Frequently asked questions
Why use a colour acrylic powder instead of polish over clear?
Because the colour is inside the enhancement rather than on top of it. It cannot chip off, it cannot be scratched away at the free edge, and it grows out as a clean line instead of as a worn patch, which is why a client who works with her hands and still wants colour is usually better served by a colour acrylic set. The trade is commitment: changing the shade means filing the set back or removing it, so this suits clients who rebook the same look rather than those who want a new colour every visit.
Should I buy the 1 oz or the 1.5 oz jar?
The 1 oz is the trial size and the right one for a colour used on a few sets a month or sitting at the edge of the chart. The 1.5 oz is the working size for anything in weekly rotation, and for the two or three shades that carry the salon's spring bookings it is the only sensible choice, because a jar that runs out mid-season cannot always be replaced with the same batch. Many shades here are listed in both, so buy the workhorses large and the rest small.
Can these powders be used for dip as well?
Yes. Every jar on this page is listed as colour acrylic and dipping powder, so it sculpts with EMA monomer on a brush and dips with a base and activator. That lets a salon offer the same shade to a client who does not want a sculpted set, and lets a slow-selling colour be used up at the dip station. Keep separate jars for the two services: one drop of monomer clumps a dip jar permanently, and a brush that has been in dip base is no longer usable for beadwork.
Which spring powders are worth buying in the larger size?
The ones that carry more than one season. On this page 54 jars are also tagged for summer, 45 for fall, and 27 for winter, and those crossovers earn the 1.5 oz. Seven jars carry the clearance tag, which means they sell at their regular price until gone and are not reordered, so a clearance colour going onto a regular client's card should be bought twice at the outset or matched against a replacement shade from a line that is still in production.
What is in the spring acrylic collection
172 colour acrylic powders at wholesale, tagged for spring and drawn from four lines: LAVIS with 132 jars, Chaun Legend with 23, DND DC with 10, and DND with 7. Only six are out of stock as this page was written, which makes this one of the better-stocked seasonal pages at ND. Sixty-nine of the jars are listed in 1 oz and 63 in 1.5 oz, and the same shade is often available in both sizes.
The lines and the sizes
| Line | Jars | Sizes | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAVIS | 132 | 1 oz and 1.5 oz | The main spring chart, named shades such as Raindrop, Cottage Cream, Tea Time, and Euphoric Lilac |
| Chaun Legend | 23 | Jar | Saturated colour powders for a bolder set |
| DND DC | 10 | Jar | Powders that match the DC colour numbering |
| DND | 7 | Jar | Shades that carry the DND numbers across formats |
Colour acrylic is a different job from clear and cover
A clear or cover powder builds the structure of a nail. A colour acrylic powder is the finish, and it changes what a set can be: the colour is inside the enhancement rather than painted on top, so it does not chip off, it cannot be scratched away at the free edge, and it grows out as a line rather than as a worn patch. That is why a client who works with her hands and still wants colour is usually better served by a colour acrylic set than by polish over clear.
The trade is commitment. Changing the colour means filing the set back or removing it, so colour acrylic suits clients who rebook the same look, while gel and lacquer suit the ones who want a different shade every visit. In spring that splits neatly: the pastel set a client wears for the season goes in acrylic, and the holiday colour she wears for a week goes on top in gel.
What spring looks like in powder
- Milky pinks and creams such as Cottage Cream, which read as a natural set from a distance and as colour up close.
- Soft greens and blues like Raindrop, the shades that sell hardest once the weather turns.
- Lilac and lavender, which photograph better in powder than in polish because the finish is flatter.
- Warm neutrals such as Tea Time, the year-round shades that anchor a seasonal display.
- One saturated brick or coral, for the client who wants the season without the pastel.
1 oz or 1.5 oz
The 1 oz jar is the trial size and the right one for a colour that goes on a few sets a month or sits at the edge of the chart. The 1.5 oz is the working size for anything in weekly rotation, and for the two or three shades that carry a salon's spring bookings it is the only sensible choice, because a jar that runs out mid-season cannot always be replaced with the same batch. When a shade is listed in both sizes, the practical pattern is to buy the workhorses large and everything else small, rather than standardising on one size for the whole wall.
Working with colour acrylic
- Prep and prime. Push back, break the shine to the sidewalls, dust, dehydrate, and prime a client who lifts.
- Structure first. Build the apex and the free edge in clear or cover, then place the colour, so the strength of the set does not depend on the pigmented powder.
- Pick up a bead that holds its dome. Too wet and it runs and shrinks, too dry and it drags and traps air. Colour powders show both faults more than clear does.
- Work thin at the cuticle. A colour set is judged at the regrowth line, and a thick edge is what makes it obvious.
- File with a light hand. Heavy filing cuts through a colour layer and exposes the clear underneath, which cannot be repaired without rebuilding.
- Finish with gel top or a shine buff. A matte finish also works and hides more filing marks than gloss.
Colour acrylic and dip from the same jar
Everything on this page is listed as colour acrylic and dipping powder, which means the jars dip as well as sculpt. For a salon that is useful in two ways: a shade can be offered as a dip service to a client who does not want a sculpted set, and a slow-selling colour can be used up at the dip station instead of sitting on the shelf. The rule that protects both is separate jars for the two services, because one drop of monomer in a dip jar clumps the powder for good and a brush that has sat in dip base is finished for beadwork.
Spring shades that carry through the year
At ND many powders carry more than one season tag. On this page 54 jars are also tagged for summer, 45 for fall, and 27 for winter, and those crossovers are the shades to buy in the larger size. Seven jars carry the clearance tag, which at ND means they sell at the regular wholesale price until the stock is gone and are not reordered, so a clearance colour that goes onto a regular client's card should be bought twice at the outset or matched to a replacement from a line that is still produced.
Storing powder in a season of open doors
Colour powder is ruined by moisture and by contamination, in that order, and spring is when a salon starts leaving doors open. Keep lids on between beads rather than between clients, store jars upright and away from the acetone shelf and direct sun, and never return powder that has been in a dappen dish or touched by a wet brush. Label each working jar with the shade name and the line, because pastels look identical loose and quite different cured, which is exactly the mistake that shows up on the fifth finger.
Pricing a colour acrylic set on the menu
Most salons charge a colour acrylic set above a clear set, and the honest reason to give a client is time rather than product: placing colour cleanly at the cuticle, keeping the layer even, and filing without cutting through it all take longer than a clear overlay. Two menu lines work better than one. A full colour set for the client who wants the shade to be the nail, and a colour-tip or colour-accent option for the client who wants one or two fingers done, which costs the salon almost nothing extra and sells at close to the full uplift.
It also pays to book colour acrylic clients slightly longer at the first appointment than at the fill, because the first set is where the shade is chosen and the structure is established. After that a fill on a colour set takes about the same time as a fill on a clear one.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every jar on this page ships at wholesale pricing for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock jars ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.