If you are looking for a fun way to create an ombre gradient on your nails, check out this easy step by step tutorial for rainbow gradient nail art:
What You Need:
- dense sponge
- liquid latex
- base coat
- nail polish
- top coat
I had never used a sponge to create an ombre gradient on my nails before, but I decided to give it a try when I saw these beautiful rainbow pastel fades using the Holo Taco pastel rainbow collection.
My first attempt worked out really well, and I love how there are rainbows everywhere! You can create a rainbow gradient with any nail polish you have.
The extent of my nail art in the past has just been adding stickers over my nails. I am basically a complete beginner with painting nails/anything nail art so if I can do it, you can too!
Rainbow Gradient Nail Art
1 | Prep nails with Base Coat
Use a base coat to create an even base, and help your manicure last a long time. While your base coat is drying, plan out the order you want your rainbow fade to go.
2 | Paint nails with base layer of polish
Use the nail polish color that you want closest to the base of your finger (closest to the cuticle) to paint your entire nail. It’s recommended to use a lighter shade as this ‘foundation layer’ since the darker colors will show up better over the lighter colors.
3 | Protect skin with liquid latex
Paint a thin layer of the protective latex all around the skin near the nail. This is the barrier that will make it easier to clean up the gradient fallout, so be sure to cover all potential messy areas. Let the latex dry completely.
4 | Prep the sponge
Hover the sponge over your finger nail to make sure it’s large enough to be able to cover the nail. The sponges I’m using are a triangle shape and have a few large + flat areas that can work. If you need to, cut your sponge in the middle to create an area that is large enough for your nail.
5 | Apply nail polish
Add a thin stripe of nail polish to the sponge in the rainbow order you planned. Make sure to start with the color you already painted your nails. If you have shorter nails, it may be easier to do a gradient with fewer colors.
6 | Dab the sponge onto the nail
Arrange your sponge so the rainbow order is in the direction you want, and gently dab the sponge directly onto the nail. Use light pressure to tap and cover all over the nail, keeping the rainbow stripes in a line. Polish will go onto the side of your finger, but don’t worry; the latex will make clean up easy.
7 | Repeat steps 5 + 6 for each nail
Reapply nail polish in the same order to the sponge and repeat the dab/tap technique to apply to each nail. Then, repeat a second (or third) time once the nails have dried, to get the desired coverage. It’s better to do multiple layers/coats for a better gradient vs. a gloopy, thicker one-coat.
8 | Clean up + Top Coat
Once the nails are dry, remove the liquid latex and clean up any areas you might have missed. Then apply a glossy top coat to protect your hard work!
Results
I love this rainbow gradient nail art; it was so easy and fun to do. If you are just getting into nail art, give this a try! The ombre is subtle and you could use as many or as few colors as you like.
