NotD | Smokin' Nails

I love browsing through nail art techniques on Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration. I saw this technique on my YouTube feed from Janelle Estep called smoking. She referenced Chalkboard Nails and BadGirlNails for this idea. I thought I would also give this a go!

I decided to go with a black base colour with the smoke effect using some bright, colourful polishes and acetone. I started with two coats of Manicare Glam Nails in Paint It Black and then sealed it with Essie Good to Go Top Coat to make it dry quicker. Once the polish was dry I randomly dotted a coloured polish on to the nail and using a brush dipped in acetone, I tried to dilute the polish. There was A LOT of trial and error with this technique. I think I had the best result with the blue nails which were my first and last attempts. I also found that opaque creme colours worked better than shimmery or pearl shades. I accidentally took off some of the black base during the process but you couldn't really tell in real life. The colours I used were Covergirl XL Nail Gel in Buxom Blue, Overblown Orange and Plumped Up Plum, Rimmel 60 Seconds in Sunny days and Ulta 3 nail Colour in Pacific Fever (more green than in the photo).

This was a really fun technique to try as the end result is always different. I really want to try a grey and white smoke effect for that marble look next time!

Have you tried this smoke technique?