No UV lamps or hefty price tags necessary
Chipped nail polish is up there with our top beauty bugbears (along with dreaded split ends and chapped lips), so gel nail polish has always been our saviour.
But at-home manicures are very high maintenance (and that’s before we’ve even thought about nail art or an at-home pedicure) and, let’s face it, there aren’t many things that can top the feeling of leaving a salon with a fresh gel manicure.
Except perhaps getting that same salon-worthy gel mani in the comfort of your own home, that is. The beauty gods have sent us several angels in the form of gel nail polish that give us the long-lasting, glossy and super polished looks that we all love so much (without the UV lamps, hefty price tags or the tricky removal process).
Get DIY-ing with the beauty desk’s top picks…
Nails Inc Gel Effect Polish, £15, Fabled
Durability is the key with this one. With a formulation built to resist those oh-so-irritating chips and nicks, these polishes are sure to last. The cult nail brands’ new range offers up catwalk inspired shades as well as some of their best sellers, ensuring that you’re bang on trend with these beauties. Top up with nail oil to keep the shine for up to 10 days. We’ve always got a bottle of this gel nail polish on our desks.
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Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy Longwear Nail Polish, £7.99, Boots
Conveniently combining both base coat and colour, these polishes allow you to achieve that just-left-the-nail-bar mani/pedi with ease. Just add the ColorStay Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat for extra protection and shine and voila. Hello enviable salon quality manicure.
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Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint, £3.99, Boots
These densely pigmented polishes offer up oodles of vivid colour and show-stopping shine. It’s super easy to apply, and one-coat will ensure the luminous chip-free colour that we all crave for days. The beauty desk love the pastel shade Sky Blue, and give this one top marks for long-lasting luster and volume. At £3.99 a pop, we think they’re an absolute steal too.
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O.P.I Infinite Shine Gel Effects, £14.50, opiuk.com
These are a gel manicure in a bottle with no need for any UV light. What’s better is that you can remove with your normal nail polish and won’t have your natural nails flaking off with it.
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Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nail Polish, £9.99, Fabled
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With a whopping 47 glossy shades for you to choose from, you are spoiled for choice. No base coat necessary (hurrah!), this high-tech gel cuts out all the fuss of a salon gel manicure – it gets right to the point and is totally budge-proof.
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Armed with any of these and you’re set for a foolproof at-home mani.
Consider your summer nails sorted.
