Why is your water marbling not working?

Hey everyone! I've missed you all! School is really taking a toll on me :/
It's really hard to get back into the groove of things, and I really don't have a lot of free time.

So I was searching around the web and I found a lot (More than usual) of questions on things that are happening with water marbling. I thought it might be helpful to compile a lot of those questions here. Let's get right to it!

Why does my polish sink to the bottom?
Two reasons. Either your water is the wrong temp, or you're dropping the polish too high. Hold the brush just above the water, but not to the point where you're touching the water.
What type of water do I need?
Regular tap water. Nothing fancy.
What temperature of water works best?
Room temperature! Try getting as close to room temp as you can, and let the water sit for an hour or two.
How can I get my polish to spread around evenly?
You can shake the container a little after dropping it in, or you can run a toothpick on the outside edges of the bowl. This pulls the water, pulling the polish with it.
Why isn't the polish spreading?
Sounds like the wrong temperature of water. Also, the formula plays a big role. You'll see that thinner polishes spread a lot faster, but are very sheer. Thicker polishes take a while to spread but they have good coverage. You have to experiment! See what works best for the look you're going for.
What are some good color combos?
Pastels with white look very nice, Also mixing colors that are opposite the color wheel give a very interesting effect. My go to color for marbling is white. It looks great with anything!
What topcoat do you recommend that doesn't smear colors?I use the generic air dry topcoat from Sally's Beauty Supply.
How do you avoid getting your fingers messy?Tape! Tape around the cuticle and on the sides of the nails. Clean up is a breeze!
How do you get rid of air bubbles?Before you even want to dip your finger, pop any air bubbles that are already in the water.


My last tip is to work quickly! Polish dries very fast in water. Have all your bottles open ahead of time, and all your tape cut already.
Hope this helps!
See you soon. xx