Frequently asked questions
Are these dip powders discounted?
No. At ND clearance means the shade sells until the stock is gone and is not reordered. The price beside a clearance jar is the regular wholesale price and the powder is the same product it has always been; what ends is the shade at ND rather than anything about the formula. There is therefore no better price to wait for, and because dip clients rebook the same colour rather than changing it, any jar going onto a regular client should be bought in pairs.
Why is so much of this page glitter?
Because dip ranges sell from the middle outwards. The nudes, pinks, and French whites that go on most clients empty first and get reordered, while effect shades that sell as a single accent nail last far longer on a shelf. Seventy-seven of the 199 jars here are glitter, which makes this a good page for accents and seasonal colour and a poor one for building a core wall. The core belongs on a restocked line where the same jar can be ordered again next year.
How do I apply a glitter dip powder well?
Dip a solid colour layer first so the flake has an even field to sit on rather than sinking into the base. Expect a rougher surface that needs more filing than a cream, then float the top coat instead of pressing it so the flake is not dragged out of place, and use two thin coats rather than one thick one. Cap the free edge deliberately, because flake lifts at the edge before flat colour does, and reseal with activator after filing.
Which jar size should I buy from a clearing range?
The size that matches how fast the shade will actually be used rather than the one that looks like better value. A 1.5 oz jar of a glitter that goes on one accent nail a fortnight will still be half full when the salon stops offering it, while a 1 oz jar of a nude a regular wears every three weeks will run out mid-season and cannot be reordered. The page splits almost evenly, 94 jars in 1 oz and 91 in 1.5 oz, and many shades appear in both.
What clearance means on this page
199 dip powder colours carry the clearance tag at ND. The tag means the shade sells until the stock is gone and is not reordered. It is not a markdown: the price beside a clearance jar is the regular wholesale price and the powder is the same product it has always been. What ends is the shade at ND, not the formula in the jar.
Eighteen of the 199 are out of stock as this page was written. LDS accounts for 185 of the listings, Kiara Sky for 12, and OPI for 2, and the jars split almost evenly between the 1 oz size with 94 listings and the 1.5 oz with 91.
What is on the page
| Line | Jars | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| LDS | 185 | The numbered dip chart, including the Sparkle, Christmas, Bridal, and summer groupings |
| Kiara Sky | 12 | Pink and white powders from the dip range |
| OPI | 2 | Named dip shades |
By colour the page is dominated by glitter with 77 jars, then purple and pink with 34 each, blue with 23, brown with 13, nude with 12, red with 11, grey and gold with 10 each, and smaller coral, black, and orange groups. By season 123 are tagged for winter, 52 for fall, and 30 for summer.
Why glitter dominates a clearing dip page
Dip ranges sell from the middle outwards. The nudes, pinks, and French whites that go on most clients empty first and get reordered, while the effect shades that sell as a single accent nail last far longer on a shelf. That is why more than a third of this page is glitter, and it is also why a clearance dip page is a good place to buy accents and a poor place to build a core wall. The core belongs on a restocked line where the same jar can be ordered again next year.
How to buy from a range that is ending
- Buy pairs of anything that goes on a regular client. Dip clients rebook the same shade rather than changing it, so the fill needs the same jar rather than a close match.
- Take the accents. Glitters, sparkles, and seasonal shades are what this page is good for.
- Match the size to the use. The 1 oz for a shade with a short window, the 1.5 oz for anything already in weekly rotation.
- Swatch and code every jar. A shade that cannot be reordered still has to be identifiable on a client card next year.
- Plan the replacement now. Lay each clearance swatch beside its nearest restocked neighbour and write both numbers on the card.
- Check the consumables. A clearing colour still needs bonder, base, activator, and top from a line that is restocked.
Working with a glitter dip powder
- Dip a solid layer first. Flake sits unevenly over bare nail; a solid base gives it a field to sit on.
- Expect to file more. A glitter surface sets rougher than a cream and needs buffing flat before the top goes on.
