How to do the ombré manicure: a summer favourite

One of the favourite manicures for the summer season is known as ombré, a gradient technique thanks to which our nails change colour either with the same nail polish in different tones, or with different colours, which are usually light pinks, nudes and whites. To get a manicure with a gradient effect in a simple way, just follow the steps below and take note of a few tricks.

We start by choosing the colours and we paint the nails with the lightest colour, to have it as a base. Then, we paint lines in a row on the sponge with the colours we have chosen and place it on the nail with gentle touches, applying pressure so that the colour is impregnated. Depending on the intensity we want, we repeat until we achieve the desired finish. This gradient effect is achieved with a sponge.

How to do an ombré manicure at home?

For a manicure with a gradient effect at home and in a simple way, all you need is a small make-up sponge on which you can apply the two colours you want to stamp on your nails. After preparing and painting the whole base of our nail with the desired colour, and when it is very dry, we apply the two shades of nail polish on the slightly damp sponge, both the base colour and the new one with which we will create the ombré or gradient effect, focusing on the part where the two shades meet.

‘The next step would be to stamp the subtle mixture of the sponge on our nails. The action can be repeated with small touches of the sponge, avoiding dense layers and making sure that the nail is dry between coats. If necessary, we can cut off the used part of the sponge and reapply nail polish on the clean area’ – says Tainah Cruz, official manicurist of Entity España.

Tips you should know…

1/ To make your ombré manicure last longer, you should apply a hardener before the layers of colour and as a last step, a top coat, being the matte finish another of the products we need: ‘This step is essential as the sponge usually leaves the nail rough and the top coat will make it smooth’. To remove any traces of nail polish that may remain on the skin, it is recommended to use specific protectors with that function, or even the trick of wrapping the contour of the nail in a bit of adhesive tape.

2/ Put the colours on the sponge a little bit mounted so that the lines are not so defined and the result is more gradient: ‘It is a very grateful technique as it looks good on any length and shape of nails. Our recommendation is to use only two colours for shorter nails so that they don’t look too heavy’.

Clean nails: the manicure that will still reign supreme in 2024.