Thursday, June 14, 2012

NOTW: Ombre Effect


Please excuse the state of my nails in general, I have been sporting this look for about a week now and have only now got round to taking some pictures for you!
I had been wanting to ombre my nails, but my first attempt a few weeks ago was far from successful, and very messy! But, not one to be deterred, I decided to give it another go, and this was the result.
First, I painted all my nails with two layers of Colorama's Pop Art Yellow and waited for it to dry completely.
I then took a plastic folder (just one of those cheap flimsy ones you put in ring binders) and painted on a generous line of each of the three colours I was using, from lightest to darkest (I chose Miss Sporty 326, which is a gorgeous bright coral, and 302, a pretty hot pink) . I used a small piece of sponge to soak up the polish and moved it up and down a little bit while doing so in order to blend the colours.
Then, I just pressed the sponge onto each of my nails, making sure to cover the whole surface, waited for it to dry and repeated the step a couple more times to achieve my desired result.
A couple of words of warning if you've never tried this before: 1) It is reeeally messy! Make sure you've got plenty of nail varnish/polish remover at hand before you start, as you do not want to run out and find yourself with rainbow hands you can't get rid of! And 2) The sponging means that the texture of your polish ends up being quite rough and bumpy, so you will need a couple of layers of a good clear topcoat to smooth things out and protect your artwork - I don't know about you, but after spending such a long time doing my nails and cleaning them up, I want them to last, even being someone who gets bored with my nail colours so easily!
I love this look for the summer, and love that you can mix it up with loads of different colour schemes. Next time I'm going to try some pastels and some pretty greens.

What's on your nails at the moment?
Have you ever tried to ombre yours?

xx

21 comments:

  1. Very pretty!
    I've tired this before, but a different method.
    It didnt work out so well!

    ClaireRebecca.x
    www.glitterview.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks hun, believe me, the first time I tried was an absolute disaster! Something I learned this time was that even if you think it looks rubbish after doing the first layer, don't give up - it takes a couple of layers before it starts to look good :)

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  2. They look lovely. I've seen a few different ombre nail colour combinations but I'm yet to sit down and actually do it - if I've got the time maybe it'll be a job for this weekend!

    shinyprettythings-alice.blogspot.co.uk

    x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I've had a simple look on my nails since then as it's so time consuming to ombre them and then clean up the mess! But I'm definitely going to try a new colour combo this weekend!x

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  3. Your nails look so pretty with that color combo!
    This looks like a fun (but messy xD) project I want to try in my free time
    Thanks for putting up this tutorial :D

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    Replies
    1. Thanks lovely, it definitely is very messy, so make sure you've got some extra time free when you do it. Cleaning up can be a bit time consuming x

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  4. Hi Melanie!
    I really like it! I hadn't known the method behind ombre nails up till reading this, so this is actually an eye opener! (never imagined a polly pocket to be involved!)
    I really want to try it now I know how to do it.. But I see I shall need to have a long time in which to do it!
    I love the colour combination! Very summery. My nails have a purple glittery maxfactor and a holographic topshop combo and have been described as a "night sky" haha.

    rach xx
    rivasoave.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rach, the actual process is quite quick, although if you are as impatient as me then it can be a bit annoying having to wait for all the layers to dry! It's the cleaning up that takes the most time though, my hands were covered in nail varnish!
      Your nails sound really pretty, what's the name of the polish you have on?x

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    ReplyDelete
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    1. Ha, so was I until recently, it just takes a lot of perseverence! I was literally the worst person in the world at it when I first started!x

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  6. Oh wow, I love your colour choice! So pretty and summery x

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    1. Thanks, that's what I thought, nice and bright!x

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  7. This is so pretty! I have never even thought to try this but I shall give it a go! :) x

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    1. Thanks, let me know if you do, would love to see the results!x

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  8. Aah, this is so lovely! The colours are gorgeous together. XO

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  9. They look so pretty, keep meaning to do them myself :)

    http://lucyywrites01.blogspot.com
    x

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    1. Let me know if you do, would love to see what colours you go for :) x

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  10. This looks amazing, great colours! x

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  11. I've tried to do this and it went so badly. I love looking at nail varnish posts.

    I'm a new blogger and would love it if you could check out my blog.

    www.simplybeauty123.blogspot.co.uk

    xxx

    ReplyDelete

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