expect it would be ruined if it stuck to itself.

Even after the nearly two hours, it was very pliable and sticky, so I didn’t put it onto anything. I wasn’t sure that I’d get it off again! So I placed it on my nail straight away.

My nails were completely dry and I’d painted them with a white base colour. But the decal stuck well. I sort of tore off the piece I didn’t need for the first nail and then used it on the adjacent nail. I put both pieces on the nail and smoothed them down and around to the edges before I started on clean up. I couldn’t cut the decal as it was too wet, so I cleaned up using acetone and a brush. It left the cuticle edge a bit raggedy though, so cutting it would probably be better. In which case, I should have left it to dry for longer.

There’s probably a YouTube video or ten on this technique, as it’s been around for a while. I’ve probably even watched one some time ago, as otherwise i don’t think I’d know what to do!

Delphi

Claire…you’re amazing! Taking the time to write out all that information to answer my questions AND doing a YouTube search for videos with more information…I am so grateful! I can’t wait to try this on my nails. I had never heard of this technique before. You’re the best!