'This gel nail machine will save me £350 a year off salon visits'

11 October 2023 , 20:00

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Having your nails done professionally is a lovely treat, but monthly trips to the salon can cost you up to £500 a year, depending on where you go and the finish you ask for. As the cost of living rises, I was looking for ways to tighten my purse strings and the luxury of getting my nails done every three weeks was the first to get cut from my outgoings.

As a frequent gel nail user, I wasn't ready to go back to regular nail polish as I've found they often chip within days and don't provide the same shine a gel formula gives. An at-home gel nail machine promises serious staying power, and the ability to switch your nail colour without having to head out, or spend extra pennies.

There are several kits to choose from, at different price points with varying features, nail colours, and application processes, so I put three to the test - £161 14 Day Manicure, £129.99 Mylee, and £59.99 Bluesky. While they all offered a great money saving alternative to a professional set, the Mylee Full Works Kit nailed it for me.

Mirror Choice best gel nail machine: Mylee The Full Works Gel Kit

When testing gel nail machines I was looking for a kit that gave you a salon experience from start to finish and that's exactly what the Mylee Full Works Kit does. To get a professional looking manicure the prep before you start painting the nail is just as important as the application itself and this kit comes with all the tools you need.

It includes a crystal glass nail file, buffing block and wooden sticks, so that you can shape your nails, push your cuticles back and buff them down beforehand. When it's time for applying the polish, you have a base and top coat, prep and wipe formula, eight gel polish shades, plus the LED lamp itself to use.

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Coming in at less than £130, I think it's a brilliant price for the volume of equipment included as you'll only have to use this piece of kit around four times before you're saving money on salon trips - meaning you could be saving over £350 a year if you make the switch.

'This gel nail machine will save me £350 a year off salon visits'

The Mylee Full Works Complete Kit comes with cuticle oil, remover, files and more (Lucy Addicott)

The lamp has three time settings, which you choose depending on application thickness, but I found that each layer only needed 60 seconds of curing before I could move onto the next step. I used the winter edition kit which came with seasonal shades, including glitter polishes, but there are several kits to choose from to suit your colour taste.

I also found the lamp to be really portable, as the bottom has a magnetic fixing so it won't fall off if you are moving the kit around. The extra addition of a bottle of cuticle oil is a great touch, and really gives you a salon feeling, as well as nourishing your nails for the next set of gels.

This kit also came with three plug adapters that easily slot into place so you can take it away with you without having to worry about bringing a travel adapter to plug it into.

We tested gel nail machines and this was our favourite result (Lucy Addicott)

When it's time to remove your gel set, you don't have to worry about damaging your nails or spending hours scratching away at them to peel the polish off. The gel nail polish remover that comes with this kit works brilliantly and I found that after just 15 minutes I was able to remove the polish easily.

You will have to be careful when painting your nails, as like with any gel polish kit, once the polish is cured it won't just rub easily off like regular varnish, but I found that after a few practices and a steady hand, it was easy to paint your nails as they would in the salon with this kit.

At home gel nail machine alternatives

For a budget option that will set you back less than the cost of two salon trips, the Blue Sky starter kit comes with a lamp, nail file and buffer, three gel colours, top and base coat, and cleanser wipes. It's a great beginners kit if you don't want to fully commit to an extensive set just yet and the lamp itself is very light-weight making it easily portable.

The Blue Sky gel nail machine is really travel-friendly (Lucy Addicott)

If you're looking for a gel nail machine that allows you to tailor which polish colours you choose, the 14 Day Manicure starter kit is brilliant. You can choose four polishes in a wide range of shades, plus they have really fun names and beautiful shades to pick from which makes the process very enjoyable.

It's one of the more expensive kits out there but it is incredibly chic and would look great if you wanted to keep the set out on the side. It also comes with a metal cuticle remover which I found worked well at removing gel polish and pushing down your cuticles during prep.

The 14 Day Manicure kit has a sleek and cool design (Lucy Addicott)

Applying this gel polish is also a super speedy process as there is no prep and wipe needed - you simply cure the top coat layer of gel polish and you're good to go with no sticky coating left.