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Gel nail kits are one of the most popular at-home beauty treatments. LED lamps are pricier than UV lamps, but they're much faster at curing polish, making them safer for your skin. However, some gels can only be cured under a UV lamp, so look for a UV/LED blend if you want the best of both worlds. "Their powders are so good! The instructions are really easy to follow and it takes about 30 minutes to do my nails, wherever I want. So excited to try more colors."
Small but mighty, one of the main appeals of this set is its compact size, which easily fits into a bedside drawer, and isn’t bulky or heavy either. However, its main selling point is that it’s plant-based, with vegan formulas that sit between a traditional polish and a gel. They give a glossy finish and can swiftly be taken off using nail polish remover. As a result they’re less damaging to nails and don’t come with a time-consuming removal process that can take up your whole evening. It comes with the lamp and USB cable, a mini bottle of polish, a nail file, 10 remover pads and a double-sided cuticle pusher with a slanted tip for cleaning up around edges. Simply buff and shape the nails, then apply two coats of polish and put under the lamp until the light turns off , et voila, a glossy plum red that lasted us well over a week without chipping.
Gellux gel polish starter kit
While the most expensive on our list, it’s well worth the investment thanks to the variety of gel shades included and all the tools you could ever need. The praise for this kit doesn't stop at the simple application and longevity either. The polish comes off with regular acetone polish remover you can find at the drugstore.
Beyond that, the gel layers never seemed to fully dry, which resulted in a clumpy effect. And the polish didn't last more than 24 hours, leaving our tester's nails slightly damaged in its wake. This kit comes with 19 different items—including a buffer, primer and LED lamp—for less than $30.
Lagunamoon Gel Nail Polishes Set with 36W UV LED Nail Lamp
From the adorable heart-shaped packaging to the easy-to-follow instruction manual, this kit makes doing a mani on the go enjoyable and fun. Even our tester, a self-proclaimed manicure amateur, says the kit is like a party in a box. Next, you'll need to apply your gel base coat and cure it for 15 seconds. If you do have any doubts on how to go about nailing your manicure, at the end of our guide we've listed in chronological order the steps to follow when doing your own nails. It may sound daunting at first, being in charge of your own nails, but there are plenty of helpful tricks and tips online. Plus, once you get the hang of it, doing your gel nails is straightforward and brilliantly fun.
It keeps things simple with just one bottle of gel colour and a mini LED lamp. Harper's BAZAAR participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Most nail technicians say they last two to three weeks, unless removed sooner. If you are looking for a manicure that lasts you longer, you may want to check out dip powder manis. For those who want the full salon experience, this 32-piece kit gives you everything you need to shape and polish your nails like the pros, including six neutral, wearable polishes. Finish by cleaning them with a cleanser or alcohol wipe to make them squeaky-clean.
The GHI’s best home gel manicure kit is just £60
You can read more of her stories on People and Travel + Leisure. "You have everything you need for a gel manicure at your fingertips, literally, and you don't need to leave the comfort of your home," says manicurist Syreeta Aaron. "It's a little expensive at first, but once you have the kit and any additional supplies you need, it's cost-efficient over time." Gurung has reached for CND’s shellac products for years because of their high quality and great coverage. She notes, “You don’t have to file the top layer of the gel, all you have to do is wrap it in an aluminum foil for mins and it just falls off in one piece.” For that reason, she notes it would be great for at-home use.
This is as straightforward as nail kits get, coming with all the necessary bits and bobs you need for a perfect mani, and it’s also easy to set up and use. Select your gel polish colour, add a thin layer of it and cure for 60 seconds. Paint a second slightly thicker layer and cure for 60 seconds. A third layer is optional depending on how thick your polish is. When it comes to getting down to business, each step will vary depending on your individual manicure kit — so it's always worth following the instructions that come with your pack.
Get up to 10 gel manicures with this all-encompassing starter kit from the trusted brand. The shade, Shell We Dance, is a soft neutral you’ll actually want to wear again and again with no chips, and no dry time. There is no need for a thousand tools and heavy lights, just an easy lamp that clicks into place (also the perfect size for your desk if you need an emergency touch-up), polish, and a bottle of remover. The brush layers the gel polish on lightly, and the overall effect is a fine coat of heavily pigmented colour—no gloopy, thick nails here. Gel manicures also grow out or need to be fully removed, whereas a regular manicure can chip and wear off with use.
There’s an extensive 25-shade range available to chose from – our favourite is anémone, a brilliant raspberry red. While it didn't beat my record (my longest-lasting gel manicure was around five weeks), it did last far longer than the "chips in two days" home manicure that I'd attempted in the past. This manicure kit comes with eight gel colors, including two ombrés and six solids, plus a nail dehydrator, a primer, a base, and top coat, various grooming tools, and a drying lamp.
Our tester said the gel dried quickly with the included lamp and was satisfied with the finished results. (And she thinks her manicure would look even better if she used thinner coats of lacquer and took her time with the application.) Though the brand promises up to 14 days of wear, it began chipping after about seven days. While it may not last as long as a salon mani, you can expect it to hold up longer with regular polish. The Morovan Poly Gel Kit earned perfect scores in most categories, including drying time, finished appearance, longevity, ease of removal, and nail integrity after removal. We only marked it down for ease of use since there was a slight learning curve to applying the gel nails.
If you want to do your nails at home, you'll need a UV or LED lamp, a base and top coat, gel cleanser, cuticle oil, primer, a buffer and lint-free wipes. LED nail dryers offer a faster drying time compared to UV lights; it takes UV lights anywhere from eight to ten minutes to cure gels, while LED lamps take seconds. Apparently, everything you need is inside for a gel polish manicure, including a file, little wipes to rid of dust or oils, and gel polish. We tried out the beautiful Macaroon-style kit to see if it gives you just as chic nails. The application process was quick, but most of the panel felt they needed longer than the claimed 15-second cure, taking minutes to finish both hands. Despite a lack of contents in the kit , their nails stayed shiny and chip-free for five days.
It’s the most compact we tried too, taking up a minute amount of space thanks to its adorable one-finger LED lamp. It’s fuss-free and easy to use, and a great way to start practising gel manicures at home. It's not only nice to look at — the entire process is a breeze, too. Our tester notes that she was shocked at how fast the LED light cures each nail.
Once dry, our tester said she looked like she was rocking a professional manicure. And at the two-week mark, her nails were still evenly coated and looked perfect from a distance. The gel also came off easily with a regular drugstore acetone remover and didn't damage her nail plates in the process. Including a full-size led lamp, four gel colours, cuticle stick, removable wraps, a nail file and an 'amour' postcard, this is an all-rounder that's sure to flawlessly replicate those trips to the salon. Unless you’re using a 3-in-1 polish, apply a thin layer of base coat to your nails before curing them under the LED lamp for 60 seconds, using the flashing timer. Seal the tip of each nail with a light slick of polish to prevent chipping.
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