How To Marble Nails | 4 Ways

What do animal print, ombre, and marbling nail art all have in common? They always will be in season. That's right!

Products and nail shapes may come and go, but these popular nail art styles will remain.

And today, we'll particularly be focusing on one of these. Marble nails!

I'll be teaching you 4 ways you can marble using KOKOIST Products. Let's begin!

Hey there and welcome back! My name is Paola of Paola Ponce Nails. Gladly hosting another episode for KOKOIST USA. KOKOIST products are soak-off gel and made in Japan!

Marble Technique #1: Using Bleeding Inks, AKA Alcohol Inks

So the first way you can marble nails using KOKOIST is with alcohol inks.

In the KOKOIST line of products, these are called Bleeding Inks. Again these are alcohol-based, and I caution you- these inks bleed color for sure. A little goes a long way. The white ink is an exception; however, you could be a little heavy-handed with this one if you wanted to.

KOKOIST offers two collections of bleeding inks. The solid colors come in 9 colors, and the ones with a bit of chrome pigment metallic with 6 different metallic colors.

Here's the look we're going for, and the colors you'll need are:

 

 

101 S- Beige Pebble and 127 Strawberry latte.

It would be perfect for showing you this with pink, so we create something like Himalayan pink salt. 

Here's the step-by-step:

1. Start with a combination of colors #127 Strawberry Latte and #101S Beige Pebble. Take the more opaque color (this nail has already been prepped btw), grab a small dollop with your round brush and do three brush strokes like so. Please do the same with the other color. Use the brush to comb the color downwards so the colors start blending. After that, take it for a full cure. 

Don't worry about making it perfect; you want that non-perfect effect. 

2. Grab KOKOIST White Alcohol Ink (give it a good shake before using it) and the KOKOIST palette if you need to get rid of some excess. 

The white ink should not cause you overloading problems, quite the opposite. There is no specific way to apply alcohol inks; have fun with it, and move the brush organically to create your design. Once you're happy with the placement, let it air dry.

3. Repeat step one and add a second coat of the mixed two colors you used in the first step. Please give it a full cure. 

4. Grab the white ink again; this is where you get serious about the ink placement. Start by offloading some ink onto the nail, removing the palette's excess, touching the ink with the brush, and dragging it to where you want it to go. You can look up pictures of marble stones, giving you an idea of placement. We usually do diagonal strokes. 

The key is to not overwork it.

5. Take the nail to the lamp to cure, so it sticks to the gel a bit. It does not need it since it's alcohol-based; it just air dries. 

6.Once everything is fully dry, apply a top coat and give it a full cure. 

Marble Technique #2: Using Art Clear Gel by KOKOIST

The Second way to marble nails is by using Art Clear Zero.

Art Clear Zero is a multipurpose gel that can be used over base gel to create the perfect platform for nail art or use as a mixing gel. It can be used for sheer out colors, layering, gradient, or smoothing out designs. 

This is the foundation gel in all KOKOIST colors. 

Here's the look we're going for, and the colors you'll need:

 

 

Sedona Turquoise, Santa Fe Turquoise, Bourbon Brown, Deep Papaya, and maybe Maxi Black and Maxi White. 

Here's the step-by-step:

1. Start with a base color on the nails. White is a good option, as it will intensify the colors you put on top.

2. Next, sporadically apply Art Clear. Again one of the characteristics of this gel is that it self-levels and creates the marbling effect for you. It will smooth out the colors

3. Start with the color Sedona Turquoise and place it like so. Follow with Santa Fe Turquoise and layer it on top of the wet color gel (remember there is a layer of art clear under the colors).

4. Keep overlaying the two colors and moving them with the brush until you're happy with the placement. Don't cure yet. Floating the colors onto the design is the key element of marbling art. 

5. Grab Bourbon Brown and drop a small amount like this. When marbling with the KOKOIST products, you want to push the colors into each other.

6. Take the white and float it on top of this. You are trying to create dimension. Go back to the Bourbon Brown and float a bit more into the design.

7. Use the smallest amount of Deep Papaya yellow and float it by the spots of Bourbon Brown. Take it to the lamp for 5 seconds.

8. Grab another tiny bit of Turquoise and overlay it. Ensure there is product on the entire nail and cure for at least 30 seconds. Now you are ready for a top coat and a full cure. 

