Frequently asked questions
What does the cat eye magnet collection cover at ND?
53 cat eye magnet SKUs covering 5 effect-pattern categories: 21 multi-head 3D and 9D magnets (multiple parallel light stripes per pass), 8 heart-shape and decorative magnets (Valentine and bridal themed shapes), 5 double-direction magnets (two-axis stripe effect), 3 ring magnets worn on the finger for hands-free positioning, and 16 standard stick and cat paw handle magnets (the classic single-stripe salon starter). Price band $2.50 to $8.99 wholesale across the range.
Why does cat eye gel need a magnet?
Cat eye gel contains magnetic particles suspended in the pigment. Without a magnet, those particles stay distributed evenly and the gel cures as a flat colored polish. When a magnet is held at a 45-degree angle 1 to 2 millimeters above the wet gel for 5 to 10 seconds, the particles align into the signature light stripe that gives cat eye its 3D shimmer effect. The magnet is the mandatory companion tool that converts the gel into the salon cat eye finish.
What's the cat eye application workflow with the magnet?
5-step workflow: (1) Color coat 1 over cured Super Black Base, cure 30 seconds. (2) Color coat 2, do NOT cure. (3) Magnet step: hold magnet at 45 degrees, 1 to 2 millimeters above nail, 5 to 10 seconds while the stripe forms. (4) Full cure 60 seconds under LED lamp. (5) Diamond Top Coat finish, cure. The Diamond Top is the mandatory protective finish that locks the stripe for 3-week wear.
Why does my cat eye stripe come out faint or blurry?
Five common causes: (1) Magnet too far from nail — bring to 1 to 2 millimeters. (2) Gel layer too thick — use thinner color coats. (3) Cured the gel before the magnet step — apply coat 2, magnet, then cure. (4) Diamond Top skipped — stripe blurs within a week without it. (5) Light base color underneath — cat eye reads sharpest over Super Black Base, the dark foundation doubles the visual impact.
Which magnet should the salon stock first?
Start with the Cute Cat Paw Handle Magnet at $3.75 (top-inventory salon starter, universal grip for the 5-to-10-second hold step) plus the 3in1 Creative Cat Eye Magnet at $5.99 (combines three pattern effects in one tool for variable client requests). The 2-magnet starter pairs with LAVIS CE7 Villain Era jelly cat eye or CE9 Ver2 Cabin Fever nude cat eye for the booth-starter cat eye service tier.
What other products complete the cat eye system at the salon?
Three companion products complete the cat eye system. Super Black Base coat gives the dark foundation that doubles the magnetic stripe visibility. Diamond Top Coat is the mandatory finish that locks the stripe pattern for 3-week wear (without it the pattern blurs within 7 days). LAVIS Cat Eye Collection gels are the 532+ shade partner library with universal best-sellers CE7 Villain Era, CE9 Ver2 Cabin Fever, CE10 Ver2 Beauty Bureau, and CE13 Ver2 Moonlit Mirage.
Why every cat eye client needs the right magnet
The cat eye magnet is the companion tool that turns cat eye gel from a flat colored polish into the salon signature 3D and 9D pattern clients pay the upscale tier for. Without a magnet, cat eye gel sits on the nail as a plain pigmented coat; with the right magnet held at the right angle for the right duration, the magnetic particles inside the gel align into the characteristic light stripe that reads as the cat eye effect under salon lighting. ND Nails Supply ships 53 magnet SKUs spanning multi-head 3D and 9D magnets, heart-shape Valentine specials, double-direction wands, ring-style magnets that fit over the finger, and the classic cat paw handle stick that anchors the salon-starter cat eye service.
The salon margin math on cat eye is the strongest line in the brand-recognition gel category. A standalone gel manicure books at $45 to $50; the cat eye service tier books at $65 to $80 because the technique requires the magnet step plus the Diamond Top finish plus the Super Black Base. The magnet at $2.50 to $8.99 wholesale is the lowest-cost component of that service tier, which means the salon stocking the right magnet variants captures the highest service-tier margin without the per-bottle gel cost.
