Frequently asked questions
What is LAVIS Builder Gel in the Bottle Version 2?
A builder gel applied with the brush in the cap like a polish and cured under LED or UV, worn as a strengthening overlay, an apex under gel color, or a short extension on a form. The LAVIS builder line is HEMA-free and TPO-free and cures with little heat. Version 2 is the current formula, thick like a rubber base so it holds its shape without running and without turning the hand over: 36 colors B01 to B36 plus 00 Clear, sold as 15 mL and 30 mL singles, two 18-color parts, and kits with base, top, protein bond and primer, and a dual form. LAVIS quotes 3 to 4 weeks of wear with proper prep.
Which kit should a salon start with?
Kit 3 for a first builder service: one color (00 Clear, 14 Pink Press, 18 Berries N Cream, 19 Ivory, or 22 Rose Corral) with Base and Top, plus free mini files and buffers. Kit 6 adds three or four colors and the Protein Bond and Primer for a working station. A Master Kit adds the Dual Form so the same box does overlays and short extensions. A salon building the wall buys Part 1 and Part 2.
How do I apply builder gel in the bottle?
Prep, apply Protein Bond and Primer without curing, then a thin LAVIS Base cured 60 seconds. Lay a very thin frame layer of builder and leave it uncured, place the bead at the apex, push it toward the cuticle and along both side lines, flash cure 3 to 5 seconds per finger, then cure the hand 60 to 90 seconds. Version 2 holds its form, so the hand stays flat; only Version 1 needs turning over for the curve. Keep refiling to a minimum, then finish with gel polish or wear the color bare under LAVIS Top. For an extension, cure a bead inside a dual form pressed onto the nail, then pop the form.
Builder in the bottle or builder in the jar?
The bottle applies with its own brush and holds an apex in one bead, so it is the faster overlay and short extension for a gel tech. The jar is the 2025 line of 19 named nudes in 30 mL: more product per unit, a gel more fluid than a typical jar builder so it spreads evenly, and it needs a separate brush. Many salons keep the bottle for the clear overlay and numbered colors and the jar for the named nudes; the jar line has its own page.
Is LAVIS builder gel sold at wholesale?
Yes. Every bottle, part, and kit at ND Nails Supply is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The 18-color parts put a whole palette on the wall in one order and the Buy in Bulk page adds tiers. Orders $100+ ship free, and in-stock bottles ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.
LAVIS Builder Gel in the Bottle, Version 2: strength from a polish bottle
Builder gel in the bottle is a hard-wearing gel applied with the bottle's own brush like a polish, cured under the lamp, and worn as an overlay that stops natural nails from breaking, an apex under gel color, or a short extension on a form. LAVIS Version 2 is the reformulated line, thick like a rubber base so it holds its shape on the nail without running toward the cuticle and without turning the hand over to form the curve. The LAVIS builder line is HEMA-free and TPO-free and cures with little heat, which is what a salon with sensitive clients or clients who complain of a hot flash under the lamp is buying. Version 2 is 36 colors numbered B01 to B36 plus 00 Clear, sold as singles in 15 mL and 30 mL, as two 18-color parts, and as kits that bundle a color with LAVIS base and top, a protein bond and primer, and a dual form. LAVIS quotes 3 to 4 weeks of wear with proper prep and no chipping, breaking, or peeling, a glossy finish, an odorless and flexible formula with no wrinkle, and LED or UV cure. All 21 listings on this page are live at wholesale.
What is on this page
| Listing | What is in it | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 Set 18 Colors (B01 to B18) and Part 2 (B19 to B36) | 18 builder colors, 0.5 oz each | A salon building the full builder wall |
| 00 Clear | 15 mL or 30 mL | The clear overlay and apex builder, reordered most |
| Kit 3 (free 5 mini files and 3 buffers) | One color (00 Clear, 14 Pink Press, 18 Berries N Cream, 19 Ivory, or 22 Rose Corral) plus Base and Top, 15 mL | A first builder service in one box |
| Kit 6 | Four colors plus Base and Top, or three colors plus Base, Top, and Protein Bond and Primer, 15 mL | A station's working set with the prep bottle included |
| Master Kit 1 to 5 | Three colors, a Dual Form, Base, Top, and Protein Bond and Primer, 15 mL | Overlay and extension from the same box |
Kit colors are the LAVIS builder numbers: 00 Clear, 02, 03, 04, 06, 07, 14 Pink Press, 17, 18 Berries N Cream, 19 Ivory, 22 Rose Corral, 27, and 34, chosen so each kit covers a clear, a pink, and a nude.
How to apply LAVIS Builder Gel in the Bottle
- Prep. Push back the cuticle, buff the surface, and dust off. Apply Protein Bond and Primer on the natural nail, no cure; the kits include it for this reason.
- Base. One thin coat of LAVIS Base, cured 60 seconds.
- Frame layer, not cured. A very thin coat of builder gel over the whole nail to give the bead something to hold onto.
- Build. Place the bead at the apex in the middle of the nail, push it toward the cuticle without touching skin, then draw the brush along the surface and along both side lines. Version 2 holds its shape, so the hand stays flat; only Version 1 needs to be turned over to form the curve.
- Cure. A 3 to 5 second flash cure per finger to fix the bead, then a full cure of 60 to 90 seconds for the hand. Keep filing afterward to a minimum, since refiling thins the apex.
- Finish. Gel polish over the builder, or wear the color bare, then LAVIS Top (Diamond Top).
For a short extension, press the Dual Form from the Master Kit onto the nail with a bead of clear or color inside it, check the underside, cure, pop the form, and refine. At the fill, remove the old color, keep the builder foundation, reshape, reapply Protein Bond, and continue from the base step.
Which builder color for which service
- Strengthening overlay under gel polish: 00 Clear, the bottle every station empties first.
- Nude builder worn bare (the "builder manicure"): 19 Ivory, 22 Rose Corral, and the nudes in the B19 to B36 part; a top coat and the client leaves with a natural-looking, break-proof nail.
- Pink builder for a French or a pink-and-white base: 14 Pink Press and 18 Berries N Cream.
- Color builder as the finished nail: any of the 36 shades, which is why the two 18-color parts exist; the builder is the color, so a fill is one product instead of two.
Builder in the bottle or builder in the jar?
The bottle version is applied with the brush in the cap, so it is the faster overlay and the natural choice for a gel tech adding strength to a gel manicure, and the Version 2 body holds an apex in one bead. The jar version is the 2025 line of 19 named nudes in a 30 mL jar: more product per unit, a gel that is more fluid than a typical jar builder so it spreads evenly, and it needs a separate brush (a two-ended poly and builder brush, plus a liner brush to pull the gel to the side walls). Many salons keep both: bottle for the clear overlay and the numbered colors, jar for a tech who prefers to work from a pot and wants the named nudes, and LAVIS lists the jar line on its own page.
Version 2 versus Version 1
Version 2 is the current formula and the one to build a chart on. The difference is the body of the gel: Version 1 is more fluid, can run toward the cuticle in an untrained hand, and needs the hand turned over to form the curve, so it suits a tech who already builds. Version 2 is thick like a rubber base, holds its form without turning the hand, and is the one a salon with new techs should start on. The Version 1 bottles remain on their own page for salons matching an existing chart; both cure the same, but the number sets differ, so a chart converted to Version 2 is re-swatched rather than relabeled. A salon starting fresh buys Version 2 only.
How to book and price a builder gel service
A builder overlay adds about ten minutes to a gel manicure and is priced as a strengthening upgrade, because the client keeps her own length and leaves with a nail that does not split. A builder manicure worn bare in a nude (19 Ivory, 22 Rose Corral) is booked as its own service at the gel-manicure price or a little above, and it refills every three weeks: file the surface, rebuild the apex with a bead of the same number, cure, and top. A short builder extension on a dual form sits between the overlay and a full sculpted set on the menu. Because the color is the builder, a fill uses one bottle, which is why the 36-color parts exist for salons that run the builder manicure as a signature service.
Which clients ask for a builder gel service?
- Clients who react to acrylic: the monomer headache or itchy skin from a liquid-and-powder set goes away with a builder overlay, which has no monomer and no odor; the HEMA-free and TPO-free formula covers the client who has reacted to a standard gel as well.
- Weak, thin, or peeling nails: a clear or nude overlay on the natural nail protects it through several fills so it grows out intact, which is the service to offer the client who has stopped wearing enhancements because her nails split.
- Clients who cannot wear a visible enhancement: nurses, food workers, and anyone whose job rules out long or thick nails take a thin builder overlay that reads as a natural nail with a gloss.
- Clients who will not sit for a long appointment: a builder overlay is quicker than an acrylic set, with no bead to watch and no monomer to manage, so the chair turns faster.
- Salons that want a new signature service: the builder manicure books above a gel manicure, and a bottle covers dozens of services, so the first client pays for the bottle and every one after is margin.
What to order with the builder gel
Three items keep a builder service from lifting in the first week: LAVIS Protein Bond and Primer on the bare nail, a LAVIS Base under the builder, and a liner brush to pull the gel along both side walls where the brush in the cap cannot reach. Finish under LAVIS Diamond Top. A salon that plans to offer short extensions adds a box of LAVIS Dual Forms, which are made from a soft flex gel polymer rather than hard plastic, so they press to the nail without air bubbles and release on their own after the cure; the Version 2 bottle is the builder to use inside them because it does not run out of the form. All of these are on the LAVIS base and top and dual form pages linked below.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every bottle, part, and kit is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The 18-color parts put a whole palette on the wall in one order, the Kit 3 listings ship with free mini files and buffers, and the Buy in Bulk page adds tiers on builder, poly, and soft gel. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock bottles ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.