Nail Art Brushes for Gel, Polygel and Acrylic Work

The right nail art brush does more for a design than extra practice does. A liner that holds its point draws a straight line the first time; a splayed one never will. This page puts every VIRAA brush in one place - fine-tip liners and detail sets for art, ombre brushes for gradients, and gel, polygel and acrylic brushes for building the nail itself - so you can choose by the job rather than by the packaging.

Which brush does which job

Fine liners and detail brushes draw outlines, stripes, French edges and small florals. The 3-piece nail art brush set and the special 3-piece set cover the basics. If you do art every day, the 12-piece set, the 10-piece set and the 8-piece set give you enough brush styles that you stop reaching for the wrong one.

Ombre brushes blend two colours into a soft gradient. The 1-piece ombre brush, the rounded-tip ombre brush and the wooden-handled ombre brush do the same job. What differs is the handle and how it sits in your hand over a long afternoon.

Gel and polygel brushes are for building. The gel nail art brush places gel precisely, and the 2-in-1 polygel brush has a brush at one end and a spatula at the other, for picking up and shaping polygel. The rainbow crystal polygel brush is made for shaping and sculpting extensions. Starting extensions? Read builder gel vs polygel first.

Acrylic brushes - the round Kolinsky brush and the flat-tip acrylic brush, each in sizes #8 and #10 - are for liquid-and-powder work. For one purchase that crosses over, the 5-piece gel, nail art and acrylic set and the 7-piece gel, polygel, nail art and acrylic set cover gel, polygel, art and acrylic together.

Choosing your first brushes

• Colour and the odd accent: a 3-piece liner set and one ombre brush.
• Nail art as a service: buy a larger set at once. Swapping brushes mid-design costs more time than the price difference.
• Extensions: a polygel brush before anything else. Nothing makes polygel harder to shape than a brush that was made for paint.

Looking after them

Wipe gel off the bristles with a lint-free wipe before it can cure; a brush left under the lamp is a ruined brush. Store them with the tips up, never rest one on its bristles, and do not soak the ferrule in cleanser, which loosens the glue that holds the hair in. The fuller guide is nail art brushes: which brush for which job.

Every brush here is reusable and made for professional technicians and salons, which also makes them a sound first investment for anyone serious about gel art at home. Building a whole toolkit? See the nail kits and starter sets or the wider nail art range.