Frequently asked questions
What is in an SNS gel and lacquer duo?
Two 0.5 oz bottles of the same SNS shade: a GelStar soak-off gel polish, the gel SNS formulated to be healthier for the nail than a conventional gel, and the matching SNS Nail Lacquer for air-dry use. The SNS system is fast drying, flexible and strong, long lasting, lightweight, stain resistant, and made in the USA. ND stocks close to 300 duos across the Napa Valley, Bare To Dare, Dreamscape, Sunset Cruise, CityScape, and Summer Get Away collections and the core numbered library.
Do SNS gel duos match SNS dipping powder?
Most do. SNS runs its shade codes across dip powder, gel, and lacquer, so a dip client can wear the same color as gel on a later visit or as lacquer on her toes. That is why salons that run SNS dip stock the duos as well: one chart serves the dip station, the gel station, and the pedicure chair.
Why are so many SNS duos marked clearance?
ND has marked most of this page for clearance, which means the duo is sold until it is gone and is not reordered. The bottle, formula, and wear are identical to a full-price duo. Buy two of any code that is a regular on your chart, and take a seasonal collection as a group while every shade in it is still in stock.
How do I apply and remove an SNS gel duo?
Gel side: prep, one thin coat of SNS gel base cured under LED, two thin coats of GelStar color cured after each, then gel top with the free edge capped. Lacquer side: base coat, two thin coats, top coat, air-dried between coats. The gel wears 2 to 3 weeks with cuticle oil daily and gloves for cleaning, and comes off with a 100 percent acetone foil wrap for about 10 minutes. The lacquer wears up to a week and comes off with regular remover.
Are SNS duos sold at wholesale?
Yes. Every SNS duo at ND Nails Supply is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee, and the clearance duos are not restocked once they sell through. Orders $100+ ship free, and in-stock duos ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.
SNS gel and lacquer duos
SNS is best known for dipping powder, but the same shade library runs through its gel and lacquer, and this page holds the matched pairs: an SNS GelStar soak-off gel polish and the SNS Nail Lacquer of the same color in one 0.5 oz duo. GelStar is the gel SNS formulated to be healthier for the nail than a conventional gel while keeping the shine, and the SNS system as a whole is fast drying, flexible and strong, long lasting, lightweight, stain resistant, easy to apply, and made in the USA. ND Nails Supply stocks close to 300 SNS duos at wholesale, most of them currently marked for clearance, so this is the page to back up an SNS shade chart before the codes are gone.
What is on this page
| SNS collection | Code prefix | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Napa Valley | NV (NV08 Sommelier, NV16 Slipping Under The Stars) | Wine-country neutrals and deep tones |
| Bare To Dare | BD (BD01 Fashionista Yellow, BD02 Spandex Ballet, BD07 Satin Doll, BD10 Cashmere Cardigan) | Nudes and fashion brights |
| Dreamscape | DR (DR02 Alice's Locks) | Soft, dreamy pastels |
| Sunset Cruise, CityScape, Summer Get Away | Collection-tagged codes | Seasonal brights, glitters, and neons |
| Core numbered shades and SY, HH, BP, AC, LG, LV, BM series | Three-digit and two-letter codes | The everyday library across every color family |
Use the sidebar to filter by color (pink, purple, glitter, neon, red, beige and more) or by season tag.
Why a duo, and why SNS?
- The dip match: most SNS gel shades share their code with an SNS dipping powder, so a dip client can have the same color on her toes in lacquer, or switch to a gel manicure without changing shade. That cross-system match is the reason salons that run SNS dip also stock the duos.
- Mani-pedi in one SKU: gel on the fingers, lacquer on the toes, same name on both bottles.
- Retail: the lacquer half is the take-home bottle.
- Price: a duo is one listing for two bottles and one order line per shade.
How to apply an SNS duo
- Gel side. Prep and dehydrate, one thin coat of SNS gel base cured under LED, two thin coats of GelStar color cured after each, then SNS gel top with the free edge capped. Wipe the tacky layer with alcohol unless the top is no-wipe.
- Lacquer side. Base coat, two thin coats of SNS Nail Lacquer, top coat, air-dried 5 to 8 minutes between coats.
Pro tip: SNS builds its system around lightweight, easy-to-apply formulas, so let the gel do the work: keep the coats thin and let each one level for a few seconds before curing rather than brushing it out repeatedly.
Is a clearance duo any different?
