These Are the Best Dip Powder Nail Kits for a Lasting DIY Manicure

We updated this guide in April 2023 to add more expert tips and information about our current product picks.

While the Covid craze shed a whole new light on DIY beauty treatments, at-home manicures show no signs of losing popularity even though the world has opened back up. Yes, doing a classic mani at home can save you a lot of money, but even the best quality nail polish inevitably chips within days of application. That's where specialty at-home kits come in, like at-home gel nail kits (which promise long-lasting, salon-quality hard gel polish manicures for a fraction of the price) and this new-ish at-home method that many DIY manicurists are saying is giving gel a run for its money: dip powder nail kits.

Also known as SNS nails, dip powder nails are known for being long-lasting and don't use UV light to harden, unlike gel nails. "People really like both of these qualities, especially the lack of UV light, which avoids concerns over UV exposure, and takes away the additional cost of purchasing a UV or LED machine," says Tina Wang, owner of Lunula Nail Salon in Greenpoint, New York. The color comes from dipping your nails into a finely-milled, pigmented powder before bonding with adhesive, rather than painting on streaks of hard liquid gel. "The powder is similar to or the same as acrylic powder that is layered with resin and then 'cured' with an activator," explains Julie Kandelac, celebrity manicurist and founder of Julie K Nail Academy. The result is a long-lasting, evenly coated manicure, usually only achieved by professionals — until now. "The at-home kits can also be preferred over in-salon dip powder because you're able to control hygiene practices since the container is for you and only you," Wang says.

Our top picks:

Ready to try a DIY dip powder manicure? We've rounded up the best dip powder nail kits you can buy for an at-home salon-quality manicure, based on GH Beauty Lab and editor favorites, as well as best-sellers with lots of glowing reviews online: