Frequently asked questions
What is the LAVIS Cat Eyes Amber Crystal Collection?
A six-shade LAVIS magnetic cat eye gel drop in warm fall tones: gold and amber, deep red, green, and dark shades with a crystal-like shine, numbered AC-01 to AC-06 in 0.5 oz bottles. The high-density magnetic pigment pulls into a bright band under a magnet before curing. ND carries the six singles and the Set of 6 at wholesale.
Is the Set of 6 cheaper than the singles?
Yes. Checked against the single price at ND on the day of writing, the Set of 6 costs less than six bottles bought apart, so it is the one-order way to open the drop; singles restock the one or two shades that run out first.
How do I apply a LAVIS cat eye gel?
Cure a LAVIS base and, for the strongest flash, a coat of Super Black or a deep gel. Cure a thin first coat of the cat eye 30 seconds, apply a second coat and leave it uncured, hold the magnet at about 45 degrees 1 to 2 mm above the nail for 5 to 10 seconds until the band forms, cure a full 60 seconds at once, and seal with Diamond Top.
Which magnet do I need?
A bar magnet first, for the straight band across the nail and the diagonal when held at an angle. A round or multi-pole magnet adds the starburst and the double flash. Keep the magnet off the gel surface and away from the bottles, and roll each bottle before use so the pigment is evenly suspended. Keep the bottles in number order and roll each one before the second coat so the band forms evenly on every nail.
Why did the cat eye effect fade after a week?
Almost always a skipped or under-cured top coat. Seal every cat eye set under LAVIS Diamond Top and cure it fully; with the top on, wear is three to four weeks with proper prep. A band that never formed usually means the gel was cured before the magnet was used.
LAVIS Cat Eyes Amber Crystal Collection: six magnetic gels in amber, gold, red, green, and deep tones
The Amber Crystal Collection is a six-shade LAVIS cat eye gel drop for fall and winter: magnetic gel polish with high-density magnetic pigment that pulls into a bright band of light under a magnet, in warm amber and gold, deep red, green, and dark tones with a crystal-like shine. ND Nails Supply carries all seven listings at wholesale: the six singles, AC-01 to AC-06, in 0.5 oz, and the Set of 6, which costs less than the six bottles bought singly, checked at ND on the day of writing. A cat eye gel is applied like any LAVIS gel and then shaped with a magnet before the cure, so the same six bottles give a straight flash, a diagonal, a starburst, or a double band depending on the magnet. No license, no minimum.
What is on this page
| Listing | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Singles AC-01 to AC-06 | 6 | 0.5 oz magnetic gel polish, numbered |
| Set of 6 | 1 | All six shades; below six singles per bottle |
The drop sits under the Lavis Cat Eye and Deluxe Gel Collection tags on the sidebar, beside the LAVIS CE-numbered cat eye collections on the LAVIS cat eye page.
What makes the Amber Crystal different from the other LAVIS cat eyes
- The palette. Where the CE collections run through pastels, jewel tones, and velvets, the Amber Crystal six are all warm: gold, amber, red, green, and dark, the fall and holiday half of the chart.
- Buildable coverage. The formula layers sheer to intense, so one coat over a dark base gives a glowing band and two coats worn alone give a solid cat eye.
- Crystal shine. The pigment is cut to read as faceted rather than soft, which suits a glossy Diamond Top finish more than a velvet one.
- Six, not twelve. A short drop, priced as a set for the salon that wants the fall cat eye colors without buying a full CE collection.
How to apply a LAVIS cat eye
- Base. Prep, dehydrate, and cure a LAVIS base. For the strongest flash, cure a coat of LAVIS Super Black gel or a deep gel first, since the light band shows about twice as clearly on a dark ground.
- First coat. A thin coat of the cat eye gel, cured 30 seconds, to lay down an even color.
- Second coat and magnet. A second coat, left uncured, then hold the magnet at about 45 degrees, 1 to 2 mm above the nail, for 5 to 10 seconds until the band forms: a bar magnet across the nail for a single line, angled for a diagonal, a round or multi-pole magnet for a starburst or a double flash. Do not touch the gel with the magnet.
