A new dripping method has become a popular technique among CND educators using the Colour & Effects line. Essentially the polish colors are dropped onto the nails to create shimmering splotches that give not quite a marbleized look, but more of a neo avant garde painting-type effect. CND Colour & Effects competition grand prize winner Anna Nelson of Cut Loose Salon in Fairfield, Calif., shows how she uses the technique to make this design.

1. Apply base coat, then a generous layer of nail polish in Asphalt Colour as a background. Immediately apply random splotches with Inkwell, keeping some distance between them. Splotches should vary in size from fat to skinny.
2. Very quickly apply more splotches on top of the Inkwell blobs with Sapphire Sparkle Effect.
3. Quickly cover these with splotches of Raspberry Sparkle Effect.
4. Add a small splotch of Inkwell again in the middle of the others. Once you let it dry, apply Super Shiney clear finish coat and your client is good to go.

Nelson shows a tip spread of how she applied the drops one by one. She says, “The faster you do it the more time the polish has to spread and become flatter. The sides that drip too much can be wiped off slightly to take off the excess polish. Do one nail at a time and remember the final design needs a long time to dry.”

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