Nail dipping powder is the newest trend to sweep nail salons. You have probably seen these powder nails taking over news feeds because the application process is mesmerizing.
Luckily you don’t have to step into a salon to get these amazing nails yourself! Now there are several wonderful options for you to do your own nail dip manicure at home.
We tested several brands of dip polish to find the best nail dipping powder kit for you to do at home!
What is Nail Dipping Powder?
If you’ve never had a nail dipping powder manicure, you may be wondering what it is.
Nail dipping powder, also known by a popular brand name ‘SNS’ is a new technique of nail painting.
You begin by applying a clear base coat, and then dipping the nail into a powder coating. Once the nail is coated, you shake off any excess powder. Finally a top coat is applied and you are left with perfectly polished nails. No streaky brush strokes to worry about!
What Makes Nail Dipping Powder Better?
Using a nail dipping powder kit (also known as “nail dip powder kit”) has many advantages over traditional nail polish, gel, and acrylic manicures.
The formula of nail dip powder is also much gentler on your nails. They are much lighter and easier to remove than gel or acrylic.
Nail dipping powder is loaded with benzoyl peroxide, titanium dioxide and acrylic ester polymer which strengthens your natural nails. This makes and the polish really last, and most people can wear it up to 2 weeks!
Finally nail dipping powder is so easy to apply that anyone can do it. Because you just dip your nails in the powder, you get a perfect coating without worrying about brush strokes.
How to Do Dip Nails at Home? (Video)
Here’s my favorite video tutorial. I watched this a few times when I first did it and now it takes me no time at all to dip my nails.
Best Nail Dipping Powder Kit List
These are the top selling nail dipping powder kits around, but not all work the same. Keep reading to find out which ones work the best.
SNS stands for Signature Nail System, and is a high quality salon brand. I was excited to try SNS because it is the same brand my local nail salon uses. SNS doesn’t use harsh chemicals, and all their formulas include vitamins to nourish nails.
This kit includes everything you need to do a french manicure, but you can purchase any color dip you want to use with this set. What I loved best about using this kit was their special nail dip tray.
SNS brand says that their dip tray gives the best “smile line” which is the white tip from the french manicure. It was easy to create the perfect white line by dipping it into the tray guide, and I didn’t have to worry about it looking different on each nail.
The dip powder itself was so easy to apply, and the directions were easy to follow. With the french tips you’ll have a few extra steps than if you just want to do one all over color. The whole process took me about 20 minutes which is about 1/3 of the time it took me to do a gel manicure at home.
The cost of this system is a little high, however it should last 30-40 sets. When you consider the cost of a SNS manicure in a salon is about $40 dollars, this system pays for itself very quickly.
The manicure lasted 16 days before it needed to be removed. There were no scratches or chips on my nails, but my cuticles were very grown out.
I was amazed at how much easier it was to remove the SNS polish. Because it feels like a much thinner coating, it came off in less than half the time it takes me to take off gel polish.
The Cuccio Pro Powder Kit is another brand of nail powder polish that is popular for DIY powder manicures. This kit comes with everything you need for a french manicure, as well as another darker pink and silver sparkle. Their kit also includes a dip tray which works well, but is not as nice as the SNS brand tray.
The kit had easy to follow directions, and within 25 minutes I had a gorgeous sparkling manicure. Everything dried very quickly, and the powder sticks to the polish perfectly.
I liked that this kit came with other colors so that you can try something besides a french manicure. Though the bottles of polish and powder are smaller than the SNS kit, I think this kit would still last at least 15-20 full sets.
My manicure lasted about 12 days before one of my nails chipped slightly. I kept the polish on for a few more days before removing it. I was happy that no more chipped away proving that this kit is also very long lasting. It did take slightly longer to remove than the SNS polish but I didn’t mind it at all.
Since this kit is less than half the price of the SNS kit, I think it is a great value for the money. It is perfect for people who want to test out a nail dipping polish kit without such a significant investment.
