I tried doing my own gel manicure at home with a $38 kit. Some people would love this, but I’d rather pay more for a professional set.

I think my at-home manicure turned out OK. 

Although I’m well-versed in getting my nails professionally manicured — I go every month and have tried everything from Russian manicures to artful press-on sets — I’ve never done my own gel polish.

If you’re on my side of TikTok, you may have also been scared away from doing it yourself for fear of developing a gel allergy or contact dermatitis from improper technique.

Many gel polishes contain reactive ingredients that can cause irritation if absorbed into the skin.

To shake off my hesitations, I spoke with Christina Kao, the cofounder of Le Mini Macaron, about best practices before using the company’s at-home kit.

Here’s how my first gel manicure at home went.

The affordable kit had everything I needed.

The Le Mini Macaron kit came with everything I needed for my manicure.

My $38 kit included a macaron-shaped LED lamp with a USB cord, a blue shade of three-in-one gel polish, a cuticle stick, a nail file, and 10 gel-remover wraps.

I easily spend hundreds of dollars a month to do my nails, so this bundle felt like a steal.

I focused on nail prep first.

I wanted my nails to be a blank canvas for the polish. 

Before diving in, I asked Kao for her best tips.

To start, she recommended I file my nail surfaces and wipe them to remove dust or oils to ensure my nails are properly prepped.

Le Mini Macaron sells special alcohol-based nail cleanser prep pads that can help with this, but they don’t come with the kit. The wipe-looking product I got is actually a gel-polish remover for taking the manicure off.

Instead, I swiped an acetone-free polish remover down each nail, which is supposed to help the gel polish adhere better.

I had a bit of a bumpy start, but I expected that.

It took me a while to get used to the equipment. 

Next, I was ready to apply my polish.

Kao also said the polish bottle should be rolled, not shaken, before use to avoid making any air bubbles in its thick texture, so I tried to keep that in mind throughout the process.

I quickly realized my hands were not made for performing professional manicures — that much was evident after my first attempt at applying the polish.

I got it on my fingers a few times and was a little worried, but Kao said I just had to make sure I cleaned any polish off my skin before curing. So, I did.

After a few tries, I also got my application method down.

The curing process was pretty simple.

I had to cure each nail individually.

The instructions explicitly said that the first layer of polish should be very thin. I applied a light coat on one nail before putting it under the LED lamp and repeated that process 10 times.

The lamp in my kit only had one button, which activates the light for 30 seconds to cure the polish. It conveniently shut off automatically when it was finished.

She recommends running a cuticle stick along the edge of your nails before turning on the light. Then, be sure to cure the gel completely — about 30 seconds under the little LED lamp.

I knew my nails were weaker and more sensitive because I felt a light burning sensation when I cured the gel, which some refer to as a heat spike.

This heat sensitivity is usually indicative of damage to the nail plate and can compromise a manicure’s longevity.

The first layer of polish looked very thin.

I couldn’t get a good sense of the color after one coat.

After all that work, it barely looked like I had any polish on my nails.

I get gel manicures often enough to know that the first coat never looks like the final product, so I wasn’t worried.

After an hour and two coats of polish, my nails looked pretty good.

I was pleased with my manicure. 

I followed that same process with a thicker second layer of polish. The barely-there blue became a beautiful pop of color with a glossy finish.

The three-in-one polish doesn’t require a top coat, and I didn’t buy one, so once each nail was painted and cured, my manicure was done. The entire process took me about an hour.

My application wasn’t perfect, but I was happy with the results.

I was also surprised at how relaxed I felt during the manicure. This kit was perfect for a novice like me — I felt my confidence grow throughout the process.

I don’t think this is my jam, but I still recommend the kit for beginners.

My nails sadly chipped pretty quickly.

The Le Mini Macaron website said the gel polish can last up to two weeks. Unfortunately, by the time I was halfway through a five-day trip abroad, I noticed a few significant chips.

I made an effort to be a little more gentle with this manicure, but I guess some combination of my nail damage and newbie skills cut the longevity short.

Despite a few chips, my manicure looked pretty good.

The small kit is also quite travel-friendly. The light could be plugged into a computer or portable charger for applying touch-ups as needed.

However, my touch-up attempts looked bumpy or raised when I was trying to fix a small chip by adding more polish. I found it easier to remove the polish from my nail entirely and go through the application process anew.

Putting my already damaged nails through that much didn’t feel sustainable for me. I’d rather pay more for a professional manicure I know will last three to four weeks.

That said, this kit could be great for beginners or those looking to experiment with new nail techniques.

I’m also interested in attempting an at-home gel pedicure since the lamp has a detachable top. Since I don’t care as much about chipped toenails, that might be my money-saving hack.