Frequently asked questions
What nail tips and glue does ND carry?
Around 250 listings: Aprés Gel-X Natural soft gel tips in refill bags of 50 by shape (almond, coffin, round, square, stiletto), length (short, medium, long), and size #0 to #9; LAVIS half-cover tips in XL, XXL, and XXXL coffin, square, almond, and stiletto by the box of 420 to 550 sorted by size; LAVIS full-cover and soft gel tips; DND full clear gel tips #01 to #10 in coffin and square across five lengths; and LAVIS 3-second glue and KDS glue by the 100.
Half-cover tips or full-cover soft gel tips?
Half-cover tips (LAVIS XL to XXXL) cover the free edge, are blended into the natural nail, and are overlaid with acrylic, hard gel, or gel; the traditional tip set, sold by the box of 500. Full-cover soft gel tips (Aprés Gel-X, LAVIS soft gel, DND full clear) cover the whole nail, bond with a gel under the lamp with no monomer or blending, and soak off; a full set in under an hour.
How do I apply a soft gel tip?
Size each tip to sit inside the sidewalls without pressure, then push back, buff, dehydrate, and cure a thin base. Apply a thin layer of tip gel inside the tip, press it on from the cuticle down to push out air, flash-cure 10 seconds with the lamp over the nail, then full cure. Shape the free edge, buff the seam, and apply gel color and top, or wear the clear tip under a builder overlay.
How should a salon stock tips?
One box each of coffin and almond in a medium length, a square French for the pink-and-white client, and one XXL or XXXL box for length, plus two glues at every station. Middle sizes (#3 to #6) run out first, which is why the LAVIS boxes are sorted by size and the Aprés refill bags are sold per size. Tips keep indefinitely; glue thickens once opened, so buy small bottles often.
Are nail tips and glue sold at wholesale?
Yes. Every box, refill bag, and glue at ND Nails Supply is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The boxes of 500 and the KDS glue by the 100 are the salon units. Orders $100+ ship free, and in-stock boxes ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.
Nail tips and glue: soft gel tips, half-cover tips, and adhesives by the box
Nail tips are the fastest extension on the menu: a pre-shaped tip glued or gel-bonded to the natural nail and finished with gel, acrylic, or a soft gel overlay, in a fraction of the time a sculpted set takes. ND Nails Supply stocks around 250 tip and glue listings at wholesale in three families: Aprés Gel-X soft gel tips in refill bags of 50 by shape, length, and size; LAVIS half-cover and full-cover tips in boxes of 420 to 550, sorted by size; and DND full clear gel tips in coffin and square across five lengths; plus the nail glues that go with them, from the LAVIS extra-strong 3-second glue to KDS glue by the 100. The sidebar splits the page by brand, shape, and length.
What is on this page
| Line | Shapes and lengths | Pack | Applied with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aprés Gel-X Natural refill bags | Almond, Coffin, Round, Square, and Stiletto in Short, Medium, and Long, sizes #0 to #9; a Sculpted Almond Short line as well | 50 tips of one size per bag | Gel-X extend gel under the lamp; soft gel, soaks off |
| LAVIS half-cover tips | XL and XXL Coffin No Curve, XXXL Coffin and Square No Curve, XL Square French (clear and natural), XL Square Tapered Curve, XL and XXL Almond, XL and XXL Stiletto | 420 to 550 tips per box, 9 to 11 sizes sorted in a reusable storage box | Glue or gel; overlay with gel, acrylic, or hard gel |
| LAVIS full-cover tips and soft gel tips | Almond Short, Medium, Long and Ballerina Short full cover; Soft Gel Tips 4 Shapes in Clear and Ombre | Box | Soft gel tip gel or glue |
| DND Full Clear Gel Tips #01 to #10 | Coffin and Square in X-Short, Short, Medium, Long, and X-Long | Box | Gel tip adhesive under the lamp |
| Glue | LAVIS Glue Extra Strong 3 Seconds Only (single and box); KDS nail glue by the 100 | Bottle or box | Press-on and half-cover tips |
| Clear false nails | Pointy and other acrylic tip shapes | Pack | Practice and full-cover press-on |
Half-cover, full-cover, or soft gel tip?
- Half-cover tips (LAVIS XL, XXL, XXXL): the tip covers only the free edge and is blended into the natural nail, then overlaid with acrylic, hard gel, or gel; the traditional tip-and-overlay set, and the boxes of 500 are the salon unit. The clear material shows exactly where the tip sits, and the C-curve base fits the natural nail without gaps.
