I picked up the Lavender Violets 36-Color Gel Polish Set about three months ago after seeing it pop up all over Instagram nail pages. I've been testing it side-by-side with my go-to Beetles and Modelones sets, giving each shade a real run on clients and on my own nails. I wanted to find out if this budget-friendly box of 36 gel colors could actually hold up in a working tech's rotation — or if it's just another pretty package that falls apart at the lamp.
Gel polish sets like this one are everywhere right now, and I get why. If you're building your collection or you want tons of color options without spending hundreds of dollars individually, a boxed set feels like a no-brainer. But not all budget gel sets are created equal. Some chip within days, others won't cure right, and a few have formulas so thin they look streaky no matter how many coats you do. So when this Lavender Violets 36-color set landed on my desk, I was equal parts excited and skeptical. Thirty-six bottles of gel polish at this price point? Something's gotta give. Let's talk about what actually happened.
Verdict: A solid starter set with great variety, but inconsistent formula quality holds it back from pro-level use
There's real value here if you're a hobbyist or a student building your first gel collection. The color range is genuinely impressive for the price, and about two-thirds of the shades perform well with two coats and standard 60-second LED curing. But I hit some frustrating issues — a handful of colors were patchy, the bottles are small, and the brush quality varies from okay to not great. For clients paying for a professional set, I'd keep shopping. For practice, home use, or supplementing an existing collection, it's a decent deal.
How it scored:
Color Range: 8.5/10 — This is where the set genuinely shines. You get nudes, pinks, reds, blues, greens, purples, glitters, and a few fun neons. The curation feels thoughtful, not random.
Formula Quality: 6.0/10 — About 25 of the 36 shades are smooth, self-leveling, and opaque in two coats. The other 11? Streaky, thin, or oddly goopy. Too much inconsistency.
Longevity/Wear: 6.5/10 — When applied properly over a good base and top coat, I got 10–14 days of wear on most shades. A few cracked around day 7.
Packaging & Value: 7.5/10 — The bottles are cute and color-coded, but 8ml is small. You'll burn through popular shades fast.
Ease of Use: 7.0/10 — Most shades are beginner-friendly. The problematic ones require patience and extra coats, which isn't ideal if you're learning.
Specs
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Pack Size | 36 colors |
| Bottle Volume | 8ml (0.27 oz) per bottle |
| Formula | Eco-friendly natural resin |
| Cure Time (LED) | 60 seconds per coat (recommended) |
| Cure Time (UV) | 2 minutes per coat |
| Finish Types | Cream, glitter, shimmer, neon |
| Removal | Acetone soak-off, 10–15 minutes |
| Free Of | Formaldehyde, toluene, DBP (claimed) |
| Ideal Coats | 2–3 depending on shade |
Design & Build Quality
Let's start with what you see first — the packaging. The set comes in a sturdy cardboard box with each shade numbered and labeled. The bottles themselves are round, squat little things with black caps and clear bodies so you can see the actual polish color. Honestly, they look cute sitting on a shelf. Each bottle has a color sticker on the top of the cap too, which makes scanning for the right shade way easier than some sets I've tried.
Now, here's my first real gripe: these are 8ml bottles. That's smaller than your standard 10ml or 15ml bottles from brands like OPI or Gelish. If you fall in love with a specific shade — and with 36 options, you probably will — you'll run through it quickly. I used one of the nudes (shade #14, a gorgeous warm beige) on three clients over two weeks and I'd already used maybe a third of the bottle. For a hobbyist doing their own nails every couple weeks, this isn't a huge deal. For a working tech? You'd need to reorder individual shades, which sort of defeats the purpose of the set.
The brush is worth mentioning. It's a flat, medium-width brush — not the thin little wand you sometimes get with budget brands. That said, the brush quality isn't perfectly consistent across all 36 bottles. Most of them had nice, even bristles. Two or three had slightly splayed or uneven brushes that made application messier. I ended up swapping the brush from a spare bottle on one of them because it was bugging me so much. For a product in this price range, some inconsistency isn't shocking, but it's still annoying.
Performance & Testing
Okay, this is the meat of the review. I tested all 36 shades over a three-month period. For each one, I applied a base coat, two coats of color, and a top coat, curing each layer for 60 seconds under my 48W LED lamp. Here's what I found:
The standouts (roughly 25 shades): These went on smooth, self-leveled nicely, and were fully opaque in two coats. Colors like the classic reds, most of the pinks, the darker purples, and the deep blues performed really well. Pigmentation was solid, and the finish looked glossy and professional. I had multiple clients compliment these colors, not knowing they were from a budget set. The glitters in this category were especially nice — even distribution, good sparkle payoff on the first coat, and they cured without bubbling.
