Nails of the Day Tutorial: Mermaid Glitter Ombre

You know what makes this a fantastic nail art technique?  Its pretty hard to mess up, doesn't require precision, and can be in any colour you want.

I was feeling a mermaid style, but you can do whatever you want.

You Will Need:

Disposable small container

Cheap makeup sponge

4 nail polishes

I used Julep's:

• Soraphine
• Shenae
• Denver
• Tania

I recommend using a colour like Soaphine or Essie's Marshmallow as the base.  The clear-ish milky white it a great point to start at.

Step 1: Clean and file your nails as usual.

Step 2: Apply your base coat and let it dry.

Step 3: Paint your nails using Soraphine/Marshmallow.  Just apply one light coat.  This style required a fair number of coats so don't worry if its not perfect.  Simply make sure it is an even application.

Step 4: Take your lightest colour (I sued Shenae) and dab a few drops from the brush on your disposable little container.  I used a razor container.  You could also consider a plastic bag.  Wet your sponge so it is saturated and then wring it out.  This will save you on nail polish and help create the watercolour look.  Dab the polish on the tip of the sponge and then pat the sponge gently on the top 2/3 of your nail.  Don't worry if it isn't perfect.  You can come by later with Q-Tips and polish remover.

Step 5: Repeat Step 4 using your next shade (Denver) applied to the top 1/3 of your nail.

Step 6 (Optional):  I felt that the tips were not dark enough so using the same colour from Step 5 I applied a touch more to each tip.

What makes this technique so great is that each layer is incredibly thin (think watercolour paint) so they dry quite quickly.

Step 7: This step is the most fun!  Take your glitter and apply it to the top 1/3 or so of our nail.  Once it is dry apply a second coat to the top 1/4 gently patting on the glitter so that the tips are opaque with glitter and allowing it to tail off.

Step 8: Clean off the sides of your nails using a Q-Tip and some polish remover.

Step 9: Finish it off with your favourite topcoat!

When I wore this I got loads of compliments asking which salon did it!  When I explained that I did it myself there was disbelief.  I would love to do this for my little cousin using pink and calling it a "Fairy Manicure".  

So there you have it!  Little to no mess.  Fun, complex look.  Go for it!

I would love to see pictures if you give this style a try!

Happy Sunday xoxo!