Gel Polish reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 167 Reddit reviews across 13 subreddits and 43 posts to rank the best Gel Polish brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/GelX_Nails, r/Nails, r/Nailtechs, r/DIYGelNails, r/GelNails. Top-rated brands include DND (4.5/5), Kokoist (4.8/5), Beetles (4.3/5).
Stats
Reviews167
Subreddits13
Posts43
Brands71
Products34
167 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
DND
4.5
(20)
"DND… love them!!"
"DND for base, color, top coat"
"I found the perfect nude for me! It’s DND Sunset Nude"
"Maybe milky pink from dnd gel? I’d take a look at their sheer collection."
"You can get gel and lacquer duos from nailcompany.com for like $6, sometimes less."
"I love dnd! I have lots of colors because I do my own toes."
"I am actually in love with DND daisy collection. They have some sheer nude tones."
"I also love DND gel, it’s the only brand I use because it’s what my salon uses."
"DND Deep Mystery is my signature shade."
"I’m a fan of DND Daisy gel polish and usually they run 20-40% sales."
#2
Kokoist
4.8
(13)
"Light Elegance, Kokoist, Aprés, and other Japanese and Korean brands are the highest quality."
"I like kokoist, it's my main brand."
"I also love kokoist (mainly in pots) and apres color gel polishes."
"I would go Korean or Japanese. Kokoist for Japanese."
"Kokoist is really good, and they offer a salon kit."
"I just got an intro kit from kokoist and it's a really nice set of staples."
"Avoid kits. Buy kokoist."
"I love lilac bouquet from them. It’s just a super light lilac."
"I use Kokoist and Nail Thoughts (but for that sparkle it’s DND glitter gels- love them)."
"Kokoist and Nail Thoughts! I've had the same mani on since March 29th and it’s still in mint condition."
#3
Beetles
4.3
(13)
"Beetles Gel Polish base and no-wipe top coat are solid choices!"
"As long as you’re careful not to get it on your skin, beetles is great! Cures super fast too"
"I love Beetles gel polish."
"Love love beetles gel polish on Amazon."
"Seconding Beetles, which is available through Amazon UK."
"I've really loved the Beetles brand kits from Amazon."
"Beetles and Kiarasky are good options."
"I've had good experiences with my beetle gel polish."
"I've had good luck with all the beetles colors I've gotten."
"Any of theses they are great and have many colors !!"
#4
Apres
4.1
(8)
"Some of the brands i enjoy are: jello jello, dnd, apres, from the nail, jin.b"
"Use the apres gel x kit (extend gel, top coat)"
"Apres for primer, adhesive"
"Aprés for tips & gel glue"
"I use the apres line for the actual gel adhesive and tips."
"Just get the apres line, it’s the OG"
"They also have apres. Another good brand"
"I'm slowly building up a collection of Apres gels and I'm loving them so far."
#5
Light Elegance
4.7
(6)
"Light Elegance, Kokoist, Aprés, and other Japanese and Korean brands are the highest quality."
"Light Elegance (best glitters especially), Kokoist, DND, Gelish, Aprés, Kiara Sky, Madam Glam, OPI..."
"For gel polish, my personal favorite brand is Light Elegance."
"Nail polish Canada has some good brands like light elegance (which I highly recommend) DND, OPI."
"I personally prefer light elegance"
"I personally use light elegance since it’s pretty affordable especially on sites like nailwholesale with a promo code."
#6
Madam Glam
4.0
(6)
"I will always recommend Madam Glam!"
"If you become a VIP Madam Glam gel polishes are only $10.98."
"Mithmillo and Madam Glam are both hema free."
"With the internet, I love Madam Glam, Valentino, and iGel."
"My favorite brand is madam glam even though it’s pricier."
"Some polishes are good, like their Perfect black but some polishes are simultaneously thick and runny."
#7
Modelones
3.6
(5)
"I have used Canni gels and Modelones gels for my nail sets!"
"I was using modelones to try a variety and they’re pretty nice as well."
"Modelones and Beetles are good."
"I like modelones for the colors but the base and top coats from them suck."
"I used a lot of Modelones and they were hit and miss in the big sets."
#8
OPI
4.5
(4)
"How about It’s A Boy by OPI? :)"
"I like Bubble Bath by OPI."
"I love funny bunny by OPI"
"I love the OPI gel top coat but don’t love the base!"
#9
VenaLisa
4.3
(4)
"Venalisa is a great brand IMHO, I got the big set (120 colors I think) for beauty school..."