The Kiara Sky Dipping Powder System is another crowd favorite for getting beautiful dipped manicures. I was very impressed by the pretty packaging and color coordination of all the products included in this kit. This kit comes with everything you need for a french manicure, as well as 2 darker pink colors.
The directions were very easy to follow, and the dip tray that comes with the set is great quality. It took me about 30 minutes to do a french manicure, and everything was dry very quickly.
The only issue I had using this system was that some of the white powder got a little clumpy. I fixed it by using a dry makeup brush to wipe off the excess. After that I had no issues with the way it looked when dry.
My manicure lasted about 14 days before it began to chip away around the white tips. It may be a little less durable than the SNS system, however it is nearly half the price.
At this point I was pretty tired of basic pink nail colors, however Kiara Sky does have a very extensive set of mirrored and glittery powders that I cannot wait to try!
The ANC Professional Nail Kit is another brand that is very popular in salons. ANC stands for Amazing Nail Concepts, and their nail dip system is also favorite among youtube makeup artists.
The packaging is pretty simple, but they do have a very cool nail dipping tray. They call it the “Dip n Curve” because it has a great guide to place the french tip curve on your nails.
By the time I tried out this kit, I was pretty sick of the french manicures. Despite that fact, the ANC tray made it a delight to use. I knocked out my french manicure in about 20 minutes.
The manicure lasted 18 days which was a record! It didn’t chip at all but I had a little discoloration around my thumb nail (not sure if it was from cooking) and it was time to be redone.
I also really liked the shade of pink that was included with this package. ANC does have some cool powder colors and glitters, but they are more expensive than the Kirara Sky brand dips.
Overall the ANC Professional Nail Kit was the longest lasting of the bunch, and the french dip kit was the easiest to use. It is probably best for people who will use it for french manicure often since the french dip tray works amazingly well.
For me the most important factor of my nail dipping powder kit was how long the polish lasted.
The ANC and SNS nail kits are professional quality, meaning they both lasted several days longer than the other dip powder brands. Additionally, they both had really great dipping trays that made application a breeze.
If money is not a factor, hands down I enjoyed using the SNS nail dipping powder kit the most. The bottles are easier to use, and I preferred the look of my french polish with the SNS kit.
Since money is a factor for many the ANC system works really well too. Since it is about half the price of the SNS system, its a great alternative. I think it is a heck of a deal, especially considering the cost of a salon manicures.
I have really enjoyed being able to give myself salon quality manicures in my own home, and in way less time than it used to take me with my gel nail kits!
Hope you enjoy using your nail dipping powder kit, and happy dipping!
Update: New Kits Reviewed Below
Since we last reviewed the best nail dip powder kits, there have been some a few more impressive dip powder brands to enter the scene! We have four new exciting brands to test out, and see how they stack up against the most popular brand – SNS!
The DipWell Nail dipping powder system was one of the first acrylic dip powders around, and their system aims to make nail dip easy for all.
The packaging is pretty, and the 5 nail polishes are labeled by number, so it’s easy to know which step is next. It comes with a few powders (Base & Finish Essential Powder, French White, Natural, Sheer Pink, Natural Pink, and Midnight Pink) so you can perform a french manicure or natural nail color easily with this system.
I opted to do the midnight pink color, since this kit does not come with a french nail dip tray. If you wanted to do a french manicure with this kit, you do not HAVE to have the tray, but it certainly makes it a lot easier. I was able to follow the instructions and cute a cute manicure in about 20 minutes.
The manicure lasted 2 weeks before it looked grown out. I had a minor chip on the thumb but I think I messed up a little during the application. The midnight pink isn’t super dark so I did an extra dip in the jar, and it looked much better.
The colors included are pretty basic and simple, which is great for people who always do natural nails. If you want a little bit more edgy colors you’d have to buy them separately.
Overall the Dipwell kit was really easy to use, and it a great buy for beginners. It is probably best for people who always do natural or light pink colors since these are included.
