Pastel nails look really cute and never go out of style. However, pastel gel nail polish is notoriously difficult to apply. It often comes out with streaks and bald patches when you paint the nails with it. But don’t fret! You can still find the best pastel gel nail polish sets with the help of this guide and I’ll give you the tips on how to apply these polishes perfectly.
Let’s dive right in!
My top 4 picks
Large Pastel Gel Nail Polish Set
Makartt Candy Colored Summer Polishes
This set contains a whopping 22 hue selection of colors!
All the hues on the entire spectrum are part of this set: red, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, and anything in between.
All the colors come in pastel shades.
Some of them have a more intense saturation than others.
While some of the colors are very light.
So you get a huge color palette for creating all kinds of pastel nail art.
All the colors are very bright and trendy.
You can find a hue that is great for any mood, occasion, and even season.
Even though Makartt has named this collection a “Summer” set, you don’t have to wear these polishes only in the summer.
A great advantage of Makartt pastel gel nail polishes is that they offer good coverage.
Some of the more saturated polishes would look good even when you apply them in one coat only.
Two coats are enough with all the polishes in this set. They look nice and opaque.
In addition to the polishes, you get a base coat and a top coat.
Since they are made by the same manufacturer as the polishes, the base coat and the top coat work with them perfectly.
This large set comes in a gorgeous pastel gift box.
So it would make an amazing gift for anyone who wants to do their own gel nails.
A downside of the Makartt set is that it’s difficult to determine the color of the polish in each bottle without opening it.
And the base coat and top coat are a bit smelly.
These polishes are also really opaque so it’s best to use a high wattage lamp to cure them.
Pastel Gel Nail Polish Set With Lamp
Beetles Starter Kit With Lamp
If you want to get a lamp that will be 100% compatible with the pastel gel nail polishes that you are going to buy then choose this Beetles pastel set with lamp.
The starter kit contains 6 gel nail polishes in super-cute pastel candy colors: lilac, warm pink, candy cotton pink, lemon yellow, blue, and turquoise.
Almost the entire pastel spectrum.
The Beetles kit also includes a cuticle oil, a base coat, a shiny top coat, and a matte top coat.
So you’ll be able to create gorgeous matte designs that will look amazing with pastel polishes.
All Beetles polishes are non-toxic and low odor.
You’ll also get a set of tools with this kit, including a nail file, a buffer, brushes for hands and toes, a cuticle pusher and fork tool, nail clippers, and two separators for toes for doing pedicures.
The Beetles UV and LED lamp in this set has 48W of power.
So it’s capable of curing any pigmented and opaque pastel gel nail polish really well with no problems.
There are 3 timer settings: 30 s, 60 s, and 120 s.
The manufacturer suggests curing the pastel polishes from this kit for 60 seconds.
The light bulbs are placed all over the domed inner surface of the lamp. This helps to cure all the fingers evenly.
The unit has an automatic sensor that starts the curing process when you place your hand under the lamp and stops the curing process when you pull the hand out.
This Beetles set is a great starter kit with pastel polishes if you want to begin doing your nails at home.
A perfect replacement for a salon.
The downside of this kit is that it offers fewer colors to choose from than some other sets on this list.
Pastel Gel Nail Polish Gift Set
MEFA 23 Piece Set With A Gift Box
The MEFA set is almost as large as the Makartt one.
It contains 20 pastel gel nail polishes.
There are pastel shades of yellow, pink, blue, turquoise, and purple.
In addition to the light pastel colors, there are their brighter variations for the summer and dimmer variations for the winter, plus several nude colors.
For example, bright fuchsia and gray, dark blue, mauve, beige.
So this set is not entirely pastel.
It can be a downside if you want a larger selection of pastel hues.
But it’s a plus if you want to have other shades to complement the pastels for creating nail art.
MEFA kit also includes a base coat, and two no wipe top coats that let you finish your manicure faster without wiping any sticky residue off your nails.
One top coat is glossy and the other one is matte.
And all the colors in this kit would look really beautiful with a matte finish.
The set comes in a very pretty gift box with a bright floral pattern. So it would make an excellent gift.
The downside of this set is that the bottles are really small and few of the colors are true pastels.
Pastel Gel Nail Polish Variety Set
Gellen Fresh Macaron Collection
The Gellen Fresh Macaron Collection is another large set on this list.
It contains 16 gorgeous light pastels that cover the entire spectrum of color, including pinks, lilacs, mint greens, baby blues, yellows, and all shades between them.
