Creating a marble effect is such a fabulous way to add impact and chances are you already have the supplies laying around the house! See below for how to make a marble lotion bottle using nail polish.
I picked up these glass lotion bottle dispensers from IKEA not knowing at the time how I was going to add my own touch, but I knew they would be perfect for my next craft project.
SUPPLIES
- Lotion bottles
- Cheap, thin nail polish
- Old or disposable container
- Skewers, cotton tips or toothpicks
- Nail polish remover (optional)
- Water
Nail polish: I discovered that cheap doesn't necessarily mean a thin, inferior product (who would've thought?!) so just be aware of that. I used two colours however one will look good too. I wouldn't try any more than three.
STEP #1 | ENSURE YOUR LOTION BOTTLES ARE CLEAN & FILL THE CONTAINER WITH WATER
I tried both warm and room temperature water, but personally I didn't notice a difference. I used a bit more than an inch of water, but it will depend on the size of your project. The amount isn't overly important – if anything, add more if you like as it will give you more freedom with the design. Your container will get some residue on it so that's why it's best to use something you can throw out or don't mind destroying.
STEP #2 | POUR NAIL POLISH DIRECTLY INTO THE WATER
If you pour too quickly the nail polish will sink straight to the bottom of the container and we're aiming for it to sit on top and then disperse across the water. Having said that, once you begin pouring, a film will form and after a while will become tacky and may stick to the sides of the container. So be sure not to take too long before applying to the bottles. For me the most difficult part of this process was working slowly but at a quick pace! Add any extra colours at this point too.
STEP #3 | SWIRL NAIL POLISH WITH A SKEWER (OR OTHER STICK-Y TYPE APPARATUS YOU'RE USING)
This will help to create the pattern. That's it.
STEP #4 | DIP BOTTLE INTO THE MARBLED WATER
Don't just dunk it straight into the water, I found rolling the surface of the bottle across the top of the water worked quite well. Don't rush this part too much either, just slow enough to catch the film to the surface of the bottle. You can also try dunking again if you missed a section however by this point I found the nail polish starting to get tacky and sometimes a second dunk would overlap badly. You can always wait a few minutes then try again (you will probably need to refill the container again).
Don't like your design, messed it up or just want to customize it a little more?
Hooray for nail polish remover! I would love to say I created this perfectly, right off the bat. But I didn't (sad face). I actually removed the entire marbled design a couple of times and started over (you might notice a discrepancy in my photos – I photographed white nail polish but really didn't like it so opted for a different colour). If a portion of the nail polish is in a section that you don't want then just use a cotton tip with the remover to get rid of that particular part.
STEP #5 | LEAVE THE BOTTLE TO DRY
I found my bottles were touch dry in an hour or so but leave them overnight to dry properly.
And there you have it! A neat effect giving you a marble lotion dispenser with something as simple as nail polish. I love that you can use any colour combo to suit your styling.
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