Frequently asked questions
What is a soft gel tip system?
A full-cover tip molded from soft gel, bonded to the natural nail with a soft gel adhesive, cured under LED, and soaked off in acetone at the end of the set with no heavy filing. It gives length and shape in one step, so a full set is fast and every nail matches. ND carries the Aprés Gel-X system, LAVIS soft gel tips and Builder Gel in the Bottle, DND Full Clear Gel Tips, LDS tips, A'DOR base and top, and poly gel forms, close to 470 live products.
What is the difference between LAVIS Clear, Half Buffed, and High Apex tips?
Clear tips are fully transparent, come in 15 sizes, and need the inside buffed before adhesive. Half Buffed tips come with the well pre-buffed, so the adhesive grips immediately and the tech skips a step; they come in 12 sizes. High Apex almond and coffin tips have a deeper curve and more built-in apex for strength on long shapes and curved nail beds. All are pre-shaped, need little filing, can be trimmed shorter, and work under gel, acrylic, or dip.
How do I apply soft gel tips?
Prep, dehydrate, bonder, and non-acid primer. Size a tip to each nail so it sits sidewall to sidewall, filing the tip rather than the nail to adjust, and buff the inside of a clear tip. Apply a thin layer of soft gel tip adhesive or Extend Gel on the nail and a little in the well, seat the tip from the cuticle side at 45 degrees, push toward the free edge to clear air, flash-cure, then full-cure through the tip. Shape, then base, color, and top.
Soft gel tips, builder gel, or poly gel: which should a salon offer?
Usually all three. Soft gel tips for speed and length with no sculpting; builder gel in the bottle for a strengthening overlay on the natural nail or a short extension; poly gel over a dual form for a long, hard set with strength closer to acrylic and no monomer. A soft gel tip set wears 3 to 4-plus weeks and comes off with an acetone soak.
Is the soft gel system sold at wholesale?
Yes. Every tip box, adhesive, builder gel, base, top, form, and tool at ND Nails Supply is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The 8 oz LAVIS refills with free bottles and the 45 ml Aprés Extend Gel are the working size for a busy salon. Orders $100+ ship free, and in-stock items ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.
Soft gel tips and the systems that hold them
Soft gel is the extension system that took over from acrylic tips for a large share of salons: a full-cover tip molded from soft gel, bonded to the natural nail with a soft gel adhesive, cured under LED, and soaked off in acetone at the end of the set with no heavy filing. This page is the whole soft gel system at ND Nails Supply, close to 470 live products at wholesale: Aprés Gel-X tip boxes, Extend Gel, and refill bags; LAVIS soft gel tips in every shape, LAVIS Builder Gel in the Bottle, soft gel tip adhesive, base and top; DND Full Clear Gel Tips; LDS soft gel tips; A'DOR base and top; poly gel nail forms; and the lamps and tools the system needs.
What is on this page
| Brand and line | What it is | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aprés Gel-X | 500-tip boxes in Natural and Sculpted shapes, Extend Gel (15, 30, 45 ml), pH Bonder, primer, refill bags by size, base and non-wipe top | The original soft gel tip system, 4-plus weeks of wear |
| LAVIS soft gel tips | Almond, Coffin, Square, Stiletto, Ballerina in Short, Medium, and Long; Clear boxes of 15 sizes and Half Buffed boxes of 12 sizes; High Apex almond and coffin | Pre-shaped, 10-plus sizes per box, usable with gel, acrylic, and dip |
| LAVIS Builder Gel in the Bottle and soft gel essentials | Builder gel, soft gel tip adhesive, base gel, Diamond Top, Peel Off Base, 8 oz base and top refills with free bottles | The house-brand side of the system |
| DND Full Clear Gel Tips | Numbered shapes: Coffin X-Long, Coffin Long, Square X-Short, Square Medium and more | Full-cover clear tips for the DND system |
| LDS soft gel tips and A'DOR base and top | LDS shape tips; A'DOR Drip Base and Top, Buy 10 Get 1 bundle | Sibling house brands |
| Poly gel nail forms and tools | Dual forms, tip cutters, clippers, silicone tools | For poly gel and form-built extensions |
Clear, half-buffed, or high apex: which LAVIS tip?
- Clear (15 sizes): the fully transparent tip. The inside must be buffed before adhesive, and the 15-size range fits the widest run of nail beds.
- Half Buffed (12 sizes): the inside of the tip comes pre-buffed at the well, so the tech skips the buffing step and the adhesive grips immediately. The faster salon option.
- High Apex: a deeper curve and more built-in apex for strength on long almond and coffin shapes, and for clients with curved nail beds.
Every LAVIS tip is pre-shaped, so it needs little or no filing, and it can be worn at full length or trimmed shorter. The tips are durable but lightweight and can be used under gel, acrylic, or dip.
