This Gel Nail Polish Kit Gives Me Salon-Quality Nails in Minutes — and It's 30% Off Right Now

Pre-pandemic, I always looked forward to trips to the nail salon. An hour or two of uninterrupted self-care plus the confidence that comes with freshly-painted nails and toes was more than enough to keep me coming back. I didn't bother with at-home manicures for the first few months of quarantine, but I eventually realized that painting my own nails was an easy way to feel like a real person again. One thing that's drastically improved my DIY manicures is this at-home gel polish kit from Le Mini Macaron — and it's on sale right now.

Complete with a bottle of gel polish, a nail file, a cuticle stick, 10 remover pads, and an adorable macaron-shaped LED light, the set includes everything you need for a salon-quality manicure at home. It's normally priced at $35, but Le Mini Macaron's gel polish kit is even more affordable right now (just $25!) thanks to Nordstrom's sale.

Not only is it incredibly easy to use, but since the light is USB-powered and fits just one finger at a time, it barely takes up any storage space. To prep your nails, the brand recommends pushing back your cuticles and filing the surfaces and edges of your nails to ensure the polish sticks. After that, apply a thin layer of polish to a single finger and place it under the LED light. It takes just 30 seconds to cure, and the lamp will automatically turn off, so there's no guesswork. Then repeat the process on the rest of your nails (and do an optional second coat) until they're all done.

Available at Nordstrom, Ulta, Amazon

Despite the fact that I painted my nails at 10 p.m. while binge-watching Bridgerton, my manicure came out pretty good. I accidentally painted over my cuticles a few times because I was slightly distracted by the Duke of Hastings, but it was easy to clean up the mistakes before placing those nails under the LED lamp.

Pro tip: Your mani will last significantly longer if you actually apply thin coats like the instructions say. I applied the polish way too thick the first time around and it ended up chipping off in a few days. When I painted them again with thinner layers, my nails were chip-free for about a week-and-a-half — and that's with cleaning my room and aggressively trying to finish a thousand-piece puzzle over the holidays. And if you don't like the idea of a strong nail polish smell, I've found that opening a window and lighting a candle makes the scent practically disappear.

By far my favorite part about this quick-drying gel polish kit is that I can finally give myself a manicure late at night without finding pillow imprints on my nails when I wake up in the morning. Plus, the entire process is relatively quick, making it much more efficient (and affordable) than regular salon manicures — especially since I can paint my nails from the comfort of my bed.

Le Mini Macaron's Gel Manicure Kit is available in three different colors: a deep burgundy called Cassis (my favorite), a rosy light pink, and a bright cherry red. Head to Nordstrom to order a kit for yourself while they're still on sale for 30 percent off.