The 53 magnet SKU library at ND
The magnet collection at ND organizes into 5 effect-pattern categories that the salon stocks based on the cat eye gel inventory and the client request style. Each pattern produces a distinct visual signature on the cured nail:
| Magnet type | SKU count | Pattern effect | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-head 3D/9D magnet | 21 | Multiple parallel light stripes across the nail in a single magnet pass. The 9D variant produces 9 micro-stripes; the 3D variant produces 3 wider stripes. | The signature cat eye finish for the modern salon menu. Pairs with LAVIS CE7 Villain Era, CE10 Ver2 Beauty Bureau, and the modern 5D cat eye drops. |
| Heart-shape and decorative magnet | 8 | Heart, star, butterfly, or themed shape pulled into the gel. Ideal for Valentine's Day, bridal, and celebration bookings. | Themed seasonal service. Valentine's promotion, bachelorette, prom service tier. |
| Double-direction magnet | 5 | Two-axis stripe effect with the light moving in two perpendicular directions on the same nail. | Advanced cat eye technique. The salon offering the upscale cat eye art angle for the Instagram client booking. |
| Ring magnet (worn on finger) | 3 | Wearable magnet that the technician slides over a finger to position the magnetic field hands-free during the cure step. | The salon technician running back-to-back cat eye service who needs both hands free for the gel application. |
| Standard stick and cat paw handle magnet | 16 | Single linear stripe across the nail. The classic cat eye finish, simplest technique. | Salon starter inventory. The first magnet a new cat eye booth stocks, the lowest-cost wholesale tier. |
The cat paw handle stick at $3.75 wholesale is the top-inventory item at ND because it's the universal starter magnet that closes the basic cat eye service. The 3in1 Creative Cat Eye Magnet at $5.99 is the second-most-stocked because it combines three pattern effects in one tool for the salon serving multiple cat eye request styles from the same magnet.
Cat eye application workflow with the magnet
The standard cat eye technique runs as a 5-step gel-plus-magnet workflow. The magnet position and timing in step 3 is the precision step that separates the salon-tier finish from the at-home attempt:
- Color coat 1: apply a thin layer of cat eye gel over the cured Super Black Base, cure 30 seconds under the LED lamp.
- Color coat 2: apply a second thin layer, do NOT cure. The gel needs to stay fluid for the magnet step.
- Magnet step: hold the magnet at a 45-degree angle, 1 to 2 millimeters above the nail surface. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds while the magnetic particles in the gel align into the light stripe. Watch the stripe form, then pull the magnet away.
- Full cure: cure for 60 seconds under the LED lamp to lock the stripe pattern.
- Diamond Top finish: apply Diamond Top Coat, cure. The Diamond Top is the mandatory finish layer that protects the cat eye effect from fading; without it, the stripe pattern blurs within 7 days of wear.
Common mistakes and how to fix
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe is faint or blurry | Magnet too far from nail surface | Bring magnet to 1 to 2 millimeters above the nail. Closer pull, sharper stripe. |
| Stripe does not move when magnet shifts | Gel layer too thick, magnetic particles cannot align | Use thinner color coats. Cat eye gel cures best at the thin-layer tier, 2 light coats over the dark base. |
| Stripe never forms | Cured the gel before the magnet step | Apply coat 2, immediately move to magnet step BEFORE curing. Cure only after stripe is formed. |
| Pattern blurs after 1 week of wear | Diamond Top finish step skipped | Always finish cat eye with Diamond Top Coat. The Diamond Top is the protective finish that locks the stripe pattern for 3-week wear. |
| Stripe is faint despite right magnet position | Light base color underneath the cat eye gel | Cat eye reads sharpest over Super Black Base. The dark foundation makes the magnetic stripe pop at twice the visibility. |
How to pick by salon service tier
- New cat eye booth, single-chair starter: stock the cat paw handle stick ($3.75) as the salon starter magnet plus the 3in1 Creative Cat Eye Magnet ($5.99) for variant patterns. The 2-magnet starter pairs with the LAVIS CE7 Villain Era or CE9 Ver2 Cabin Fever for the booth-starter cat eye service.
