Super Easy DIY Ocean Inspired Ombre Nails

  I've been fascinated with the ocean ever since I was a young girl. It's common knowledge that 70 - 75% of the earth's surf...

blueombrenails 

I've been fascinated with the ocean ever since I was a young girl. It's common knowledge that 70 - 75% of the earth's surface is made up of the ocean yet somehow we find ourselves knowing more about the surface of the moon than about the depths of our seas. And there's something quite alluring about the mystique that surrounds the unknown, hence my fascination!

  One of the great things about the ocean is the variation in colours and shades: swirls of light blues and greens from the water and coral in some places; deep, dark, terrifying blues in others. So as a little beauty-based homage to our beautiful oceans, I decided to give Ombre Nails another go.

COLOURS

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 L- R - Barry M Gelly Hi-shine Nail Paint in Guava, Barry M's Standard Nail Paint in Cyan Blue and Indigo.

 Whilst Barry doesn't quite have that same mystique, he definitely doesn't disappoint either with his range of shades! The Gelly range has a number of unique colours with a super glossy finish. It's a shame the longevity is pants, else it'd be near perfect.

I forgot to include it in the picture, however I also used Barry M's Matt White as a base. I applied two coats of this stuff to make it opaque and left it to dry.

APPLICATOR

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I purchased a cheap bath sponge at just under £1 and cut a small chunk of it out. The size doesn't really matter as long as it covers the whole nail. And by the way, once you've finished with it, it makes a great toy for kittens!

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 I applied a generous amount of each colour, lined up next to each other on the sponge. Then I began dabbing the sponge directly on to the nail, moving it up and down slightly to blend the colours into each other. Of course sponges have loads of tiny little bubbles in them, leaving the nails a little bumpy, so to iron out these bumps I applied two layers of top coat

 At this point the nails will look messy as anything as the colours will have rubbed off onto your skin around the nails. I used to peel these bits off in the shower, but now I use an old eye-liner brush, dipped in nail polish remover and brush over the messy edges.

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I have to admit that I'm not very good with nail art, but I'm really surprised how easy it is to ombre nails, and it looks so good!

Once I've finished with the bath sponge I'll most likely purchase a make-up sponge instead. I mean it's great and everything but I think the flatness of the make-up sponge will make the whole process even easier!

What to try next? 

I'm a fan of Astronomy too. Perhaps Galaxy nails? ;)
 Halima

Lima is a Northern girl who chose life. Fashion and Makeup to her are just a little bit of fun, because life is already way too serious as it is. She's all about colour, because colour breaks down barriers, opens up the mind to new possibilities and makes everything feel a bit brighter.

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30 comments

  1. Scottish Stef's Nails18 July 2013 at 20:10

    Ooh those are so pretty!i love ombré nails!ive got an ombré post coming up on my blog soon!yours look awesome!:)

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    Replies
    1. Lima18 July 2013 at 20:15

      Thanks, Stef! Can't wait to see what yours looks like! :) xo

      Delete
  2. A Very Sweet Blog18 July 2013 at 20:53

    You ARE good with nail art! It turned out beautiful. I love various shades of blue. Your rings are cool too. Fab job!
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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  3. Anonymous18 July 2013 at 20:54

    Omg, they look amazing! I wish I was talented when it came to doing my nails but sadly I stick to 1 color and I can barely get that to look good lol.

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  4. Unknown18 July 2013 at 22:17

    Ah this is so pretty! Been using this technique for a long time, it's brilliant! But never tried these colours together! so pretty x
    Maria xx
    thesuckerforfashion.blogspot.dk

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  5. Becky Temple18 July 2013 at 22:45

    That looks really cool!

    http://lifeinlipstick.blogspot.co.uk/

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  6. Natasha Gregson18 July 2013 at 23:06

    Love this :) I love how all the colours blend together and I can't get enough of blue polish for summer! Can't wait to see your galaxy nails!

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  7. Anonymous18 July 2013 at 23:08

    A sponge is how you do this?!?! And all this time I've been wasting my nail polish trying to achieve this look with the brush in the bottle! I'm going to have to try a sponge next time. I think this looks really cool and you did a really great job. I'm terrified of the ocean...

