Frequently asked questions
What is jelly gel polish?
A translucent soak-off gel. One thin coat gives a tinted, glass-like finish that lets the natural nail show through, each further coat deepens the color without losing the translucency, and layering it over a solid, a chrome, or a cat eye tints the effect underneath. Opal and pearl gels are the same idea with an iridescent shift. ND stocks around 120 jelly and opal gels, almost all LAVIS, plus the LDS Glow In The Dark shades.
Which LAVIS jelly collection should I buy?
For an everyday sheer chart, the C08 Glass Gala set: 24 sheer shades from pastels to jewel tones, built for layering, with a free display while supplies last. For fall and winter, the 12-shade Amber Jelly set of ambers, spiced oranges, wine reds, and olives. For the high-shine trend look, the 24-shade C17 Glossy Touch set, where C17-06 is the code clients search for. For an iridescent finish without chrome powder, the C03 Pretty in Pearl opal gels.
How do I apply jelly gel?
Prep carefully, since a sheer shows every flaw: push back cuticles, buff, dehydrate, and cure a thin, smooth base gel. Apply one thin coat and cure 60 seconds under LED for a tint, or two to three thin coats, cured between, for more depth. Layer it over a solid for a syrup or tortoiseshell look, over a white smile line for a sheer French, or over foils and flakes with a clear layer for an encapsulated look. Finish with a no-wipe top and cap the free edge.
How long does jelly gel last?
LAVIS quotes 3 to 4 weeks on a properly prepped nail and LDS quotes 21 days or more, with cuticle oil daily and gloves for cleaning; a sheer shows a lifted edge sooner than a cream, so prep matters more. Remove with a 100 percent acetone foil wrap for about 10 minutes and push the softened gel away rather than peeling. Store bottles upright, sealed, and out of sunlight; sheer pigments show fading sooner than opaque ones if a bottle sits in the light.
Are jelly gels sold at wholesale?
Yes. Every jelly and opal gel at ND Nails Supply is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The 12 and 24-color sets put a whole palette on the wall in one order. Orders $100+ ship free, and in-stock bottles ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.
Jelly and opal gel: the sheer, glass-finish gels
Jelly gel is a translucent gel polish: one coat gives a tinted, glass-like finish that lets the natural nail show through, a second coat deepens it, and layering it over a solid or a special-effect gel produces depth no opaque cream can. Opal and pearl gels are the same idea with an iridescent shift in the tint. ND Nails Supply stocks around 120 jelly and opal gels at wholesale, almost all from LAVIS: the C01 Jelly Jamboree collection, the C08 Glass Gala 24-color sheer collection, the C03 Pretty in Pearl opal collection, the C17 Glossy Touch collection, the 12-shade Amber Jelly collection, the 48-color Lumi Shock Design set, plus the LDS Glow In The Dark shades.
What is on this page
| Collection | Shades | Character |
|---|---|---|
| LAVIS C08 Glass Gala | 24 sheer shades, set or singles | Transparent, glass-like tints across pastels and jewel tones, buildable coverage, designed for layering over base colors and special gels |
| LAVIS Amber Jelly (AJ 01 to AJ 12) | 12 shades | Warm ambers, spiced oranges, deep wine reds, olive tones; translucent glass finish for tortoiseshell, syrup gradients, ombre, and French |
| LAVIS C17 Glossy Touch | 24 shades, set or singles | High-gloss jelly tints; C17-06 is the shade most searched for on this page |
| LAVIS C01 Jelly Jamboree | Singles | Seven milky nudes plus young brights and jellies; the year-round LAVIS collection |
| LAVIS C03 Pretty in Pearl | Opal and pearl gels | Iridescent sheer tints with a pearl shift |
| LAVIS Lumi Shock Design | 48-color set | Two palettes in one box for the salon opening a sheer wall |
| LDS Glow In The Dark (GW04 to GW12) | Singles | Sheer shades that charge under light and glow in the dark, for party and Halloween sets |
How to use jelly gel
- Prep and base. Push back cuticles, lightly buff, dehydrate, then a thin coat of base gel, cured. A jelly shows every flaw underneath, so the prep and a smooth base matter more than with an opaque cream.
- One thin coat for a tint. Cure 60 seconds under LED. This is the sheer, glass look.
- Build for depth. Each additional thin coat, cured between, deepens the color without losing translucency. Two to three coats is the usual range.
- Layer for effects. A jelly over a solid gives a syrup or tortoiseshell look; a jelly over a chrome or cat eye tints the effect; a jelly over a white smile line gives a sheer French.
- Top and cure. Diamond Top or any no-wipe top, free edge capped.
Pro tip: for the aquarium or encapsulated look, put a thin layer of clear builder or a second jelly coat over foils, flakes, or a dried flower, then top. The translucency is what makes the encapsulated piece read as floating.