How to apply soft gel tips
- Prep. Push back cuticles, remove shine, dust, dehydrate, and apply bonder and a non-acid primer.
- Size. Fit a tip from the box to each nail so it sits sidewall to sidewall with no gap; file the tip's sidewalls, not the nail, to adjust. Buff the inside of a clear tip.
- Adhesive. A thin layer of soft gel tip adhesive (LAVIS) or Extend Gel (Aprés) on the natural nail and a little in the well of the tip. Flash-cure if the layer is heavy.
- Seat and cure. Press the tip on from the cuticle side at 45 degrees, push toward the free edge to clear air, flash-cure, then full-cure through the tip.
- Shape and finish. Trim and file the length, then base, color, and top as a normal gel manicure. On Gel-X, Aprés Gel Couleur goes on with no base coat.
Pro tip: an air bubble under the tip is a lift waiting to happen. Seat from the cuticle side and press toward the free edge so the gel spreads out, and check against the light before curing.
Soft gel tips vs builder gel vs poly gel
Soft gel tips give length and shape in one step with no sculpting, so a full set is fast and every nail matches. Builder gel in the bottle (LAVIS BIAB-style) is an overlay for strength on the natural nail or a short extension over a form; it needs no tip but does need apex building. Poly gel is sculpted over a dual form for length with the strength closer to acrylic and no monomer. Many salons run all three: tips for speed and length, builder for overlays, poly gel for the client who wants a hard, long set.
Wear, care, and removal
- A soft gel tip set wears 3 to 4-plus weeks; book a fill or new set at week 3 to 4, with cuticle oil daily and gloves for cleaning in between.
- Removal: file through the top and color, soak in acetone with a foil wrap until the soft gel softens, and push the tip off. No prying.
- Store tip boxes closed so sizes stay sorted; store adhesives and base and top capped and out of sunlight.
The LAVIS soft gel tip range by shape, length, and finish
| Shape | Lengths | Finish and sizes per box | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square | Short, Long | Clear in 15 sizes; Half Buffed in 12 sizes | The everyday set; the box a new station opens first |
| Coffin | Short, Long | Clear in 15 sizes; Half Buffed in 12 sizes | Medium and long trend sets |
| Almond | Short, Medium, Long | Clear in 15 sizes; Half Buffed in 12 sizes | A slimmer finger without a point |
| Stiletto | Long | Clear or Half Buffed in 12 sizes | The fashion set and the nail-art canvas |
| Ballerina | Short | Clear in 10 sizes | A tapered square for the client who wants coffin lines at a short length |
Clear tips are the standard: the tech buffs the inside of the well before bonding. Half Buffed tips arrive with the well already roughened, which saves a step on every nail and is the box a busy station moves to once it knows its sizes. High Apex tips (Round Medium, Almond Xlong, Stiletto Short, among others) carry a formed apex for lengths and shapes that a flat tip would flex on, and are the box for the client who wants a long almond or stiletto without a sculpted build underneath. All of them bond with the LAVIS Soft Gel Tip Adhesive, which also bonds the Aprés and DND tips on this page, so one adhesive covers every tip brand at the station.
A soft gel tip station, itemized
- Tips: one Square and one Almond or Coffin box in the length the salon sells most; refill the sizes that empty first rather than the whole box.
- Adhesive: LAVIS Soft Gel Tip Adhesive in 0.5 oz or the 30 mL bottle; a layer on the nail and a layer in the well of each tip, so it sets the reorder rhythm.
- Prep: LAVIS Protein Bond and Primer, and a gel base cured before the tip goes on; both are in the LAVIS base and top bundle with the adhesive.
- Finish: the color of the salon's choice and LAVIS Diamond Top, with the 8 oz refill bottles for a station that does tips all day.
- Lamp: a lamp that cures through the tip from above; the 2-in-1 UV and LED lamps on the lamp page cover every gel used here.
Soft gel tips against the other extension systems at ND
Soft gel tips are the fastest full set on the menu because the length and shape arrive pre-formed: no sculpting, no dual form, no filing a bead to shape. They are also the easiest removal, an acetone soak rather than a file-off. The trade-off is that the tip sets the shape, so a client who wants a custom curve or an unusual length is a poly gel or builder client, and a client who wants the strength of acrylic for very long nails is still an acrylic client. Most salons run all three and route by request: tips for the client who wants a clean, uniform set in under an hour, poly gel and dual forms for length and shape, builder for the strengthening overlay on a natural nail.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every tip box, adhesive, builder gel, base, top, form, and tool ships at wholesale pricing for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The 8 oz LAVIS refills with free bottles and the 45 ml Extend Gel are the working size for a busy salon. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock items ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.