- Mid-volume salon serving daily cat eye bookings: stock the multi-head 3D and 9D magnets (5-6 SKUs across the 21-variant range) for the signature finish, plus the heart-shape magnets for the Valentine promotion window, plus the cat paw handle as the universal backup.
- Upscale salon offering full cat eye art menu: stock the full 5-category range. The double-direction magnets serve the advanced two-axis pattern for the Instagram booking, the ring magnet variants serve the high-throughput technician workflow, the seasonal heart and decorative magnets serve the bridal and themed bookings.
- Mobile booth or at-home retail tier: the cat paw handle stick and the 3in1 Creative Cat Eye Magnet cover 80 percent of the cat eye service requests at the lowest stock-footprint. Pair with the retail-tier LAVIS Cat Eye singles for the client-takes-home upsell.
Companion pairings, what to stock alongside the magnet
Cat eye service does not run on the magnet alone. The salon close-rate depends on stocking the three companion products that complete the cat eye system:
- Super Black Base coat: the dark gel foundation that makes the cat eye stripe pop. Without a dark base, the magnetic stripe reads as faint and washed-out under salon lighting. Super Black Base is the silent ingredient that doubles the visual impact of every cat eye shade.
- Diamond Top Coat: the protective finish that locks the stripe pattern. Cat eye gel without Diamond Top blurs within 7 days; with Diamond Top, the pattern holds the 3-week salon-tier wear window. Pairing every cat eye sale with the Diamond Top close is the salon best-practice.
- LAVIS Cat Eye Collection gels: the 532-plus shade LAVIS Cat Eye library at ND is the gel partner for every magnet sale. Top-selling collections include the CE7 Villain Era (universal best-seller, jelly cat eye), CE9 Ver2 Cabin Fever (nude best-seller), CE10 Ver2 Beauty Bureau (#2 best-seller at DTK, autumn-winter gemstone palette), and CE13 Ver2 Moonlit Mirage (2025 best-seller).
Top magnet picks at ND by inventory and service tier
- Cute Cat Paw Handle Magnet ($3.75, 769 units in stock): the salon starter universal magnet. Cat paw handle gives the technician the grip during the 5-to-10-second hold step. The top-inventory pick at ND because it's the magnet every new cat eye booth stocks first.
- 3in1 Creative Cat Eye Magnet ($5.99, 545 units in stock): the value-tier pick that combines three pattern effects in one tool. The salon stocking a single multi-effect magnet for variable client requests picks this SKU at the mid-volume tier.
- Upgraded Ring Magnet ($6.99, 284 units in stock): the technician-tier magnet worn on the finger for hands-free positioning during the magnet step. The salon running back-to-back cat eye service stocks the ring magnet for production-floor throughput.
- Heart-shape and themed magnets ($4.50 to $7.99): the Valentine, bridal, and themed seasonal magnets for the salon promoting cat eye art beyond the standard stripe pattern.
- Multi-head 3D and 9D magnets ($5.50 to $8.99): the modern 3D and 9D pattern magnets for the salon offering the high-art cat eye tier. The 21-SKU range covers every pattern density from the 3-stripe basic to the 9-stripe high-detail finish.
Wholesale pricing at ND
The magnet collection at ND ships at the wholesale-priced-for-everyone tier. No business license required, no minimum order, no membership fee. Price band $2.50 to $8.99 across the 53-SKU library, with the salon-starter stick magnets at the lower end and the multi-head 3D/9D and ring magnets at the upper tier. Free shipping on every order over $99, same-day dispatch on in-stock magnets ordered before 2pm PT weekdays. The magnet category bundles into LAVIS Cat Eye gel orders at the volume-discount tier when ordered together, which is the standard reorder cadence for the salon stocking the full cat eye system at the booth.