Diy: Jelly watercolor nail polish!

Looking to upper your nail polish game? Here’s how to make your nail polish look like glossy, jelly-like watercolor!

@hoskelsa

I was recently scrolling through Instagram when I saw this new(?) nail polish trend that I LOVED! Just look at the pictures above!! It’s like a jelly, blendable watercolor nail polish.

This simple nail polish art looks so freaking good! And it’s perfect for all the people out there who like to do their nails at home, especially if you like to keep it fairly minimalistic, yet want to change up the usual “one-color” look.

We already have ways to spritz up the nail art at home, like making a french tip in different colors, or doing patterns. However, it’s kind of a hassle – it’s time-consuming, and it’s difficult to make it look flawless, especially when you have to use your left hand being right-handed, or vice-versa.

The watercolor-looking nail polish art is on the other hand super easy to make! And it looks so professionally done.

7 Proven ways to enjoy the sun and be tan while also preventing sun damage!

diy watercolor nail polish, nail art at home

As an amazon affiliate Filippa Approves may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. This doesn’t cost you anything.
We never collaborate with beauty/fashion brands, and we do not accept sponsorships. All recommendations are always 100% genuine. We only redirect you to safe and well-known sites. Anything we may earn, goes back into purchasing and testing new products. Thank you for helping us stay ethical and real!

Use products you already have

After I fell in love with the jelly-like nail polish, I just HAD to try it myself.

The problem is, this kind of nail art is made with a special kind of nail polish. You see, this nail polish has a different texture, making it slightly see-through, glossy, jelly, and blendable – just like watercolor.

I found two brands selling this unique and different nail polish. Unfortunately, I have a no-shopping month, so I decided to make my own watercolor nail polish (with just two ingredients you already have!) and it was a success. I’ll get back to that shortly.

But first, I do feel like I have to give a shoutout to the two brands that inspired my easy DIY project. I’m talking about Cirque Colors’s Jelly Collection and Beaubble’s Elsa Hosk Collection.

I would also recommend considering buying these nail polishes, as they are vegan and non-toxic (most polishes are super toxic). The Cirque Colors are long-lasting and totally affordable. (Fyi: It’s only the “jelly collection” who have the ‘watercolor texture’, the rest of their polishes have regular consistency)

diy watercolor jelly nail polish, nail polish art

@cirquecolors

Diy:

How to make ‘jelly watercolor’ nail polish at home

What you need:

  1. A few colored nail polishes of your choice, I used 3!
  2. Some small mixing containers of glass or plastic, one for each color. Be creative!
  3. Nail polish remover (acetone-free).
  4. Top-coat, for extra gloss and long-lasting. Ideally a gel-like topcoat.

Swatches of the colors I choose, in their regular nail polish texture:

nail polish swatches, coral nail polish, plum nail polish, dark pink nail polish

(A coral/peach color, a plum color, and a dark pink color)

Also check out:

Give new life to your old clothes with fabric DYE!

Get flawless skin by finding the best skincare ingredients for YOUR skin.

How to hydrate your dry skin INSTANTLY!

DIY: Make your FAKE gold jewelry look gold again!

DIY: Jelly watercolor nail polish

How to make your regular nail polish into that jelly watercolor consistency:

Psst. If you want to be extra smart, you can buy empty nail polish bottles, and make the mixture in them – that way you can use the mixture again in the future, without needing to repeat this DIY process!

  • Fill a small plastic or glass container (or empty nail polish bottle) with nail polish remover. Use one container for each color you’ve chosen. The amount of nail polish remover doesn’t really matter, just add a splash – you’ll correct it after anyways.
  • Add color to each container, and stir with your nail polish brush. I only used the tiny amount that was stuck to the nail polish brush, but please add whatever amount of nail polish you need to achieve the color intensity you want. Just remember it’s supposed to be a little runny and watercolor-like.


By the way, these are the swatches of my nail polish before and after the “thinning” process:

nail polish swatches, thinning nail polish, nail polish texture


  • When you’ve achieved the color intensity you want, it’s time to start applying the nail polish:

I only did one layer, but feel free to do as many layers as you need to get the results you want!

  • Finish with a topcoat. This isn’t mandatory, but your nail polish will last much longer, and a top coat also gives more shine, which is nice for that jelly gelly effect. If you’d like to add some glitter or similar, apply that before the topcoat.

Results:

I love it!

What do you think? Leave a comment below!

Back to magazine for more articles.


1 Comment
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Jess
1 year ago

I did this (but on long nails) and the result looks so fab and professionally done. I also have a few of those Cirque colors and I love them