Frequently asked questions
What press-on nails does ND sell in bulk?
150-piece boxes of full-cover blank press-ons in Medium and Short Ballerina, Medium and Short Almond, Medium and Short Squoval, and Long Square; the 3-in-1 Coattips French tip press-ons in numbered OM and YS designs; LAVIS Glue Extra Strong 3 Seconds Only in a single-use tube and a 16.5 g bottle; the LAVIS Peel Off Base Gel; and the LAVIS base, top, bond, primer, and soft gel tip adhesive set for applying press-ons as a soft gel set.
How long do press-on nails last?
It depends on how they are applied. With LAVIS Glue Extra Strong, about a week, removed by soaking. Over LAVIS Peel Off Base Gel, a short-wear set that peels off cleanly from the base with no buffing or soaking. Applied with soft gel tip adhesive like a soft gel tip, with bond, primer, base, and top, 2 to 4 weeks, removed with an acetone soak.
How do I apply press-on nails so they do not lift?
Size every tip before opening any glue, and file the sidewalls of the tip, not the client's nail, until it sits sidewall to sidewall with no gap. Push back cuticles, lightly buff, dehydrate, apply a thin line of adhesive to the tip, press on from the cuticle side and hold for a few seconds, then file the edge and seal it with a little top coat. A tip that is slightly too wide is the main reason a set lifts within days.
Which shape should a salon stock first?
Medium ballerina (the most requested salon shape), short almond (the natural everyday and retail favorite), and medium squoval for classic clients, one 150-piece box each. Add a 3-in-1 Coattips French design box for clients who want a finished French tip with no polish step, and the long square for a dramatic French.
Are press-on nails sold at wholesale?
Yes. Every box, French design, adhesive, and base gel at ND Nails Supply is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The 150-piece boxes are the working size for a busy salon. Orders $100+ ship free, and in-stock boxes ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.
Press-on nails by the box
Press-on nails are the fastest full set a salon can offer and the easiest retail item to sell at the desk: a pre-shaped full-cover tip that glues onto the natural nail with a fast-set adhesive or a peel-off base gel, wears for a week or two, and comes off without a soak. ND Nails Supply stocks press-ons the way a salon buys them, by the box: 150-piece boxes in ballerina, almond, squoval, and square shapes at short, medium, and long lengths, the 3-in-1 Coattips French tip press-ons in numbered OM and YS designs, and the LAVIS adhesives and base gels that hold them on.
What is on this page
| Product | Details | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Press On Nails 150 pcs/box | Medium Ballerina, Short Ballerina, Medium Almond, Short Almond, Medium Squoval, Short Squoval, Long Square | Full-cover blank press-ons for a salon set or retail packs, 150 tips per box |
| 3-in-1 Coattips French tips | Full-cover press-ons with a pre-painted French tip, OM-01 to OM-08 and YS-01 to YS-15 designs | A finished French set with no polish step |
| LAVIS Glue Extra Strong 3 Seconds Only | Single-use tube and 16.5 g bottle | Fast-set adhesive for press-ons and tip repairs |
| LAVIS Peel Off Base Gel | 0.5 oz, cures 60 seconds under UV/LED | A base that peels off cleanly, for press-ons and short-wear gel |
| LAVIS base, top, bond, primer, and soft gel tip adhesive set | Four 0.5 oz bottles | Applying press-ons as a soft gel set for longer wear |
Three ways to apply a press-on, by how long it should last
- Glue, for a week or so. Push back cuticles, lightly buff, dehydrate, size the tips, apply a thin line of LAVIS Glue Extra Strong to the tip, press on from the cuticle side for a few seconds, and file the edge. Fast, no lamp, removed by soaking in warm soapy water or a little acetone at the edge.
- Peel-off base gel, for a short-wear set that comes off clean. Cure a thin layer of LAVIS Peel Off Base Gel 60 seconds, apply the tip with adhesive over it, and finish. When the client is done, the whole set peels off from the base with no buffing or soaking.
- Soft gel tip adhesive, for 2 to 4 weeks. Treat the press-on like a soft gel tip: prep, protein bond and primer, tip adhesive gel in the well and on the nail, seat and cure, then base color and top. Removed with an acetone soak like any gel.
Pro tip: size every tip before any glue is opened, and file the sidewalls of the tip rather than the client's nail to get the fit. A tip that is even slightly too wide lifts at the edge within days.
Which shape sells?
- Ballerina (coffin): the most requested salon shape; the medium length suits most hands, the short version suits clients who type.
