Frequently asked questions
What is the LAVIS soft gel system?
A full-cover soft gel tip bonded to the natural nail with LAVIS Soft Gel Tip Adhesive, cured under LED, finished with LAVIS base, color, and Diamond Top, and soaked off in acetone at the end of the set. This page holds the whole system: 132 tip listings in seven shapes, the adhesive, the Builder Gel in the Bottle line, base and top with 8 oz refills, prep, and tip-and-mini-lamp kits.
What do I need to buy to open one soft gel station?
A tip box in each of the three shapes the salon books most (usually coffin, almond, and square in medium), the 30 ml Soft Gel Tip Adhesive, Nail Prep Dehydrator and pH Bond, 0.5 oz LAVIS base gel and Diamond Top, and an LED lamp that cures through the tip. The tip-and-mini-lamp kits bundle a box with the desktop lamp for a first station.
Clear, half-buffed, or full-etched tips?
Clear boxes hold 15 sizes and need the inside buffed before adhesive; half-buffed boxes (12 sizes) come pre-buffed at the well so the tech skips that step; full-etched boxes (15 sizes, squoval and XXS coffin) are etched over the whole inside for grip on the shortest sets. High Apex boxes add a deeper curve for long shapes, and the Perfect Almond and Perfect Coffin boxes carry 14 sizes for the closest fit.
How long does a LAVIS soft gel set last, and how is it removed?
Three to four weeks or more with proper prep; book a fill or new set at week three to four. To remove, file through the top and color, wrap in acetone until the soft gel softens, and push the tip off without prying. Lifting inside the first week almost always traces to skipped dehydrator or pH Bond, or an air bubble left under the tip at seating.
Should I use the tips or the Builder Gel in the Bottle?
Tips for length and shape in one step; Builder Gel in the Bottle for an overlay on the natural nail or a short extension over a form, with the apex built by the brush. Both run from the same base, Diamond Top, prep, adhesive, and lamp, so most LAVIS salons stock both and choose per client. Poly gel over a dual form, on its own page, is the option for a hard, long sculpted set.
LAVIS soft gel system: tips, adhesive, builder in the bottle, base and top, in one place
This page is the LAVIS soft gel system as a salon buys it, not just the tips: 243 active listings that put a full soft gel station together from one brand. The tips are 132 LAVIS listings across coffin, square, stiletto, almond, oval, squoval, and ballerina in short to long lengths, in clear, half-buffed, and full-etched finishes; beside them sit the LAVIS Soft Gel Tip Adhesive, the Builder Gel in the Bottle line (39 B-numbered 15 ml bottles), the LAVIS base gel and Diamond Top in 0.5 oz and 8 oz refills, the prep dehydrator and pH bond, and the tip-and-mini-lamp starter kits. A soft gel set is a full-cover tip bonded to the natural nail with soft gel adhesive, cured under LED, and soaked off in acetone at the end; it is lighter than acrylic, has no monomer odor, and wears three to four weeks or more. Everything is wholesale-priced for everyone, no license and no minimum.
What is on this page
| Part of the system | Listings | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| LAVIS soft gel tips | 132 | Pre-shaped full-cover tips, 10 to 15 sizes per box, by shape, length, and finish |
| LAVIS Builder Gel in the Bottle | 39 | B-numbered 15 ml builder gel for overlays and short extensions |
| LAVIS base, top, prep, adhesive | 28 | Base gel and Diamond Top (0.5 oz and 8 oz refills), Nail Prep Dehydrator, pH Bond, Soft Gel Tip Adhesive 30 ml, the 0.5 oz starter bundle |
| Tip and mini lamp kits | 7 | A LAVIS tip box with the rose gold mini desktop lamp, by shape |
| Other tips and base/top on the page | 37 | DND Full Clear Gel Tips (25 shapes and lengths), A'DOR base and top coats, two Classy Nail Art tip boxes, two SUNUV lamps |
Some listings carry the clearance tag and are sold until gone, not restocked; the DND clear gel tips are the widest such run, 25 shape-and-length boxes numbered #01 to #25. The LAVIS tip boxes alone are on the LAVIS soft gel tips page; the Builder Gel in the Bottle line has its own collection page as well.
What a LAVIS soft gel station needs
- Tips. One box in each of the salon's three most-booked shapes to start, usually coffin, almond, and square in medium, in the half-buffed finish for speed or clear for the widest size run.
- Adhesive. LAVIS Soft Gel Tip Adhesive in the 30 ml bottle, the gel that bonds the tip to the nail and cures under LED.
