For the past several months, I have been asked to demo the Ombré technique. Honestly, I didn’t know what this technique was until a friend showed me a photo. This is what I would call a fade effect. Apparently, the fashion world uses the word Ombré instead, but I haven’t seen it until recently in nail art. I LOVE IT! The first time I saw it, I thought “This is so cool!” Then I had to figure out how it was done. I tried several techniques, but none of them were successful. Then it occurred to me – use a stenciling technique. So, that is exactly what I did and it was so easy. You are going to love it, too!

Let’s get started.

Supplies:
Nail Polish Remover
Polish Remover Pads
Clear Base Coat
2 Contrasting Nail Polish shades of your choice
Clear Top Coat
Wax Paper
Cosmetic Wedges

Step 1-Remove any old polish with remover and cleanse your nails with soap and water. Apply a moisturizer, and file and buff your nails. Take a clean polish remover pad and clean the nail bed only with polish remover to make sure there is no oil on the nail bed. If there is any oil from the hand moisturizer, the polish will not stick.

Step 2-Prep your work area by laying down a small piece (at least 6” square) of wax paper. Yes, I know this is a strange thing to do, but you will understand in a minute. Also, get out 3 or 4 cosmetic wedges. Now, you are ready to paint.

Step 3-Apply a clear basecoat to all nails and let dry for at least 5 minutes. This coat needs to be relatively dry because you are going to be “stenciling” or “blotting” it with nail polish and you don’t want it to smear or come off.

Step 4-Apply a nail polish shade of your choice. I used a lighter color for my base, but you could reverse the colors for a different effect. Let dry.

Step 5-Drip a couple of drops of the second nail polish choice onto the wax paper. (The wax paper does not absorb the polish and is easily thrown away after you are finished). Immediately pick up the cosmetic wedge and dab one edge into the polish. Now, with a “blotting” motion, apply the polish gently to the tips of the nails, blending the polish from the tip toward the center of the nail. I began on my little finger because it was smaller and not as noticeable if I made a mistake. Don’t rush, but work quickly to keep the polish on the wedge and the wax paper from drying.  Reapply paint to the wedge and wax paper as needed, but be careful not to get too much paint on the wedge, or you will create a hard edge instead of a blend.  Also, change wedges after painting  4 or 5 nails, because the polish begins to break down the synthetic wedge leaving residue in your polish (yep, that happened to me). I lightly applied the polish to all my nails. Don’t worry if it isn’t an even coat.

Then I came back and applied another coat to darken the color. By doing this, I avoided over painting them. Also, don’t worry about getting polish on the edges of your fingers. Just remove it with a pad and remover when you are finished. I think you will be amazed at how fast this technique is to apply.

Step 6-When you have achieved the blend that you want, apply a top coat and you are finished.

This is such a fun and really quick to make your nails really pop. Your friends will think that you spent hours, but we know the truth…shhhhh, it’s our little secret. Here is another version of the Ombré effect… I used it like a French Manicure (but without the hard line of course) and I really like it.

This technique lends itself to so many color choices…well, it is limitless. I hope you had fun and enjoyed a new way of polishing your nails. I’ll be blogging again soon.

Keep those nails covered,