- Float the top coat. Pressing it drags flake out of place; two thin coats beat one thick one.
- Cap the free edge deliberately, because flake at the edge lifts before flat colour does.
- Seal twice. Activator, file and buff, then activator again before topping.
A dip set, step by step
- Prep. Push back, break the shine across the whole plate including the sidewalls, dust, and dehydrate.
- Bonder and base. Bonder on the bare nail, then one thin coat of dip base away from the skin line.
- Dip at an angle. Tap the excess back and brush the surface clean between passes.
- Build the layers. Two passes for a deep shade, three for a pale, sheer, or glitter, each stopping a hair further from the cuticle.
- Activator, shape, activator. Harden, file the shape, buff flat, then reseal what the file opened.
- Top twice. Two thin coats capping the free edge; no lamp is used anywhere in the sequence.
Storing powder that cannot be replaced
Powder is ruined by moisture and by contamination, and a clearing jar is worth protecting because there is no second chance. Close the jar the moment the dip is finished rather than at the end of the client, store jars upright away from the acetone shelf and out of direct sun, and never dip a client's finger into the house jar: pour into a tray, use what is needed, and sift the rest back. A jar that has taken on damp lays a gritty layer that filing will not fix, and on a pale shade it shows immediately.
Sizes, and which one to take
The split on this page is nearly even, 94 jars in 1 oz against 91 in 1.5 oz, and many shades appear in both. The sensible rule on a clearing range is to buy the size that matches how fast the shade will actually be used rather than the size that looks like better value. A 1.5 oz jar of a glitter that goes on one accent nail a fortnight will still be half full when the salon stops offering it, while a 1 oz jar of a nude that a regular wears every three weeks will run out mid-season and cannot be reordered.
What happens when a shade runs out
The swatch work done in advance is what makes this painless. With both numbers on the client card, the tech opens the replacement without a conversation at the chair and the client sees the same nail she booked. Without it, a sold-out clearing shade turns into a five-minute discussion, a compromise colour, and a client who notices the difference at home. Keep the sticks in code order at the dip station rather than in a folder in the office, because the substitution happens in the seconds before a service starts.
Where a clearing dip colour fits on the menu
The services that suit a shade with a finite life are the ones a client books once rather than forever: a seasonal set, a holiday accent, a wedding party where ten people need the same colour on one day, or a trial of a shade the salon is thinking about stocking permanently. Those are also the bookings where a clearing range is genuinely useful, because nobody is being promised a colour for the next two years.
The bookings to keep away from a clearing range are the regulars. A client who has worn the same nude for eighteen months should be on a line that can be reordered indefinitely, and if her shade appears on a clearance page the salon should buy two jars and start swatching a replacement in the same appointment rather than waiting for the shelf to decide.
Seasonal groups worth taking whole
- The Sparkle and Christmas groups, which cover a party season without needing to be reordered next year.
- The bridal shades, useful for a booking where one client and her party all want the same colour once.
- Summer brights, bought at the end of a season for the following one, since the formula does not age on a sealed shelf.
- Pink and white powders for a French station that already has a restocked backup.
- Any shade already on the salon wall, bought as a second jar while the stock is there.
What to tell a client
Not the word clearance, which only raises a question about the age of the product. The useful version is that the shade is available now, it will not be available forever, and the salon already has a matched replacement for when it runs out. Handled that way a clearing range keeps its clients rather than losing them at the moment the last jar is empty.
Removal and the fill, on a shade that will run out
A dip set is rebooked at two to three weeks and filled by feathering the regrowth back and re-dipping in the same code, which is exactly why a clearing shade on a regular client needs a second jar. Removal is unchanged: file through the top so acetone can reach the powder, wrap for ten to fifteen minutes, and push the softened product away rather than prying it off. Where a client is moving to the replacement shade, the removal appointment is the natural moment to do it, because the new colour goes on a clean plate rather than as a patch beside the old one.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every jar on this page ships at wholesale pricing for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. Clearance shades sell at their regular wholesale price until the stock is gone and are not reordered. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock jars ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.