- Prep. Nail Prep Dehydrator and pH Bond, applied before the adhesive; skipped prep is the cause of most lifted tips.
- Base and top. LAVIS base gel under the color and Diamond Top over it, in 0.5 oz for the desk or the 8 oz refill for a salon that runs several stations.
- Lamp. An LED lamp that cures through the tip; the mini desktop lamp in the starter kits is enough for one station, the full-size LAVIS lamps on the lamp page for a busy one.
- Builder in the Bottle. Optional, for the client who wants an overlay on the natural nail or a short extension without a tip.
How a LAVIS soft gel set is applied
- Prep. Push back cuticles, remove shine, dust, dehydrate, then pH Bond.
- Size. Fit a tip to each nail so it sits sidewall to sidewall with no gap; file the tip's sidewalls, not the nail, to adjust. Buff the inside of a clear tip; a half-buffed tip is ready.
- Adhesive. A thin layer of Soft Gel Tip Adhesive on the natural nail and a little in the well of the tip. Flash-cure if the layer is heavy.
- Seat and cure. Press the tip on from the cuticle side at 45 degrees, push toward the free edge to clear air, flash-cure, then full-cure through the tip.
- Shape and finish. Trim and file the length, then LAVIS base, color, and Diamond Top as a normal gel manicure.
An air bubble under the tip is a lift waiting to happen: seat from the cuticle side, press toward the free edge so the gel spreads out, and check the tip against the light before curing. Cure time follows the lamp: a flash of a few seconds holds the tip in place while the tech moves to the next nail, and the full cure through the tip comes once all five are seated, so the adhesive under every tip hardens at the same time and none of them shift while the hand is repositioned.
Clear, half-buffed, or full-etched: which LAVIS tip?
- Clear (15 sizes): the fully transparent tip. The inside must be buffed before adhesive, and the 15-size range fits the widest run of nail beds.
- Half Buffed (12 sizes): the inside of the tip comes pre-buffed at the well, so the tech skips the buffing step and the adhesive grips immediately. The faster salon option.
- Full Etched (15 sizes): the whole inside of the tip is etched for grip, sold in the squoval and XXS coffin runs for the shortest, most natural sets.
- High Apex: a deeper curve and more built-in apex for strength, sold in almond extra-long, stiletto short, and round medium among others, for long shapes and for clients with curved nail beds.
- Perfect (14 sizes): the Perfect Almond and Perfect Coffin boxes in medium, with 14 sizes for the tech who wants the closest sidewall fit.
Every LAVIS tip is pre-shaped, so it needs little or no filing, and it can be worn at full length or trimmed shorter. The tips are durable but lightweight and can be worn under gel, acrylic, or dip.
Tips, builder in the bottle, or both
Soft gel tips give length and shape in one step with no sculpting, so a full set is fast and every nail matches. LAVIS Builder Gel in the Bottle is the overlay side of the same system: a thick builder gel painted on the natural nail for strength, or over a short form for a little length, with the apex built by the brush rather than by a tip. Many LAVIS salons run both from one station: tips for the client who wants length today, builder for the client growing her own nails out under a stronger coat, and the same base, Diamond Top, prep, and lamp serve both services. Poly gel over a dual form, on its own LAVIS page, is the third option for a hard, long set.
Wear, care, and removal
- A soft gel tip set wears three to four weeks or more; book a fill or new set at week three to four, with cuticle oil daily and gloves for cleaning in between.
- Removal: file through the top and color, soak in acetone with a foil wrap until the soft gel softens, and push the tip off. No prying.
- Store tip boxes closed so the sizes stay sorted; store adhesive, base, and top capped and out of sunlight, since all three cure in daylight over time.
Sizing a station for volume
A single-station salon runs on the 0.5 oz base and Diamond Top and one 30 ml adhesive, which together outlast several boxes of tips. A salon with three or more soft gel stations moves to the 8 oz base and top refills, which ship with five 0.5 oz bottles to fill from the refill, so each station keeps a small bottle at the desk and the refill stays in the cabinet. Tips are the consumable that runs out first: a box of 12 to 15 sizes serves many sets, but the middle sizes empty before the smallest and largest, which is why salons keep two boxes of their busiest shape and reorder by shape rather than by set.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every listing on this page is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The tip boxes sit at one price tier across shapes and finishes, the adhesive and prep bottles below that, and the 8 oz refills are the volume tier for salons running several stations. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock items ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.