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Saturday, August 13, 2011

Dry Water Marble + Tutorial

Happy Saturday! Hope you're enjoying your weekend so far :) Sorry for my disappearance this week. I'm still working at the hospital and it's quite an adjustment to wake up at 5am, especially if you're not a morning person :(

Anyways, today I wanted to share a fun idea for those that have not mastered the water marble or just plain hate dealing with all the cleanup. I was talking to some friends at LHCF that wanted to do a water marble on toes. I never thought to do this but another member had seen CND do it on wax paper.

The idea is to create the marble on paper then transfer it to your nails. I'm not sure why they called it the Butterfly Effect but it looked pretty easy to do. It's the same concept as ziploc bag decals: create your design on a ziploc, allow it to dry, then transfer it to your nails. It's not a pretty as the water marble but it's a good substitute. I may be able to do better designs with practice but it's not bad for a first try. I included a tutorial below. Enjoy :)


Tutorial


Apply your base color to a zip-loc bag.

Add a few more colors to marble with. I used Avon Blue Shock, OPI Banana Bandanna, Studio M Energy Star and China Glaze Custom Kicks.
Use a toothpick and draw lines to combine the colors.


He're the finished look. Allow to dry a couple of hours.

Apply base color while waiting for the marble to dry.
Once dry use tweezers to lift from plastic.

You can either peel off the entire section or cut off a piece at a time.
I recommend cutting a small piece. The polish is thin and will fold over on itself.

Apply the cut section to your nail.
Your nail polish must be slightly wet/tacky in order for the marble to adhere!!!

Press the marble into the tacky polish like you're applying a nail decal. Remember to cover the edge. Use your tweezers or toothpick to push through. I like to use scissors but I don't recommend them.


Tear off the excess and tahdah!

Apply your favorite topcoat and don't forget to cover your edges.
You're done!
Let me know if you try this out. I would love to see different colors and designs!


77 comments:

  1. This is such a neat idea! I gotta try it soon! For designs like this I'd rather water marble but I'm just thinking of the designs I could do that I couldn't with water marbling!

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  2. Wow I tried to do this in water and got in a terrible mess, Going to try this tonight!
    thanks so much for this


    xx

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  3. wow, that's amazing! It seems to apply like the Sally Hansen strips. Great tutorial, by the way!

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  4. this is super neat! I haven't mastered water marble but I'll try this

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  5. Very interesting! I've tried to do the plastic bag decals but they didn't work very well. :(

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  6. This is awesome!!! I have GOT to try this!

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  7. @Everyday I'm Polish. I like that you can control the way the polish will look on your nails. I tried to make them all slanted.

    @Buttonboxx It's easy but the downside is you have to let the polish dry a couple of hours:(

    @Hayley. Thanks :) Yes the polish is very thin like the nail strips. There's still a little clean-up but not as much.

    @Roxanne. I hope you have great results!

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  8. @Amanda. Sorry you didn't like your decals. I think this is a lot easier because it doesn't have to be perfect.

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  9. this is so awesome!! thanks so much for sharing!!! I need to try this out!

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  10. I am totally going to try this OMG.

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  11. Such a great advice! Thanks so much!

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  12. Wow, this is awesome. I was pretty bad at the water marble but this seems do-able!!!

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  13. Wow this is freaking amazing ! I will try this !

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  14. You are INGENIOUS!!!!!
    I am terrible at water marbling... actually I have never been able to do it, but I can do this! THANKS!!!
    So excited! Will definitelly try this weekend =P

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  15. This is very cute. I've never tried water marble because it seems messy. This looks easier, if a bit more time consuming. I may have to do this. :)

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  16. Wow, what an incredibly innovative idea! I didn't like dry marbling on nails because the toothpick just kind of pulls up on the base and you can have bald spots if done incorrectly. Thanks for sharing this incredible tutorial!

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  17. woah that's super neat! thanks for sharing

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  18. I have never heard ANY of the plastic bag methods. I wonder how long they will last? Will for sure try soon!

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  19. wow this is so cool! I may have to try this and do a video on it.

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  20. This is a really neat idea! I think I'll give this a try on my next day off. ^_^

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  21. This is such a cool way to do marbling! I gotta try it! It's really pretty!

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  22. wow, this is soooo interesting!
    and it looks great!

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  23. My first water marble was a nightmare, thanks so much for this tutorial I'm so excited to try this!

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  24. Definitely going to try this. Thanks for sharing, looks way easier than the real water marbling.

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  25. I love the final result. I think I am gonna try it on my nails some day :)

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  26. How freaking cool! :]
    I'm going to try this and I shall blog about it.

    Please follow my blog if you haven't yet and if you can my twitter too! (Viva_La_Breee)

    xoxo, Bree

    http://vivalabreee.blogspot.com/

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  27. Wow, I have to try this! I am not on good terms with water marble, all of my polishes tend to sink to the bottom and none of them spreads like they are supposed to... but this seems so easy and foolproof! Thank you so much for the idea, I'll write again (with a link to my blogpost) when I try it ^^

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  28. Wow!!
    amazing!
    I have to try this!

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  29. Hey before you painted your nails yellow, what was the floral design you had on your nails? (WANT!)


    KJ

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  30. Thanks so much for all of your wonderful comments ladies. I was having a bad weekend but this really cheered me up.

    @KJ Callaway. I had on a floral foil from http://www.foilsonline.com/

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  31. So so so awesome! I shall try this one day! Wonderful post as always =)

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  32. It's amazing! I'll try it soon... :-O

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  33. What a beautiful design! Thanks for sharing the tutorial. I'm not a morning person either. You have my sympathies.

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  34. Haha wow! That's crazy! Never would have though of that.