Which jelly collection for which service?
- Everyday sheer manicure: the C08 Glass Gala set. Twenty-four sheer tints cover pastels to jewel tones, and the set ships with a free display while supplies last.
- Fall and winter: the Amber Jelly 12-set, which was designed around autumn's ambers, spiced oranges, wine reds, and olives, and which ND bundles with a free color sample and a free Super Clear Cat Eye.
- Glossy trend nails: the C17 Glossy Touch set for the high-shine jelly look, with C17-06 the shade clients search for by code.
- Pearl and opal effects: C03 Pretty in Pearl for an iridescent shift without a chrome powder step.
- Nude sheers: the seven milky nudes inside C01 Jelly Jamboree for a clean, natural-nail-look manicure.
Why does prep matter more with a jelly?
Because the nail shows through. Ridges, a dry patch, a bit of leftover polish, or a base that pooled at the cuticle all read clearly under a sheer tint where an opaque cream would have hidden them. The fix is a cleaner prep and a smoother base, not more coats: buff the plate evenly, dehydrate, and cure a thin, level base gel before the first jelly coat. Clients with stained or uneven natural nails are better served by a jelly over a nude solid, which evens the canvas and keeps the glass finish.
Jelly gel vs opaque gel vs builder-in-a-bottle
An opaque cream covers the nail in two coats and hides everything under it. A jelly tints the nail and shows it, which is why it suits clients with healthy natural nails and why it needs cleaner prep. A tinted builder gel adds strength as well as color and is the choice when the client wants a sheer look and an overlay in one; the LAVIS builder gels do that job on the gel extensions page. Jellies wear like any soak-off gel, 2 to 3 weeks with cuticle oil daily and gloves for cleaning, and come off with a 100 percent acetone foil wrap.
Three jelly looks that sell
- Glass French: a sheer pink jelly over the whole nail, a fine white smile line, and a second jelly coat over the line so it sits under glass.
- Tortoiseshell: an Amber Jelly base with dots of a darker amber and a brown, blurred with a clean brush before curing, then two more thin jelly coats for depth.
- Aquarium: a clear or pale jelly base, foil flakes or a dried flower set into a second thin coat, and a final jelly coat to encapsulate.
The LAVIS jelly collections, side by side
| Collection | Character | When it sells | Buy it as |
|---|---|---|---|
| C01 Jelly Jamboree | Seven milky nudes plus bright and jelly shades; the everyday sheer chart | All year; the first jelly set most salons buy | Singles by number |
| C03 Pretty in Pearl | Opal and pearl sheers with a white opal as the anchor shade | Bridal and prom, spring | Singles and the 24 set |
| C08 Glass Gala | 24 glass tints from pastel to jewel tone, made for layering, with a silver chrome pairing | All year; the glazed-nail request | The 24 set with its free display |
| C17 Glossy Touch | High-gloss jellies with the deepest shine in the line | Party season and the trend client | The 24 set, also bundled with two free Pat Pat palettes |
| Amber Jelly (AJ 01 to 12) | Ambers, spiced oranges, wine reds, and olives | September through December | The 12 set with a free color sample and a free cat eye |
| Lumi Shock Design | Two palettes in one 48-color box | Opening a sheer wall in one order | The 48 set |
The C collections are the LAVIS HEMA-free and TPO-free formula, so a jelly service can be booked for a client with a gel sensitivity without a separate line; the LDS Glow In The Dark shades on this page are a standard gel.
Building depth: how many coats, and what goes between them
A jelly is built in thin coats, and the number of coats is the design decision. One coat over a bare, prepped nail is the tint; it shows the natural nail and the smile line through the color, which is the clean manicure most clients mean when they ask for "glass nails". Two coats deepen the tint without hiding the nail. Three coats read as a translucent cream. Between coats is where the effects go: a fine white line for a glass French, dots of a darker jelly blurred with a clean brush for tortoiseshell, a flake or a dried flower set in a thin coat and encapsulated by the next, or a chrome powder rubbed on a cured coat and covered by another jelly layer so it sits under glass. Every coat is cured fully before the next, because an under-cured layer wrinkles under the next coat. The last coat before the top is left uncured only when the design calls for something to be dropped into it.
Jelly over a builder or an extension
The sheer look is not limited to natural nails. Over a clear builder overlay or a poly gel extension the jelly reads as tinted glass with the strength of the enhancement underneath, and it hides the join between natural nail and extension better than a cream does because there is no hard edge of opaque color. The sequence is the same: build and file the enhancement, cure a thin gel base over it, then the jelly coats and the top. A pink or milky jelly over a clear builder is the strengthened version of the natural manicure, and a nude jelly over a full set is the look for the client who wants length without an obvious color.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every jelly and opal gel ships at wholesale pricing for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The 12 and 24-color sets put a whole palette on the wall in one order. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock bottles ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.