Ombre nails are the it girl autumn nail trend and your Google search history tells us so. According to the search giant, we're all searching for ombre nails inspo RN, and whilst some of us want to take it straight to our nail techs, others want to take matters into our own hands instead… literally.
We get it, “cozzie livs”, it's an expensive quarter of the year so it's understandable you're cutting down on your beauty treatments, and opting to do what you can from home. As stressful as nail art can be, an ombre nail is the chicest way to add a little oomph to traditional full bleed colour.
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What are ombre nails?
The ombre nails style sees a smooth gradient effect transition from one shade to another (e.g. from light to dark), to give a fading effect. In the case of classic French tips, this means a seamless movement from creamy white tips, into a barely-there pink, without that traditional crisp contrast between the two. Now that we're deep into autumn, the girlies are heavily opting for brown, mossy green and orange hues, but ombre nails they can be done with any rich colour, fading to the natural colour of the nail beds, as well as other colours.
Sure, ombre nails seem complicated, and playing around with sponges and pressure points can get messy, but did you know that you can achieve the cutest and most effortless ombre nails using eyeshadow? Let's get straight to it.
What do you need for the ombre nails eyeshadow hack?
As the name suggests, you'll need loose or press powder eyeshadow (preferably pressed as it's easier to build up), an eyeshadow brush for application, and the base coat, top coat and/or a sheer nail polish. Any extras for nails art like glitter and accessories are a bonus.
Try these eyeshadow palettes:
Try these eyeshadow brushes:
Try these base and top coat duos:
How to do ombre nails using eyeshadow?
Once you've gathered your tools you can achieve this mani look in five simple steps:
- Prep: Start by giving your nails some love. File them, shape them and make sure they're clean.
- Pick a shade or five: Wether you decide to do all fingers in one shade or are opting for a cute rainbow effect, pick an eyeshadow palette with the colours of your choice and make sure they deliver strong colour deposit.
- Base coat: Apply a base coat to your nails, opt for a gel polish using a UV lamp if you have, as it will make the nail colour last longer and it's much quicker as you won't have to wait for the colour to get dry. “Make sure to clean the cuticle area with alcohol, cure it and leave the sticky layer on the nail as that's what's going to help the eyeshadow stick.” says creator and nail artist Connie Wi.
- Dip and blend: Take a small eyeshadow brush and dip it in the chosen shade. Gently dust the colour onto the tips of the nails, built it up and blend it to make a smooth transition.
- Top coat: Lock in that dreamy ombre effect by applying a gel top coat. If you notice the eyeshadow transferring onto the brush Connie also advices: “just make sure to wipe the brush off before putting it back into the bottle.” For the most even finish Connie also advices us to “flip the nail over and that's going to help the gel level out.” At the end, don't forget to wipe off the sticky film once you've cured it and voilá.
Ombre eyeshadow nail hack inspo:
Barbie ombre
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Pumpkin spice rainbow ombre
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Rainbow ombre
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Aura ombre
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Constellation ombre
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Inverted ombre
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Autumn brown ombre
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Tie-die ombre
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Glittered french ombre
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Vampy ombre
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Mani blown… 🤯💅
For more from Glamour UK Beauty Writer Shei Mamona, follow her on Instagram @sheimamona