Marble Technique #3: Using Hazy Gel, AKA Blooming Gel

The third way to marble nails is by using Hazy Gel.

The hazy gel is known in the industry as a "blooming gel." Basically, a thin viscosity gel that allows droplets of gel to disperse. This is not a mixing gel. Dispersing gel is just about all you want to use this gel for.

Kokoist offers this dispersion gel in a clear and white option. I will demonstrate the white option in the video tutorial by overlaying it on top of the clear.

Here's the look we're going for, and the colors you'll need:

 

 

Viola Purple Glass, Lavender Petals, and Licorice Jelly Beans

Here's the step-by-step:

1. Start applying one coat of Hazy clear gel on the entire nail; wait to cure. 

2. Now, use Hazy white gel to create the dispersion. You need a little bit, not too much. Focus more on the center of the nail, so it doesn't run into the sidewalls. Again painting in a fun, somewhat carefree manner. 

3. Use some of these colors, Viola Purple Glass with an angular brush and a thin round brush. When floating in colors, remove the excess color frequently because you want to avoid mixing; the dispersion gel is there to do that. A bit of mixing is ok to create stone-like patterns, but not too much.  

4. Take the next color, Lavender Petals, and start floating it on the gel like this. If the design starts looking a little darker than you expected, no problem; add more gradation white to tone it down. I'll finish off with Licorice Jelly Beans. 

5. If you want more movement, you can add more Hazy clear gel, and with a little bit on the brush, add a few lines. Remember, we're playing with it sparingly.

6. Now, you can cure and add a layer of base gel, like Mega Stick Base, lelf-level to smooth everything out, and cure again. 

7. If you want to really see the design patterns, finish with a layer of Velvet Matte Top Coat and cure for 60 seconds. 

That's Hazy gel. This gel is super fun and easy to use! Remember that this gel is only for disbursing; Art Clear Zero can be used for multiple things, like creating your own colors.  

Marble Technique #4: Using Kokoist's Tap Brush

Marble Technique #4: Using KOKOIST's Tap Brush

The fourth way to marble nails is by using Kokoist's Tap Brush. This is a firm brush; as its name suggests, it is used to tap the product onto the nails.

Here's the look we're going for, and the colors you'll need are:

 

 

Smokey Mustard, Eggplant Navy, Midnight Chocolate, Arabian Gold, Bourbon Brown, and a tiny bit of Bluey White.

Here's the step-by-step:

1. I'm sure you know, but I will start with one thin coat of white base color. You can use Bluey white or Maxi white. 

2. I'm going to start with the lighter colors at the bottom. I am adding a small amount of color to my art palette, and I'll do that with all the colors. 

3. I will start with the blue. You want to grab a little bit of color with the tap brush, press down the color into the brush on the palette and the nail, so the color spreads nicely. You don't have to paint a specific shape; paint happy blobs here and there. 

4. Clean your brush by soaking a lint-free wipe with alcohol and tap/wipe the brush on it. Don't worry; you won't damage the brush.

5. Grab some yellow and repeat step three. Grab some color and start taping and working it on the nail. You could start on the opposite side of the nail to start filling in the space. Now I will add a little gold color and more blue. 

6. Flash cure for 5-20 seconds.

7. Take some white and tap it on the nail to create neutral spaces between the colors; this way, the colors won't mix too much. This step helps to marry the colors together too. 

8. To make the colors move vibrant, come back with the colors we have used so far and repeat steps 3-5. This is where you let creativity take the lead in adding and marrying the colors together. When you like the design, cure it for 30 seconds. 

9. Grab your favorite top coat, and voilá! Marbling with KOKOIST Tap Brush.

So let's recap, the 4 ways to marble nails are:

#1 Using Bleeding Inks, AKA Alcohol Inks

#2 Art Clear Gel by KOKOIST

#3 Hazy Gel, AKA Blooming Gel

#4 KOKOIST's Tap Brush

Thank you for joining us this week, and hope to see you next time. Bye for now…

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Paola Ponce is an independent nail educator helping the Japanese gel nail niche and its nail stylists grow! You can follow more of her work at www.paolaponcenails.com and @paolaponcenails on Instagram. Save 10% on your KOKOIST Products & support Paola’s work with affiliate code PPN10.

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