Frequently asked questions
What is LAVIS Wave Gel?
A fluid-art gel with a watery consistency that is dropped or drawn onto an uncured layer of clear or top gel and left to spread and bloom before curing, so marble veins, soft swirls, ripples, and layered abstract designs form on their own. Version 2 is the current run: 12 numbered colors in 0.5 oz bottles and a Set of 12.
How do I use it for a marble?
Cure a ground color over LAVIS base, lay a thin coat of top coat or clear gel and leave it uncured, drop two or three wave colors onto the wet layer or draw a vein, give it 30 to 60 seconds to bloom, cure 60 seconds the moment the pattern looks right, and seal with Diamond Top.
How do I get the raised 3D wave?
A thin cured coat of the ground gel, then a thicker layer of wave gel pulled lengthwise into ridges with the brush or a fine tool, left uncured 30 to 60 seconds so the ridges soften into waves, then a 60-second cure and Diamond Top. If the gel runs before the wave forms, set the finger flat or tilt it so the gel flows one way only.
Do I need a special top coat?
Yes: seal every wave design under LAVIS Diamond Top. Without it the effect dulls within about a week and does not wear. With it, wear is three to four weeks with proper prep, the same as the rest of the LAVIS gel line. No magnet is needed; wave gel is not a cat eye.
Is the Set of 12 discounted?
No, it is priced as twelve bottles, so it is the one-order way to hold the whole run rather than a saving. Most salons buy the set once and restock the two or three colors they use most as singles. Any two colors from the box blend into a usable marble, since the twelve are chosen to sit beside each other.
LAVIS Wave Gel Version 2: 12 fluid-art gels for marble, wave, and layered effects
LAVIS Wave Gel is a fluid-art gel: a watery-consistency color that is dropped or drawn onto an uncured layer of gel and allowed to spread, bloom, and settle before it is cured, so a tech can make marble veins, soft swirls, ripples, and layered abstract designs without a brush stroke showing. Version 2 is the current run at ND Nails Supply, 13 listings at wholesale: the 12 numbered colors, 01 to 12, in 0.5 oz bottles and the Set of 12. It is the one bottle on the nail art shelf that does the work by itself, which is why it is the design gel a salon reaches for when the client wants art on ten nails in the time a plain gel manicure takes. No license, no minimum.
What is on this page
| Listing | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wave Gel (Ver 2) singles 01 to 12 | 12 | 0.5 oz, numbered, tagged design gel |
| Set of 12 | 1 | All twelve colors, priced as twelve bottles |
The sidebar tags the run as Wave Gel Ver 2 and as design gel, and every listing carries the best-seller tag. The set is priced as its bottles, so it is the one-order way to hold the whole run rather than a discount.
How wave gel is different from a normal gel color
- It flows. A gel polish is made to stay where the brush puts it; wave gel is made to move. Dropped onto wet gel it spreads outward and feathers at the edge on its own.
- It is applied onto an uncured layer. The design forms inside a thin wet coat of clear or top gel, so the pattern is sealed in depth rather than sitting on the surface.
- It is cured only when the pattern is right. The tech watches the bloom and cures the moment it looks finished; nothing sets until the lamp.
- It needs a Diamond Top. The finished effect must be sealed under LAVIS Diamond Top; without it the wave dulls within about a week and does not wear.
How to use LAVIS Wave Gel: the marble and bloom method
- Base color. Prep, LAVIS base, and a cured coat of the ground color the design will sit on; a light or nude ground shows the wave colors brightest, a dark ground makes them glow.
- Wet layer. A thin coat of top coat gel or clear gel over the cured color. Do not cure it.
- Drop or draw. Touch the wave gel brush to the wet layer in dots for a bloom, or draw a line for a vein. Two or three colors at once for a marble.
- Let it bloom. Give it 30 to 60 seconds; the drops spread and feather. Tilt the finger slightly if the pattern should run one way, and set the hand down flat when it should stop.
- Cure. A full 60 seconds the moment the pattern is right.
- Diamond Top. Cure, and the design is sealed.
