Simple Nail Art Dot Design with Water Based Nail Polish

A very simple nail art design that you can create with water based nail polishes is a dot design. You can scatter the dots around your nails as polka dots, or arrange them in a particular pattern. You can make flowers with dots by placing one dot in the middle and making a circle of dots around it. Or get an ombre effect by clustering dots at one end of your nails and then gradually fading them out.

Water based nail polishes are a slightly different consistency than regular nail polish, but they can still be used for this type of basic nail art idea. Shown above, I used Mahalo (Hawaiian ocean blue) from Acquarella with dots of Sea-quin (bright turquoise) from Piggy Paint.

Steps for Simple Nail Art Dot Design:

1. Choose two contrasting colors of water based nail polish with a creme finish.
2. Cut the tip off of a toothpick, so that it has a blunt round end.
3. Optional: Apply a layer of base coat if you are using a brand of nail polish that requires base coat.
4. Apply 2-3 layers of colored nail polish until it is opaque. I used two layers of Mahalo.
5. Allow the nail polish to dry completely.
6. Add a dot design with the contrasting color of nail polish. Open the bottle of nail polish and touch the blunt end of the toothpick to the brush to get a small amount of nail polish. If there is too much nail polish on the toothpick, blot it on  a piece of paper.
7. Gently apply a dot of nail polish with the toothpick onto the nail. You may be able to make one or two dots before putting more nail polish on the toothpick. Using a smaller amount of nail polish will make smaller dots and pushing harder will make larger dots. Be creative with your design!
8. Allow the dots of nail polish to dry completely.
9. Apply a layer of clear water-based top coat and allow to dry.

Dots are one of the quickest and easiest forms of nail art. It’s a great option if you have short nails or want to add a design to your kid’s nails.