- Almond: the everyday shape for a natural look; short almond is the retail favorite.
- Squoval and square: classic and French clients; the long square is the shape for a dramatic French with the 3-in-1 Coattips.
A salon usually opens with one 150-piece box each of medium ballerina, short almond, and medium squoval, then adds a French design box for the clients who want a finished tip.
Blank press-ons vs French Coattips
The 150-piece boxes are blanks: a salon applies them and then paints, gels, or decorates them, so one box serves any color request. The 3-in-1 Coattips arrive with the French smile line already on the tip; the salon applies them and tops them, and the set is done in the time it takes to glue ten tips. Blanks are the volume item and the retail pack; Coattips are the express French service and the gift item.
Press-ons as a salon service, not just a retail item
A press-on set applied with soft gel tip adhesive is a real extension service: it takes less time than sculpting, needs no monomer, and comes off with a soak like any gel. Salons use it for the client who wants length for one event, for a first-time extension client who is not ready for a 3-week commitment, and for a fast full set on a walk-in when the sculpting chair is booked. Price it between a gel manicure and a soft gel tip set, and offer the French Coattips as the express option. The same 150-piece box serves all of it, which is why the box, not the retail pack, is the salon buy.
Press-ons vs soft gel tips
Both are full-cover tips. A soft gel tip (Gel-X, LAVIS soft gel tips) is molded from soft gel, bonded with a soft gel adhesive, and worn 3 to 4-plus weeks as a proper extension. A press-on is a lighter, thinner tip designed for glue and short wear, and it can be applied with the soft gel method for longer wear when the client wants it. If the salon's clients mostly want weeks of wear, the soft gel page is the better buy; if they want speed, retail, and events, this page is.
Care and removal
- Glued press-ons: keep the edges sealed with a little top coat, avoid soaking hands for the first hour, and remove by soaking; do not pry.
- Peel-off base sets: peel from the cuticle side in one motion once the client is done.
- Soft gel sets: soak in acetone with a foil wrap and push the tip off.
- Keep the opened box closed between clients so the sizes stay sorted and the tips stay clean.
Turning a 150-piece box into retail sets
A box of 150 blank press-ons is the raw material for a retail line, and the arithmetic is simple: ten sizes per box means a set for a client uses one of each of the sizes that fit her, and the box yields roughly a dozen mixed-size sets plus leftover sizes that go into the next box's sets. Salons that sell press-ons at the desk paint them in-house between clients, in the shades and art the salon is known for, seal them under Diamond Top, and bag each set with a single-use LAVIS glue tube and a small file. The Coattips French tips skip the painting step entirely: they arrive with the French tip printed, so the salon bags them straight from the box in the OM and YS designs that sell. Either way the retail set carries the salon's name home, and the client who wears the set for a week is the client who books the gel manicure next.
Which base for which wear time
| Wanted wear | Bond | Removal |
|---|---|---|
| One event, one day | Adhesive tabs, or a thin coat of LAVIS Peel Off Base Gel cured 60 seconds with the press-on pressed into it | Peels away in one piece; nothing to soak |
| A week or two | LAVIS Glue Extra Strong on a buffed, dehydrated nail | Acetone soak; the glue releases, the natural nail is buffed |
| Three to four weeks | Applied as a soft gel tip: base, soft gel tip adhesive in the well, cured through the tip, color and top over it | File the top, acetone soak, push off; a full-set removal |
The LAVIS Peel Off Base Gel is the bottle that makes the one-day option a salon service rather than a home hack: it cures like a gel, holds a press-on through an evening, and comes off without acetone the next morning, which is what a bridal party or a photoshoot client wants. The same peel-off base under a regular gel color gives a short-wear manicure for the client who changes her mind weekly.
Sizing a press-on so it does not lift
Most press-on failures are sizing rather than glue. The tip should sit sidewall to sidewall with no gap and no overhang; a tip that rests on the skin at either side lifts at the first wash. Where a nail falls between two sizes, the smaller one is filed to width rather than the larger one forced down. The natural nail is buffed matte and wiped with alcohol before any bond, the press-on is pressed from the cuticle toward the free edge to push air out, and the edges are sealed under a top coat when the set is meant to last more than a day. A salon that fits the set at the desk sends the client home with the two spare sizes from the box for the nails most likely to need a replacement.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every press-on box, French tip design, adhesive, and base gel ships at wholesale pricing for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The 150-piece boxes are the working size for a busy salon. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock boxes ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.