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Aprés at DTK: gel colour first, extensions second

Most people know Aprés for Gel-X, the soft gel tip extension system. At DTK the larger half of the Aprés range is actually gel colour: more than 250 Gel Couleur gel polish listings, each a single 0.5 oz bottle with its own shade number. The rest of this page is the Gel-X side of the brand: tip boxes in Natural, Sculpted and Ombré curves, refill bags by size, 14-bag sets, Extend Gel, the two prep liquids and the extension kit.

Because the two halves are made to work together, a salon that runs Gel-X sets can keep the colour on the same brand. Aprés notes that Gel Couleur goes straight onto a Gel-X tip with no base coat, while natural nails get a base first. If you only want one side of the range, the narrower pages are quicker: the Gel Couleur colour library holds the gel polish alone, and the Gel-X pages below hold the tips.

What Gel Couleur is

Gel Couleur is the Aprés gel polish line. Aprés describes it as a highly pigmented, medium-viscosity pure gel that covers in one or two thin coats, cures in about 30 seconds per coat under an LED lamp, and leaves no tacky layer after curing. Each bottle carries the Brush-X applicator, a dense, compact brush that Aprés compares to a Japanese nail art brush, so the same bottle works for a full colour set and for detail lines.

On formula, Aprés lists the reformulated Gel Couleur as HEMA-free and TPO-free. Bottles from older production may predate the change, so read the label on the bottle you receive if HEMA matters to a client. HEMA-free also does not mean zero reaction risk: other acrylates can still cause a reaction, so a patch test is the sensible step for a client with a history of sensitivity.

How the Gel Couleur numbers are organised

Every listing title carries a code, and the code tells you which part of the range you are looking at:

The colour named on each listing comes from the product data, and screens show colour differently, so check a swatch against the client's skin before a full set. Two core basics sit outside the numbered runs: Super White, which Aprés describes as its most opaque white for French lines and chrome bases, and a matching black.

Light & Shadow: forty sheers in four seasons

Light & Shadow is the sheer side of Gel Couleur. Aprés built it as 40 buildable shades split into four seasonal groups of ten, and the shade numbers follow the seasons:

• 401 to 410, Spring: soft pinks and peachy nudes.
• 501 to 510, Summer: seafoam greens, cool blues and rosy pinks.
• 601 to 610, Fall: deep wines and browns.
• 701 to 710, Winter: barely-there beiges and smoky greys.

One coat gives a light tint and two or more build a milkier, richer colour, so a single bottle covers both a natural look and a fuller one. Aprés formulates Light & Shadow without HEMA and lists it as vegan and cruelty-free; it cures in 30 seconds per layer under LED and pairs with Gel-X tips. All forty have their own page in the Light and Shadow sheer gels.

Choosing Aprés colour for your menu

• Clean, natural sets: start with the N nudes and the Spring and Winter sheers; they read well over a Gel-X tip.
• Bright summer bookings: the 200s carry most of the strong pinks, oranges and blues.
• Autumn and earthy palettes: the 300s add greens, browns and greys, and the Fall sheers add wine tones. The seasonal edit sits in Aprés fall gel colours.
• Accent nails and party sets: the G glitter shades layer over any opaque colour.
• Nail art lines: Super White for French smiles and graphic lines; the Brush-X brush handles the detail.

Applying Gel Couleur

1. Prep: push back the cuticle, remove oils, buff lightly and cleanse the nail.
2. Base on natural nails: apply the Aprés Base Gelcoat or another approved base and cure as instructed. On a Gel-X tip, skip the base and go straight to colour.
3. First coat: one thin layer, cap the free edge, cure 30 seconds under LED.
4. Second coat: repeat if the shade needs more opacity; sheers can take more layers.
5. Top: seal with the Aprés Non-Wipe Top Gelcoat and cure. There is nothing to wipe afterwards.
6. Aftercare: cuticle oil, and ask the client to avoid heavy impact for the first 12 to 24 hours.

Pro tip: because the formula is highly pigmented, thinner coats look smoother and cure more reliably than one heavy coat. With proper prep and this sequence, Aprés expects two to three weeks of wear on natural nails. A lamp that holds a steady 30-second LED cycle helps; see LED lamps for short cures.