"Venalisa, it's mid range price wise, yes find on Amazon but I use them professionally because they're quality and don't contain illegal acrylates"
"I use venalisa, ur sugar and mygel and am happy with them."
"I use venalisa"
#10
CANNI
4.0
(4)
"I have used Canni gels and Modelones gels for my nail sets!"
"I like Canni and Born Pretty"
"I started with Gaoy on Amazon and hema free Canni and DND polishes."
"I’ve been loving CANNI polishes. they have a HEMA free line and their polishes are super pigmented."
#11
Gelish
4.0
(4)
"Gelish Prettier in Pink is a gorgeous, vibrant hot pink."
"I use gelish or Kiara sky for the actual gel polish."
"[ quality ] Gelish, OPI, Essie, IBD, CND Shellac."
"The pinks work great. The green is a streaky mess."
#12
Leaf Gel
5.0
(3)
"For Japanese, I love leaf gel."
"I tried a few brands and my favorite so far was Leafgel."
"I really love Japanese gel brands like Leafgel and Kokoist."
#13
Aprés
5.0
(3)
"Light Elegance, Kokoist, Aprés, and other Japanese and Korean brands are the highest quality."
"Out of everything I’ve tried my favorite brand has to be Aprés."
"Personally I prefer Aprés and Ugly Duckling."
#14
Aimeili
4.7
(3)
"I really like AIMEILI and VENALISA! Especially AIMEILI base and top coat"
"I buy the brand Aimeili on Amazon. I have found their polishes to be really pigmented."
"I use Aimeili gel polish 22 (10ml) but i'm looking for a similar shade in a full bottle (15ml)!"
#15
Gaoy
4.0
(3)
"I started with Gaoy on Amazon and hema free Canni and DND polishes."
"GAOY has a great one"
"I've liked a brand called gaoy that I purchased from Amazon. It levels out nicely."
#16
DVOK
4.0
(3)
"Also check out kokoist, DVOK, nailbayo , DND"
"I personally prefer light elegance, Kokoist, dvok"
"I see a lot of people loving DVOK hema free."
#17
Mylee
5.0
(2)
"These companies are newer (under 5 years old) but the quality is great: -Mylee (ordered from their website) -Candy Coat"
"Love Mylee and love Bluesky!"
#18
CND
5.0
(2)
"Cnd shellac! Mine last a mth."
"I like CND negligee."
#19
Gelous
4.5
(2)
"Someone else has mentioned Gelous, which is what I mainly use - nice quality and HEAPS of colours."
"I’ve been using Gelous which is a NZ company."
#20
Bioseaweed Gel
4.5
(2)
"I would suggest Jupiter by bioseaweed gel. It is a beautiful deep purple."
"I haven’t used them, but Bioseeweed Gel brands themselves as being a company to turn to when you want gel nail products that are clean."
#21
Makartt
4.0
(2)
"If you're looking for affordable kits I can recommend Makartt or Model Ones from Amazon."
"I know Makartt sells in CN, they also have an Amazon storefront and I like their newer launches."
#22
Kiara Sky
4.0
(2)
"I use gelish or Kiara sky for the actual gel polish."
"I love the brushes from Kiara sky gels. and I love their packaging."
#23
Mithmillo
4.0
(2)
"I love mithmillo and gelcare!"
"Mithmillo and Madam Glam are both hema free."
#24
Sally Hansen
4.0
(2)
"I like the Sally Hansen salon gel kits. Probably not salon quality but I really like them."
"I use the Sally Hanson gel polish."
#25
Beetles Gel Polish
3.0
(2)
"Beetles gel polish from Amazon! I have an extensive collection and it’s some of the best I’ve used."
"Please don’t use Beetles. I’ve been seeing a dermatologist because my nails have separated from my skin."
#26
Canni Gel Polish
2.5
(2)
"I use Canni ones and they’re really good. They do need a longer cure time thought I feel compared to my premier gel ones."
"I bought some Canni gel polish and just did a full manicure on Sunday and now it's Thursday and my polish is peeling off."
#27
Dungeons & Dragons
5.0
(1)
"Some of the brands i enjoy are: jello jello, dnd, apres, from the nail, jin.b"
#28
From the Nail
5.0
(1)
"Some of the brands i enjoy are: jello jello, dnd, apres, from the nail, jin.b"
#29
Jin.B
5.0
(1)
"Some of the brands i enjoy are: jello jello, dnd, apres, from the nail, jin.b"
#30
Leafgel Premium
5.0
(1)
"Leafgel premium's shade 124 is the ultimate nude color and lasts without chipping for 4+ weeks for me."
