DIY: Ombre Nails

May 30, 2012

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved painting my nails. I used to paint all different designs and patterns, so when the ombré nail became so popular, I couldn’t wait to try it out. The past long weekend gave me some time to sit down and test out the waters, and I’m happy to say I am quite pleased with the results! 🙂

One of my favorite websites for beauty tips and tutorials is thebeautydepartment.com, and they came through once again. I followed their ombré tutorial which was so simple and easy I had to share it!

You’ll need:

• 3-4 nail polish colors and a base and top coat (I chose pink because I have so many different shades!)
• A makeup sponge (or any type)
• Small bowl of water
• Nail polish remover
• Cotton balls
• A toothpick or two
• Nail clippers and filer if needed

Apply your base coat and wait for it to dry. While you wait, unscrew the caps your polishes to get them ready and put your sponge in your bowl of water. Once the sponge has soaked up some water and your nails have dried, squeeze out the water leaving the sponge damp. This will allow the sponge to let the polish sit and not soak in.

Now you need to work fast. Apply your darkest shade at the base of your sponge. Work your way up to the lightest color. You need to work quickly so your polish doesn’t dry on the sponge. When you’re all set, press the sponge onto your nail and bounce it up and down to blend the colors together. I went over my nails two times to make the colors more vibrant. Plus, the more I did it, the more I got the hang of it and the better my nails came out!

It may look like a 5-year-old attempted to paint your nails for you, but don’t panic. Take your toothpick and rip off a little piece of your cotton ball and wrap it around the tip of the toothpick. Dip it in nail polish remover and get rid of the nail polish around your nails and on your fingers. Once your fingers are cleaned up, all that’s left to do is apply the top coat and let them dry!

I was so shocked at how easy this technique was and I love the way this is a subtle way to change up your normal plain polished nails.

Have you tried the ombré look? What colors did you use?