Frequently asked questions
Which dip powder brands are on the spring page?
Three. LDS brings 54 jars from its deep numbered chart at the value end, NuGenesis 46 jars that are 2-in-1 acrylic and dip powders including the metallic group, and OPI 42 jars from the named seasonal drops that clients ask for at the desk. Thirty-two of the 142 are out of stock at the time of writing. The colour split leans pink, then blue, purple, nude, and glitter, which is close to the order a salon stocking a spring wall from scratch should follow.
What is the difference between dip powder and 2-in-1 powder?
Dip powder is ground for the dip system alone: base, dip, repeat, activator, file, top. A 2-in-1 acrylic and dipping powder, which is what the NuGenesis jars here are, also picks up as a bead with EMA monomer, so one shade can serve a dip station and an acrylic station. Buy 2-in-1 when the salon runs both services, and keep two physical jars of any shade used at both, because a drop of monomer in a dip jar clumps the powder permanently.
How many layers does a pastel dip shade need?
Three. Pale and sheer powders never reach opacity in two, and forcing it with one thick pass leaves a lumpy edge. Keep the base thin and away from the skin line, because flood lines show straight through a pale colour, and let each pass stop a hair further from the cuticle so the edge thins out. If the natural plate is stained, lay a white or cover powder first, otherwise a milky shade cures grey rather than soft.
Which spring shades should be bought deep?
The crossovers. On this page 60 jars are also tagged for summer, 36 for winter, and 21 for fall, and those are the shades that pay for shelf space: a soft coral, a milky nude, or a clean pink works for half the year. Novelty pastels tied to a single holiday have a short window and are bought one jar deep rather than three. Keeping one restocked nude and one restocked pink in depth all year also means a sold-out seasonal shade always has a neighbour to move a client onto.
What is in the spring dipping powder collection
142 dip powder shades at wholesale, tagged for spring and drawn from three lines: LDS with 54 jars, NuGenesis with 46, and OPI with 42. Thirty-two are out of stock as this page was written. Ninety-six of the listings are colour dipping powder and 46 are the 2-in-1 acrylic and dipping powders that also work on a brush with monomer, which matters when the same jar has to serve a dip station and an acrylic station.
The three lines on this page
| Line | Jars | Format | Character in spring |
|---|---|---|---|
| LDS | 54 | Dip powder, 1 oz and 1.5 oz | The deep numbered chart, value end, pastels and nudes |
| NuGenesis | 46 | 2-in-1 acrylic and dip | Includes the metallic group for accent work |
| OPI | 42 | Dip powder | The named seasonal drops clients ask for |
What sells in spring dip
Dip clients are the ones who want length of wear without a lamp, and in spring they ask for the same palette as the gel wall: milky pinks, soft nudes, mint and sage, lilac, peach, butter yellow, with a coral and a clean pink as the saturated anchors. The named drops on this page carry the season: the OPI spring releases include shades like Strawberry Cosmo, Graffiti Sweetie, Violet Visionary, and Bare My Soul, and a salon that displays those names sells them without a consultation because clients arrive already knowing them.
The colour tags on this page skew the way a spring wall should: pink is the largest group, followed by blue, purple, nude, and glitter. A salon stocking from scratch can follow that order and be close to right.
Dip powder and 2-in-1 powder are not the same thing
- Dip powder is ground for the dip system: base, dip, repeat, activator, file, top. It can be used with monomer at a push, but it is not formulated for beadwork.
- 2-in-1 acrylic and dip powder, which is what the 46 NuGenesis jars here are, picks up as a bead with EMA monomer as well as dipping, so one jar serves both stations.
- Buy 2-in-1 when the salon runs both services and the same shade needs to appear in each, and keep two physical jars so monomer never enters the dip jar.
- Buy pure dip powder when the station is dip only; the grind is finer and the layers build more evenly.
- The 1 oz jar suits a shade used a few times a week, the 1.5 oz the colours that repeat, and the pattern on this page is that the same code is often listed in both.
A pastel dip set, step by step
- Prep. Push back, break the shine across the whole plate including the sidewalls, dust, and dehydrate; bonder on the bare nail.
- Base thin. One thin coat of dip base, avoiding the skin line entirely, because flood lines show through a pale colour.
- First dip. Into the jar at an angle, tap the excess back, and brush the surface clean with a dry soft brush.
- Second and third dip. Base again, each pass stopping a hair further from the cuticle, and a third pass for any pastel or sheer, which never reaches opacity in two.
- Activator, shape, activator. Activator over the whole nail, a minute to harden, file the shape and buff flat, then a second pass of activator to seal the filed surface.
- Top. Two thin coats of dip top, the first quick and the second slower, capping the free edge each time. No lamp anywhere in the sequence.
Where a pale dip set goes wrong
- Grey instead of milky. The natural plate underneath was stained; a white or cover powder as the first layer fixes it.
- Speckled surface. Powder was dipped into damp base, or the jar has taken on moisture from sitting open at the table.
- Thick at the cuticle. The base went too close to the skin, so the layers stacked at the edge instead of thinning out.
- Cloudy top. The surface was filed before the activator hardened it, which drags product and hazes the finish.
- Chipping at the edge. The free edge was not capped on both the base and the top.
Spring shades that keep working
At ND a shade often carries more than one season tag, and on this page 60 jars are also tagged for summer, 36 for winter, and 21 for fall. Those overlaps are where the money should go: a soft coral, a milky nude, or a clean pink pays for its shelf space for half the year, while a novelty pastel has a short window. The narrow shades still belong on the display, because that is what makes a wall feel current, but they are bought one jar deep rather than three.
Ordering for a season that arrives early
Spring bookings start before spring does. Pedicure season opens with the first warm week, colour changes follow the first holiday weekend, and the salons that get caught out are the ones that order in April. The practical calendar is to take the crossover shades in February, add the micro-season colours two to three weeks before the date they are for, and keep one restocked nude and one restocked pink in depth all year so a sold-out seasonal shade always has a neighbour to move a client onto.
Storing dip powder through a humid season
Powder is ruined by moisture, and spring is when a salon starts opening doors and running steamers. Close every jar the moment the dip is finished rather than at the end of the client, keep the working jars away from the pedicure room, and never dip a client's finger into the house jar: pour into a tray, use what is needed, and sift the rest back. A jar that has taken on damp lays a gritty layer that no amount of filing hides, and on a pale shade it shows immediately.
Why dip suits the first warm weeks
Every spring a salon sees the same pattern: clients who wore short natural nails through winter come back wanting colour before a holiday, and they want to be out of the chair quickly. A dip set answers both. There is no lamp, the set is hard enough to leave with immediately, and the wear runs to three weeks or more on a client who is not hard on her hands, which covers the gap to the next appointment when the diary is full. It is also the service a tech can deliver consistently with less practice than acrylic, which matters in the weeks when the salon is busiest.
The one honest caveat to give a client is removal. A dip set is soaked off, and soaking takes time, so a client who books a colour change every two weeks is better served by gel. Saying that at the first appointment prevents the complaint at the third.
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.