The Gel-X side of the range

Gel-X is the full-coverage, soak-off soft gel tip system: each tip is 100 percent soft gel rather than ABS plastic, bonded to the natural nail with Extend Gel, flash-cured, then fully cured under the lamp. The Gel-X listings here are:

• Tip boxes in Natural, Sculpted and Ombré curves and several lengths.
• Refill bags of a single size, and 14-bag sets that cover one shape and length.
• Extend Gel in the gold bottle, in 15, 30 and 45 mL.
• pH Bonder and Non-Acidic Gel Primer, the two prep steps before Extend Gel.
• The Gel-X Nail Extension Kit (Black), with the liquids, a small LED lamp and a file in one case; tips are chosen separately.

The detail on curves, sizes, bag counts and how a set goes on is covered on stocking the Gel-X system. To browse tips by shape and length, use Gel-X tips sorted by shape, and for the wider service set-up across brands, soft gel extension supplies.

Putting colour on a Gel-X set

Aprés designs Gel-X to run with its own Extend Gel, Top Gelcoat and Gel Couleur, so a full service can stay inside one brand from tip to top. Once the tips are bonded and fully cured, the colour coats go on exactly as on a natural nail, minus the base. Two pairings come straight from the Aprés listings:

• Ombré tips: these carry white pigment that fades from clear to opaque white, and Aprés pairs them with its sheer neutral Gel Couleurs, which is where the Light & Shadow Spring and Winter shades fit.
• Clear Natural or Sculpted tips: any opaque shade from the 200s or 300s covers the tip in one or two thin coats, and a glitter shade on top makes an accent nail.

Gel-X sets themselves are rated for three to four weeks or more with proper prep, so the colour and the extension can be planned around the same appointment cycle.

When Gel Couleur chips or lifts

Aprés notes that most wear problems come from skipped steps rather than from the gel. The usual causes, and what to change:

• Lifting at the cuticle on natural nails: a missing base. Aprés says natural nails need a base before colour for adhesion.
• Soft or wrinkled colour: coats that were too thick to cure through. Go thinner and cure each coat.
• Chips at the tip: an uncapped free edge, or heavy impact in the first 12 to 24 hours.
• Streaky first coat: normal for the sheers, which are built in layers; add a second thin coat rather than loading the brush.

Keeping a seasonal Aprés shelf

DTK tags each Aprés shade by season, and many shades carry more than one season tag. At the moment the winter and holiday group is the largest, with close to a hundred shades, followed by fall, then spring, then summer. A practical way to stock it: keep the N nudes, Super White and a handful of 200s all year, then rotate one Light & Shadow group of ten per season, since those are already split by season.

Aprés compared with other gel lines

Removal and care

Gel Couleur and Gel-X both soak off in acetone. File away the top shine, soak until the gel softens, then lift it gently rather than scraping or drilling into the natural nail. Keep bottles capped and away from the lamp and sunny windows so the gel in the neck does not thicken. Aprés also warns that the gold print on Light & Shadow labels is not acetone-resistant, so clean those bottles with alcohol instead.

Buying Aprés for a salon

Every Gel Couleur shade is sold as its own bottle, so you can reorder a single number when it runs low. Aprés also packs some shades into named groups, such as sets of ten Light & Shadow sheers per season and five-bottle nude and red bundles; those, along with Gel-X refill sets, are gathered in Aprés sets and bundles. Check each listing for current stock before planning a launch around a specific shade, since some numbers sell through between deliveries.

Related collections

• Aprés Gel Couleur colours The gel polish range on its own page.
• Aprés Light and Shadow The 40 seasonal sheers, numbers 401 to 710.
• Aprés Gel-X system Tips, refill bags, Extend Gel and prep liquids in detail.
• Magnetic cat eye gels Cat eye colours from other brands to pair with Aprés sets.

Related reads

• Aprés Gel Couleur review
• How to do Gel-X nails
• How long Gel-X lasts
• How to tell if a gel polish is HEMA-free