Channel your inner Monet and Van Gogh with the artistic water marble manicure. This latest nail craze has me wearing fingerless gloves (even on those freezing New England days) just to show off my creative work. Become your own artist with the steps below.

What You’ll Need:

• 2 – 4 bottles of your favorite nail polish (I used essie’s Bahama Mama, Lady Like, and Merino Cool)
• Small cup/bowl of room-temperature water
• Tape (optional)
• Toothpicks
• Nail polish remover
• Cotton swabs
• Inspiration (see here)

The How-To:

1. Place three drops of nail polish #1 in the cup of water and wait for the polish to spread. (Tip: open all the nail polish bottles before starting – this makes the process much easier.)
2. Immediately following, place a drop of polish #2 in the center of polish #1 and allow polish to spread, creating a bull’s-eye pattern.
3. Do the same for polish #3 and repeat, rotating the nail colors until satisfied.
4. Here’s where you can get creative. Take a toothpick and drag the polish from the center of the pattern outward until you have a fun design.
5. If you like, tape your nails to prevent getting polish on your skin. Dip nails facedown into the water.
6. Finally, remove the tape and clean off excess polish with nail polish remover and cotton swabs.

By Carolyn Schultz, Staff Writer

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