There are also two bottles with glitters: pink and lilac. They contain clear polishes with glitter sequins in a variety of sizes.
The polish colors are really reminiscent of the Laduree macarons.
They are so pretty!
The manufacturer promises that your gel manicure will last for 14-21 days and that the polishes aren’t smelly and are non-toxic.
In addition to the polishes, you’ll get a base coat and a top coat.
The polishes are really easy to apply.
The downside of this set is the small size of the bottles.
And some of the lighter colors may need an extra layer for a better look.
Pastel Pink And Glitter Gel Nail Polish Set
Modelones Spring Pink
Pink is hands down the most popular pastel color ever.
So if it’s your favorite hue and you’re looking for a monochromatic pink gel nail polish set then this Modelones kit is perfect for you.
The kit contains 6 polishes. Including 4 shades of warm pink, a white polish, and a silver glitter polish. One of the pinks also contains lots of glitter.
The Modelones base coat and top coat also come together with the polishes.
This set is great for creating bright French manicure nails with a white or glittery smile line.
The cream polishes don’t come out streaky when you apply them.
You can add a coat of cream polish underneath the glitter ones for a better look.
This Modelones set is an excellent gift for anyone who loves the color pink or for any gel nail polish collector. It comes in a pretty orange gift box.
Modelones promises that their polishes are non-toxic, low odor, and made of natural resin.
A downside of these polishes is that they are quite thick.
Trendy Pastel Colors
Modelones Macarons
Here is another Modelones set that contains a whole spectrum of super trendy pastel shades.
Including two pinks, blue, a gorgeous shade of turquoise, lilac, and cream.
If you paint your nails with these Modelones polishes they will really resemble macarons in color.
The manufacturer has managed to select the prettiest pastel shades of every hue.
The Modelones kit is perfect for spring and summer.
The polishes are very pigmented and most of them look good if you apply them in one coat.
Only the lightest shades, such as cream and light pink, may need a second coat.
These polishes are long-lasting and also come in a pretty orange gift box.
The set doesn’t include a base coat or a top coat.
Professional Pastel Gel Nail Polishes
Gelish Royal Temptations Mini Set
Gelish is a professional gel nail polish brand often used by salon technicians.
The polish cures very quickly, in only 30 seconds under an LED lamp.
It’s also long-lasting. Gelish promises up to 3 weeks with no chips or peeling.
The Royal Temptations set includes 6 gel nail polishes in lovely and very trendy pastel colors: pink, warm pink, light pink, purple, turquoise, plus a clear one with glitter. You can combine that glitter polish with any other color.
The set also contains the Gelish base coat and the top coat formulated to work with their polishes perfectly.
The downside of this set is that it only contains mini bottles. So you may run out of the polish quickly.
But it’s a great professional starter kit of pastel gel polishes.
You can try out every color you get in the small bottles and buy larger versions of the ones you like the most.
Pastel Nude Gel Nail Polish Set
Aimeili Nude Pink Color Set
If you’re not looking for a large range of pastel colors and prefer the more traditional pastel pinks and nudes then this Aimeili set would be great for you.
It contains 6 light pinks in several hues ranging from a brighter candy cotton pink to a subdued beige-like nude pink.
You can select a shade suitable for any occasion. For a wedding, for a party, for a day at the office, etc.
All these colors are perfect as the base for the French manicure nails.
You’ll just need to buy the white polish, the base coat, and the top coat separately. Since they don’t come with this set.
Overall, it’s a great basic set of nudes for anyone.
And Aimeili polishes last very well. For up to 3 weeks, as the manufacturer promises.
The downside is that these polishes. may cause allergic reactions for some users, as the manufacturer warns.
Easy To Apply
Rosalind Pastel Gel Nail Polish Set
This set contains 6 colors that come in all the main hues of the spectrum.
There are pink, lilac, mint, light blue, warm pink (or rather a very light red) shades in the Rosalind kit.
The polishes have a nice consistency and very convenient brushes. They go on really smoothly. So they are easy to apply.
Each bottle has a label that indicates the color, which is a plus. You won’t have to open each bottle to find the shade you need.
All the bottles come in a nice-looking gift box decorated with foil stamping.
So the Rosalind set will make a pretty and elegant gift.
The base coat and the top coat are not included.
Most of these colors may require 3 coats for the best look.
Pastel Jelly Gel Nail Polish Set
Born Pretty Jelly
Born Pretty is known for manufacturing excellent products for nail art. Including nail powders and nail stamping pads.
