Waterspotting Beach Watermarble Nail Art

Today is the final day of July’s Watermarble Practice Wednesday challenge, and I had to create a seaside inspired design. My Beach Watermarble Nail Art uses waterspotting to imitate waves crashing on to a beach. 

I’ve done beach nails again and again, it’s definitely a design I love. The colours and the texture really look like a tropical beach to me!

Beach Watermarble Nail Art left hand

Polishes and tools

Your favourite base coat and top coat
Rainbow Connection Zap
Color Club Meet Me At The Rink
Models Own Hypergel Bermuda Blue
Revlon Royal
Franken Midnight Blue Jelly
Cirque Carpe Diem
Zoya Tomoko and Bar
Disposable cup filled with room temperature water
Spray bottle filled with surgical spirit

I started with a coat of Zap around all my nails, because I knew that a gradient base and then watermarbling would be a lot of mess. Actually I applied it before I even did my base coat.

Beach Watermarble Nail Art macro

Once my base coat was on, I started the gradient. This wasn’t on a white base since I knew I could just build up the layers until it was opaque.

I painted stripes across a make up sponge so the lightest colours were at the cuticle. I thought that if the pastel blue was a bit too sheer it wouldn’t show so much there. Also, the curve of my cuticle line makes a perfect bay for the shoreline.

It took me about three coats of dabbing with a make up sponge to get the gradient just right. I added a layer of top coat to smooth it out a little.

Beach Watermarble Nail Art right hand

Waterspotting

Next, I used one drop of Carpe Diem at a time on the water, and a few sprays of the surgical spirit to break up the polish once it had spread.

I then dip my nails into the water, and since the design is quite random, I did as many nails at a time that fit in the cup.

You can also keep dipping and catching all the polish on your nails until you have a look you like.

After that, I used the two Zoya polishes around my cuticles to create a sandy beach. The mix of the two worked well – Tomoko is lighter and finer, while Bar has chunkier holographic glitter pieces to add the texture of sand.

Beach Watermarble Nail Art index macro

Beach Watermarble Nail Art

I really love the finished look, the colours, the waterspotting giving the impression of foam and white horses, to the gritty, glistening sand.

Do you like this? Are you off to a beach soon? Do tell!