#31DC2014 31-Day Challenge - Day 20 - Water Marble

Before today's challenge, I'd never tried the water marble technique. After today's challenge, I'll probably never do it again.

I've never tried any nail art technique as difficult to get right as this one! I always had respect for nail artists who use water marbling, but that has increased tenfold—especially the ones who make it look easy. I struggled for almost 2 hours to get something that looked halfway decent on my nails.

I did learn some important information about the water marble technique, especially from this excellent video by Ashley Savage.

• It's REALLY messy. I taped off my fingers but I still got polish all over my hands.
• Not all nail polishes will spread out into that nice "bull's eye" shape you need to be successful. I tried China Glaze, OPI, and Wet n Wild and none of them worked. I was finally successful with Sinful Colors (Bright Lucite and Rain Storm).
• Water temperature definitely matters. Too warm or too cold makes the polish behave badly (clumping, drying too fast, etc.) Some people say water marbling works better with bottled water, but I didn't have any so I couldn't try it.
• The size of the water container seems to make a difference. A shorter, shallower container worked better for me.
• Never start as the edge of the polish when making a pattern—insert the toothpick or needle about 1/4 of the way in. (I ruined three bull's eyes before I figured this out!)

Overall, I'm glad I tried water marbling. For me, this challenge has been all about pushing myself as a nail artist. That said, this isn't one of my favorite techniques—too much effort for too little reward.