With thousands of professional nail products vying for attention on the shelves, it’s more important than ever to be careful in your choice. That’s why NAILS Readers’ Choice Awards has been a valuable resource for nail techs for the past 13 years. We ask professional nail manufacturers to nominate their best products and then leave it up to you, our readers, to vote for your favorites.

Why do we do this? To help you run your business better, save you time, and introduce you to products that have worked well for your peers. Is it a popularity contest? In a way, it is. But sometimes the popular vote is one worth heeding.

The winning products (Top 5 in each category) run across 29 categories that include extension products, lacquers, gels and gel-polish, nail art, sanitation, oils, top coats, manicure systems, pedicure systems, implements, files, and many more. Take in all of the winners or simply use the list as a reference when you are in the market for something specific.

Some of the Top 5 are familiar faces, sweeping their category year after year. Others are relatively new and gaining momentum as nail professionals test them out. For the newest products introduced on or after August 1, 2015, take a look at our Top 20 New Products here.

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. NSI: Attraction Acrylic System
5. Artistic Nail Design:Rock Hard Liquid and Powder

FAVORITE ACRYLIC (COLOR) SYSTEM

1. Young Nails: Colored Acrylic
2. CND: Perfect Color Powder Collection
3. EzFlow: Boogie Nights Glitter Acrylics
4. NSI: Secrets Shades
5. Entity Beauty: True Artistry Sculpting Powder

FAVORITE BASE COAT

1. CND: Stickey Base Coat
2. OPIProducts: Natural Nail Base Coat
3. Gelish: Foundation Base Coat
4. Young Nails: Caption Base Coat
5. Orly: Bonder

FAVORITE BRUSHES (FOR ENHANCEMENTS)

1. CND: ProSeries Enhancement Brushes
2. Young Nails: Finesse Brush Series
3. OPI Products: Artist Series Acrylic Gel Brushes
4. Gelish: #6 Square Gel Brush
5. Light Elegance: Gel-Polish Bling Brush

FAVORITE CUTICLE TREATMENT

1. CND: SolarOil
2. OPI Products: Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go
3. Young Nails: Rose Cuticle Oil
4. Gelish: Nourish Cuticle Oil
5. Light Elegance: LE Cuticle Oil

FAVORITE DISINFECTION (IMPLEMENTS) PRODUCT

1. OPI Products: Spa Complete Disinfectant
2. BlueCo Brands: Barbicide
3. Tammy Taylor: Disinfect-Disinfect-Disinfect
4. Ultronics: Ultracare Disinfectant
5. BioSculpture: Techniclean

FAVORITE ELECTRIC FILE

1. Kupa: ManiPro Passport
2. YoungNails: YN-100 Electric File
3. Medicool: Pro Power 20K Rechargeable Filing System
4. OPIProducts: Professional Electric Nail Technician File
5. Erica’s Advanced Technical Abrasives: MT-20

FAVORITE FILES

1. Young Nails: 150/150 Zebra Files
2. OPI Products: Professional Files
3. CND: Girlfriend Buffer
4. NSI: Endurance Nail Files
5. Gelish: 240/240 Thin Wooden File

FAVORITE GEL ENHANCEMENT SYSTEM (HARD GEL)

1. Young Nails: Synergy Gel System
2. CND: Brisa Gel System
3. Gelish: Hard Gel
4. Light Elegance: Lexy Line UV/LED Hard Gel
5. IBD: Gel System

FAVORITE GEL ENHANCEMENT SYSTEM (SOAK-OFF)

1. IBD: Soak Off Gel System
2. Akzéntz: Options Series
3. Gel II: Skyscraper Building Gel
4. NSI: Secrets Removable Gel System
5. Artistic Nail Design: Correction Gel Soak-Off Build and Repair Formula

FAVORITE LONG-LASTING POLISH (NO LAMP REQUIRED)

1. CND: Vinylux Weekly Polish
2. Young Nails: Caption Nail Polish
3. OPI Products: Infinite Shine Soak-Off Gel Lacquers
4. Essie: Gel Couture Longwear Enamel
5. Orly: Epix Flexible Color

FAVORITE IMPLEMENT OR TOOL

1. Young Nails: Magic Wand
2. OPI Products: Titanium Tooling System
3. Gelish: Cuticle Pusher and Remover
4. Tweezerman: Professional Cobalt Stainless Steel Cuticle Nipper
5. NSI: Cuticle Pusher

FAVORITE LOTION FOR HANDS AND BODY

1. CND: Scentsations
2. OPI Products: Avojuice Skin Quenchers Lotion
3. Cuccio Naturale: White Limetta & Aloe Vera Butter Blend
4. Tammy Taylor: Peach Moisture Lotion
5. Footlogix: Rough Skin Mousse

