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SEARCHFor the 12th year running, the NAILS Readers’ Choice Awards honors your favorite professional nail products.
Nothing carries weight like a personal recommendation, and NAILS Magazine's annual Readers’ Choice Awards provide an eye-opening opportunity to do just that. Our 12th annual Readers’ Choice Awards offer a snapshot of the popular favorites within 28 product categories, all related to nail care. This is the chance for nail professionals to publicly commend a product that’s performed well, as well as to see what their peers recommend.
Some products remain top picks year after year, while others rise and fall within the ranks. You can see how your favorites have fared over the years simply by logging on to www.nailsmag.com/rca.
Don’t Miss What’s New!
Read all the way to the end to find our “Best New Products” category. These are brand new products introduced after August 1, 2014. We feature the top 20 favorites, based on your votes.
Look for NAILS Readers’ Choice Awards badges on products as you shop in the year ahead. You’ll know that these have been nail tech tested and approved by the professionals.
Questions or comments? Send an email to Erika.Kotite@bobit.com.
FAVORITE ACRYLIC (TRADITIONAL) SYSTEM
1. CND: Retention+ Sculpting Liquid and Retention+ Powders
2. Young Nails: Acrylic System
3. OPI Products: Absolute Liquid & Powder Technology
4. ProHesion: Liquid and Powder
5. NSI: Attraction Acrylic System
FAVORITE ACRYLIC (COLOR) SYSTEM
1. Young Nails: Colored Acrylic
2. CND: Perfect Color Powder Collection
3. LeChat Nail Care Products: Nail Architecture Cabaret Color Collection
4. EzFlow: Boogie Nights Glitter Acrylics
5. NSI: Secrets Shades
FAVORITE BASE COAT
1. CND: Stickey Base Coat
2. OPIProducts: Natural Nail Base Coat
3. Seche: Clear Crystal Clear Base Coat
4. Orly: Bonder
5. Gelish: Foundation Base Coat
FAVORITE BRUSHES (FOR ENHANCEMENTS)
1. CND: ProSeries Enhancement Brushes
2. OPI Products: Artist Series Brushes
3. Young Nails: Finesse Sculptor Brush
4. Tammy Taylor: Custom Kolinsky Red Sable Brush
5. NSI: Royal Precision Brush #8
FAVORITE CUTICLE TREATMENT
1. CND: SolarOil
2. OPI Products: Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go
3. Young Nails: Rose Cuticle Oil
4. Famous Names: Dadi Oil 95% Certified Organic Nail and Skin Treatment Oil
5. Gelish: Nourish Cuticle Oil
FAVORITE DISINFECTION (IMPLEMENTS) PRODUCT
1. OPI Products: Spa Complete Disinfectant
2. Jessica Cosmetics: Sanitizer Spray
3. NSI: Sani-Pure
4. Ultronics: Ultracare Disinfectant
5. BackscratchersSalon Systems: Cavacide Salon Disinfectant
FAVORITE ELECTRIC FILE
1. Kupa: Passport Portable Electric File
2. YoungNails: YN-100 Electric File
3. OPIProducts: Professional Electric Nail Technician File
4. Medicool: Pro Power 20K Rechargeable Filing System
5. Erica’s Advanced Technical Abrasives: MT-20
FAVORITE FILES
1. OPI Products: Professional Files
2. CND: Girlfriend Buffer
3. Young Nails: 150/150 Zebra Files
4. Backscratchers Salon Systems: Septifile Sanitizable & Replaceable Filing System
5. Gelish: 220/220 Thin Wooden File
FAVORITE GEL (TRADITIONAL) SYSTEM
1. CND: Brisa Gel System
2. OPI Products: Axxium Gel System
3. Young Nails: Synergy Gel System
4. Hand & Nail Harmony (Gelish): Hard Gel
5. IBD: Gel System
FAVORITE GEL (SOAK-OFF) SYSTEM
1. CND: Brisa Lite Removable Gel System
2. OPI Products: Axxium Soak-Off Gel Lacquers
3. Tammy Taylor: Gelegance Soak-Off Nail Gel
4. IBD: Soak Off Gel System
5. Gel II: Gel II
FAVORITE GEL (COLOR) SYSTEM
1. OPI Products: Axxium Soak-Off Gel Lacquers
2. Young Nails: Kaleidoscope Gel
3. Light Elegance: LE UV/LED Color Gel
4. Entity Beauty: EOCC Color Couture Gel Enamel
5. NSI: Secrets Removable Color Gels
