Frequently asked questions
Why are there so many glitters on this page?
Because dip is the format where a glitter behaves. The flake is suspended in powder rather than in a liquid, so it goes on evenly, it does not sink or drag the way a glitter gel can, and the surface is dense enough to file flat and top to a proper shine. Seventy-eight of the 265 jars here are tagged glitter, which is why many salons sell party accent nails in dip even to clients who wear gel on the rest of the hand.
How do I apply a glitter dip powder cleanly?
Dip a solid colour layer first so the flake sits on an even field instead of sinking into the base. Expect a rougher surface that needs more filing than a cream, then float the top coat rather than pressing it, so the top fills the texture instead of dragging flake out of it, and lay two thin coats rather than one thick one. Deep winter shades are the opposite: they cover in two passes, and a third only adds thickness at the cuticle.
What should a winter dip wall carry?
Two reds, a true red and a deep cherry or wine, because both are asked for by name from November. Three glitters, gold, silver, and one smoky or multi-tone, which covers nearly every accent request. A white for French work and snowflake art, a black or charcoal for January, a plum and a navy for the deep bookings, and one milky nude, because the client who wore glitter in December books a quiet set in the new year.
How much of this page is clearance?
A hundred and twenty-three of the 265 jars, nearly half, which is the highest share of any seasonal collection at ND. Clearance here means the shade sells at its regular wholesale price until the stock is gone and is not reordered; there is no markdown attached to the tag. Because dip clients rebook the same shade rather than changing it, any jar that sits on a regular client should be bought in pairs now or matched to a restocked neighbour before it runs out.
What is in the winter dipping powder collection
265 dip powder shades at wholesale, tagged for winter and drawn from three lines: LDS with 171 jars, OPI with 60, and NuGenesis with 34. Thirty-seven are out of stock as this page was written. Two hundred and thirty-one of the listings are colour dipping powder and 34 are 2-in-1 acrylic and dipping powders that also sculpt on a brush. Eighty-six jars are listed in 1 oz and 85 in 1.5 oz, with many shades available in both.
The three lines on this page
| Line | Jars | What it brings to winter |
|---|---|---|
| LDS | 171 | The deepest chart by far, including the Christmas, Sparkle, and Bridal groupings and the French white |
| OPI | 60 | Named shades clients ask for, such as Malaga Wine and Black Cherry Chutney |
| NuGenesis | 34 | 2-in-1 acrylic and dip jars including the metallics |
By colour the page is exactly what the season looks like: glitter is the largest group with 78 jars, then pink with 37, blue with 33, purple with 33, red with 32, green with 16, nude with 12, grey with 11, gold with 10, and black with 9.
Glitter is the season in dip
Seventy-eight glitter jars on one page is not an accident. Dip is the format where a glitter actually behaves: the flake is suspended in powder rather than in a liquid, so it goes on evenly, it does not sink or drag the way a glitter gel can, and the finished surface is dense enough to file flat and top to a proper shine. That is why so many salons sell their party accent nails in dip even to clients who wear gel on the rest of the hand.
The technique that makes it work is simple. Dip a solid colour layer first so the flake has an even field to sit on, expect a rougher surface that needs more filing than a cream, and float the top coat rather than pressing it so the flake is not dragged out of place.
What a winter dip wall carries
- Two reds. A true red and a deep cherry or wine; both are asked for by name from November.
- Three glitters. Gold, silver, and one smoky or multi-tone, which covers nearly every accent request.
- A white. The French base, the snowflake art, and the pale layer under a light glitter.
- A black or charcoal, which carries January when the sparkle comes off the wall.
- A plum and a navy, the deep shades that are booked from December through February.
- One milky nude, because the client who wore glitter in December books a quiet set in January.
A winter dip set, step by step
- Prep. Push back, break the shine to the sidewalls, dust, dehydrate, then bonder on the bare plate. Winter skin is dry, so keep the product off it.
- Thin base. One thin coat away from the skin line; with a deep shade a flood line is visible from a metre away.
- Colour layers. Two passes for a dark shade, three for a pale or a sheer, brushing the surface clean between passes.
- Glitter last. If the set is a glitter, lay the solid colour first and the glitter over it.
- Activator, shape, activator. Harden, file the shape, buff flat, then reseal the filed surface before topping.
- Top twice. Two thin coats capping the free edge, which is where gloves and coat sleeves attack a winter set.
Why winter suits dip
Dip holds up where winter is hardest on a manicure. It is strong at the free edge, so gloves, coat sleeves, and car doors do less damage, and it needs no lamp, which shortens a December appointment when the diary is full. It also lasts three weeks or more on a client who is not rough with her hands, which covers the gap between a party set and the first working week of January. The honest caveat stays the same as in any season: removal is a soak, so a client who wants a different colour every fortnight is better served by gel.
Clearance inside this collection
A hundred and twenty-three of these jars carry the clearance tag, which is nearly half the page and by far the highest share of any seasonal collection at ND. At ND clearance means the shade sells at its regular wholesale price until the stock is gone and is not reordered; there is no markdown attached to the tag. For a dip wall that matters because dip clients rebook the same shade rather than changing it, so any jar that sits on a regular client should be bought in pairs or matched to a restocked neighbour now rather than in January.
Shades that are not only winter
At ND many jars carry more than one season tag, and on this page 60 are also tagged for summer, 46 for fall, and 36 for spring. Those crossovers are where the year-round depth belongs: a red, a French white, and a milky nude are used every month, while a green glitter has a six-week run. The seasonal groupings on the page, Christmas, Sparkle, and Bridal, are the ones to buy shallow and display prominently, because their job is to make the wall look current rather than to carry the bookings.
Sizes and storage
The 1 oz jar suits a shade with a short window, which is most of the glitter on this page, and the 1.5 oz suits the reds, whites, and nudes that run all year. Store everything sealed, upright, away from the acetone shelf and away from radiators, since winter heating dries a room and then condensation returns it, and powder takes on damp either way. Pour into a tray rather than dipping a client's finger into the house jar, sift the unused powder back, and keep the working jars out of the pedicure area.
Removal after the party season
January is removal month, and a dip set that has been worn for four or five weeks over the holidays needs time rather than force. File through the top layer so acetone can reach the powder, wrap for ten to fifteen minutes, and push the softened product away with a wood stick; if it does not move, wrap again rather than scraping, because a plate that is scraped in January stays thin until the spring. Where a client has worn a deep red or a glitter for weeks, a buff and a few days of cuticle oil clear any residual tint faster than anything harsher.
It is also the appointment where a salon should look at the nail underneath rather than just rebooking the same service. A client whose plate is thin after a season of back-to-back sets is better served by a break with a strengthening treatment than by another full set, and offering that honestly is what keeps her booking for the rest of the year.
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 $75+, and in-stock jars ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.