Lifestyle Mirror

They say that no two diamonds are alike; the same truism applies to snowflakes, fingerprints and, currently, my nails. This is thanks to the watercolor manicure—a nail trend that boasts a few different methods and the same stunning results. 

This technique takes about an hour to achieve, depending on your manicure skills, (and can be a little messy!) so prep your surface with newspaper and your fingers with petroleum jelly (applied around the edge of each nail bed to ease the removal of excess polish). Have a plastic bag or plastic wrap on hand—that’s what creates the effect. Start with a good base coat, and then drop two or three polishes onto the bed of the nail. I chose Ambus by CK One and Dew and Punch by RGB, which resulted in nails reminiscent of a melted Creamsicle. Don’t worry about the inevitable flood of colors—applying droplets that are too small will result in smudging and texture when the plastic bag is pressed.

Once the colors are on the nail, place your plastic bag or wrap over the nail. Press down gently to thin out the polish underneath, then peel away. Wait 10 to 15 minutes for the design to dry before applying topcoat and wiping off the petroleum jelly. If you’re not happy with one of your results, simply remove it and try again—unlike those that occur in nature, these patterns can be perfected.  —Laura Carroll