13 Best Gel Nail Polishes for a Chip-Free Manicure
Updated: Feb. 01, 2024
With these best gel nail polishes, you can have salon-quality manicures without the cost or even leaving the comfort of your home.
Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.
Gel polish just keeps getting better
There’s a lot to love about gel nail polishes, those UV- and LED-curing polishes that contain acrylic oligomers: They’re ultra-shiny, require none of that waiting around dry time that comes with their traditional counterparts, and are super long-lasting (up to two weeks or longer, if you can handle the look of the grow-out phase). But they also come with a bit of a bad reputation for ruining nails and they can be difficult to remove at home. That came in large part thanks to the first generation of gel formulas that were incredibly hard on nails—but we’re here to tell you that’s no longer the case.
Now, not only do we have the best gel polishes to choose from—with nourishing ingredients built right in, streamlined formulas, and better applicators—but also gel hybrid polishes that give you the high shine and longer wear but don’t require the UV light to cure or soaking to remove thanks to special gel-like polymers and resins that give them about a week of wear. Here, the best professional gel polishes to bring to the salon, the best at-home options for a DIY manicure to use with your home UV kit, and the top hybrids that land you somewhere in the middle of the benefits of a regular polish and a gel.
MEFA 23 Pcs Gel Nail Polish Set
This lamp-cured mega-set has over 8,300 Amazon.com reviews for good reason: It comes with 23 different shades to open you up to the wide world of gel polishes. One lover of the kit, CR, raves on Amazon, “These colors are beautiful, last long, easy to work with and the price is great. You truly get more than you pay for.” A daily application of cuticle oil will help your nails and tips stay healthy.
Beetles Pack of 23 Rainbow Summer Gel Nail Polish Kit
Perfect for summer, this Amazon’s Choice pick features almost two dozen day-glo colors screaming to be worn at the beach. This light-cured set offers at least two weeks of wear, so you can ensure your manis and pedis last a full vacation and beyond. “‘ll say it over and over again about the Beetles brand; it’s the best gel I’ve ever used! The colors are vivid and long-lasting,” writes Alina Sanchez on Amazon. “It’s truly amazing how cheap this product is considering it works better than higher-end brands.” She goes on to note that you’ll get better results if you apply a light, not-too-thick coat and allow for ample curing time. If you’re using a dark color, a coat of liquid latex will prevent any “oops!”
Sally Hansen Miracle Gel
If you’re going to call a product a miracle, it better deliver. And this one does thanks to its super smooth consistency that makes for one flawless finish. A helpful tip from review Mia on Amazon: “Don’t pull down hard and drag the brush, but sweep/tap it lightly across with the brush. You’ll get more of a car-finish look with absolutely no streaking.”
Red Carpet Gel Polish Pro Kit
This system from Red Carpet “is a great way to start because it has everything you need (except clippers), including easy-to-follow instructions,” starfaerie shares on Amazon. “I’ve now used this two times with beautiful results. Looks just like the salon!” Once dry, top with a daily coat of this cult-favorite cuticle oil, which is a must for anyone with dry cuticles and weak nails.
Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy Longwear Nail Polish
With over 1,000 reviews on Amazon, it seems word has gotten out about this wallet-friendly option. Its built-in base coat helps it wear like a gel, even though it’s not technically in that family. “Revlon Gel Envy is the only polish I like to use on my toenails now!! I’ve gotten many compliments!” says k.teacher on Amazon. “The cool thing is that when you are ready to remove it, even though it lasts like gel polish, it is easy to remove with regular polish remover.” And since at this price you can buy each and every shade that strikes your fancy, you might want to consider these uses for old nail polish for the regular formulas already in your selection.
CND Shellac Gel Polish
The gold standard for in-salon, UV-cured gel manicure, CND Shellac is not only a great polish, but it’s also easy to find at a nail location near you. Reasons to love it: The finish is so shiny, it’s almost blinding and it comes in more than 160 shades so you can play, play, play.
Essie Gel Couture
Boasting over 3,500 glowing reviews on Ulta.com for the topcoat alone, this gel hybrid snags fans thanks in large part to its patented brush which allows for streak-free application. One Ulta reviewer insists, “I can’t say enough good things about it. It makes your nails look so shiny and smooth, [and] it doesn’t chip no matter how rough I am!”
Dior Vernis Gel Shine Long-Wear Nail Lacquer
This no-light gel option gives long-lasting wear thanks to resins and polymers that harden each coat into a chip-proof layer of shininess. It’s also enriched with organic silicone to help strengthen the nail surface. Yes, it’s a bit of a splurge, but as a user on Neimanmarcus.com insists, “It goes on perfectly smoothly, covers beautifully, and dries quickly.” This shade of red also makes a great fall nail color!
OPI Gel Color
Fans love that budget-friendly OPI offers its most iconic shades including Lincoln Park After Dark and Big Apple Red in this long-lasting LED-cured formula to get more wear out of your favorite hues. Says one Walmart shopper, “The consistency is not too thick which worked well when doing art/linework with nail brushes.”
Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Pro Nail Polish
This is your go-to if you’re looking for a hybrid gel formula that also happens to be 10-free (meaning it’s free of nasties like toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, and camphor), vegan, and laced with reinforcing keratin, biotin, and rice protein. It also features a 320 bristle contour brush with a rounded tip to get into all the corners of your nails. One Sephora reviewer writes, “The color goes on SO easy without having to dip your brush a bunch of times.”
Nails Inc. Gel Nail Polish
This highly pigmented hybrid formula has a “high-reflection resin system” that gives it a lovely sheen. But what’s better is that it’s packed with botanical extracts to moisturize and strengthen as you wear it. One Sephora reviewer writes, “Being in quarantine has made me experiment with many different polishes and this one was a hit. It goes on smooth and has full coverage. It doesn’t chip (I wash my hands 20 times a day).”
China Glaze Gelaze Top Coat
The top coat is part of the China Glaze in-salon light-cured system, and it might just be the shiniest option out there. Take it from a Sally Beauty shopper who wrote of this formula, “The longest I’ve worn my gel nail polish for is 3 1/2 weeks and with this top coat it still looked shiny.”
Le Mini Macaron 1-Step Gel Manicure Kit
This adorable little starter at-home kit comes with a one-finger LED lamp that cures your polish one finger at a time. While that adds time to your mani, it makes up for it with an all-in-one polish that doesn’t require a base or top coat. However, note that the streamlined application cuts into wear time—reviewers on Ulta report about seven days of wear.
Next, check out the best non-toxic nail polishes you can get right now.
wp-user-id=7433
Originally Published: June 10, 2021