This Born Pretty set of gel nail polishes contains 6 shades of pink. Including very light candy cotton pink, pink-beige, light mauve, etc.
All the polishes have a jelly effect. That means they are semi-transparent, like jelly.
The pink colors with the jelly effect are really pretty and make your nails look like crystals or pieces of rose quartz.
This set of sheer nude pinks is especially good for creating French manicure nails.
It just doesn’t contain a white gel nail polish for making the smile lines. You’ll have to buy it separately.
A plus of sheer pastels is that they are easy to cure with low power lamps.
Born Pretty also promises that their polishes are non-toxic and low odor.
A downside of the Born Pretty kit is that the selection of colors is limited, and there are no extra products, like a base coat or a top coat.
Also, you may need to apply more layers of jelly polishes than you do with more opaque polishes.
Jelly Glitter Gel Nail Polish Set
Beetles Jelly Glitter Set
This is another Beetles set of pastel gel nail polishes on this list.
However, this set doesn’t include a lamp, tools, or the base coat or top coat.
It comes with 6 lovely pastel candy colors: lilac, blue, green, pink, yellow, and warm pink.
All these polishes have a translucent jelly effect and contain glitter.
Jelly nails were a hot trend in the 90s and are making a comeback today.
Nails painted with these Beetles polishes look to die for with the added glitter.
The effect looks especially good on long coffin nails made of a clear acrylic powder or gel.
And I like the variety of colors the set offers.
Like any other Beetles gel nail polishes, they are non-toxic, 9-free, and low odor.
Pastel Neon Gel Nail Polish Set
Gellen Bright Cute Sweet Candy 6 Color Set
Neon nails are a super hot trend today.
This Gellen set consists of 6 super-cute pastel neon gel nail polishes.
You get the entire spectrum of candy colors: pink, pastel red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and turquoise.
All the colors are really beautiful and highly pigmented.
They’ll make your nails stand out. And I’m sure you’ll get a lot of compliments.
Gellen also states that all their polishes are low odor and non-toxic.
The downside of this set is that neon colors are notoriously difficult to apply without streaks.
So you may need to add an extra layer of polish than you normally do to get even coverage.
And the base coat with the top coat are not included. You’ll need to buy them separately.
Mood Changing Pastel Gel Nail Polish Set
Sexy Mix Mood Gel Polish Set
If you want an instant ombre effect on your nails then this set is for you.
The Sexy Mix kit contains 8 gel nail polishes and they all have a color-changing effect.
They change color according to the temperature around them.
So each bottle basically contains two colors. One is a pastel shade and the other one is a dark and deep color.
The dark shade comes out when the surrounding temperature is cool and the pastel shade is seen when it’s warm.
And since the tip of your nail is always cooler than the base of the nail you’ll always see the ombre effect from light to dark.
The tip of the nail will be pastel and the base will be dark.
Four polishes in this set also contain glitter.
All Sexy Mix mood-changing gel nail polishes look absolutely amazing, especially on long nails.
This set doesn’t contain a base coat or a top coat, or any tools. You’ll have to buy them all separately.
And the polishes are pretty thick, which often happens with thermal gel nail polishes. So they aren’t too easy to apply in a thin layer.
Pastel Confetti Gel Nail Polish Set
YaoShun Candy Spring Colors
If you like to create fun candy-colored nail art with a few simple steps then this set is for you.
This YaoShun set contains 6 pastel colors with added matching confetti flakes.
So just applying these polishes to your nails will create instant and cute nail designs.
The colors are four variations of pink, plus purple, and turquoise.
Multi-color confetti flakes in every bottle complement the base hues perfectly. And the flakes vary in size.
So no design you create with these polishes would look boring.
However, remember to shake the bottles well to distribute the confetti flakes before applying any of the polishes in this set.
Apply the confetti polishes in several super-thin layers for a gorgeous look.
You can also apply the confetti polish only to the tips of your nails painted with another polish to get the ombre effect.
The downside of this set is that the polishes are pretty thick. So they can be tricky to apply in thin layers. And the set doesn’t offer a large variety of colors. It doesn’t contain a base coat or a top coat either.
Pastel gel nail polish nail art ideas
French manicure
Pastel pinks and nudes are perfect as the base colors for the French manicure.
They look really elegant with white smile line tips.
Nail powders
Unicorn and mermaid nail powders look absolutely divine on pastel nail polishes.
Use them with a no wipe top coat.
Apply the pastel polish, cure it, apply the no wipe top coat.
And as soon as you cure it rub the nail powder in.
Wipe off the excess powder.
