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A Refreshing Watercolor Nail Tutorial to Quench Your Thirst for Color

June 24th, 2016 by Jen Clark 10 Comments

IMG_9789

I’m a little giddy today because we’re headed on a little vacation this weekend! We’re headed down south to warmer weather (not that it’s been cold here in Logan, Utah), or should I say, “sweltering weather,” where it’s supposed to be right up around 100 degrees while we’re there. That’s alright with me, though, because I plan to live in the pool.

Since I’m pregnant, there’s been no working out or eating healthy to do (one of my favorite perks), so all I had to do to get ready was just slap on a layer of my favorite fake tan, and grace my usually bare nails with a fresh, summery manicure.

While browsing Pinterest for some inspiration, I fell in love with watercolor nails. You can literally use any colors you want, and it’s so easy! The only special tool you need is a sandwich bag, and I’m pretty sure everyone has those on hand. (See what I did there? Eh?)

Let me show you how quick and easy this is!

1. Start with white nails

Start off with white nails (I’m using China Glaze White On White), and I painted mine the night before to make sure they were completely dry.

From experience, I’ve figured out that if the nails are still a little wet, it’ll cause problems with the rest of the process.

Start off with a white base
Start with a white base
China Glaze White on White
China Glaze White on White

2. Apply your colorful blobs

Working one nail at a time, put a fairly generous blob of each color you want to use on the nail. I put the blobs in different areas so that the nails don’t all turn out looking similar.

I wanted mine to resemble pools of water, so I used two blues — Zoya Blu and Sally Hansen Blue Rose (discontinued) — and a turquoise called Essie Turquoise and Caicos.

IMG_9753

Sally Hansen Blue Rose
Sally Hansen Blue Rose

IMG_9754

Zoya Blu
Zoya Blu

IMG_9755

IMG_9780
Essie Turquoise and Caicos

3. Grab your sandwich bag

Once your blobs are in place, it’s time to grab your sandwich bag. Open the bag, stick your finger inside, and lightly press your nail against the plastic, and sort of wiggle the bag around to mix the colors together.

It’s okay if you make a mess on your cuticles; we’ll clean those up later.

IMG_9756

IMG_9759

4. Time for top coat

When all of your nails are done, grab your favorite top coat (mine is Sally Hansen Mega Shine), and coat your nails. Then let them completely dry.

Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat
Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat

5. Clean up your cuticles

There are plenty of different techniques out there to get polish off your cuticles.

You can use a Q-tip and nail polish remover, but I don’t ever really do that because I don’t think it’s that effective, and there’s usually still a mess left over.

I like to wait for everything to completely dry, so like a few hours. Then I’ll make myself a nice bubble bath, and after my hands have soaked in the warm water for a while, I’ll put on my exfoliating gloves, rub around my cuticles, and everything comes right off.

Voila! A perfect manicure. And a relaxing bubble bath!

Do you have any fun vacation plans this summer? Where are you headed?

Jen Clark


Hi, beautiful! I’m Jen from Jen Leigh Beauty. Now, rather than just talking to myself about makeup, I write it down in a blog. Besides being madly in love with anything I can smear on my face (and sharing pics on Instagram), I’m more in love with my hunky husband, my sweet 2-year-old, and my fluffy fur baby. Thank goodness they put up with the madness, because I love chatting about my favorite things with people who understand the addiction.

A Refreshing Watercolor Nail Tutorial to Quench Your Thirst for Color / Originally published June 24th, 2016

There are 10 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Guest Post, Makeup Tips/How To, Nails

The products in this entry were provided by the manufacturer for consideration. For information about my posting policy, please see my Disclaimer.

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Comments

  1. TravelingBlush says

    June 24th, 2016 at 5:39 pm

    Yup, I have never bothered with clean up either. After a shower, things come right off with a little scrubbing. You have to wait a few hours for the natural oils of your skin starts to dislodge the polish.
    TravelingBlush recently posted … Makeup Rip-off…not!

    Reply
  2. sarah says

    June 24th, 2016 at 10:08 pm

    This is so cute and it looks easy! Okay I will give it a try, you talked me into it!

    Reply
  3. Kiss & Make-up says

    June 25th, 2016 at 12:42 am

    That turned out great! I attempted watercolor nails once. Failed miserably :-S
    Kiss & Make-up recently posted … Review | Lipstick Queen Frog Prince

    Reply
  4. Nivedita says

    June 25th, 2016 at 3:13 am

    I always struggle to even apply a coat of nail polish without making a mess. But this one seems do-able.
    Like you, I also take a bath after doing my nails so that the cuticles clean up on their own.

    Thanks for the tutorial.
    Nivedita recently posted … Kama Organic Handmade Khus Soap

    Reply
  5. Karen says

    June 25th, 2016 at 10:38 am

    Such a fun tutorial! I love how it seems so easy to do, too.

    As for vacation plans, no big ones so far. I’m tempted to take a trip though because I’ve heard that it’s easier to travel with younger babies!

    Reply
  6. Sandy P says

    June 25th, 2016 at 4:30 pm

    Thanks for the tutorial! I never knew how to get my nails to long like this.

    Reply
    • Sandy P says

      June 25th, 2016 at 4:31 pm

      Look not long!!

      Reply
  7. Chris25 says

    June 25th, 2016 at 8:35 pm

    This looks very doable — and great for summer. Thanks for sharing the technique.
    Chris25 recently posted … Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Vitamin C Collagen Booster

    Reply
  8. Suzanne C says

    June 26th, 2016 at 10:51 am

    So pretty! And it seems pretty simple. My niece has been trying for weeks to do something similar, but much more complicated- it somehow involves a glass of water. I’ll be sure to pass this along.

    Reply
  9. MonicaP says

    June 27th, 2016 at 9:31 am

    Fun and easy! And easy to take off (so much better than glitter nail polish).

    Monica.
    MonicaP recently posted … Flutter Sleeve Tee, Simply Vera Shorts and Silver Sandals

    Reply

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Hi there! I’m Karen, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, and I’m a Bay Area girl who hoards brown eyeshadow and covets coral lipstick. Every morning, I wake up and say, “I’m going to do something other than a smoky eye today.” Then…I end up doing a smoky eye anyway (most days). When I’m not putting on makeup, taking pictures of makeup or writing about makeup, which I’ve been doing daily since 2007 (!), you’ll find me hanging out with my hubby (“El Hub”), my four-year-old daughter (Connor Claire) and my torbie girl cat (Pretty Girl Rosie, a.k.a. PGR).

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