How To: Sponge Technique

Sponging has got to be one of the easiest ways to spice up your manicure. You can play around with different types of sponges to see the various effects the different types produce.

 What you need:

• Nail polish(es)
• Paper or paper plate
• Sponges
• Top Coat

Step 1: Apply your base coat and base colour as normal. Ensure the nail polish is completely dry.

Step 2: Select the colour you wish and apply some polish to a plate or piece of paper or plate.

 

  

 

Step 3: Dab your sponge into the nail polish.

  

Step 4: Dab the sponge onto the area of your nail where you wish the colour to be. Add more nail polish to the paper and onto your sponge as necessary.

Step 5: Continue doing Steps 2-4 until all your nails are done.

Step 6: Repeat steps 2-5 for each new colour you wish to sponge on.

Step 7: Once dry clean away any nail polish you might have on your fingers.

 

 
Step 8: Finally apply a top coat to seal the design.

 

That's all there is to it! Simple and easy!

Alternately some people prefer to apply the nail polish directly to the sponge and then dab the excess onto a pad of paper or plate. From there they then sponge the nail polish onto the nail. I suggest you try both and go with which one seems easiest. You can also vary the amount of polish you put on the sponge and how hard you press down.

This was a very simple sponge design which demonstrates the basic steps when using the sponging technique. For more complex designs you can apply your first colour 2/3 down the nail and then a second colour 1/3 down the nail or apply your first colour as an accent. These are just a few of your many other options, experiment and have fun!