    Mabel
    Life of Mabel

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  8. Content Director - Strong Female Leaders18 July 2013 at 23:22

    This is a really creative way of doing nails. Thanks for sharing.
    Beauty Fashion Skin Care Blog -Girlie Blog Seattle | Casual Chic Style

    ReplyDelete
  9. Unknown19 July 2013 at 00:34

    This looks awesome! I'm lucky if I paint my nails one color, much less ombre... but maybe I should branch out. Love your rings by the way!

    Sarah
    Eyeshadow Addicts Anonymous

    ReplyDelete
  10. zara c19 July 2013 at 02:17

    WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW ^^ Love everything about this post!!!

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  11. Jordy19 July 2013 at 06:46

    wow those are gorgeous nails! :) x

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  12. OrigamiGirl19 July 2013 at 08:22

    Galaxy nails would be amazing! Fit my total galaxy obsession at the moment. :) I really like that your nail tutorial is actually do-able as well. I think I even have these colours! May give it a go. Thank you.

    Also, with you on the ocean. I love the sea, and always feel at home looking out over it and it looks beautiful in every weather, but I love the whole mystery feeling when the sea is foggy and it looks like you could step off the world.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Cee19 July 2013 at 10:44

    Halima, this is brilliant! I am useless when it comes to nail art, and that's no exaggeration... I just finished struggling to remove nailpolish, putting on even one colour is a challenge, never mind three. But this... this I might actually be able to do. And the results are stunning. Although I'm afraid of water, so I may go with a combination of reds and pinks ;)
    xox,
    Cee

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  14. The Dainty Dolls House19 July 2013 at 11:04

    This is fantastic!! I love your nails, blue is my favourite colour :)) I will have to try this sometime. Looks far easier with the sponge too. Have a great weekend x

    ReplyDelete
  15. KatiesWorld19 July 2013 at 12:17

    I saw this post last night and was so excited to read how you did it because I'm having a family BBQ tomorrow and think painting my nails like this would be so sweet :) so thank you

    Katie xx
    http://katiesworld13.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  16. Unknown19 July 2013 at 16:01

    LOVE <3
    I want to try these soon! I have tried to do these before but I always messed it up!
    your method looks alot easier.
    hareem x

    ReplyDelete
  17. Unknown19 July 2013 at 19:06

    this looks wonderful, i once tried this with pink and red... it turned out terrible! Looked asthough someone had hammered all my fingers!!!! LOL! But in blue it does look beautiful! :) xx
    http://www.themowway.com/2013/07/diy-floral-cown-and-cute-lace-dress.html

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  18. MILEX20 July 2013 at 01:51

    your aesthetic is amazing.

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  19. Eline20 July 2013 at 10:22

    so so so cooool!

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  20. Anonymous20 July 2013 at 21:28

    Oh, well done, it looks fantastic!

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  21. Imogen21 July 2013 at 06:20

    Incredible. I must try this. I adore ombré more and more every day.

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  22. Sharon21 July 2013 at 09:35

    Those nails are everything so fab! Love it hun

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  23. Rachael Dobbins21 July 2013 at 20:09

    fab nails. i love the rings
    where are they from?
    rachaeldobbins.blogspot.co.uk

    Rachael x

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  24. Unknown22 July 2013 at 08:59

    This looks awesome. I will definitely have to give it a go.

    Also I have to say your ring and your nails tie in so well together. :)

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  25. BunnyMAKEUP22 July 2013 at 15:17

    So sooo cute :D

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  26. Unknown23 July 2013 at 14:55

    Love ombre nails, haven't done it since last summer but this has inspired me to try it again. I made such a mess last time though! Ha.
    Mel xx

    melswallofmirrors.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  27. *~mad munky~*23 July 2013 at 20:25

    Fab!! I switched to bath sponge as the make up sponges seemed to disintegrate quickly and I ended up with bits of them on my nail *boo hiss* Might just have been the brand I used though (Superdrugs own). Look forward to seeing more! :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. LaaLaa25 July 2013 at 18:19

    Not good at nail art BUT you've done such a mesmerizing look, more more more..encoreeeeee!
    It's a messy job but so worth it, your nails are longer than mine now, my last long one broke this morning on my duvet lool xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  29. Lizette3 September 2013 at 04:03

    Wow, love the mix of blue colors! Will definitely share this post to a friend who loves nail art. :)

    ReplyDelete

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