How to Do Funky Neon Smoke Nail Art Using 3 Different Methods
Today’s tutorial is on three different ways you can create colorful smoke nail art. There is so much room for creativity in this tutorial and the smoky look, creating smoke swirls and combining different colors.
I'll be showing you how to do neon smoke nails with neon pigments, acrylic powder, and even watercolor paint! Let's get started.
Tools and materials:
- Black gel polish
- White gel polish
- Neon pigments
- Acrylic powder pigment polish
- White watercolor paint
- Sheer jelly finish gel polish
- Clear top coat
- Fine tipped brush
- Regular brush
- Rubbing alcohol
- Curing machine
Neon pigments method
1. Apply the base color
Apply black gel polish to your clean, polish-free nails, and cure.
2. Wipe
Wipe off the sticky layer with a paper towel or apply a clear, no-wipe top coat, and cure.
3. Apply white polish
Using a thin-tipped brush, apply white gel polish in a zigzag pattern from the top of the nail to the bottom.
4. Mess up the lines
Using the same fine-tipped brush, create a messy line from the line you just drew by rubbing the paint around.
5. Use alcohol
Dip your brush in rubbing alcohol and repeat the same method from step four.
The polish will start to run and appear to have a foggy/smoky look.
Once you are satisfied with how it looks you can go ahead and cure your nails.
6. Apply neon colors
Apply neon pigments in the colors of your choice to a brush and then apply to your nail all over the white smoky line.
Use a clean brush to lightly brush off any excess pigment powder.
7. Apply top coat
Apply your top coat then cure.
Here's the finished nail with the neon pink and purple smoke nail art. You can play around with the shape of the smoke and the color combinations - the design is unique every time.
Here's another example with a different shape and colors:
1. Apply the base color
Apple black gel polish to your clean, polish-free nail and cure.
2. Apply white polish
Using a thin-tipped brush, apply white gel polish in a jagged horizontal motion across the center of the nail.
It should look slightly jagged and messy.
3. Use alcohol
Dip your brush in rubbing alcohol and run it over the lines you just painted, to create a foggy look.
You can get super creative and bring the fog down across the nail or really in whatever pattern that you would like.
Once you are satisfied with how it looks you can go ahead and cure your nails.
4. Apply the neon pigment
This time we are going to apply the neon pigments in a horizontal pattern instead of vertical.
Choose two colors from your powder gel set (I am using green and yellow) and apply them separately to either side of your nail, completely covering the white fog.
Use a clean brush to lightly brush off any excess pigment powder.
5. Apply top coat
Apply your top coat then cure.
That is it for method one! As you can see, there are so many looks you can create with this method. Feel free to get as creative and wild as you would like!
Acrylic powder method
1. Apply the base color
Apply black gel polish to your clean, polish-free nail, and cure.
2. Apply white polish
Using a thin-tipped brush, apply white gel polish in a jagged horizontal motion across the center of the nail.
We are repeating the same steps as the previous method.
3. Use alcohol
Dip your brush in rubbing alcohol and run it over the lines you just painted, to create a foggy look.
Once you are satisfied with how it looks you can go ahead and cure your nails.
4. Apply the acrylic powder
Apply the acrylic powder to your nails using a brush.
Make sure to pat the pigment down, then cure.
That’s it for method two! The acrylic colors give a more subtle effect than the neon colors.
Watercolor method
1. Apply the base color
Apply black gel polish to your clean, polish-free nail, and cure.
2. Mix the paint
Using a brush, mix white watercolor paint with a bit of water on a piece of tinfoil.
3. Apply the white paint
Apply the white to your nail in messy strokes. Feel free to get as creative as you would like.
4. Use alcohol
Dip your brush in alcohol and run it over the lines you just painted, to create a foggy look like in the other methods.
Redip the brush into the white watercolor paint for enhanced pigmentation when necessary.
5. Let it dry
Let it completely dry.
It is very important to make sure your nails are completely dry before moving on to the next step.
6. Apply top coat
Seal this layer by applying a clear top coat, then cure.
7. Add the color
Mix a tiny bit of blue gel polish (or the color of your choice) and top coat on a piece of tinfoil.
8. Apply the color
Use a fine-tipped brush to apply the mixture over the smoky white pattern on your nail.
When you are done you can go ahead and cure.
Neon smoke nail art tutorial
Now we are finished with method three! All three methods are super user-friendly and produce beautiful smoky nail art in the pattern and color of your choice!
As I said, there is so much room for creativity and self-expression with smoky nail art.
Let me know in the comments how this guide works out for you!
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I thought that was the coolest idea!! Thanks for sharing!