A Nail Set, From Revlon's First Enamel to the At-Home Kit

Revlon began on 1 March 1932 in New York City, started by brothers Charles and Joseph Revson and the chemist Charles Lachman, the L in the name. According to Wikipedia, it launched with a single product, an opaque nail enamel made with pigments instead of dyes. Revlon's own founders page says Charles Revson sold it first in salons, and that by 1938 there were 21 shades of Cream Nail Enamel. Encyclopedia.com adds that rivals' polishes were transparent and came in three reds, and that early shades had names like Fatal Apple and Kissing Pink.

The next big shift was getting the salon into your bathroom. Allure wrote in 2022 that salon closures during COVID-19 pushed people to do their nails at home, which fueled a rise in press-ons, polish strips and stickers. Olive & June says it launched its first at-home mani system in 2019, press-ons in 2021 and a gel system in October 2024. Its founder, Sarah Gibson Tuttle, told Glossy, "We humbly believe we started the DIY nail revolution." That is a founder claim, not a fact I could verify.

A nail set today is a packaged version of that idea: coordinated polish, a gel kit with a lamp, or the tools and care to go with them. The first grid is the polish and gel sets. The second is the manicure tool and care kits that keep the results looking good.

Here is a test I like: before buying a set, count the steps you would actually do. If the answer is three, a polish trio is plenty. If it is six, a kit will save you.

These are my top selects for color. Londontown's Mini Mani Nail Polish Set is four mini bottles: a hardener and base coat, the Weekend Cheers Lakur in a coral pink creme, a High Gloss Top Coat and a cuticle oil. The brand describes it as the four core essentials, made mini for on-the-go. Côte's Color Crush Set brings together four polish shades, from soft neutrals to bright ones, and its Summer Vows Set is four lightwashed summer colors, shown in pastels.

JINsoon's Serenity, Risque and Fire Clay trio is the one I would pick for fall. Serenity is a light smoky greige, Risque a dark wine and Fire Clay a warm brick red. The brand says to use it with its base coat and Top Gloss.

The rest are systems. Olive & June's Fall Mani System has six new colors and says it lasts up to 10 days, with a cuticle serum, clean up brush and polish remover in the box. The Soap Nails Gel System includes two shades, Strawberry Scone and The Queen Takes Her Tea With Milk, and the brand promises up to 21 days of wear. ohora's Starter Kit includes two designs of your choice, a portable gel lamp, Pro Glossy Top Gel and a Green Tea 3-in-1 Nail Remover. Dashing Diva's Lovely Pink is a starter kit of semi-cured sheer pink gel strips.

My pairing: polish sets for people who love the routine, gel kits for people who are tired of chips.

What I would skip: a gel kit if you do not want a lamp on the counter. The polish trios need none.

My top selects for care. Londontown's Total Care Gift Set is the most complete one, six pieces: Gel Genius Top Coat, Nail Probiotic Instant Boost, Soft Touch Nail Scrub, Illuminating Nail Concealer, Nail Hardener & Base Coat and Nourishing Cuticle Oil. The brand calls the Instant Boost a nail mask and says the scrub smooths rough, ragged cuticles.

Olive & June has two that solve different problems. The Cuticle Care Set has a remover, pusher, buffer, serum, balm and file, everything the brand says you need to soften and hydrate dry cuticles. The Total Mani Rescue Set is gentler, with a cuticle oil, cuticle balm, hand treatment and the brand's Nail Strengthener for breakage. ohora's Essential Tool Duo is just two things, a Pro Washable Soft Nail File and a Pro Easy Dual Stick.

ROYCE New York makes four leather kits, and the listings give only names. In the photos, the Compact Grooming Manicure Kit is black leather with a zip, the Mini Manicure Grooming Kit and Compact Grooming Kit hold steel tools, and the Luxury Leather Manicure Set Travel Case is made for the suitcase. These are for tools, not polish.

Here is a pairing I like: a leather kit in your bag, and Olive & June's cuticle set on the bathroom shelf.

What I would skip: buying two kits with the same tools. Choose the one with the pieces you will actually use.

I think a nail set works best when it matches how you already do your nails. A person who paints on Sunday nights does not need a lamp. A person who lives on gel probably does.

My rule of thumb: pick one polish or gel set and one care kit, and use them for a month before adding anything else. Cuticle oil is the small habit that keeps every manicure looking better, and several of these kits include one. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Hair Cutting Scissors, From Bronze Blades to a Home Cut Kit and Dashing Diva Brought the Nail Salon Home, One Press-On at a Time.