The 3D wave method
For the raised wave the gel is named for, the method changes: a thin cured coat of the ground gel, then a thicker layer of wave gel across the nail, pulled lengthwise with the brush or a fine tool into ridges, left uncured for 30 to 60 seconds so the ridges soften into rounded waves, then cured 60 seconds and sealed with Diamond Top. If the gel runs before the wave forms, set the finger down flat or tilt it so the gel flows in one direction only; the pattern holds once the ridges have settled. It adds about ten minutes to a manicure and gives a client a 3D texture without acrylic. Keep the wave layer to the center two thirds of the nail and away from the sidewalls, since a ridge that touches skin is the first place a textured set lifts, and cap the free edge with Diamond Top so the raised edge is sealed.
Designs from the twelve
| Look | Colors | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Marble | Two or three wave colors over a milky or nude LAVIS ground | Drops and drawn veins on the wet layer, feathered with the brush tip |
| Ocean wave | A deeper and a lighter wave color over a pale ground | The 3D wave method, deep ridges with light edges |
| Watercolor bloom | One of the lighter wave colors over a nude ground | Single dots left to bloom into soft circles |
| Smoke | One of the deeper wave colors over a sheer ground | A drawn line dragged with a dry brush before it blooms |
| Layered abstract | Cure between layers, repeat with a second color | Two bloom layers at different depths under the top |
Pricing a wave gel service
Wave gel is a bottle that pays for itself on the first client, because the design it makes is charged as nail art on top of the gel manicure while adding only minutes to the appointment. A marble or bloom on all ten nails takes one wet layer and one cure beyond a plain set; a 3D wave takes about ten minutes more. Salons usually put it on the menu as a flat add-on per set, with a smaller charge for two accent nails, and keep a photo board of the five looks above so the client can point at the one she wants. Because the twelve colors are numbered rather than named, label the swatch board by number and keep the bottles in number order at the art station.
Wave gel beside the other LAVIS art gels
| Gel | What it does | When to reach for it |
|---|---|---|
| Wave Gel | Flows and blooms on a wet layer; raised waves when pulled thick | Marble, ocean, watercolor, 3D texture |
| Pat Pat Gel | Patted gradient palettes with several shades in one pot | Ombre and airbrush-style fades |
| Painting gel | Thick, stays where it is placed | Hand-drawn lines, flowers, lettering |
| Cat eye gel | Magnetic pigment pulled into a band | The flash effect, no brushwork |
The four cover most of a nail art menu between them, and all four finish under the same LAVIS Diamond Top. A tech new to fluid art starts with the wave gel, because it is the one that forgives an unsteady hand: the drop does the drawing, and a bloom that spreads unevenly still reads as marble, where a painted line that wobbles reads as a mistake. The 12 numbered colors are chosen to sit beside each other, so any two picked from the box blend into a usable marble; a salon that wants a named palette for a season buys the set and rotates which two or three sit at the art station.
What to keep beside the wave gel
Because the design forms inside a wet layer of clear, the wave gel shelf needs a LAVIS clear or top gel to drop onto, a Diamond Top to seal with, a fine liner brush for veins and a dotting tool for blooms, and a set of nude and milky ground colors from the LAVIS gel line. A magnet is not needed; this is not a cat eye gel. For a blooming-gel effect that spreads even further, the LAVIS Pat Pat Gel and the blooming gels on the nail art pages are the next step.
Wear, troubleshooting, and storage
- Pattern ran before curing: the wet layer was too thick or the hand was tilted too long. Thin the wet layer and cure sooner.
- Pattern did not spread: the wet layer had been left too long and skinned over. Drop the wave gel within a minute of laying the wet coat.
- Effect dulled in a week: no Diamond Top, or the top was not cured fully. Seal every wave set.
- Storage: capped, out of daylight; a watery gel thickens if the cap is left off. Wear under Diamond Top is three to four weeks with proper prep, the same as the rest of the LAVIS gel line.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every Wave Gel bottle and the Set of 12 is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The singles are the lowest tier on the LAVIS design-gel shelf, and the set is priced as twelve bottles. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock bottles ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.