Journal

Manicure musings: Marble

Manicure musings: Marble

Design inspiration can come from anywhere, and this is certainly true when it comes to our recent intrigue with marble. A striking natural material in its own right, marble features heavily in some of our favourite interiors; unusual kitchenware, sleek tabletops and glossy floor tiles - and now, we’re bringing marble to the world of Glasshouse nails, as the latest addition to our Saturday manicure service.

Marble nails are as interesting as they are unique, due to the unpredictable patterns achieved by the technique. We create the look by combining your chosen colours and textures using our either our Gelish or Bio Seaweed ranges, both of which last up to two weeks on the nails. Some of our most popular colour combinations have been pink and white, or grey and gold, though we also love to use Gelish Jet Set (a deep greyish purple with soft shimmer) with Sheek White (a pure white) to give a cool, washed-out finish. For those who prefer pastel hues, the Bio Seaweed shades of Peaches and White merge softly together for a peaches ‘n’ cream effect. When marbling colours using gel nail polish, traditional water-based methods do not work, as water can become trapped in the polish layers and potentially cause lifting. So, instead we use Isopropyl Alcohol which works well with the gel as it evaporates leaving behind a clean design. After a base coat and two colour coats have been applied, we use a small detailing brush to draw veined lines over the nail, and then use the alcohol to disperse the lines over the nail which creates the desired marble effect. Once cured in the LED lamp and top-coated, your marble nails will be completely dry and ready to go.

Unlike a lot of nail art trends, we think this one is a keeper - a catwalk mainstay for several seasons running, and spotted in the collections of designers such as Creatures of the Wild (a marbleised metallic gold and nude combo) and Robert Rodriguez (marble effect dresses and two-pieces), it seems to have some serious staying power, both on the nails and on the runway. Recently, we’ve even spotted Auria’s marble-printed swimwear online at our favourite sustainable fashion spot The Acey. Their simple marble bikini is made from recycled fabrics formed of discarded fishing nets - super innovative and a slick marble design to boot!

Glasshouse likes to keep things as simple and sleek as possible, and the wearable versatility of marble nails does just that. Proving more and more popular every Saturday, why not request a marble nail for a design statement that takes its inspiration from earth’s prettiest stone?

Call the salon on 020 3095 9783, or drop us an email over at info@glasshousesalon.co.uk to book in now.

Image: Ivory and Deane
Image: Ivory and Deane
Image: Creative Co; Cover image: Surface Design
Image: Creative Co; Cover image: Surface Design
Image: Glasshouse Salon, Bio Seaweed Gel Polish in Peaches and White
Image: Glasshouse Salon, Bio Seaweed Gel Polish in Peaches and White

Words: Tabby Casto (Glasshouse Manicurist) and Lucy Vincent