From geometric designs to animal prints, if all your Instagram and TikTok scrolling has you feeling a bit of nail envy, don’t fret! With a few simple steps, you’ll have a new go-to, hashtag-worthy manicure that you can create at home in a flash.
What You’ll Need
You don’t need any special equipment to create this trendy nail manicure, just a few basic tools that you probably already have in your makeup bag. Here’s what you’ll need to create ombre nails:
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Wedge-shaped makeup sponge
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Scissors
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Topcoat
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Basecoat
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3 Nail polish colors (different shades of the same color)
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Nail polish remover
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Cotton bud or clean up brush
Create Your DIY Nail Art
DIY nail art may look complicated, but I promise this ombre nail design is so easy you’ll be wondering why you never tried to give yourself fun manicures sooner!
1. Prep your sponge
To start, take your makeup wedge and scissors. You want to trim the sponge so that the flat side of the wedge is the width of your nails. This is to limit the amount of nail polish that will get on your skin and result in a cleaner design overall.
2. Prep your nails
To prep your nails, make sure they’re trimmed and filed into your desired length and shape and that your cuticles have been pushed back. Treat this as an at-home spa day and really pamper yourself!
Once your nails are ready, prep the nail by applying a layer of basecoat to each and let it dry completely before moving on to your ombre nail art.
3. Get ready to ombre!
To prepare your ombre, take your 3 nail polish colors – for a true ombre they should be different shades of the same color family but feel free to get creative! Starting at the base of the sponge, brush your colors in straight lines across the sponge moving from lightest to darkest. Overlap the colors slightly to ensure a seamless fade when applied to the nails.
4. Apply the ombre to your nails
Gently and evenly dab the sponge onto your nail with the darkest color at the top of the nail and the lightest closest to your cuticles. Make sure all the colors have transferred to your nail and your ombre is looking as flawless as can be!
5. Finish things off!
Quickly applying a layer of topcoat to your ombre art will help protect your design but can also help with achieving that perfectly blurred transition between colors. Once satisfied with your first nail, move on to the rest by repeating steps 3 to 5 until all your nails are complete.
Finally, dip a cotton bud or clean-up brush into a bit of nail polish remover and clean up around the edges of your nails to ensure there’s no polish where there shouldn’t be and you’re good to go!
Conclusion
Five simple steps are all it takes to take your nails from boring to instagrammable! Once you get the hang of it, there are no limits on the fun color combinations and designs you can make – just don’t be surprised when your BFFs start hitting you up for mani-pedi nights at your place.