
If there is one nail art technique I always feared to try it’s water marbling. Water marble manicures look gorgeous and the possibilities to play with colors and shapes seem endless but I never had the guts to try it.. until now.
For my first baby step water marble manicure I wanted to try a subtle variation. A variation which is more forgiving and gives me the opportunity to experiment a bit with water marbling without being discouraged when a marble isn’t perfect. A subtle multichrome galaxy water marble manicure came to my mind with randomly shaped marbles over a black base. The multichromes I picked – Ninja Polish Alexandrite from the Facets collection and Girly Bits Street Magic and Shift Happens – have just a slightly tinted base and I was curious to see not only how well they would work for water marbling but also how visible their shimmer would be with this technique.
Because the shimmer in all three multichromes is dense they showed up very well even though the layer of nail polish in water marbling is thin and I am really happy how this manicure – my water marbling baby steps – turned out.

Basically I had no idea what I was doing while water marbling the marbles turned out more randomly shaped. I have watched some great tutorials but I am far, far away from their stunning results and still have a lot to learn. The flower shaped marble on my pinky nail turned out really nice but this was also the last nail I applied a water marble on.


Because I took the pictures in direct lighting the multichrome effects aren’t visible in the pictures but it is gorgeous to see when the red shimmer of Girly Bits Shift Happens turns green when the light hits the nail in a flat angle. Multichromes are love. ♥

American Apparel – Hassid: one coat
Girly Bits – Shift Happens
Girly Bits – Street Magic
Ninja Polish – Alexandrite
Essence – 144 Black is back (black cream)
Base coat: OPI – Nail Envy Matte
Top Coat: Essie – Good To Go
Have you ever tried a water marble manicure? I was scared before because of the mess and had quite a few fails on my thumb nail but I am looking forward to experiment with more water marbles.
Thanks for looking and have a great weekend! ♥

Absolutely breathtaking. You have taken a technique I don’t care much about and made it something completely extraordinary with amazing colors. I am in love!
*blushes* Thank you so much Rylee!
I know I’m really really late to this party, but you’re actually brilliant.
And I love this look.
Lisa Mc recently posted..China Glaze Blue Bells Ring
*blushes* Thank you so much Lisa! ♥
So glad you played with water marbling!! this looks great! it can be quite addicting!
Ashley Vanessa, SugarSpiceStyle recently posted..Shoe Select
I am glad I finally tried water marbling too Ashley Vanessa!
What a beaaaaaaaaaaautiful water marble. I would have never thought to do one so subtle and shimmery but I love it. Great job!
Lisa recently posted..Hocus Pocus Series Part 1: Mary Sanderson
Thank you so much Lisa!
I absolutely adore this look, you did a beautiful job combining polishes! Ugh. So pretty!!!
Thank you so much Wickednails Rylee!
That’s GORGEOUS! I don’t think my first try would look even half that good.
Marilyn @ Lipgloss+Spandex recently posted..FOTD – 10-10-12
Thank you so much Marilyn!
How do you get that deep, GORGEOUS green?
Wow! I could get lost looking into those – beautiful !
Brooklinmommy recently posted..Spiderweb Nails!
Thank you so much Brooklinmommy!
the-swatchaholic recently posted..Guest Post at Let Them Have Polish ❤
Hi this is my first time on your blog and I looooove it so far and will definitely be suscribing…I just recently started doing my own manicures (to save money. Lol) and I make such a mess. I am always in awe at how perfectly you guys(nail bloggers) apply your nail polish. What’s the secret to getting the nail polish on so perfectly?
Thank you so much Lisa and welcome to my blog!

The secret for my application is the clean-up. An angled brush and pure acetone are my best friends. I tend to be too fast with the application of nail polishes so I always need to clean-up a bit afterwards. Michèle from Lacquerized has written a fab tutorial for it: http://www.lacquerized.com/2010/02/clean-up-in-6-easy-steps.html. This is the technique I use too. HTH!
the-swatchaholic recently posted..Guest Post at Let Them Have Polish ❤
I love the water marble color, its so gorgeous, i love it, i love it.
Natural Beauty care tips recently posted..How to remove nail polish effectively
This looks AWESOME!!!! Great job!!!
Nicole LaRussa recently posted..Charm Your Nails-Witches Bitchin’ Brew
Thank you so much Nicole!
the-swatchaholic recently posted..Guest Post at Let Them Have Polish ❤
Sometimes when I water marble I do 2 drops per colors, Just a tip even though this looks AMAZING!!!!
Thank you so much Nuvia!
I will use two drops each color next time. Thank you so much for the advice! 
the-swatchaholic recently posted..Guest Post at Let Them Have Polish ❤
I love it! It is unlike any water marble I’ve ever seen!
Thank you so much Cassandra!
the-swatchaholic recently posted..Guest Post at Let Them Have Polish ❤
WOW! I love this! well done!
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Thank you so much Pam!
the-swatchaholic recently posted..Guest Post at Let Them Have Polish ❤
wow beautiful!
X Jenny
Thank you so much Jenny!
x
the-swatchaholic recently posted..Guest Post at Let Them Have Polish ❤
OMG this is GORGEOUS! I love, love, love it! I haven’t tried water marbling yet either but this looks too pretty to pass up.
Martha recently posted..Product review: NYX Shine Killer Foundation Primer
Thank you so much Martha!

There are so many possibilities for subtle water marbles, bold water marbles.. the possibilities are endless. I definitely recommend to give them a try.
the-swatchaholic recently posted..Guest Post at Let Them Have Polish ❤
I love the idea of a subtle water marble and you really pulled it off well. I’ll have to try this once I gather up the courage to do a water marble. I own Shift Happens but never thought to use it in that way. Also the Ninja Polish is amazing, I hope it comes back in stock!
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I was feeling kind of blah this morning, and then…
Thank you so much Meghan!

Yes I hope the Facets come back in stock soon! Everyone needs them! <3
the-swatchaholic recently posted..Guest Post at Let Them Have Polish ❤
Oh my god, it’s so gorgeous!!
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Thank you so much Yulia!
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