Frequently asked questions
What is on the LDS soft gel tips page?
19 boxes of pre-shaped, full-cover soft gel tips: eight coffin, seven stiletto, two square, and two toe boxes, from XS to XL, in clear, matte, or half matte finishes. Each box is one shape and one length in 12 sizes, and the listings state the tip serves gel, acrylic, and dip nails. The almond boxes are drafted at the time of writing and return when they restock.
What is the difference between clear, matte, and half matte?
Clear is an un-etched glossy tip the tech buffs inside herself; matte is fully pre-etched so it bonds without buffing; half matte is etched at the well where the adhesive sits and clear at the free edge, so the finished nail reads like a natural nail. Most salons open with the half matte coffin boxes, because the etched well bonds without buffing and the clear edge reads like a natural nail.
Which adhesive do LDS soft gel tips use?
A soft gel tip adhesive cured under the lamp, not nail glue. ND sells the LAVIS Soft Gel Tip Adhesive on the soft gel page for these tips; a thin layer on the nail and a little in the well, seat the tip from the cuticle side, flash-cure, then full-cure through the tip. One bottle covers many sets.
How are the tips removed?
Soaked off like gel: file the top coat and color through, wrap in acetone, and let the tip and adhesive soften rather than prying the tip up, which takes the natural plate with it. At a refit the tech files the old product flush, preps the growth, and fills over the same tip or reapplies, depending on lift.
Are there tip kits or bundles?
No, every box is bought on its own, and all 19 sit at one price, so shape, length, and finish are chosen on the client book. Because the middle sizes of a 12-size box empty first, keep two boxes of the shape and length booked most so the tray is never missing a size.
LDS soft gel tips: full-cover boxes by shape, length, and finish
This page holds every LDS soft gel tip box at ND Nails Supply: 19 active boxes of pre-shaped, full-cover tips in coffin, square, stiletto, and toe shapes, from XS to XL, in clear, matte, or half matte finishes. Each box is one shape and one length in 12 sizes, so a salon builds its tip shelf by picking the shapes it books and the lengths its clients wear. The tips are the light, flexible kind that bond with a soft gel adhesive and cure under the lamp, and the listings note they also serve as the tip under an acrylic or dip set, so one shelf covers three services. The matte and half matte boxes are pre-etched, which skips the inside-buffing step on every nail and is the reason most salons open with them. Everything is wholesale-priced for everyone, no license and no minimum.
What is on this page
| Shape | Boxes | Lengths and finishes |
|---|---|---|
| Coffin | 8 | XS matte; short clear and half matte; medium clear; long clear and half matte; XL clear and half matte |
| Square | 2 | Medium clear; medium tapered |
| Stiletto | 7 | XS matte; short clear and half matte; medium clear; long clear and half matte; XL half matte |
| Toe | 2 | Clear; matte |
The boxes are numbered 05 to 27 in the listing titles, which is the order they sit in on the shelf; the almond boxes 01 to 04 and two square half matte boxes are drafted at the time of writing and return to the page when they restock. None of the 19 active boxes are out of stock.
Why a salon keeps LDS tips beside the LAVIS boxes
- The coffin and stiletto depth. Eight coffin boxes and seven stiletto boxes cover XS to XL in each, so a coffin or stiletto salon can stock every length a client asks for from one brand.
- The toe tip. The two toe boxes, clear and matte, are the pedicure extension for a client who wants a soft gel big toe to match her hands.
- Three finishes. Clear for the tech who buffs her own tips, matte for the fully pre-etched tip, and half matte for the tip that is etched where the adhesive sits and clear at the free edge, the finish most techs prefer for a natural-looking long set.
- One tip for three services. The listings state the tip serves gel, acrylic, and dip nails, so a salon that runs dip on the hands can use the same coffin tip under a dip overlay.
Which box to open first
A salon opening soft gel with LDS starts with coffin medium and coffin short in half matte, since coffin is the most-booked extension shape and the half matte finish skips the inside buff, then adds stiletto medium half matte for the client who wants a point, and the square medium clear for the short, straight-edged set. A salon with a long-nail book adds the coffin and stiletto XL boxes, which carry the length without a builder layer over a strong bond. The toe boxes join the shelf once the pedicure menu offers an extension. Because each box holds 12 sizes of one shape and length, the middle sizes empty first; keep two boxes of the shape and length booked most so the tray is never missing the size a client needs.
