Finding The Best Acrylic Nail Kits: Our Tests

Are you acrylic nail curious? Want your short, stubby fingernails to look longer and more elegant plus be more durable?

Acrylic nails may be the answer. Made of powder and liquid monomer, acrylic nails are applied using tips or nail forms. Then the nails are shaped and polished. 

Whether you are a novice or an acrylic nail enthusiasts, acrylic nail kits offer good bang for the buck—you get all the supplies needed (base and top coats) as well as specialty powders like glitter and more.

To find the best bets, we tried out several brands here at the home office.

As always, we looked for kits that are easy to use. Some include a lamp to cure nails, while others lack this feature (we assume more advanced nail enthusiasts already have a lamp).

Here are the best bets:

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living from affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!