Frequently asked questions
What kinds of nail foil does ND carry?
Around 90 live listings: nail transfer foil sets with 10 designs per set on a transparent backing (metallics, holographic, marble, florals, lace, animal print, Mermaid, and seasonal patterns), aluminum nail foil and foil powder in gold and silver for the crushed-metal look, and 3-jar foil flake sets. Every set works over natural nails, gel polish, dip powder, acrylic, poly gel, and builder gel.
How do I apply nail transfer foil?
Cure the base color and wipe the tacky layer with alcohol. Paint a thin coat of LAVIS Foil Transfer Gel where the design belongs and cure 30 to 60 seconds until tacky. Lay the foil design-side up, press firmly with a silicone tool, working the edges and corners, then peel quickly and seal with top coat. Dry time is 60 to 90 seconds per nail, and a set of foil accents takes about three minutes.
Why does my foil transfer come out patchy?
Usually the transfer gel was too thick or over-cured, or the edges were not pressed. Use a thin coat cured to tacky, press hard at the corners, and peel in one quick motion. If foil sticks where it should not, the base color's tacky layer was not wiped; if it lifts later, the top coat was brushed too hard over it, so float the top coat on lightly.
Transfer foil or stamp plate: which should a salon use?
Transfer foil for printed patterns with color and metallic in one pass and more detail than a stamp gives, with no drawing skill. A stamp plate for a crisp single-color image repeated across ten nails. Aluminum foil flake for the gilded, broken-glass look patted onto a tacky layer. Most salons keep three or four foil sets, a stamp plate or two, and a jar each of gold and silver flake.
Is nail foil sold at wholesale?
Yes. Every foil set and jar at ND Nails Supply is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. Foil is sold by the set or jar with no case minimum. Orders $100+ ship free, and in-stock foil ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leaves the same day.
Nail foil: transfer art in three minutes
Nail transfer foil is the fastest way to put a pattern on a nail that a brush cannot draw: a printed design on a clear film that presses onto a tacky transfer gel, peels away, and seals under top coat. ND Nails Supply stocks around 90 live foil listings at wholesale, most of them transfer foil sets of 10 designs on a transparent backing, plus aluminum foil flakes and leaf for the crushed-metal look. Every set works over natural nails, gel polish, dip powder, acrylic, poly gel, and builder gel, so the same foil serves the gel client and the enhancement client.
What is on this page
| Group | What it is | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Nail Transfer Foil sets (M, LS, NZ, and numbered series) | 10 designs per set on transparent film with a clear backing: metallics, holographic, marble, florals, lace, animal print, Mermaid | Full, partial, or layered transfer over any base color |
| Aluminum nail foil and foil powder (gold, silver) | Loose crushed foil, very thin, in a jar | Patted onto a tacky layer for the broken-metal and gold-leaf effect |
| Foil jar sets (3 jars, 5 g) | Three colors of foil flake in one pack | Accent nails and encapsulation under builder gel |
| Seasonal foil | Holiday, Halloween, Valentine, and spring patterns as they come in | The seasonal accent nail without hand painting |
The transparent backing is the point of the transfer sets: the tech can see the nail through the film and line the pattern up before pressing, and can lay one foil over another (a marble under a gold vein, a flower over a sheer pink) for a design no stamp plate gives.
How to apply transfer foil
- Base color. Prep, apply and cure the base color, then wipe the tacky layer with alcohol so the foil only sticks where the transfer gel goes.
- Transfer gel. Paint a thin coat of transfer foil gel where the design belongs (full nail, a French tip, one diagonal) and cure 30 to 60 seconds. The matched gel is the LAVIS Foil Transfer Gel, a natural-resin, low-odor foil gel that works on natural nails, gel, poly gel, acrylic, and tips.
- Press. Lay the foil design-side up, press firmly with a silicone tool, and work the edges and corners of the nail, which is where a transfer skips.
- Peel and seal. Peel quickly, then top coat. Sealed foil lasts the life of the manicure; unsealed foil scratches in a day.
Dry time is 60 to 90 seconds per nail and a full set of foil accents runs about three minutes, which is why foil has replaced hand-painted patterns on the fast nail-art menu.
Transfer foil, foil flake, or stamp plate?
- Transfer foil for a printed pattern (marble, lace, florals, holographic) with no drawing skill and more detail than a stamp gives.
- Aluminum foil flake for the crushed-gold, broken-glass, or gilded-marble look; it is patted onto a tacky layer with a sponge or eyeshadow applicator, then sealed, or encapsulated under builder gel.
- A stamp plate for a crisp single-color image repeated across ten nails; the foil sets are the option when the client wants color and metallic in one pass.