The middle-of-the-road shades (about 8): These needed three coats to look even, or they had minor streaking that I could only notice up close. Two of the lighter nudes fell into this camp. They weren't terrible, but they required more work and more product. If you're doing your own nails, you might not care. If you're charging a client, every extra coat costs you time.
The duds (about 3 shades): And then there were three that I genuinely didn't like. One was a neon yellow that was almost translucent after three coats. I tried four coats and it still looked patchy. Another was a shimmery pink that separated weirdly in the bottle and never quite mixed evenly no matter how much I rolled it. The third was a green that cured with a slightly tacky residue even after a full cure and top coat. I cured it again for an extra 30 seconds and it was fine, but that shouldn't happen.
Wear time was decent but not spectacular. On my own nails (and I'm rough on my hands — dishes, typing, opening boxes), I got about 10 days before I noticed edge chipping on most shades. On clients who are gentler with their nails, the 12–14 day range was more typical. That's acceptable for a budget gel, but my Beetles and Modelones shades consistently push past two weeks. So there's a noticeable gap in longevity.
Removal was standard. Soak-off with acetone took about 12–15 minutes per hand, which is normal. I didn't notice any staining on natural nails, which is a relief — some budget sets are notorious for leaving color behind, especially with reds and dark purples. The eco-friendly natural resin formula seems to behave well in that department.
Comfort & Usability
From a usability standpoint, this set is mostly beginner-friendly. The formula on the good shades has a nice medium viscosity — not too thick, not too runny. It sits where you put it without flooding the cuticles, which is a big deal for people who are still learning control. The color-coded caps make it easy to grab what you need without opening every bottle, and the clear bodies let you see how much product you have left.
That said, the inconsistency in formula thickness across the set is a comfort issue. Some bottles felt watery. Others were slightly too thick out of the gate. You'll want to roll (never shake!) these bottles before each use, and if a shade feels thick, a drop of gel polish thinner helps. I shouldn't have to do that with a brand-new bottle, though.
The smell is mild compared to some gel polishes I've used. The eco-friendly resin formula does seem to produce less of that harsh chemical odor, which my clients appreciated. It's not odorless — nothing in this category really is — but it's noticeably less intense. If you work in a small space or have sensitive clients, that's a real plus.
How It Compares
| Feature | Lavender Violets 36-Color | Beetles 20-Color Set | Modelones 35-Color Set | JODSONE 35-Color Set |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Colors | 36 | 20 | 35 | 35 |
| Bottle Size | 8ml | 10ml | 7ml | 7ml |
| Formula Type | Natural resin | Standard gel | Natural resin | Standard gel |
| Color Consistency | Mixed | Consistent | Mostly consistent | Mixed |
| Average Wear | 10–14 days | 14–21 days | 12–16 days | 10–14 days |
| Opacity (coats) | 2–4 | 2 | 2–3 | 2–3 |
| Brush Quality | Fair | Good | Good | Fair |
| Beginner-Friendly | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Compared to Beetles, the Lavender Violets set gives you more colors for a similar investment, but Beetles wins on formula consistency and wear time. Every Beetles shade I've tried cures evenly and lasts. You just don't get as much variety. Modelones is the closest comparison — similar eco-resin approach, similar size set — and I'd give Modelones a slight edge on overall quality, though their bottles are even smaller at 7ml. JODSONE is in the same budget tier as Lavender Violets and has similar inconsistency issues.
What I liked
- Impressive 36-color range that covers nudes, brights, darks, glitters, and neons
- Most shades (about 70%) apply smoothly and cure well at 60 seconds LED
- Eco-friendly natural resin formula has a noticeably milder odor
- Cute, color-coded bottle design makes shade selection fast
- No staining on natural nails during removal
- Great value per bottle if you're exploring and experimenting
What bugged me
- Formula quality is inconsistent — about 3 shades were genuinely problematic
- 8ml bottles are smaller than standard; you'll burn through favorites fast
- Brush quality varies from bottle to bottle
- Wear time doesn't match mid-range brands like Beetles
- A few shades need 3–4 coats for even opacity
- No shade names, just numbers — makes it hard to reorder a specific color
Who should grab it
If you're a nail student, a hobbyist, or someone who just wants a huge variety of colors to play with at home without dropping serious cash, this set makes a lot of sense. It's also a solid "explore" purchase — use it to figure out which color families you love, then invest in higher-quality individual bottles in those shades. If you're prepping for a girls' night, a vacation, or you just like changing your nails every week, the variety here is genuinely fun.
