Frequently asked questions
What are the LDS dip essentials?
The five numbered liquids that set LDS dipping powder: #1 E.A Bond, #2 Base Coat, #3 Sealer Dry, #4 Top Coat, and #5 Brush Saver, sold as 0.5 oz working bottles with a brush, as 2 oz refills for #1 to #4, and as step kits of three, four, or five liquids. The line is made in the USA, no lamp is used at any step, and the brand rates a set at two weeks or longer with proper prep.
Is a step kit cheaper than the singles?
No. Checked against the 0.5 oz price at ND on the day of writing, the three, four, and five-liquid kits and Kit 3 are priced as the bottles inside them. A kit is the one-order way to open a dip station; the singles and the 2 oz refills are how a station restocks the base and top, which run out fastest.
In what order are the five liquids used?
Prep, then #1 E.A Bond on the dry nail, #2 Base Coat before each dip, #3 Sealer Dry after the last dip and again after filing, #4 Top Coat in two thin coats to finish, and #5 Brush Saver on the base and top brushes between clients so powder does not set in the bristles.
How do the 2 oz refills work?
One 2 oz refill fills the 0.5 oz working bottle four times. Empty and wipe the working bottle before pouring from the refill rather than topping it up, so thickened old liquid does not seed the new, and replace the brush bottle once its brush has stiffened, since a brush that set once never lays base thin again.
Why does my base coat thicken so fast?
Air. Base and top thicken every minute the cap is off, so cap between nails rather than between clients, keep the bottles away from the lamp and sunlight, and clean the brush in Brush Saver before capping. A thickened base holds too much powder and makes a bulky set; replace it rather than thinning it.
LDS dip essentials: the five liquids that make an LDS dip set possible
This page holds the liquids behind every LDS dipping powder set at ND Nails Supply: 26 active listings of the five numbered LDS essentials, #1 E.A Bond, #2 Base Coat, #3 Sealer Dry, #4 Top Coat, and #5 Brush Saver, as 0.5 oz bottles, as 2 oz refills, and as step kits. The color jars on the dipping powder pages do nothing on their own; the bond prepares the plate, the base holds the powder, the sealer sets it, the top gives the gel-like shine, and the brush saver keeps the base and top brushes from setting solid between clients. The line is made in the USA and rated by the brand to hold a dip set for two weeks or longer with proper prep. Everything is wholesale-priced for everyone, no license and no minimum.
What is on this page
| Listing type | Count | What arrives |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 oz singles | 9 | One numbered liquid, #1 to #5, in the working bottle with brush; four of them are promotion listings of the same bottles |
| 2 oz refills | 4 | #1 E.A Bond, #2 Base Coat, #3 Sealer Dry, #4 Top Coat, to refill the 0.5 oz bottle |
| 2 oz kits | 4 | One liquid in the refill size, kitted |
| Step kits, 0.5 oz | 4 | Three, four, or five liquids in one order, or two of each of four |
| Single-liquid kits | 5 | One numbered liquid, kitted |
Two listings are out of stock at the time of writing. A few of the 0.5 oz listings carry extra variants tied to a promotion; the price on the standard variant is the one this page describes.
What each liquid does
| Liquid | Step | Job |
|---|---|---|
| #1 E.A Bond | After prep | Bonds the powder system to the dehydrated natural nail; the step that decides lifting |
| #2 Base Coat | Before each dip | The wet layer the powder sticks to; thin, and away from the skin |
| #3 Sealer Dry | After the last dip and again after filing | Sets the powder hard so it can be shaped, then seals the filed surface |
| #4 Top Coat | Last | Self-levels to the gel-like shine, two thin coats, no lamp |
| #5 Brush Saver | Between clients | Cleans the base and top brushes so powder does not set in the bristles and thicken the bottle |
The LDS dip steps in order
- Prep. Push back, remove shine, dust, dehydrate.
- #1 E.A Bond. A thin coat on the natural nail, air dry.
- #2 Base Coat and dip. Base over two thirds of the nail, dip, tap, brush; base over the whole nail, dip, tap, brush; a third coat for strength if the client needs it.
- #3 Sealer Dry. Over the powder, wait a minute, shape and buff, then a second coat of Sealer Dry and a wipe.
- #4 Top Coat. Two thin coats drawn on quickly; the top self-levels. No lamp at any step.
- #5 Brush Saver. Wipe the base and top brushes before capping them.
Pricing and the kit math, checked against the singles
The step kits on this page are priced as the bottles inside them: the three-liquid kit of Base Coat, Sealer Dry, and Top Coat costs three singles, the four-liquid Kit 2 adds E.A Bond at four singles, the five-liquid kit adds Brush Saver at five, and Kit 3, with two of each of the four core liquids, costs eight singles (checked against the 0.5 oz price at ND on the day of writing). A kit is the one-order way to open a dip station rather than a saving; the singles are how a station restocks the base and top, which run out two or three times faster than the bond and brush saver. The 2 oz refills are the volume tier: one refill fills the 0.5 oz working bottle four times, and a station that pours from the refill into the brush bottle keeps a fresh brush bottle for every fill instead of working from a thickened one.
| Format | Against the 0.5 oz single |
|---|---|
| Three, four, and five-liquid step kits | Same per bottle |
| Kit 3, two of each of four | Same per bottle |
| 2 oz refill | Four fills of the working bottle in one bottle |
Reorder workflow for a dip station
- Count by fills, not by bottles. A busy station goes through base and top fastest, sealer next, bond and brush saver slowest; hold two 2 oz refills of base and top and one of each of the others.
- Refill the working bottle, never top it up. Empty and wipe the 0.5 oz bottle before pouring from the refill, so old thickened liquid does not seed the new.
- Replace the brush bottle when the brush stiffens. Brush Saver keeps the bristles clean, but a brush that has set once never lays base thin again; a fresh 0.5 oz single is the fix.
- Keep the lids on. Base and top thicken in open air; cap between nails, not between clients.
Storage and shelf life
Store the liquids upright, capped, and out of sunlight and heat; the base and top are the ones that thicken with air, and the sealer is the one that evaporates fastest if left open. Do not store the bottles beside the powder jars, since a spill of activator into a jar sets the powder. A 2 oz refill kept sealed lasts a season; an opened 0.5 oz working bottle is used up in weeks at a busy station and should be replaced rather than thinned, because thinning the base changes how much powder it holds.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every LDS dip essentials listing is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The 0.5 oz singles are the working tier, the 2 oz refills the volume tier, and the kits are priced as the bottles inside them, so they are the one-order way to open a station rather than a discount. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock bottles ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.