Reading the finishes
| Finish | What it is | When to pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Clear | A glossy, un-etched tip | The tech buffs the inside herself; best for encapsulated art and a glass finish |
| Matte | Fully pre-etched, frosted through | Fastest application; the whole tip takes color and base without buffing |
| Half matte | Etched at the well, clear at the free edge | The natural-looking long set: a strong bond zone and a clear tip that reads like a real nail |
| Tapered (square) | A square with narrowed sidewalls | A slimmer square for a narrow nail bed |
Reading the shapes and lengths
Coffin tapers the sidewalls and squares off the tip, and it is the shape most clients mean when they ask for an extension; on this page it runs from XS, a natural-length coffin for the client who wants strength at her own length, through short and medium to long and XL for the full set. Stiletto tapers to a point and runs the same five lengths; the XS and short stiletto are the wearable everyday versions, the long and XL are the photo set. Square keeps straight sidewalls and a flat edge, and the tapered square narrows those sidewalls for a slimmer nail bed. The toe tip is a short, wide full-cover shape cut for the big toe. Length names are the brand's own, so a salon fits a client from the box rather than from a chart, and a practice hand with one tip of each shape and length at the desk is the fastest way to let her choose.
Soft gel tip or acrylic tip
A soft gel tip is a full-cover extension that is bonded with a cured adhesive and worn as the nail, with base, color, and top over it; it is light, flexible, and soaks off, and a full set takes a fraction of the time of a sculpted set. An acrylic or hard gel tip is a half-well tip glued on and then built over with product, which gives a stronger, thicker nail that files off rather than soaking. The LDS tips are the soft gel kind, and the listings note they can also sit under an acrylic or dip overlay for a tech who wants the shape of a tip with the strength of a built product. A salon usually runs both: soft gel for the client who wants length quickly and removes it in a few weeks, built tips for the client who keeps her set for months.
Fitting and applying an LDS tip
- Size. Fit a tip so it sits sidewall to sidewall with no gap. Between sizes, take the larger and file its sidewalls; never file the natural nail to fit a tip.
- Prep. Push back, remove shine, dust, dehydrate, then a bonder. Buff the inside of a clear tip; a matte or half matte tip is already etched.
- Adhesive. A thin layer of soft gel tip adhesive on the nail and a little in the well of the tip.
- Seat. Press on from the cuticle side at an angle, push toward the free edge to clear air, flash-cure a few seconds, then full-cure through the tip under the lamp.
- Shape. Keep the length or trim it, refine the edge with a file, then base, color, and top as for a gel manicure.
The adhesive is not in the box: the LAVIS Soft Gel Tip Adhesive on the soft gel page is the bonder ND sells for these tips, and one bottle covers many sets.
Removal and refits
A soft gel tip soaks off like gel: file the top coat and color through, wrap in acetone, and let the tip and adhesive soften rather than prying the tip up, which takes the plate with it. For a refit at two or three weeks, the tech files the old product flush at the cuticle, preps the growth, and either fills over the same tip or removes and reapplies, depending on how the tip has lifted. A client who is hard on her hands wears a shorter length in the same shape rather than a thicker product, since the tip itself carries the strength.
Storage and reorder
Keep the boxes as the sorted trays they arrive in and reorder the shape and length that empties rather than a mixed order; the box number in the listing title is the fastest way to reorder, since 08 is always coffin medium clear and 21 is always stiletto medium clear. Store the boxes closed and out of sunlight so the clear tips do not yellow, and keep the etched boxes away from dust, which clings to a matte surface. A cured swatch of each shape and length at the desk, tips applied to a practice hand, lets the client pick a shape she can see rather than a name.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every LDS soft gel tip box is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee, and all 19 boxes sit at one price, so shape, length, and finish are chosen on the client book rather than on cost. There are no kits or bundles on this page; a salon builds its shelf by the box. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock boxes ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.