Frequently asked questions about Chisel
What is Chisel nail powder?
A 2-in-1 acrylic and dipping powder: the same jar can be picked up with monomer for a sculpted acrylic set or used in a dip system with base and activator. Chisel is best known for stamped nail art, where a Chisel Nail Art 3D Stamp is pressed into uncured dipping powder to cut a shape or pattern. ND carries the S-coded solid colors, the ombre collection, Pink and White including the 12 oz refill, and the Chisel dip liquids.
How do I make a Chisel stamped design?
Apply base coat to the nail, apply the color powder with a manicure brush or by dipping, and while the powder is still uncured press a Chisel 3D stamp into it to cut the design. Apply top coat over the powder for shine, then activator to cure the powder and the top coat. Use two or three powder colors and different stamps for original designs, and put the stamped color over a contrasting solid so the shape reads.
Why is most of the Chisel range on clearance?
ND has marked the majority of Chisel shades for clearance, so they are sold until gone and not restocked. The product is the same authentic Chisel powder. If an S-code is a regular on your chart, take two; if you use the ombre fades, buy the coordinated set so the pairs stay intact after the singles sell through.
Can I use Chisel powder with another brand's dip liquids?
Usually, yes, since dip base and activator chemistry is broadly compatible, but set time and shine are tuned to the Chisel liquids, so the matched base and activator give the most predictable result. For acrylic use, any standard monomer picks up the powder; place a medium-wet bead at the apex and guide it to the free edge and sidewalls.
How long does a Chisel set wear, and is it wholesale?
A Chisel dip set wears 3 to 4 weeks and an acrylic set is filled every 2 to 3 weeks, with cuticle oil daily and gloves for cleaning. Remove by filing the top layer and soaking in 100 percent acetone with a foil wrap. Every Chisel jar and liquid at ND Nails Supply is wholesale-priced for everyone with no business license or minimum order, orders $100+ ship free, and in-stock jars ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.
Chisel: one powder for acrylic, dip, and stamped nail art
Chisel makes a 2-in-1 acrylic and dipping powder: the same jar can be picked up with monomer for a sculpted acrylic set or used in a dip system with base and activator. What made the brand known is nail art: Chisel Nail Art 3D Stamps cut shapes and patterns into uncured dipping powder, so a tech can produce stamped designs in color powder without hand painting. ND Nails Supply carries the Chisel catalog at wholesale: the S-coded solid colors, the ombre collection, the Pink and White powders including the 12 oz refill, and the Chisel dip liquids. Most of the Chisel range at ND is currently marked for clearance, so the shades on this page are sold until they are gone and not restocked.
What is on this page
| Group | What it is | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Chisel Acrylic and Dip Powder, solid colors (S-codes such as S079, S199, S202, S216 to S232) | 2-in-1 color powder, one jar per shade | Full-color dip sets, acrylic overlays, encapsulated color |
| Chisel ombre collection | Coordinated powders for graduated fades | Ombre and baby-boomer sets in dip or acrylic |
| Chisel Pink and White | The 12 oz salon jars: nude and pale pink refills, a black refill, and Pure White Fine Sculpting Powder | French dip and acrylic, high-volume salons |
| Chisel dip liquids | Liquid Prep 1 Bonder, Liquid Base 2 (2 oz), Liquid Top and Top 4 | The dip side of the system; the activator is not listed at the moment |
Use the sidebar to switch between the solid and ombre collections.
Dip or acrylic: how the same jar works both ways
- As dip: a thin layer of dip base on the nail, dip into the powder, tap off, repeat for a second layer, activator to set, then file, buff, and top coat. No lamp, no monomer smell.
- As acrylic: pick up a bead with monomer, place it at the apex, and guide it to the free edge and sidewalls; the powder sets by reaction with the liquid, and a full set can be sculpted over forms or tips.
- As art: dip or brush the powder on, and while it is still uncured press a Chisel 3D stamp into it to cut the shape, then top coat and activate. Use two or three powder colors and different stamps for original stamped designs.
How to do a Chisel stamped design
- Apply base coat to the nail bed to give the powder a strong foundation.
- Apply the dipping powder with a manicure brush, or dip the finger directly into the jar.
- While the powder is uncured, press a Chisel Nail Art Stamp into it to cut the 3D design.
- Apply top coat over the color powder for a shiny finish.
- Apply activator to cure the powder and the top coat.