Apply the no wipe top coat again and cure it under the lamp too.
Nail art and decals
And of course, pastel polishes are an ideal background for any painted nail art or decals.
Darker art or decals will stand out really well on a pastel background.
For example, you can paint tropical flowers or fruits, or apply decals over a light yellow background.
This will be a perfect nail design for a tropical vacation.
Nail diamonds
Pastel polishes serve as a perfect background for nail diamonds too.
You can pair the pastel polish with a matte top coat for a gorgeous velvety look and use a no wipe top coat for setting diamonds.
How to apply pastel gel nail polish?
Apply pastel polishes in the same way as any other gel nail polishes.
Prepare your nails, apply the base coat, cure it, and start applying the pastel polish.
However, all pastel polishes have one problem in common.
They may appear streaky or have see-through patches.
It’s sometimes difficult to get an even and uniform coverage with them.
Shake the bottle well
They also contain two pigments: the white one that makes them look light and the colored pigment that gives them the necessary hue.
These pigments often get distributed unevenly when you pick the polish out of the bottle. And this also creates streaks.
So shake the polish bottle well before the application process to distribute the pigments and to make the white and the colored pigments mix.
3 layers
In addition to that, you may need to apply more layers of a pastel color than any other shade in your gel polish palette
And one layer is almost always not enough.
One layer of pastel polish can have visible streaks and bald spots.
Even two layers may still create a streaky appearance.
Many light and sheer polishes need 3 layers for good coverage and for the best look.
Of course, as with any other gel nail polish, you should cure each layer separately before you begin applying the next one.
Thin coats
And always remember to apply each coat in a very thin layer.
This will make the polish easy to cure and create fewer streaks and sheer patches.
Thin layers of polish also stay on the nails better.
It’s especially important to apply the first layer of the pastel gel nail polish in a thin coat.
This layer serves as the ground coat. So if it comes out too streaky the other layer will follow this pattern.
How to use the brush
To apply pastel gel nail polish properly, always wipe any excess polish off the brush when you pick it out of the bottle.
Don’t hold the brush at a 45-degree angle to the nail plate. This will leave streaks.
The brush should be almost parallel to the nail plate. Move it in very light stroking motions.
Never press on the brush when you distribute the polish over the nail plate because the pressure may also leave streaks.
Finish your pastel gel manicure off with the application of your top coat of choice. Wipe off the sticky layer if needed.
Curing pastel gel nail polish
Pastel gel nail polishes are often very highly pigmented.
So they need a higher intensity of the UV light rays to get through the pigments and harden them.
That’s why pastel gel polishes require a powerful UV/LED lamp to dry.
Choose a lamp that has at least 36W of power. Or extend the curing times for better results.
SUNUV 36W UV And LED Nail Lamp
What to look for in a pastel gel nail polish
Colors
The most popular pastel color is pink. It’s lovely and looks great on any skin tone and any nail shape.
Pastel pink is a universal color that works with any outfit and suits any occasion imaginable.
It’s a traditional choice for a wedding. And can also be used as the base color for French manicure nails.
So you can wear pastel pink nails to work even if you have a strict dress code. Just choose a pastel pink with a beige undertone to be safe
Pastel mint, lilac, and baby blue are hot choices today too. They aren’t as universal as pastel pinks but they are great for any season.
If you choose a subdued mint, blue, or lilac it can still be considered a neutral color. And these shades match any skin tone well.
Baby blue also looks cute with denim outfits.
Pastel yellow and coral are amazing summer shades. You can wear them while you’re on a vacation. And these shades are very popular today.
If the yellow or coral are very light you can wear them anywhere. They look especially good against dark skin tones.
Pigmentation
You may need a more pigmented polish if you want your nails to look brighter.
If the polish is not sheer you can apply it quickly. And two layers may be enough.
But for a French manicure or for a subdued look, sheer polishes are better. Apply them in 3 layers and they will look great.
Glitter
Some pastel polishes come with glitter. And if you like the effect you can wear pastel glitter nails just about anywhere. Of course, the pink glittery polish is the cutest.
Polish sets
Pastel polishes often come in sets. So you’ll have an entire palette of several pastel colors that work well together. And you can mix and match them in your nail designs and always get great results.
A polish set can also contain additional products, such as a base coat and a top coat that are formulated to work with the polishes that come in that set. So you won’t have to buy these gel products separately.
Pastel gel nail polish can really make your nails shine and looks super-cute. You’ll surely get a lot of compliments for your pastel gel manicure.
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