FAVORITE NAIL ART SUPPLIES

1. CND: Additives
2. Young Nails: Imagination Art Brush
3. Gelish: Mini Striper Brush, Marbling Tool
4. Akzéntz: GelPlay UV/LED series
5. LightElegance: Effect Pretties Pigments

FAVORITE MANICURE PRODUCT OR SYSTEM

1. CND: Spa
2. OPI Products: Avoplex Moisture Replenishing System
3. Cuccio Natural: Manicure Scentual Spa Kit
4. Young Nails: Lomasi Natural Nail Care
5. Bodipure: Keratin Gloves All-in-One Hand Treatment

FAVORITE NAIL ART APPLIQUES

1. YoungNails: Caption Art Screens
2. Dollar Nail Art/Ash Industries: Transfer Foils
3. Minx Nails: Nail Wraps
4. Crystal Nails: Baroque Stickers
5. Sha-Nail: Decals

FAVORITE NAIL ART EMBELLISHMENTS

1. Young Nails: Mylar
2. Light Elegance: UV/LED Glitter Gel
3. Tammy Taylor: Dazzle Rocks
4. Innovative Beauty Concepts: Kami Nail Art — Swarovski Crystals
5. NSI: Secrets Bling

FAVORITE PEDICURE EQUIPMENT

1. Footsie Bath Beverly Hills: Disposable Liner System and Carrying Tray
2. Belava: Trio Foot Spa
3. J&A USA: Toepia GX
4. Lexor: Luminous PediSpa Chair
5. Noel Asmar: Hammered Copper Bowl

FAVORITE NAIL PREP PRODUCTS

1. Young Nails: Protein Bond
2. CND: ScrubFresh
3. OPI Products: Bond-Aid
4. Gelish: PH Bond Nail Prep
5. FamousNames: Cinnatize Nail Surface Sanitizer

FAVORITE PEDICURE PRODUCT OR SYSTEM

1. CND: Marine SpaPedicure
2. OPI Products: Pedicure by OPI
3. Footlogix: Callus Softener
4. Morgan Taylor: Bareluxury
5. LCN:Urea Foot Care

FAVORITE PEDICURE TOOL

1. OPI Products: Disinfectable Foot File with Disposable Grit Strips
2. CND: Callus Smoother
3. Young Nails: Cuticle Nippers
4. Tammy Taylor: Purple Terminator Disposable Foot File
5. Cuccio Naturale: Stainless Steel Pedicure File with Disposable Abrasive Paper

FAVORITE POLISH DRYING PRODUCT

1. OPI Products: Drip Dry Lacquer Drying Drops
2. CND: SolarSpeed Spray
3. Young Nails: Caption Drying Drops
4. Essie: Quick-E
5. Morgan Taylor: Accelerate Quick Dry Nail Drops

FAVORITE TRADITIONAL POLISH

1. OPI Products: Nail Lacquer
2. Morgan Taylor: Nail Lacquer
3. CND: Creative Play Nail Lacquer
4. Essie: Enamel
5. LeChat: Dare to Wear Nail Lacquer

FAVORITE GEL-POLISH (UV-CURED POLISH)

1. CND: Shellac
2. Gelish: Soak-Off Gel Polish
3. OPI Products: GelColor
4. Young Nails: ManiQ Soak-Off Gel
5. LeChat: Perfect Match Gel Polish

FAVORITE TIPS

1. CND: Velocity Tips
2. Young Nails: Style Tips
3. OPI Products: Structure 2.0
4. Tammy Taylor: Pre-Etched Tips
5. SuperNail: Natural Nail Tips

FAVORITE STRENGTHENER OR TREATMENT

1. OPI Products: Nail Envy
2. CND: RescueRxx Daily Keratin Treatment
3. Gelish: Structure Gel
4. Famous Names: IBX Natural Nail Strengthening Treatment
5. Young Nails: Thymol

FAVORITE TOP COAT

1. Seche: Seche Vite
2. CND: Super Shiney Top Coat
3. Young Nails: Caption Polish Top Coat
4. Gelish: Top It Off Sealer Gel
5. OPI Products: RapiDry Top Coat

FAVORITE VENTILATION SYSTEM

1. Aerovex Systems: “The One That Works” Salon Air Purifier
2. Valentino Beauty Pure: Valentino Beauty Pure
3. Medicool: Mani-Vac Dust Extraction System
4. Mia Secret: Nail Dust Vacuum Machine
5. Young Nails: Table Top Dust Extractor

FAVORITE LED/CURING LAMP

1. CND: LED Lamp
2. Gelish: 18G LEDLamp
3. OPI Products: LED Lamp
4. Young Nails: Mini LED Lamp
5. Bio Sculpture: Complete LED Lamp