Pro tip: stamped designs read best when the stamped color sits over a contrasting solid: a white stamp over a Chisel pink, or a dark stamp over a nude. Cure the base color layer fully before laying the second powder for the stamp.
How to shop Chisel while it is on clearance
- Back up the chart staples. Clearance shades are not restocked, so take two of any S-code that is a regular on the chart.
- Take a full ombre set. The ombre collection is built as coordinated pairs and trios; buying the set keeps the fades intact after the singles sell through.
- Pink and White by the refill. The 12 oz refill is the working size for a busy salon and the one to buy for a salon that runs dip French daily.
- Pair with a matched base and activator. Chisel liquids are the companion; other brands' dip liquids usually work, but the set time and shine are tuned to the Chisel system.
What is the ombre collection, and how is it used?
The Chisel ombre collection is a set of powders chosen to fade into each other: a light and a dark of the same family, or a nude and a pink for the baby-boomer French. In dip, the fade is built by dipping the free edge into the darker powder first, then the whole nail into the lighter one, and blending the line with the brush before activating; in acrylic, two beads are placed and feathered together while wet. Because the collection is coordinated, a salon does not have to test which of two random shades will blend cleanly. It is also the group to buy as a set while the range is on clearance, since a fade only works if both halves of the pair stay in stock.
Wear, removal, and storage
- A Chisel dip set wears 3 to 4 weeks and an acrylic set is filled every 2 to 3 weeks, both with cuticle oil daily and gloves for cleaning.
- Removal: file through the top layer, soak in 100 percent acetone with a foil wrap, and push the softened product away. Do not pry.
- Keep jars closed between dips so the powder does not absorb moisture, and return used powder through a sifter.
- Label clearance jars with the S-code on the lid; once the range is gone the code is the only way to match a client's previous shade.
A Chisel dip set, step by step
- Prep. Push back, buff the shine off, dust, and dehydrate; Chisel Liquid Prep 1 Bonder on the bare plate.
- Base and first dip. A thin coat of dip base on the whole nail, the nail into the S-code jar at an angle, tap, and brush the excess away with a soft brush.
- Second and third dip. Base again, stopping a hair short of the cuticle, dip, tap, brush; a third coat for full opacity or for a long nail that needs strength.
- Activator, shape, activator. Activator over the whole nail, a minute to harden, file the shape and buff the surface smooth, then a second coat of activator to seal the filed surface. The Chisel activator is not listed at ND at the moment, so a salon pairs the Chisel base and top with an activator from the LDS or LAVIS dip essentials.
- Top. Two thin coats of Chisel Liquid Top, the first fast and the second slower, capping the free edge; no lamp.
The same S-code jar sculpts as acrylic with EMA monomer on a brush when the client wants length, which is the point of a 2-in-1 powder: one wall serves the dip station and the acrylic station. Keep the dip liquids and the monomer on separate trays, since a drop of monomer in a dip jar clumps it.
Where Chisel sits among the dip and acrylic lines at ND
| Line | Character | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Chisel | 2-in-1 acrylic and dip powder in S-codes, the ombre collection, and pink and white; made for stamped art | Most shades on clearance, sold until gone |
| LAVIS Color Acrylic and Dip Powder | 2-in-1 powder on the LAVIS gel numbers, 1 oz and 1.5 oz | Restocked year-round |
| LDS dipping powder | Dip powder on the classic LDS numbers, with 3-in-1 combos | Restocked year-round |
| V Beauty Pure Acrylic System | Acrylic covers and colors | Restocked year-round |
Because the Chisel range is being cleared, a salon that has built its dip or acrylic wall on Chisel plans the replacement now: the LAVIS 2-in-1 powder is the closest match in format (one jar for dip and acrylic) and the LDS numbers the closest in chart depth. The practical method is to swatch each Chisel S-code the salon uses beside its nearest LAVIS or LDS number on one stick, note the pair on the client cards, and refill from the house line as each Chisel jar runs out; a client who was on S202 moves to its swatch neighbor at her next set without seeing the switch.
Reading a Chisel code
The S-codes are the solid colors, numbered in release order, and the ombre collection carries its own coded pairs; S036 is one of the codes also listed as a 12 oz salon refill. The codes are the reorder language while stock lasts and the swatch language after it is gone. A salon that keeps Chisel on the wall to the end labels each slot with the S-code and the replacement number beside it, so the tech reaches for the right jar in either brand.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every Chisel powder and liquid ships at wholesale pricing for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee, and the clearance-tagged shades are not restocked once they sell through. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock jars ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.