Why foil fails and how to fix it
- Patchy transfer: the gel was too thick or over-cured. Use a thin coat, cure to tacky, press hard at the edges.
- Foil lifts under top coat: the top coat was worked in with a heavy brush. Float the top coat on lightly, or use a no-wipe top and do not brush back over it.
- Foil sticks everywhere: the base color's inhibition layer was not wiped. Alcohol wipe first, then transfer gel only where the design belongs.
- Holographic looks dull: a dark base underneath. Holo and metallic foils read brightest over black or a deep color; florals and lace read best over sheer pink or nude.
Stocking foil for the salon
A ten-design set covers a month of accent nails at one station, so most salons keep three or four sets on hand: one metallic (gold, silver, rose), one holographic or aurora, one marble, and one seasonal. Add a jar of gold and a jar of silver aluminum flake for the gilded look, and a bottle of LAVIS Foil Transfer Gel per station; with a top coat over it, a foil design holds 3 to 5 weeks. Foil is sold by the set or jar with no case minimum, and sets ship flat in the box.
Can transfer foil go on dip and acrylic, not just gel?
Yes, and the method is the same: the foil needs a tacky, cured layer of transfer gel to grab, and that layer can sit on any finished surface. On a dip set, finish the powder, buff smooth, apply the transfer gel where the design goes, cure, press, and seal with a gel top coat rather than the dip sealer, since the dip activator will not cure over the gel. On acrylic and poly gel, file and buff the enhancement, wipe, then run the same gel steps. On natural nails with regular lacquer, the foil can be pressed onto lacquer that is almost dry instead of transfer gel, but the hold is shorter and the finish less crisp, so most salons keep foil on the gel-topped menu. Foil also encapsulates well: press it onto a cured builder layer, cover with clear builder gel, cure, and the pattern sits under glass with no chance of scratching.
Foil on the seasonal calendar
| Months | Foil | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| January and February | Gold and red metallic foil, Valentine patterns | A gold foil French over red for Lunar New Year; foil hearts on a sheer pink |
| Spring | Floral and lace patterns, white flower foils (NZ series) | Partial transfers over milky white and pastel |
| Summer | Holographic and Mermaid foils, aluminum flake | Full-nail shift over black for festivals; sea-glass flake encapsulated under a clear builder |
| Fall | Marble and animal-print foils, gold leaf flake | Tortoiseshell and gilded stone over mocha and nude |
| Holiday | Gold and silver metallic, Halloween and holiday patterns as they arrive | Foil tips and full mirror nails over deep creams |
The metallic and marble sets stay on the tray all year; the seasonal pattern sets are bought as they come in and sell through in their season, so a salon that wants next year's Halloween foil buys it when it lands rather than in October.
Storing foil so it transfers cleanly
Transfer foil is a film with a metallic layer that scratches and creases, and a creased sheet transfers with a line through the design. Sheets are kept rolled or flat in their sleeve, cut to size with scissors as needed rather than torn, and handled by the edges; a sheet that has been pressed once with a fingerprint on it transfers the fingerprint. Foil flake in the jar is kept closed and dry, and picked up with a silicone tool rather than tweezers, which crush it.
Which foil for which look
| Look | Foil | Base and method |
|---|---|---|
| Full mirror nail | Metallic transfer foil in gold or silver | Foil gel over the whole cured base; press and peel in one motion; a second pass fills any gap |
| Marble and stone | Marble-pattern transfer foil, or gold foil flake over a marble ink design | Partial transfer over a nude or white; flake patted into a tacky clear layer for the gilded vein |
| Broken metal and gold leaf | Aluminum foil flake from the jar | Pieces patted onto an uncured clear layer with a silicone tool, cured, then encapsulated |
| Lace, animal print, florals | Patterned transfer foil | Foil gel over a pale base; the pattern transfers where the gel is, so the design can be masked |
| Holographic accent | Holographic transfer foil | Over black for the strongest shift, over white for a pastel rainbow |
A foil station, itemized
- Two foil sets: one metallic and holographic set, one patterned set for the season, ten designs each.
- A jar set of foil flake in gold and silver for the leaf and vein effects.
- LAVIS Foil Transfer Gel, the bottle that makes the transfer work, and a liner brush for drawn foil lines.
- A clear builder or thick no-wipe top to encapsulate foil flake, and a no-wipe top to seal transfers.
- Scissors and a silicone tool for cutting foil to the nail and pressing flake flat.
Foil is one of the quickest paid add-ons on the menu because the design is on the sheet: a foil accent nail adds a minute per nail and no painting, and a full foil set is a ten-minute upcharge on a plain gel manicure.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every foil set and jar is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock foil ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leaves the same day.