French Ombre with Bluesky Gel Polish

How To Ombre Gel Polish

     Being able to ombre gel polish is a skill that many people struggle with but it is definitely achievable for everyone. I think it's just something that takes a little more practice than most other techniques, so don't give up too easy! I have helped hundreds of nail techs and home users to 'nail' their gel polish ombre with a 100% success rate. Just follow these instructions to take your manicure to a professional level.

Prepare and Plan

     Prepare your nails for painting by removing any old polish and pushing back your cuticles. Plan out where you want the colours to change from pink to white (this works with any colours) Usually you want the blend to happen just where your natural nail extends out from your finger.  If your nails are on the shorter side you will only use a small amount of white. 

     When you're done blending the two colours together, there is a section of the nail that will start out white but end up being a combination of both colours. Take that into account when planning your areas. 

Applying The Polish 

1. Apply base coat, and cure for 60 seconds (LED)

2. Apply a thin layer of Bluesky A055.  This should always be the lightest of the two colours, but when doing a French Ombre, I find it works better to use the pink/natural colour as the base as it gives it a more natural look.  Cure for 60 seconds in an led lamp. 

3. Starting from the cuticle, paint on the 2 sections. The pink will be dragged over the top of the white, and so the white section will be bigger to include the blended area. DO NOT CURE! I like to use French White.

4. Use your ombre brush in a light tapping motion.  Start at the very highest point of the pink section near the cuticle and work your way across the nail. Each time you get to the side edge of the nail, bring your brush down just a hair and work your way back across the nail. Continue in this way until you reach the very end of the nail at the free edge.  Do NOT stop halfway.  You can view a video of this technique here. 

5. Repeat step 4.  Pay close attention to what areas need more blending. Bring your brush taps closer together in these areas to get a seamless blend. Continue with this blending Technique until you are happy and then cure for 60 seconds in LED. 

6.  Repeat step 3.  This isn't always necessary, but you may need to do up to three layers of blending to achieve the desired look. Cure between each layer once you are happy with your blends. 

7. Finish off by applying either a shiny or matte Topcoat. Cure for 60 seconds in LED.

Troubleshooting

      You will undoubtedly run into some little hiccups along the way when learning to do this. Here are a few things you can adjust if you're not getting the results you want. 

The white section is not big enough/ pink was dragged too far down the nail. 

To fix this problem you can try a couple of things.

1. Use thinner layers. It could be that there is more pink than is needed in order to "run out" at the right moment. 

2. Make your section 1 (all pink) smaller. It should be about 1/3 of the whole nail.

The pink section is not big enough. 

     Likewise to the issue mentioned above, just adjust the size of your pink section, or make this layer thicker when painting on the layer to be blended. 

Lines throughout the blended area.

      This is very common.  Lines are created when the taps of the ombre brush are too far apart; dragging tiny strands of colour instead of mixing them together. To fix this you need to decrease the amount of space between each tap. It's often underestimated just how many taps of the ombre brush are needed. Tapping 6 times across the nail is not going to be enough. I'm talking 30 plus taps of the brush just to get from one side of the nail to the other. An ombre nail is the result of hundreds of taps of the brush. And remember, only use the very tips of the ombre brush.  Slow and steady wins the ombre race! 

     I'm certain that if you practice this technique you will be confident creating beautiful ombre designs in no time, but if you need extra help please leave us a comment below and we can help you through it!

     Once you have mastered the ombre, you can level up again by adding different elements to your design. Delicate lines, foil, glitter, sequins or gems are a great way to stand out from the crowd.