The Gelish nail polish dip system is made by the company that I love to use for UV gel, so I was really excited to try their nail dipping french manicure system.
The packaging is adorable, and comes with everything you need to do a french manicure, including 4 dip powders in Clear as Day, Arctic Freeze, Simple Sheer, and Tutus and Tights. It also includes some much needed extras like a 2-ounce nail surface cleanser, 100-count lint-free wipes, 2 replacement caps, and 6 replacement brushes. Since the brushes can get messed up some times its nice to have all these things.
I was able to do my french manicure with this kit in about 30 mins, and while their tray isn’t as good as the ANC dipping tray, it still gets the job done.
The manicure lasted just shy of 3 weeks, with no major chips or scuffs. The colors included are just enough to do a french or natural nail look, so keep that in mind.
Overall I loved the color step guide of the polishes, and all the little extras that came with the kit. Having the nail cleanser and wipes really made my manicure look even more professional, and this kit is a great value since it’s got EVERYTHING you’d need included.
I was really excited to try the Revel Nail Dipping Kit because it appeared to be pretty simple, and they have a super impressive range of colors to choose from. When you order your kit, you let them know which powder color you want, and they have everything from pretty sparkles to color changing powders.
The packaging is really simple, with each polish having a different color cap. I got the pink sparkly color, and was super happy to see it was just as pretty in person.
My manicure took about 15 minutes, which means I must be getting pretty good at these. I really liked using a sparkly color because it makes an imperfections way less noticeable.
The manicure lasted a little less than 2 weeks, because I had some polish stuck on my cuticle and it began to lift up. If I am more careful next time it may last a little longer.
Overall I loved that this kit is pretty basic, but that it is priced accordingly. My favorite thing about the Revel Nail Dipping system is that they have so many colors to choose from, so I am really looking forward to trying a mood changing dip next! This is a great kit for someone who doesn’t do french manicure, and just likes to have “wild” polish colors.
I was pumped to try out the TP gel nail dipping system, because I had never heard of the brand, but I loved that the kit included a lot of powders for a very affordable price.
The packaging is very simple, and kind of hard to read, so make sure you have everything laid out in order before using this kit. It includes : Nail Prep, Gel Dip, Gel Activator and 6 powders: crystal gel powder, pink, ultra-white , black, hot pink powder , and silver. It also comes with a file, buffer, and sander which really help to get more professional looking results.
I was able to do my manicure in about 25 minutes, and I used the silver powder for my all over nail. Next time I would try to do a silver french tip, but since this kit doesn’t include a dip tray, you’d have to get one, or freehand it.
The manicure lasted a little less than 2 and a half weeks, and then it began peeling up at the sides. It didn’t chip at all, which I would have expected from a less expensive brand.
Overall I loved that this kit includes so many dip powder colors. My favorite thing about this TP gel dip kit is that I could do a french manicure with black or silver tips, because it is one of my favorite looks. This kit is certainly a great value for the money, even though I would need a to get my own french nail dipping tray to get professional looking results.
Best Overall of the New Powder Kits
Though I think my nails looked the most professional when using the SNS nail dipping system, many of these options are much more affordable, and would be better suited for someone who wants to try out acrylic nail dipping powder kits for the first time. Over all the Gelish Nail Dipping Powder kit lasted the longest, and I loved that it came with so many extra goodies! In second place is the TP nail dip kit, because it included so many powders, making it the best value! If you can’t wait to try out one of these great nail dipping powder kits- check out our tips for extending the life of your nail dip manicure below!
How To Extend The Life Of Your Nail Dipping Kit Manicure
Make sure to file your nail properly before applying polish. Use a very fine grit nail file, or an electric nail drill file which works must faster.
Use a french manicure nail dipping tray for your french manicure- it ensures a more even coat, which will help polish resist chipping
Be careful when applying polish not to get any on your cuticle, which can cause it to peel up more quickly. You can surround your nail with liquid latex for nails or a jar of vaseline to prevent this, and make clean up a breeze.