No. A clearance tag on this page means the duo is being sold at its lowest price and will not be reordered once it sells through; the bottle, the formula, and the wear are the same as the full-price listing. For a salon, the practical rule is to buy two of any code that is a regular on the chart and to take a seasonal collection as a group while every shade in it is still in stock.
SNS gel vs SNS dip: which service?
The gel duo is the choice for a 2 to 3 week manicure with a glass finish and a quick 10-minute soak-off; the dip is the choice for strength and 3 to 4 weeks of wear with no lamp. Because the shades match across both, a salon does not have to choose one system per color. Stock the duo for gel and pedicure clients and the SNS dipping powder jar for dip clients, and the chart stays one chart.
Which SNS duos should a salon stock first?
Start where SNS dip clients already are. Pull the codes of the ten SNS dip powders the salon dips most and buy the matching duos, so the gel and pedicure chairs can offer the same shades on day one. Then add one collection as a group: Bare To Dare for a nude-and-brights chart, Napa Valley for the fall and winter deep tones, Dreamscape for spring pastels. Use the sidebar color filters to fill the gaps by family (pink, purple, glitter, neon, red, beige) rather than by code, since the numbered core library is wide and a salon rarely needs all of it. Because the page is on clearance, order the full set of any collection the salon commits to while every code in it is still in stock.
Wear, care, and removal
- Gel: 2 to 3 weeks with daily cuticle oil and gloves for cleaning. Lacquer: up to a week, refreshed with top coat at home.
- Remove gel with a 100 percent acetone foil wrap for about 10 minutes and push the softened gel away; never peel. Lacquer comes off with regular remover.
- Store both bottles upright, sealed, at room temperature, out of sunlight.
- Wipe the neck of the lacquer bottle before capping; a glued cap is the most common reason a duo's lacquer half goes unused.
Why SNS clients stay on SNS, and what that means for the duo wall
SNS built its following on dip, and its clients are the most brand-loyal in the dip category: a client who has worn SNS powder for years rarely accepts a substitute, and a salon that stops carrying it tends to lose her to the salon that still does. That is the reason to keep the SNS duos on the wall even where the house lines cover the same shades. The duo is how the SNS client gets a gel manicure or a lacquer pedicure in the code she already wears as dip, and the code is the whole point: NV08 as dip, NV08 as gel, NV08 as lacquer on the toes. A salon with an SNS dip base buys the duos for its top dip codes first and treats the rest of the page as the fill-in for a client who arrives with a code on her phone.
Reading an SNS code
| Code | Collection | Character |
|---|---|---|
| NV | Napa Valley | Wine-country neutrals and deep tones for fall and winter |
| BD | Bare To Dare | Nudes and fashion brights (Satin Doll, Cashmere Cardigan, Fashionista Yellow) |
| DR | Dreamscape | Soft pastels for spring |
| SG | The SG series (Hatteras, Fern Gully, Blue Lagoon, Lemon Meringue Jewels) | Named brights and coastal shades |
| HH, SY, BP, AC, LG, LV, BM, Bos | Numbered series | The everyday library, by number within each prefix |
| Three-digit numbers (389, 395) | Core chart | The original numbered SNS shades |
The prefix identifies the release and the number the position inside it; the same code appears on the SNS dipping powder jar, so a duo is matched to a dip client by code rather than by swatching. The color filters on the sidebar (glitter, purple, orange, neon, pink, red, beige, blue) cut across the prefixes for the tech who shops by family.
Buying a clearance line without gaps
Because every duo on this page is on clearance and is not restocked once it sells through, the order of buying matters. First, the codes of the salon's ten most-dipped SNS powders, so the gel chair and the pedicure chair can match them from day one. Second, one collection bought whole while every code in it is in stock (Bare To Dare for a nude-and-brights chart, Napa Valley for the cold months, Dreamscape for spring), since a collection with a missing code is harder to sell as a set on the swatch stick. Third, two of any code a client wears repeatedly, because there will be no reorder. The availability filter shows what is still in stock at a glance, and the clearance tag applies to every duo on the page rather than to a marked few.
Base and top under an SNS duo
The gel side of the duo cures under any LED or UV salon lamp and sits on a standard gel base and no-wipe top; a salon that runs LAVIS or LDS base and top under its house gel uses the same bottles under SNS without a change in cure time. Keep the base thin and cap the free edge on the top, as with any gel. The lacquer side goes over a lacquer base coat and under a lacquer top, air-dried, and the duo's lacquer bottle is the retail bottle the client takes home for touch-ups between pedicures.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every SNS duo ships at wholesale pricing for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee, and the clearance-tagged duos are not restocked once they sell through. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock duos ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.