Who should skip it
Working nail techs who need consistent, reliable formulas for paying clients should pass. The inconsistency across shades means you can't blindly trust every bottle, and that's a problem when someone's sitting in your chair expecting professional results. If you're picky about wear time and need your gel to last a solid two weeks minimum, brands like Beetles or Gelish will serve you better. And if you have a small number of favorite colors you rotate, buying 36 bottles — many of which might collect dust — isn't the smartest spend.
Tips
- Roll, don't shake. Always roll the bottle between your palms for 30 seconds before use. Shaking introduces air bubbles that show up as little craters after curing.
- Prep is everything. With budget gels, proper nail prep becomes even more important. Push back cuticles, buff the nail surface lightly, cleanse with alcohol, and use a quality base coat. Skipping steps will show.
- Try 60 seconds first, then adjust. Most shades cure fine at 60 seconds LED. If you get any tacky residue after the top coat, cure for an extra 30 seconds before deciding the shade is a dud.
- Use a gel thinner, not acetone. If a bottle arrives too thick, add one drop of gel polish thinner. Acetone will break down the formula and ruin it.
- Store upright and away from sunlight. UV exposure from windows can start curing the polish inside the bottle. I keep mine in a drawer.
- Label your favorites. Since shades only have numbers, I put small stickers on bottles I love so I can reorder them without guessing.
- Don't skip the top coat. A high-quality top coat (I use Beetles or Gelish) makes a huge difference in longevity, especially with budget color gels.
Questions people keep asking
How long does Lavender Violets gel polish actually last?
In my testing, I got 10–14 days on most shades with proper application over base coat and top coat. That's decent for a budget gel but noticeably shorter than brands like Beetles, where I regularly see 14–21 days. Your mileage depends on your nail prep, your top coat, and how rough you are on your hands.
Do I need a UV or LED lamp for this gel polish?
Either works. I tested with my 48W LED lamp at 60 seconds per coat and had good results on most shades. If you're using a UV lamp, bump it to 2 minutes per coat. Make sure your lamp is strong enough — a weak lamp won't cure these properly and you'll get that tacky layer nobody wants.
Is the Lavender Violets gel polish set safe and non-toxic?
The brand claims the formula is free of formaldehyde, toluene, and DBP, and uses an eco-friendly natural resin base. The odor is milder than many gel polishes I've used, which is a good sign. That said, I haven't seen independent lab testing certifications, so take the "non-toxic" marketing with a grain of salt. Always work in a ventilated space regardless.
Can beginners use this gel polish set?
Absolutely, with a caveat. About 70% of the shades are very beginner-friendly — smooth application, good self-leveling, and forgiving formula. The other 30% can be tricky with streaking or uneven opacity. If you're brand new to gel, start with the darker shades since they're more forgiving and show less streaking than light colors.
Why are some bottles in the set thicker or thinner than others?
Quality control in budget sets isn't always tight. I noticed slight viscosity differences across bottles in this set, which is common with affordable gel brands. It doesn't mean the polish is bad — just roll the bottle before use and adjust with a drop of thinner if needed. If a bottle seems separated or really off, it might be worth contacting the seller.
How do I remove Lavender Violets gel polish?
Standard soak-off removal works fine. Buff the top coat surface to break the seal, soak cotton pads in acetone, place them on your nails, and wrap with foil or clips. Wait 10–15 minutes, then gently push off the softened gel with a cuticle pusher. I didn't experience staining with any of the 36 shades, which was a pleasant surprise for a budget set — especially with the reds and dark purples.
Bottom line
The Lavender Violets 36-Color Gel Polish Set is a mixed bag — but the good outweighs the bad if you set your expectations right. You're getting 36 colors for the price of what you'd normally pay for a handful of individual gel bottles. Most of the shades perform well, the color range is genuinely impressive, and the eco-friendly formula has a pleasant, low-odor quality that both I and my clients appreciated. If you're a home user, a student, or a hobbyist looking to experiment, there's real value in this box.
But it's not a pro product. The formula inconsistency, the smaller 8ml bottles, and the wear time that falls short of established mid-range brands keep it from being something I'd use behind the chair every day. About a third of the shades needed extra work, and three of them were basically unusable. That's not a dealbreaker for a $30-ish set with 36 colors, but it's worth knowing going in.
Think of it as a sampler platter, not a career investment. Use it to explore, have fun, and figure out what you love. Then upgrade to pro-quality individual bottles for the shades you reach for most. That's how I'd approach it, and honestly, that's exactly how I've been using these three months in. No regrets — just realistic expectations.
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