Allure / Soleil Summer
Nail polish sets, perhaps more so than any other type of beauty product, are quite possibly the perfect holiday present. They are truly the gift that keeps on giving — the recipient gets multiple shades, all of which last and last as they're used over and over again. And considering that the public-health circumstances of the last couple of years turned many of us into well-practiced at-home self-manicurists, they serve as an opportunity to keep up our recently improved nail-painting skills. Nail polish is loved by people of all ages, and really, can you think of any other non-edible product better suited for an advent calendar?
Thankfully, all of your favorite brands are offering awesome kits that will get rave reviews from the folks on your gift list. Should you find yourself stumped over what to buy for your perfect stranger of a Secret Santa designee or your beauty-loving best friend has expressed interest in doing their own gel manicures, we've found fabulous nail polish sets at every price point and in a huge variety of colors.
Our picks will give your recipients fun shades to choose from for months to come. But don't be surprised if they crack the bottles open immediately, especially considering how festive some of the selections are.
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Smith & Cult Holiday Glitter Kit
It won't come as a shock if you spot the person you give the Smith & Cult Holiday Glitter Kit wearing one — or all three — of the colors at a New Year's Eve bash. The Message (a metallic crimson), Sugarette (a smoky white), and Glass Souls (silver glitter in a clear base) are party-perfect with their wintry, festive feel. We especially love how Glass Souls looks gorgeous on bare nails or over its fellow Holiday Glitter Kit polishes as a topper, not to mention that the set's velvety sack also comes with a nail file.
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CND Vinylux Party Ready 2021 Collection
Sure, you could just buy a shade or two from CND's Vinylux Party Ready 2021 Collection, but considering how classic and versatile each and every color is, you might as well get your favorite manicure-loving mate the entire sextet. They all work so well for both formal and low-key holiday parties, as well as every imaginable occasion to come in 2022. Our favorite shades would have to be Glitter Sneakers, a shimmering true gold, and High Waisted Jeans, an intense navy blue.
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Ciaté London Mini Mani Month 2021
The removable illustration by designer Ruby Taylor on the environmentally conscious packaging of Ciaté's advent calendar is reason enough to get the Mini Mani Month 2021 set. So cute, right? But what's inside — 22 mini Plant Pot Polishes and a full-size Plant Pot Polish — makes it a true treasure. The huge array of shades are joined by a non-nail product: a deluxe Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer, which is vegan just like the polishes.
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Nails Inc Nail Spice Gingerbread-Scented Nail Polish Set
You may want to give Nails Inc's Nail Spice Gingerbread-Scented Nail Polish Set a little early so your recipient can enjoy its polishes' holiday-inspired aroma throughout the season. As for the shades, there's no time of year they won't look lovely. All four — Pudding Lane, Bread Street, Honey Lane, and Nutmeg Lane — represent a range of beige- to brown-toned neutrals that go with absolutely everything.
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Le Mini Macaron Rouge & Moi Le Maxi Deluxe Manicure Set
Got a friend who's confidently ready to try doing their own gel manicures? Le Mini Macaron's Rouge & Moi Le Maxi Deluxe Manicure Set tells them you support their DIY ambitions. It comes with everything they need to get started: an LED lamp, 20 remover wraps, a nail file, a cuticle stick, and of course, gel polishes. The four shades of pinks and reds are romantic and timeless, making their lasting power all the more appealing.
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Deborah Lippmann Beautiful Dirty Rich Gel Lab Pro Color Set
Deborah Lippmann's new Beautiful Dirty Rich set is a gorgeous gift for anyone who loves doing their nails, but it'll be especially appreciated by those who are already big fans of Gel Lab Pro Color because it features nine brand-new shades they won't yet have in their collection. The combination of creamy and shimmery finishes in both neutral and vibrant colors means an option for every mood, and as usual, you can expect longevity that rivals gel formulas.
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Sundays Polish Box of 3
The Sundays Polish Box of 3 is a great gift for someone you know really, really well. Like, can-pick-out-three-perfect-nail-polish-colors-they'll-adore well, because that's exactly what you'll do. Choose from more than 50 shades — may we suggest the Best of Beauty Award-winning pale pink shade, L.01? — that will be presented in a lovely white box. Base coats and topcoats are options, too, just in case your friend appreciates practicality.
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Essie Art of the Manicure
No manicure is truly living its best life without a proper base coat, topcoat, and cuticle oil. So while Essie has seemingly endless shades to choose from, we'd be remiss to not recommend the brand's Art of the Manicure set for someone who's serious about a thorough at-home manicure. It includes the manicure-extending Here to Stay Base Coat, the gel-like, Best of Beauty Award-winning Gel Setter Top Coat, and the noticeably conditioning Apricot Cuticle Oil. These game-changers mean manicures that are longer-lasting and healthier-looking than color alone could ever appear.
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Orly Momentary Wonders Lacquer Kit
Orly's new Momentary Wonders six-piece set is somehow both ethereal and bold. Perhaps it's the common thread of shimmer in each and every new shade, four of which — Flight of Fancy, Awestruck, Dancing Embers, and Touch of Magic — skew somewhere in the range between purple and pink. The golden Whispered Lore shade adds to the royal feel of the lineup, while the not-quite-white Ephemeral lightens an otherwise darker array of hues.
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Coach x Sephora Collection Tea Rose Nail Set
The Coach and Sephora Collection collaboration could not be cuter (this is an actual fact), and the Tea Rose Nail Set may very well be the cutest of the cute. It includes a duo of flower-topped bottles — one shiny, pink polish, and one two-in-one base coat and topcoat — whose design alone makes painting one's nails all the more enjoyable. And if your recipient is looking at the packaging wishing they could somehow implement the illustrations into their manicure, well, they can: The set comes with nail stickers featuring a unicorn, T-rex, shark, and (more) flowers.
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Nailtopia Jingle All the Way
Nailtopia has always taken its nontoxic, cruelty-free, vegan formulas very seriously, but that doesn't mean the brand — and your gift recipient — can't have a little holiday nail-polish fun. The new Jingle All the Way set feels just the right amount of frosty with its shimmering array of blue and purple lacquer. And with several pastel shades, this set begs to be worn well into spring.
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OPI Holiday '21 Nail Lacquer Mini 25-Piece Advent Calendar
OPI's Holiday '21 Advent Calendar may be festive, but the brand is not playing around. It has included an incredible array of 22 mini nail lacquers — a combination of shades from the new Celebration Collection and indelible favorites likes Lincoln Park After Dark and Strawberry Margarita — so your recipient has seemingly endless options for whatever look they're going for. They'll also receive mini versions of the RapiDry Top Coat, Bubble Bath Nail Envy, and Original Start to Finish three-in-one so they have a truly complete nail wardrobe.
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