#31
OG Dip Powder
5.0
(1)
"I’ve been using OG Dip Powder gels and I am really happy with them!"
#32
Luxio
5.0
(1)
"I bought Luxio Desert after Dark winter-fall mini collection and in love with every color."
#33
Nailz By Dev
5.0
(1)
"Nailz By Dev is awesome. The brand is designed specifically for nail artists and they have some really cool stuff."
#34
Unknown Gel Line
5.0
(1)
"I bought the entire gel line from this brand and I can say that it is wonderful! My last time using it, it lasted about 3 weeks without peeling or chipping."
#35
Aksents
5.0
(1)
"Luxio by Aksents"
#36
O.P.I
5.0
(1)
"The following are reputable large brands: -O.P.I -the gel bottle -CND -NCE gels"
#37
Essence
5.0
(1)
"Essence is long-lasting 😍"
#38
Morgan Taylor
5.0
(1)
"These both have the capability of curing under an led or uv lamp."
#39
Yogurt Nail
5.0
(1)
"I like Yogurt Nail kr. a lot!"
#40
Luxa
5.0
(1)
"I also really like Luxa, and Presto."
#41
Bluesky
5.0
(1)
"I use Bluesky - I buy direct from them."
#42
Magic Gel
5.0
(1)
"Magic Gel from Nail Innovations is great!"
#43
In.Hype Nails
5.0
(1)
"I suggest In.Hype Nails. They are a great quality, affordable, non-toxic."
#44
Yogurtgel
5.0
(1)
"Personally, I also love yogurtgel and catsme out of the Korean pro gels."
#45
Ugly Duckling Nails
5.0
(1)
"I just ordered my entire gel polish collection from Ugly Duckling Nails."
#46
CND Shellac
5.0
(1)
"CND Shellac! It’s expensive but so easy to get off."
#47
BeeLadyNails
5.0
(1)
"Try BeeLadyNails or Luna beauty melb! They stock salon grade Japanese and Korean gels."
#48
From the Nail Korea
5.0
(1)
"Brands that I will def recommend you to try is from the nail Korea and Tiny."
#49
Beyond Polish
5.0
(1)
"[Beyond Polish] or [Makartt] are my go tos."
#50
ABAC
5.0
(1)
"Look at ABAC solid gel pallets I bought 1 and bought another 6 because I liked them so much!"
#51
Jell-O
5.0
(1)
"Some of the brands i enjoy are: jello jello, dnd, apres, from the nail, jin.b"
#52
MelodySusie
4.0
(1)
"I’ve really been loving the MelodySusie HEMA free gels and their “jeweler jelly gels”."
#53
Lights Lacquer
4.0
(1)
"Lights Lacquer: Cubana, A Mysterious Affair"
#54
Orosa
4.0
(1)
"Orosa: Brick, Cable Car, Pas de Deux, Ring Toss"
#55
Kirsty Meakin
4.0
(1)
"Kirsty meakin, glitterbels"
#56
Gelato
4.0
(1)
"I found a brand called Gelato nails."
#57
Premier Gel
4.0
(1)
"I like Premier Gel and 2AM London."
#58
Neonail
4.0
(1)
"I got everything from the polish down to the uv lamp from Neonail."
#59
AwsmColor
4.0
(1)
"I like AwsmColor, which you can get on Amazon for under $15 for a set of 6."
#60
Bartbox
4.0
(1)
"Bartbox for tips"
#61
Nailbayo
4.0
(1)
"Also check out kokoist, DVOK, nailbayo , DND"
#62
Ball Pit Nails
4.0
(1)
"Ball pit nails is good too"
#63
Young Nails
4.0
(1)
"Young nails has a great line"
#64
Valentino Beauty Pure
4.0
(1)
"Valentino beauty pure!"
#65
Clodi
4.0
(1)
"I personally prefer light elegance, Kokoist, dvok, clodi"
#66
Cleto
4.0
(1)
"I personally prefer light elegance, Kokoist, dvok, clodi, cleto (and more Korean brands)"
#67
Two Guys
4.0
(1)
"Two Guys and Aprés are my current favorite gels."
#68
L'UGX
4.0
(1)
"I really like this one I've been using by L'UGX"
#69
Double Rhythm
4.0
(1)
"I’m enjoying double rhythm right now."
#70
Gel X
4.0
(1)
"Gel X or press ons for a couple weeks really helped mine come back to healthy."
#71
Farmers Gel Polish
3.0
(1)
"Farmers stock a range of gel polish, it seems ok, the colours are quite cheap."
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