FAVORITE IMPLEMENT OR TOOL
1. OPI Products: Titanium Tooling System
2. Young Nails: Magic Wand
3. Tweezerman Professional: Cobalt Stainless Steel Cuticle Nipper
4. EzFlow: Pro Pusher
5. Gelish: Cuticle Pusher and Remover
FAVORITE LOTION FOR HANDS AND BODY
1. CND: Scentsations
2. OPI Products: Avojuice Skin Quenchers Lotion
3. GiGi: GG Cream
4. Cuccio Naturale: White Limetta & Aloe Vera Butter Blend
5. SpaRitual: Body Serum
FAVORITE MANICURE PRODUCT OR SYSTEM
1. CND: Almond SpaManicure
2. OPIProducts: Avoplex Moisture Replenishing System
3. YoungNails: Lomasi Natural Nail Care
4. ThermalSpa: Coconut Paraffin
5. CuccioNaturale: Manicure Scentual Spa Kit
FAVORITE NAIL ART APPLIQUES
1. Young Nails: Caption Art Screens
2. Dollar Nail Art/Ash Industries: Nail Art Transfer Foil
3. Minx Nails: Underwear
4. Dashing Diva: DesignFX
5. (tie) Backscratchers Salon Systems: Divine Designs Nail Art
(tie) EuroFashion: Transfer Foil & Adhesive
FAVORITE NAIL ART SUPPLIES
1. CND: Additives
2. Young Nails: Imagination Art Brush
3. Gelish: Brushes (mini striper, striper and marbling tools)
4. ArtisticNail Design: Stylus Marbling Tool Kit
5. Light Elegance: LE Gel Paints
FAVORITE NAIL ART EMBELLISHMENTS
1. Young Nails: Mylar
2. EzFlow: Gel Art Designer Kit — Nail Foil & Studs
3. TammyTaylor: Dazzle Rocks Rhinestones & Glitter
4. Dollar Nail Art Ash Industries: Geo Studs
5. Dashing Diva: 3D Jewels
FAVORITE NAIL PREP PRODUCTS
1. CND: ScrubFresh
2. OPI Products: Bond-Aid
3. Young Nails: Protein Bond
4. Gelish: pH Bond Nail Prep
5. Artistic Nail Design: pH prep
FAVORITE PEDICURE EQUIPMENT
1. Footsie Bath Beverly Hills: Disposable Liner System and Carrying Tray
2. Belava: Heater/Massager Unit with Pedicure Tub & Disposable Liners
3. ASP: Stainless Steel Foot File
4. J&A USA: Toepia GX
5. Whale Spa: Valentino Alden Crystal Pedicure Chair
FAVORITE PEDICURE PRODUCT OR SYSTEM
1. OPIProducts: Pedicure by OPI
2. CND: Marine SpaPedicure
3. Footlogix: Callus Softener
4. CuccioNaturalé: Pedicure Business Builder Kit
5. SpaRitual: Solemate Callus Remover
FAVORITE PEDICURE TOOL
1. OPI Products: Disinfectable Foot File with Disposable Grit Strips
2. CND: Callus Smoother
3. Young Nails: Cuticle Nippers
4. Footlogix: Professional Stainless Steel File
5. TweezermanProfessional: Pedicure Plus
FAVORITE POLISH DRYING PRODUCT
1. OPI Products: Drip Dry Lacquer Drying Drops
2. CND: SolarSpeed Spray
3. Young Nails: Caption Drying Drops
4. Zoya: Fast Drops Nail Polish Drying Accelerator
5. Orly: Quick Dry Drops
FAVORITE POLISH (NON-UV CURED)
1. OPI Products: Nail Lacquer
2. CND: Vinylux Weekly Polish
3. Morgan Taylor: Nail Lacquer
4. Young Nails: Caption Nail Polish
5. China Glaze: Nail Lacquer
FAVORITE GEL-POLISH (UV-CURED POLISH)
1. CND: Shellac
2. OPI Products: GelColor
3. Gelish: Soak-Off Gel Polish
4. Young Nails: ManiQ Soak-Off Gel
5. Orly: GelFX
FAVORITE STRENGTHENER OR TREATMENT
1. OPI Products: Nail Envy
2. CND: RescueRxx Daily Keratin Treatment
3. Famous Names: IBX Natural Nail Strengthening Treatment
4. (tie) Nail Tek: Intensive Therapy II
(tie) Young Nails: Thymol
5. Gelish: Vitagel
FAVORITE TIP
1. CND: Velocity Tips
2. Young Nails: Style Tips
3. OPI Products: Structure 2.0
4. ProHesion: Prefetto Nail Tips
5. Artistic Nail Design: Nail Extensions
FAVORITE TOP COAT
1. Seche: Seche Vite
2. CND: Super Shiney Top Coat
3. OPIProducts: RapiDry Top Coat
4. YoungNails: Caption Polish Top Coat
5. INM: Out the Door
FAVORITE VENTILATION SYSTEM
1. Young Nails: Table Top Dust Extractor
2. Valentino Beauty Pure: Valentino Beauty Pure
3. Aerovex Systems: “The One That Works” Salon Air Purifier
4. The Nail Superstore: ProMaster Nail Dust Collector
5. Medicool: Mani-Vac Dust Extraction System
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