Going to the nail salon can be a great way to do some self-care but let’s be honest, after a few visits it starts breaking the bank – especially for a broke college student like myself! I like to go to the salon when it’s a special occasion but have invested in a few things on Amazon to start doing my nails at home. This way saves me lots of time and money and looks good enough to make it worth it. Here are the items you can find on Amazon for a little starter kit of no-chip manicures.
Base and Top Coat No-Chip Polish
Getting a set of base and top coat no-chip polish is a great start to your kit. If you were to use a regular gel polish without a base coat, I can assure you that nine times out of ten, it will not look very good. Amazon offers some pretty inexpensive options if you don’t want to use the Bluedee brand and the bottle usually lasts you a while. I’m still using mine that I got a year ago!
Gel Polish
Of course, you need to add some color if you want your nails to look amazing! Amazon offers a great variety of different colors and even offers some sparkle, so feel free to search your favorite color up! Personally, I use a Modelones kit that offers some skin tone colors as well as a nice pink-ish color. Find the perfect color for you for the perfect price and the bottle will last long enough to make the purchase worth it.
UV Light Lamp
Of course, without a UV Light Lamp, you will not be able to cure your newly painted nails. Don’t worry though, Amazon offers lots of options for you that are a nice range of prices. I own a mini one that’s only $6 and although the size might not suggest it, this one is great! It’s perfect to travel with and does its job efficiently. If you are looking for a bigger, normal sized one, you can get this JEWHITENY one or any you might find for yourself on Amazon.
Nail Tips and Glue
I don’t have this part of the kit because I just paint my natural nails but if you’re looking to add some length and really get the salon look, investing in some nail tips and glue is a good idea. This kit is affordable and is bound to last you a long while. If you want to really venture out there, you could try a polygel of some sort as well – whatever you feel more comfortable with.
If you invest in only a few items, you can save lots of money and still look “put together”. It might take some practice to master the at-home nail salon skill but trust me, it’s worth it if you can save hundreds of dollars! A little bonus/insider tip: sometimes, I don’t have enough energy or time to go through the process of doing a base coat, then the color, then top coat, so I’ve learned that putting regular polish on first and then applying the gel polish top coat is a great way to make it go by faster.