The 3 best gel-look nail polishes you can use at home. Easy.

Image: supplied.

There are many things to love about gel and shellac manicures (The shine! The colour! The it-lasts-more-than-one-day-without-chipping factor!) but the one part we’re definitely not fans of? Removing it.

That, and they can add up. Which is why you may have noticed “gel-look” nail polishes popping up everywhere. They offer all of the shine and none of the messy removal of a salon gel mai. And they can be easily achieved in the comfort of your own home. Winning.

L’Oreal Paris Infallible Gel Nail Polish ($12.95).

This product is like the magic wand of nail polishes and comes with two products – the glossy base colour and shiny gel-look top coat. Unlike normal nail polish, the colour packs a punch with just one coat and the brush is the perfect size to cover almost the whole nail.

After the first step, there’s already considerable shine but adding the top coat definitely makes a difference and looks exactly like professional gel nails – I spent about five minutes just staring in awe and admiring my handiwork.

While the gloss does fade a little, it stays shiny, the chip resistance is impressive and I loved the pink colour 'Keep Magenta'.

Ulta3 Gel Look Nail Polish ($3.50).

At less than $4, this polish is already a steal, so the fact that it looks like a gel manicure makes it a must-have. Available in a range of bright colours, all you need is one to two coats for serious shine.

"I rarely wear polish but this was one of the only ones I've tried that actually lasted longer than a few hours without chipping. I used two coats to get a great shine and I love the colour," The Glow's Michelle said. (Post continues after gallery.)

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel ($19.95).

While the UV lamp-free miracle gel has been a favourite for a while, the whizzes at Sally Hansen have updated the formula to be glossier and better than ever.

A two-step process, apply your miracle gel colour of choice (The Glow's Zara opted for Pink Tank) - one coat gives a beautiful bright colour. Allow to dry and then apply the top coat to make nails look fuller and mirror-quality shiny.

"I liked the fact I didn't have to put more than one coat of nail polish on. I'm very used to using matte nail polish colours which now seem quite dull in comparison to the shine-factor that comes with this gel look - it's a much more professional look than my usual at home attempts," she says.

Would you swap your professional manicures for an at-home gel look polish?