Sick of Paying For Gel Manicures? I Got Everything I Needed For Less on Amazon
If you want something done well, do it yourself — and if you want to stop paying $35 for a gel manicure every two weeks, buy some supplies and learn to paint your own damn nails.
Regular manicures are very important to my overall self-care routine, but the price tag that comes along with shiny gel nails often isn't feasible, even for those with a bit of disposable income. A few weeks ago, after paying $65 for a pedicure and a gel manicure, I hit a wall.
I logged on to Amazon and proceeded to spend two hours piecing together the perfect gel kit. I didn't want to completely overspend — after all, I'm trying to save money here — but I also wanted to buy nice materials that would give me the same quality as a salon manicure. Two hours and $94 later, I found the perfect combination. I bought a total of five products (which you can see ahead), but I also have an existing cabinet full of cotton balls and nail files. If you don't have the basics, you may need to invest slightly more money.
My first go-around was tense. Painting your nails is low-pressure when you can just wipe it off with some remover, but gel requires precision. If you mess up, the fix may require you to completely file off your polish and start from scratch. I'm not terrible with a polish brush, and I made it all the way to the top-coat layer until really screwing up. I'm a top-coat fanatic, so I heaped healthy dollops on my thumbs . . . then watched the viscous liquid slide down onto my skin and instantly harden under the UV lamp. I clipped off the excess and filed the shellac down, and my thumbs looked near-perfect. You can see the finished product above — not bad for my first try, hunched over my bathroom sink, eh?
Here's everything I bought, all of which I would recommend.
Uming UV Nail Lamp 
I looked at a variety of high- and low-end UV lamps, and this seemed to give customers the most bang for their buck. The Uming UV Nail Lamp ($24) has a solid five-star rating, and it's super easy to use. You can either turn it on indefinitely or hit the buttons for 30- or 60-second intervals. You can put it on any surface, even your lap.
Uming UV Nail Lamp $24 from amazon.com Buy Now Gelish Terrific Trio Gel Polish Essentials Kit 
The Gelish Terrific Trio Gel Polish Essentials Kit ($30) was the one choice that seemed pretty clear from the start. This three-piece set comes with pH Bond (the quick-soaking stuff they put on your nail before any polish), Foundation (aka base coat), and Top It Off (aka top coat). Efficient, quality, and $10 per bottle.
Gelish Terrific Trio Gel Polish Essentials Kit $30 from amazon.com Buy Now Coscelia 6-Piece Gel Polish Set 
I put a lot of thought into which polish to buy. Out of all the brands I've selected during in-salon manicures, I've never found a discernible difference in quality when it comes to gel polish. After scoping out a variety of sets at various price points, I settled on the Coscelia 6-Piece Gel Polish Set ($15), which has four and a half stars and features several options for color combinations. This set seemed very Fall-friendly, and I can confirm that they're all very flattering in real life, too.
Coscelia 6-Piece Gel Polish Set $15 from amazon.com Buy Now Gelish Nail Polish Remover and Cleanser 
Think of the Gelish Nail Polish Remover and Cleanser ($14) as the bookends to your manicure. You need the remover to take off your previous polish (it works best with Gelish's gel polish formula, but it will work with whatever brand you're using), and the cleanser is to swipe on after your top coat. Your nails will be sticky even after you've cured your final coat under the UV lamp, so this will make them nice and shiny.
Gelish Nail Polish Remover and Cleanser $14 from amazon.com Buy Now Nail Polish Remover Clips Set 
Anyone who has ever attempted to remove their own gel polish knows the struggle of wrapping cotton balls and foil on each digit. This Nail Polish Remover Clips Set ($11) comes with 20 clips and 500 cotton wipes to easily soak off your polish. You may feel like Edward Scissorhands, but it's better than dripping remover all over your lap.
Nail Polish Remover Clips Set $11 from amazon.com Buy Now