- Full-cover soft gel tips (Aprés Gel-X, LAVIS full cover and soft gel, DND full clear): the tip covers the whole nail and is bonded with a gel under the lamp, no monomer and no blending; a full set in under an hour that soaks off. The Aprés refill bags let a salon reorder the one size it runs out of.
- Glue-on tips: half-cover or full-cover tips bonded with nail glue for a press-on service or a quick repair, using the 3-second LAVIS glue or KDS glue.
How to apply a soft gel tip set
- Size. Fit a tip to each nail so it sits inside the sidewalls without pressure; sizes run #0 (largest) to #9 (smallest) on Aprés bags, and 9 to 11 sizes per LAVIS box.
- Prep. Push back, buff, dehydrate, and cure a thin base on the natural nail; etch the inside of the tip lightly if the brand calls for it.
- Bond. A thin layer of tip gel inside the tip, press it onto the nail from the cuticle down to push out air, flash-cure 10 seconds with the lamp held over the nail, then full cure.
- Finish. Shape the free edge, buff the seam, and apply gel color and top; or wear the clear tip with a builder overlay.
For a half-cover tip: glue or gel the tip to the free edge, cut to length, blend the seam with a 100/180 file, and overlay with acrylic or gel.
Stocking tips for a salon
A tip station needs a full run of sizes in the shapes the menu sells, which is why the LAVIS boxes are sorted by size and the Aprés bags are sold per size: the sizes in the middle (#3 to #6) run out first, and the refill bag replaces just those. Most salons stock one box each of coffin and almond in a medium length, a square French for the pink-and-white client, and one XXL or XXXL for the client who wants length, then keep two glues at every station. Tips keep indefinitely in the box; glue thickens once opened, so buy glue in the small bottle and often.
Why tips pop off, and the fix
- The tip lifts at the cuticle: the tip was too wide and was forced into the sidewalls, or air was trapped under it. Size down, and press from the cuticle toward the free edge before flash-curing.
- The whole tip comes off in one piece: the natural nail was not dehydrated, or the base was skipped. Buff, dehydrate, and cure a thin base before the tip gel.
- Glue-on tips fail within days: too much glue, or glue on a shiny nail. A thin layer on a buffed nail bonds; a thick layer stays soft.
- The seam shows on a half-cover tip: the well was not blended. File the seam with a 100/180 until the line disappears before the overlay.
Reading a half-cover tip box: XL, XXL, XXXL, curve, and French
The LAVIS half-cover boxes are named by three things. The size run (XL, XXL, XXXL) is the length of the tip blank, so XXXL Coffin is the box for the longest sculpted sets and XL for medium ones; a salon that does mostly medium length buys XL and cuts down rather than stocking every run. "No Curve" tips are flat across the width, for a nail with little natural C-curve, while "Tapered Curve" tips carry a curve that hugs a rounder nail and files to a slimmer line. "French" tips come with the smile line molded in, so a French set is built by overlaying the tip in pink with no white to paint, in clear or natural. Each box sorts its 9 to 11 sizes in a reusable storage box, which is why the boxes run 420 to 550 pieces: enough of the middle sizes to last a station months, with the rare sizes still on hand.
Glue or gel: how each tip is bonded
| Tip | Bond | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Half-cover tips (LAVIS XL to XXXL) | LAVIS Glue Extra Strong, or a small bead of gel cured under the lamp | The tip covers only the free edge and is overlaid with acrylic, hard gel, or builder, so the glue is a positioning bond and the overlay carries the strength |
| Full-cover soft gel tips (LAVIS, Aprés, DND) | Soft gel tip adhesive or extend gel, cured through the tip | The tip is the whole enhancement, so it is bonded across the entire nail with gel and the bond is what holds for four weeks |
| Press-on and clear false nails | Glue for a set that lasts, adhesive tabs for a day | A retail or event set, removed by soaking |
The LAVIS glue sets in about three seconds, which is fast enough that a half-cover tip is placed and held once; a tip placed crooked is removed with acetone rather than repositioned. The KDS glue by the hundred is the retail and event bottle, sold in ones, tens, fifties, and hundreds so a salon can bag one with each press-on set it sells.
Which box a new station opens first
- An acrylic or hard gel station: LAVIS XL Coffin No Curve and XL Square French in clear, plus the LAVIS glue. Those two boxes cover the sculpted set and the French set.
- A soft gel station: one Aprés or DND full-cover box in Square Medium and one in Coffin Medium, with soft gel tip adhesive; add Aprés refill bags for the sizes that run out.
- A retail counter: clear false nails and the KDS glue by the hundred, bagged as press-on sets.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every tip box, refill bag, and glue is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The boxes of 500 and the KDS glue by the 100 are the salon units. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock boxes ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.