- Cure at once. The particles drift if the nail waits, so cure a full 60 seconds the moment the effect is right. Curing before the magnet means no band forms.
- Top. LAVIS Diamond Top, cured; without a top the effect dulls within about a week.
Fall and holiday looks from the six
| Look | Shade | Magnet |
|---|---|---|
| Amber glow | The gold or amber shade over black | Bar magnet, one band across the center |
| Velvet red for the holidays | The deep red over black | Bar magnet held diagonal for a slanted flash |
| Forest cat eye | The green over a dark green or black ground | Round magnet for a starburst |
| Crystal French | Any shade on the tip only, over a nude | Bar magnet across the tip after masking the bed |
| Double flash | The dark shade over black | Two passes with a multi-pole magnet, or a second layer magneted in the other direction before topping |
Where the six fit on the LAVIS cat eye wall
LAVIS sells cat eye in numbered CE collections on the LAVIS cat eye page, from the year-round velvets and the spring pastels to the holiday glitter cat eyes. The Amber Crystal set is the warm-toned fall drop that sits next to them: a salon that already runs the CE collections adds the six for the September to January window, and a salon new to cat eye buys the set with a bar magnet, a Super Black gel, and a Diamond Top as a complete first cat eye station. The Amber Jelly Collection is the same amber palette in a sheer, non-magnetic gel, for the client who wants the tone without the flash.
A first cat eye station from this set
- The set. The six Amber Crystal shades, which cover the fall and holiday requests in one box.
- A dark ground. LAVIS Super Black or a deep gel from the LAVIS gel line, since the band shows about twice as clearly over a dark base.
- Magnets. A bar magnet first, then the round or multi-pole magnet from the magnet page for starburst and double-flash designs.
- Base and Diamond Top. The LAVIS base under and the Diamond Top over; the top is not optional on a cat eye.
- A swatch board. Each of the six shown over black and over nude, with a straight band and a diagonal, so the client picks a shade and a flash at once.
Pricing and booking the cat eye
A cat eye set is charged as a gel manicure plus an art add-on, and it takes only the magnet step longer than a plain gel set, which is why it is one of the quickest add-ons on a gel menu to charge for. Book it as a named service (velvet, crystal, or amber cat eye) rather than a generic add-on, since clients search for it by that name, and offer the accent version, two cat eye nails on a plain set in a matching solid, as the entry point for the client who has not tried it. The Amber Crystal shades pair with the solid LAVIS fall numbers for the accent version and with the Amber Jelly set for a client who wants the tone on every nail and the flash on two.
Troubleshooting the flash
- No band formed: the second coat was cured before the magnet, or the coat was too thin to carry pigment. Lay a fuller second coat and magnet before the lamp.
- Band is blurry: the magnet was held too far away or the nail waited too long before curing. Hold at 1 to 2 mm and cure at once.
- Band is off-center: the magnet angle, or the magnet moved while the band formed. Re-float the coat with a clean brush, hold the magnet still over the center of the nail, re-magnet, and cure.
- Flash faded within a week: no Diamond Top, or an under-cured top.
- Band shows on one nail and not the next: the bottle was not rolled between nails and the pigment settled. Roll the bottle before every second coat.
Magnets and what to keep beside the set
The six shades are numbered rather than named, AC-01 to AC-06, so the swatch board does the naming: paint each shade over black and over nude, magnet one nail straight and one diagonal, and label the board by number; keep the bottles in number order and label the swatch board the same way, since a client who asks for the amber will point at a number, not a name. A bar magnet is the one to buy first, since it makes the straight band and the diagonal; a round or multi-pole magnet adds the starburst and the double flash, and the magnet page carries the set of three most cat eye stations run. Keep the magnet away from the gel surface and away from the other bottles, store the cat eye gels capped and out of daylight, and shake or roll each bottle before use so the magnetic pigment is evenly suspended. Wear under Diamond Top is three to four weeks with proper prep.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every Amber Crystal single and the Set of 6 is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The singles sit at the LAVIS cat eye tier, and the set comes in below six singles, so it is the one-order way to open the drop. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock bottles ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.