A gel manicure is a surefire way to make your nails look nicer and more polished than ever. The gel polish is shinier, more durable, and longer-lasting than traditional nail polish, so you don’t have to worry about chipping or smudging. And, these days, it’s easy to get salon-quality results at home with the latest gel nail kits that include everything you need to do your own mani.

If you’re looking for a gel nail kit that does it all, Dashing Diva Gelish Dip Powder Starter Kit is our top pick for its ease of use, professional results and long-lasting wear.

To help you find the best gel nail kit for your needs and budget, we rounded up our favorite options that include all of the necessary tools, plus extra polishes and colors so you can match every outfit in your closet. Here are the best gel nail kits:

Gel nails are a great way to get your nails to look amazing without having to go to the salon. But with so many different options out there, it can be hard to know where to start. We’ve rounded up some of our favorites below, so you can find the perfect gel nail kit for you.

Our pick: the Red Carpet Manicure Color Dip Starter Kit

Our favorite gel nail kit is the Red Carpet Manicure Color Dip Starter Kit ($40). It’s a two-step gel system that uses color powder instead of traditional gel polish, and it comes with everything you need for a beautiful manicure at home. The kit includes six colors and a clear dip powder, an LED lamp, cuticle oil, a buffer block, and a top coat. The nail powder comes in four different shades of pink, a nude color, and white. Once you apply the base coat and dip powder over it, you seal it with activator and then apply the top coat for the final step.

The best thing about this kit is that it’s super easy to use. There are no complicated steps like with other kits on this list. The only downside is that if you run out of any of the products included in this kit (like

We love a good gel mani as much as anyone, but it’s undeniably pricey to get them done at the salon. Thankfully, you can get the same salon-quality results with a gel nail kit at home! The best gel nail kits will include almost everything you need to get started: the UV lamp, base coat, top coat, and nail colors.

Some kits come with basic tools like an orange wood stick and nail file too, but others don’t include these essentials. You should also opt for a gel polish kit that comes with lots of different colors — that way you won’t be limited to what they happen to have stocked in the kit.

If you’re ready to create your own DIY gel nails at home, here are seven of the best gel nail kits that we recommend trying out!

If you’ve been researching gel nail kits, chances are you’ve come across a lot of different products. What exactly are the differences between them? And which is the best? Here I’ll explain what to look for in a kit, and which ones have the best specifications.

A gel nail kit is a professional product that gives you salon-quality gel nails at home. It includes all the ingredients needed to apply your polished nails, such as pre-gel pads, color polish, base coat, top coat and a curing light. The only thing you need to get started is the actual kit itself.

When choosing your kit, it’s important to consider what kind of style you want. Do you want an opaque cream finish or a shiny glossy look? Both styles are available in both regular polish and glittery finishes. If you don’t care what type of finish looks best on your nails, then it really doesn’t matter which one you choose. Just make sure it contains everything you need for your application process!

You’ve probably seen gel nail kits in the drugstore, but they’re not all created equal. Some formulas don’t cure as fast or last as long as others, and some are trickier to apply than others. Shopping for one can be daunting, so we’re breaking it all down for you right here.

Before you buy, know that if applied correctly, gel nails should last at least two weeks without chipping. If you’re on a budget, try the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel kit ($10; amazon.com). The polish is easy to apply (even if you have shaky hands), it cures quickly under an LED light, and the polish lasts up to two weeks without chipping.

If more than two weeks of wear is your goal, try Dashing Diva’s The Gloss Gel Kit ($65; dashingdiva.com), which promises up to four weeks of wear with no chipping or peeling. The kit comes with everything you need: a top coat, base coat, LED lamp and a set of 10 color-changing gel polishes (they change color when hit by sunlight)—and yes, they actually do change color!

If you want salon-quality gel nails at home and on a budget? Meet SensatioN

Gel nail kits are a convenient way to get a professional manicure at home.

Gel manicures look gorgeous and last for up to two weeks without chipping, but if you’re not doing them regularly, the price can add up. Luckily, there are tons of DIY gel nail kits on the market that give you salon-quality results at home. To find the best ones, we talked with top nail pros and tested a ton of kits ourselves.

If you want to do gel nails at home, you’ll need a UV or LED lamp to cure (harden) the polish so it doesn’t chip or peel, as well as a set of gel nail polishes (either base coat, color coat, and topcoat or an all-in-one color). You can buy each separately or in a kit. “I recommend purchasing a kit so you have everything you need to get started and are assured that it will all work together from the start,” says celebrity manicurist Tracylee Percival. “There are some brands that have great polishes but then their lamps suck—or vice versa. So I prefer to use one brand that makes it easy for people at home.”

If you only do your nails once in a while, like for special occasions, go with