9 best gel nail kits for salon-quality manicures at home

You may recognise 14 Day Manicure from social media – and it really is a product that lived up to its online hype. Included in the kit is, of course, the gel nail lamp, alongside four small polishes (you can choose the colours), a base and top coat, a nail file and buffer, cuticle pusher and acetone removal solution. You’ll certainly be set up for a good amount of time and can also easily purchase new polishes if you wish to grow your options as well.

What puts 14 Day Manicure above the rest is the fact you can choose the colours you’d like to receive. Plus it’s incredibly easy to use, thanks to the brand’s application guides. What’s more, the manicure lasted us the longest amount of time, stretching more than two weeks before we took it off with the included solution.

The expert advice to minimise the risk of allergic reaction or UV damage from gel nail kits is to opt for reputable, well-known brands. Although, of course, Amazon and similar online retail giants have plenty of unknown options to choose from, so, in the name of beauty journalism, we decided to give one a go. Priced at close to £20, this kit was the most affordable option we tested and came complete with an impressive number of extras – 12 gel nail polishes, two nail files, toe separators and a handful of tools.

It was incredibly easy to set up, the polish applied easily (although the colours are much subtler in real life than they look on the product image) and the whole process was incredibly quick. What’s more, it lasted for almost two weeks (this will probably stretch longer the better you are at applying it). Plus, we didn’t find ourselves needing anything other than what was included. Despite this seeming like a pretty impressive gel nail kit, we can’t help but shake the concern that it goes against the expert advice, so, please make sure you do your research and understand the risks before choosing this option.

If potential irritation is a real concern of yours, this Manucurist gel nail kit will be your best bet. The key selling point of the brand is that Manucurist has swapped harsh ingredients for more natural, planet-friendly alternatives. All of the products are plant-based and free from methacrylate monomers, an ingredient that can cause irritation. If you think this may lead to the colours not being as vibrant or tricky to apply, you’d be mistaken, as, at first glance, you’d never notice it isn’t ‘real’ gel polish.

Included in the kit is an LED lamp (you’ll have to provide your own plug), top and base coats, one colour of choice (we went for poppy red) and a removal solution and clips to help with the removal process. We did find it takes around double the time to cure as most of the other options included in this list – two minutes for each coat – and the lamp isn’t activated by movement, you will need to press the buttons, but the result was incredibly sleek and lasted us around 10 days. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to remove, thanks to the included solution that wipes it right off.

Turing any polish into a long-lasting gel, this simple set includes a UV lamp (you’ll need to add your own plug), a two-in-one base and top coat and a finishing wipe. The main draw is you can use any polish of your choosing, which is certainly incredibly useful for anyone who has quite a large nail polish collection.

In theory, it should work incredibly well, and it does, so long as you master the technique. We found it’s best to let the regular polish air dry before adding the gel top coat, which, of course, makes the whole process a little bit longer but is well worth it for the sleek, shiny result. We also managed to make our manicure last for around one week before chipping, which is a good deal longer than regular polish, although not quite as long-lasting as traditional gel.

Mylee polishes have been our go-to gel polishes for quite a while. In fact, when we find a colour we love, we’ve even brought it to our go-to nail tech to have it professionally applied. Luckily, there are plenty to choose from, including the nail-boosting builder gels. So, it felt rather seamless to start applying them ourselves at home as well, especially considering this kit has everything you need to get going. Inside, you’ll find four pretty pink polishes, a base and top coat, a prep and remover liquid, along with wipes, a nail file and, of course, the LED lamp.

The addition of four different colours really did impress, as there’s more than enough to get you going, and the price is incredibly reasonable as well. Plus, the kit is very straightforward to use, so you can’t go too far wrong. Although the lamp does seem a bit more professional than some of the other options, with three different settings that work a little faster than the other sets we tried – you will need to play around with the time settings, to see which works best for you. To be safe, we kept to 60 seconds to cure each layer, just in case. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was also the longest-lasting result we had, stretching to nearly three weeks before we removed it with the included removal liquid.

When we first opened this kit, we were pretty surprised at how small the LED lamp is. While this was great for storing it, as it fits nicely in our bathroom cabinet (and it’s still pretty powerful), it does mean you’ll have to cure your thumbs separately, making the whole process a little bit longer. Although, you’ll have to source your own plug to get it to power up, as only a USB cable is provided. Within the kit, you’ll receive one coloured polish, a top and base coat, a nail primer and cuticle oil and some tools to help shape and buff. What impressed us the most was the inclusion of a gel nail polish remover and removal pads, making the whole process pretty seamless from start to end. We’ve dubbed this option as perfect for beginners, as it really does have everything you need to get started.

It’s straightforward and easy to use, and we did find that the result looked pretty professional, too (especially considering our tester is still very much a beginner). It also lasted a good two weeks before we started to notice any peeling or chipping.

This compact kit contains all the essentials for a fuss-free gel manicure at home. It comes in a neatly packaged box containing a LED/UV lamp, top and base coats, a 20-pack of cleanser wipes, a nail file and buffer and three full-size gel polishes (bright red, glossy black and dusty pink). Our favourite part of this kit was its speediness, requiring only 30 seconds of curing under the lamp for the base coat, then 60 seconds per coat of paint, and finally 60 seconds once you’ve applied the top coat.

The instruction booklet is clear and easy to follow, and the cleanser wipes do a great job of tidying up the cuticles before you put your hand under the lamp, which meant the end result was a lot neater. This is ideal if you want to invest in a gel nail kit without spending a huge amount, and we think the price is quite reasonable, as the three colours it comes with are full size. Just be careful to ensure you only apply a very thin layer – the first time we used this kit, we made the mistake of applying a layer that was too thick, which meant keeping it tidy was tricky.

You can’t, however, fit all five nails under the lamp comfortably, so, make sure you’re careful not to touch freshly applied gel polish, which would ruin your handiwork. We opted for the pillar box red, which resulted in a beautiful glossy finish that lasted a full 10 days.

This is an adorable kit that delivered a better quality, longer-lasting gel manicure than we had anticipated. 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 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 (30 seconds), et voila, a glossy colour that lasted us well over a week without chipping.

It’s surprisingly speedy, taking just 15 minutes to complete a manicure, and the remover pads work well.

We enjoyed the unusual shades in this kit, which were a mix of blue, grey and brown-toned pinks, which were highly pigmented and flattering even on our pale skin. The polishes have wide brushes, which made for simple application, although, patience is key. The lamp has three timer settings and will instantly turn off when you remove your hand.

It’s an extensive kit, coming with – deep breath – six polishes, a top coat, base coat, nail file, nail buffer (which is washable), a nail brush, cuticle fork, dotting pen, cuticle pusher, nail separators and striping tape. Our favourite feature, though, is the French manicure stickers in two designs – straight and curved – so you can perfect traditional white or colourful tips with ease.