Frequently asked questions
What is on the Apres base and top page?
Four Apres liquids: the 0.5 oz Base Gel Coat, the 0.5 oz Non-Wipe Glossy Top Gel Coat, the two together as a pair, and the pH Bonder. The Extend Gel that bonds a Gel-X tip and the Non-Acidic Gel Primer that follows the bonder are on the Apres soft gel page, and the tips are on the refill and box pages.
What does the Apres pH Bonder do?
It is the first step on the prepped nail: a thin wipe that removes the last moisture and oil and balances the plate so the Non-Acidic Gel Primer and the Extend Gel bond. Skipping it is the usual cause of a Gel-X set lifting at the cuticle. It is used on a plain gel manicure as well, and one bottle lasts many sets.
Do I need the Apres base under gel color on a Gel-X tip?
Yes. A soft gel tip is smoother than a natural nail, and color applied straight onto it peels off in a sheet; a thin coat of the Base Gel Coat, cured, gives the color its grip on the tip and the natural nail alike. The Non-Wipe Glossy Top then seals the set with no alcohol wipe and caps the free edge, where a soft gel tip takes its wear.
Is the base and top pair cheaper than the two bottles?
No. The pair is priced as the two bottles bought singly, checked on the day of writing; it is bought to put both finishing coats on one order line. The base and top empty together, so the pair is the usual reorder, while the pH Bonder and the primer go far more slowly.
What is the full order of the Apres Gel-X liquids?
Prep, pH Bonder, Non-Acidic Gel Primer, Extend Gel in the tip and on the nail with a flash cure and a full cure, then Base Gel Coat cured, two thin coats of gel color cured, and the Non-Wipe Glossy Top cured. Built from the one brand's liquids end to end, a set is what the Gel-X box rates at four weeks and more of wear.
Apres base, top, and pH Bonder: the liquids that finish a Gel-X set
This page holds the Apres liquids that go on before and after the tip at ND Nails Supply: the Apres Base Gel Coat, the Non-Wipe Glossy Top Gel Coat, the two together as a pair, and the pH Bonder, four listings in all, every one in stock at the time of writing. Apres Gel-X is a system, and these are its bookends: the pH Bonder is the first thing on the prepped nail, balancing the plate so the primer and the Extend Gel hold, and the base and top are what turn a bonded Gel-X tip into a finished gel manicure, base for the color to grip, top for the shine with no alcohol wipe. The Extend Gel that bonds the tip and the Non-Acidic Gel Primer that follows the bonder are sold on the Apres soft gel page. Everything is wholesale-priced for everyone, no license and no minimum.
What is on this page
| Listing | Size | Job in the Gel-X system |
|---|---|---|
| Apres pH Bonder | Bottle | Step one on the prepped nail: balances the plate before the primer |
| Apres Base Gel Coat | 0.5 oz | The base under gel color over the bonded tip, or on a natural-nail gel manicure |
| Apres Non-Wipe Glossy Top Gel Coat | 0.5 oz | The finish: gloss with no alcohol wipe after the cure |
| Base Gel Coat and Non-Wipe Glossy Top, the pair | 2 x 0.5 oz | Both finishing bottles in one line |
The pair is priced as the two bottles bought singly (checked on the day of writing), so it is bought for the order line rather than for a saving; the pH Bonder sits below the two coats. The Apres primer, the Extend Gel, and the tips themselves are on the other Apres pages, and a Gel-X station needs all of them.
The Gel-X liquids in order
- pH Bonder. After the prep, a thin wipe over the dry nail. It balances the plate's pH so the layers that follow bond; it is the step that most lifting traces back to when it is skipped.
- Non-Acidic Gel Primer. The second step, from the soft gel page: it leaves the tacky surface the tip grips, without the acid that makes some clients' nails sore.
- Extend Gel. The bonding gel in the tip and on the nail, flash-cured then full-cured through the tip. On the soft gel page.
- Base Gel Coat. A thin coat over the shaped, bonded tip, cured, so the gel color grips the tip and the natural nail alike.
- Gel color. Two thin coats, cured, capped at the free edge.
- Non-Wipe Glossy Top. One coat, cured; no alcohol wipe, the shine is final out of the lamp.
What each bottle does on the desk
- pH Bonder. A dehydrating balancer rather than a glue: it removes the last of the moisture and oil the prep leaves and sets the nail at the pH the primer wants. It is used on a Gel-X set and on a plain gel manicure alike, and one bottle lasts many sets.
- Base Gel Coat. The layer that a color needs to hold on a soft gel tip, which is smoother than a natural nail. Thin, cured, and kept off the skin.
- Non-Wipe Glossy Top. The finish that closes a Gel-X set. Non-wipe means no tacky layer to cleanse, which saves a step per nail and keeps the gloss even; it also seals the free edge, which is where a soft gel tip takes its wear.
- The pair. The two coats a station empties together, bought as one line so the base and top on the desk are always the same brand as the tip.
Why a Gel-X set lifts at the finish, and the fix
- Color peels off the tip in a sheet: the Base Gel Coat was skipped and the color went straight onto the smooth tip. Base first, thin, cured.
- Lifting at the cuticle: base or top on the skin, or the bonder skipped. Keep a hairline margin, and bond every set.
- Dull patches in the top: the top was applied thin over a textured color coat, or the lamp is past its life. One full even coat, and replace bulbs on schedule.
- Wear at the free edge: the edge was not capped. Run the top along the tip on every nail.
Stocking a Gel-X station
A station opening Gel-X buys the pH Bonder and the pair from this page, the Non-Acidic Gel Primer and the Extend Gel from the soft gel page, and the tips by shape and size from the refill and box pages. The base and top empty together, about one pair per few dozen sets, and the bonder and primer far more slowly, so the reorder is usually the pair alone. Cap every bottle straight after use and wipe the neck first; store upright, out of the lamp's spill, because a gel base left near the lamp thickens and cures in the bottle. Keep the Apres liquids together on the tray: a Gel-X set built from one brand's bonder, primer, gel, base, and top is the one the brand's four-week wear is rated on.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every Apres liquid on this page is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The Base Gel Coat and the Non-Wipe Glossy Top sit at one price, the pair at the price of the two, and the pH Bonder below them. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock bottles ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.