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  35. Great tutorial! Need to try this out! This an awesome alternative to real water marble.

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  36. Wow, what a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  37. This technique and applying like a decal is awesome, looks so easy a guy could try it, LOL However, your nails looks amazingly beautiful and gorgeous.

    Love,

    George :)

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  38. Wow, awesome! Thanks for the tutorial!

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  39. I will have to try this the next time I do a marbled design. I love water marbling but I do hate the clean-up involved when you do it.

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  40. Such a cool idea. Will definately try this, because I totally suck at water marbling.

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  41. this is really awesome! will definitely try this!=D

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  42. This is fantastic! I can't wait to try it! :) I wonder how long the polish keeps. Like could you do it the day before and it'd still be good? a few days? At some point I assume it gets dry and crackly... I wonder what the waiting limit is.

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  43. Wow, this is a wonderful post! I didn't know you could do this. Thanks!

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  44. This looks so much easier to do. I have to give it a try. Thanks for sharing darling :D

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  45. oh wow~! I am totally going to give this a try.

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  46. Awesome idea, I'm going to try it out -- looks fantastic!!!

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  47. woow, what a great idea! i have to try this!

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  48. Excellent! I am going to try this for sure!

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  49. Holy crap, really!? So regular polish would work on the wax paper too right, not just those Shellac hybrids? Wax paper seems easier because you can cut it closer to the size you want...

    Maybe I'll try both and find out!

    Thanks for showing us this!

    Oh and after a few posts back, I went to dollarnailart and got a bunch of nail foils so I can try them! You made it look too awesome.

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  50. I love it I'll have to try it out. Hey everyone please check out my blog It's new and I just made it http://nailsbyhunny.blogspot.com/

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  51. Yay! I finally can comment here on blogspot and I really like this idea! Totally gonna make some dry marbling nail design too!

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  52. Mine Turned out soooooo cute! But I did a swirly pattern instead with purple, green, and turquoise and they are adorable! Thank you thank you thank you soooooooooo much!


    p.s. Is that a stamp on your nails in the picture?

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  53. Thanks for sharing this! I will have to try it soon!

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  54. Perfect! I suck at water marbling lol.
    One question: Do you think I could make the marbling in advance? Like, create a really big piece on a ziploc bag, allow to dry, then store somewhere for later use? It would be so great to be able to create different designs and color combos and have them ready whenever I change my mani :)

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  55. I did this today and it came out great.....I used all Sally Hansen colors......super easy....thanks for the idea!

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  56. Thanks so much ladies. Sorry for the late replies.

    @Joice. I'm sure you can make them in advance but not so sure how long they would last. I think they worked so well because the polish was somewhat stretchy. Maybe if you store it with plastic on top that will help maintain some of the moisture.

    @Mud. I'll have to check out your blog because I want to see your design :) Oh and that's a nail foil in the pic.

    @Shimmerspark. I'm sure regular polish will work on wax paper. I didn't try it because I didn't have any on hand. The plastic seemed easier to work with because its flexible. But I agree the wax paper is stiff and will allow you to cut out a design.

    @Breigh. I'm not sure about day. Maybe a day or two.

    @George. Thanks :)

    @Sedna. Hopefully this will be a lot easier fr you. it was for me!

    @Kay. I'm going through the storm right now, lol. It's almost over though :)

    Thanks so much your all of your sweet comments!!! Happy Friday!

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  57. crazy technique, did you think of this yourself or is it just a known thing aha?

    http://er-nails.blogspot.com/

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  58. my water marble on cellophane, thought a year ago: http://soffiodideanailart.blogspot.com/2010/05/water-marble-su-cellophane.html

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  59. Hey dear,

    i tried it but did not work out some how.
    can u share a video for the same so i can understand the quantities of nail polish to be taken, also the method of spreading the polish.

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  60. wow this is genius. hmm will have to try it. i love the marble look.

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  61. Thats actually looks easy. I have to give that a go soon! Love it!

    Thank you for sharing :)

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  62. I actually took this one step further, and used it to make nail decals. I know others have probably done this before. I chose to use a sheet of saran wrap taped to the table so I had a much larger canvas to work on, the nail polish peels off super easy too.

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  63. That's so cool! I tried it!
    Take a look http://thepolishsistas.blogspot.com/

    Greetz Anja

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  64. Thank you for sharing this with me. =D

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  65. LOVE IT!!! Did this last night. I just had some issue with getting the polish off the bag after it drys. You can even let it dry over night and it will still work! I just used base coat to sick it on but I see some gaps where it would help to have a color under it. Thank you so much for this! I do not know if you came up with it or found it. No matter YOU gave it to us! No more mussing with water trying to get that to work and making a big mess! here is how it turned out! (1st go at it!) http://edgenails.weebly.com/

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    1. Thanks so much Sachiko. I'm glad it worked for you. There definitely is a learning curve but once you find the right colors you're set!

      I still like the look of the real water marble though but I also like this as an option when I'm short on time or just being lazy, LOL.

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  66. I love this, I have worn it 6 times. I love that I can do the marbling days or even weeks in advance, and that it is so much neater and easier to clean up than water marbles.

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    1. I'm so glad you like it! I have marbles in my drawer stashed away, LOL. It is great to be able to whip them out whenever I like. I forgot to add but I did an experiment and was able to freshen the old marble with a clear topcoat to soften it and apply later in the day.

      I'm glad it worked for you too :)

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  67. I will be trying this very soon and will be linking back. What an amazing & creative idea!

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  68. Definitely going to try this out! I water marble my finger nails but I think this may work nicely for my toes!! I hate not having a matching mani/pedi. Hahah.

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