Many women tend to lean toward fake or false nails instead of natural ones. Artificial nails allow women to add length to their nails while also keeping them very durable. Most prefer to have them for the beauty factor as they look elegant. Whatever the reason is, by having false nails, you are also committing to maintaining them. It’s best to set a schedule to fix them every other week to ensure they look their best and are not grown out.
There are a few supplies you will need in order to start the acrylic nail procedure. You’re going to want to start by getting an acrylic nail kit that contains mostly all the supplies you will need. Below, after the instructional portion of the article, we discuss products, including the best acrylic nail kit we’ve seen and tested, as well as our picks for best acrylic nail brush, best acrylic powder, best acrylic nail polish, and the best gel nail kit. It’s important to choose an acrylic nail kit that is affordable and makes the salon process easy for you to do in your own home, while still being affordable.

Step by Step Instructions on Using the Best Acrylic Nail Kit
To start this process, you need to make sure to have a clean, dry nail bed. You can push back your cuticles as well with a cuticle pusher and trim away any old, dead edges to leave a beautiful, longer nail bed. Additionally, trim and shape your nails with a file, brushing away the nail dust when finished.
Once your nails are prepped, make sure to sanitize your nails with hand sanitizer or wash them with anti-bacterial soap. In most cases, women use tips to add nail length and strength, however, if your natural nail is long enough, you can just move on and skip adding a nail tip. If you are not using your natural nail, then the great nail kit you invested in is essential. Once the tip is applied, you will be ready to begin the acrylic powder process.
Before applying the powder, an optional step is using a priming pen. This pen is recommended because it strengths the acrylic nail before the powder is applied. After you have put on your acrylic tip, use this pen to strengthen the bond between your nail and the acrylic tip. This will help it last longer, being more durable.
First, you need to create the acrylic mixture to activate the materials. In a small glass bowl, or Dappen dish from a kit, pour in some monomer liquid. As a rule, you shouldn’t use the same solution on two people for sanitary reasons. To begin applying the powder, you will need to dip the brush, whichever you chose from before (natural or synthetic), into the monomer liquid. Wipe away the excess liquid onto a paper towel or napkin.
Next you will need to dip the brush into the powder, but you will need to do it in one single stroke, this way it stays on the bristles in one bead. When applying this mixture onto your nail, you will start by using a dabbing motion to slowly push out the acrylic evenly onto the nail. Always use a dabbing motion, do not swipe. The one time you use a swiping motion is when you need to clear off excess mixture. When this step is completed, if you notice the mixture is not sitting evenly on your nails and is slightly bumpy or thicker in certain areas, then you can use your brush to flatten the acrylic down.
To remove excess liquid from the acrylic on your fingertips, you can use a cuticle pick or tooth pick to remove anything left behind. You can also even out the nail once the final buffing takes place too.
To maintain your acrylic nails, you will need to ‘fill’ them every two weeks. This is a process where more acrylic is added to the space between your nail bed and the tip that is growing out. As time goes on, you will perfect the process more and more, making this a more affordable, easier and quicker method than trying to find a salon!
Best Acrylic Nail Brush
There are two types of nail brushes, one that has synthetic bristles and one that has natural hair bristles. These bristles make a big impact as there are some differences that truly stand out. Synthetic bristles are more durable than natural hair; they do not break down as easily from the acrylic liquid. However, many people do prefer the natural hair brushes as it makes it easier for the brush to hold the liquid effectively. With technology being very effective, many synthetic brushes are starting to become very similar to the natural hair brushes. One brush that stands out is the Pana Pure Kolinsky Hair Acrylic Nail Brush.
Not only is the bristle choice essential, the size of the brush is as well. When you first start out, you will want to use a smaller brush (size 6 or 8). These allow you to apply a smaller amount of acrylic while you learn to balance the ration of liquid to power as you get use to the materials. A small brush is usually included in starter kits. Once you have experience, a bigger brush stays firm and allows you to add more acrylic to the nail. While learning how to complete this step, you can watch a video about how to do it, and how to create a balance ratio consistently.

Best Acrylic Powder
The other investment you should make is finding the best acrylic powder. Some kits will include this, but as time goes on or your style and changes, you might want to try other types. One of the best acrylic powders is Creative CND Perfect Color (in a small version until you want to invest in more). It doesn’t bunch up or create wet or dry balls, and Creative is a known to be a high quality brand at a reasonable price.
Another that I’ve tested for French Manicure and loved is the Mia Secret White Acrylic Powder. Mia makes a very high quality product, and this color scheme is ideal for a normal and faded French manicure. You can tell it’s a high quality product because there are no issues with dry balls or wet balls when applying it.

Best Acrylic Nail Kit – Gel, Acrylic, Natura
The US Seller Pro Acrylic nail kit is the best way to get the acrylic nails you’re looking for. It comes with twelve different color acrylic powders with extra clear, white and pink – this way you can create a crystal effect. It also provides you with the acrylic liquid and Dappen dish. This value pack is great for any nail technician to use in a salon, or for at home use as well. The entire kit is inexpensively priced in the low $20s, and should last for months (depending on how often you apply acrylic nails).
For a gel manicure, the best kit is the Gelish Mini gel kit, which is the most efficient gel nail kit out there. In this kit, you receive gels, nail base, nail prep, cuticle oil, nail remover and a few colors. You also receive a curing light. After applying the polish, it takes the gel 30 seconds in an LED lamp to cure, or two minutes in a UV lamp. This polish will stay on for up to three weeks without any chipping or peeling, and it only takes about 15 minutes to soak it off.
Women who are professional or like to have elegant nails are usually the ones who would want to purchase these types of kits. If you like long, durable nails, then you would likely want to use the acrylic kit. However, if you want to steer away from artificial, but still have that professional manicure look, then you would want to look into the gel manicure. Younger girls are the ones who would benefit from just a regular, natural manicure where you file, cut cuticles, trim, and polish.
By investing in a nail kit, you are guaranteeing that you have all the proper tools and products available to you in your home while you complete this process. Although nail kits usually come with a brush, you will want to find one that really works best for you as time goes on, and your skill level improves.
