Do I need a separate lamp for soft gel extensions?

You need a lamp to cure the bonding gel. Many techs flash-cure each tip with a small single-finger lamp and then cure the whole hand in a full-size LED or UV lamp. The LAVIS kits include a mini desktop lamp that runs on plug-in or USB power; if you buy LAVIS Set 4 or Aprés liquids on their own, use the lamp you already have.

Should I use LAVIS Soft Gel Tip Adhesive or Aprés Extend Gel?

Both bond soft gel tips well. The LAVIS adhesive is smoother and described as beginner-friendly, cures in about 60 to 90 seconds depending on the lamp, and works with most tip brands. Extend Gel is thicker and gives more control while you place the tip. Retention depends mostly on prep, so choose the texture you work with best.

Are Gel-X tips the same as LAVIS or LDS soft gel tips?

Gel-X is the Aprés soft gel extension system, and only Aprés tips carry that name. LAVIS and LDS also make full-cover soft gel tips that are bonded and cured the same way. The fit differs by brand and shape, so size each client's nails with the tips you plan to use before bonding.

How long do soft gel extensions last and how are they removed?

With correct prep, a set typically lasts about three to four weeks or more. A new set is usually applied rather than a fill, because the tip already carries its apex. To remove, break the top seal, soak in acetone, then lift the softened tips gently without scraping or drilling, and finish with cuticle oil.

Gel-X Nail Kit - Professional Gel-X Extensions & Starter Sets

Q: What comes in a LAVIS soft gel tip and lamp kit?

Each kit listing contains a LAVIS full-cover soft gel tip box in the shape named in the title, LAVIS Gel Polish Base Coat, Matte Top, Soft Gel Tip Adhesive and Protein Bond and Primer in 0.5 oz bottles, and the LAVIS Mini Desktop Nail Lamp. You choose the lamp colour, rose gold or silver, as the variant. Extra shapes can be added later as separate tip boxes or 100-piece refills.

Everything to put together a soft gel extension kit: 150+ products across LAVIS tip and lamp kits, LAVIS Set 4 gels, Aprés Gel-X tips, Extend Gel and primer, LDS tip boxes and cure lamps. Free shipping on qualifying orders.

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What a soft gel extension kit has to cover

A soft gel extension is a full-coverage tip made of soft gel, bonded to the natural nail with a gel that cures under a lamp and removed later by soaking. Whatever brand you choose, a working kit covers five jobs: preparing the nail so the bond holds, a bonding gel, the tips themselves in enough sizes to fit every finger, a lamp to cure the bond, and a base and top to finish. This page collects the pieces for all five, so you can buy one ready-made kit or assemble your own from parts you already trust.

It holds four groups of products: LAVIS kits that pair a tip box with a mini desktop lamp and four gels, LAVIS bonding and finishing gels including Set 4, Aprés Gel-X tips with the Aprés liquids that go with them, and LDS soft gel tip boxes. Two cure lamps sit alongside them. Use the filters beside the grid to narrow by type, availability or price.

Three ways to build a kit at DTK

Route	What you buy	What it already includes	Good for
LAVIS tip and lamp kit	One listing per tip shape	A LAVIS tip box, Base Coat, Matte Top, Soft Gel Tip Adhesive, Protein Bond and Primer, and a mini desktop lamp in rose gold or silver	A first kit in a single order
LAVIS Set 4 plus tips	Set 4, a tip box of your choice and your own lamp	Base, Diamond Top, Protein Bond and Primer, Soft Gel Tip Adhesive, 0.5 oz each	Techs who already own a lamp
Aprés Gel-X components	Extend Gel, Non-Acidic Gel Primer, Gel-X tip boxes, base and top	Each piece sold on its own listing	Salons standardising on the Gel-X system

LDS tip boxes fit any of the three routes as the tip part: pair them with the LAVIS adhesive or with Extend Gel.

LAVIS tip and mini lamp kits

Each LAVIS kit is one listing named after its tip shape, with two lamp colours as variants. According to the kit listings, the box contains a LAVIS full-cover soft gel tip box, LAVIS Gel Polish Base Coat, Matte Top, Soft Gel Tip Adhesive and Protein Bond and Primer in 0.5 oz bottles, and the LAVIS Mini Desktop Nail Lamp. Shapes on offer include almond, coffin, oval, square, squoval and stiletto, from extra-extra-short to long, in clear, half buffed or full etched finishes. Pick the shape you book most often; you can add more shapes later as separate tip boxes.

The mini desktop lamp is a single-finger lamp that sits on the table, runs on plug-in or USB power, and cures a nail in roughly 30 to 60 seconds according to its listing. It suits tip placement and detail work, while the full cure of the hand happens in a full-size lamp.

Bonding gels and prep liquids

LAVIS Soft Gel Tip Adhesive: a brush-in-bottle gel that cures under UV or LED, typically 60 to 90 seconds depending on the lamp, and leaves a tacky layer you do not wipe. It is described as smooth and beginner-friendly and works with most tip brands.
Aprés Extend Gel: the bonding gel of the Gel-X system, in gold bottles of 15, 30 and 45 mL. It is thicker and gives more control during placement.
LAVIS Protein Bond and Primer: an acid-free primer that air-dries before the adhesive goes on.
Aprés Non-Acidic Gel Primer: the second Gel-X prep step after the pH Bonder. It leaves a tacky surface that helps the tip grip.
LAVIS Set 4: Base, Diamond Top, Protein Bond and Primer and Soft Gel Tip Adhesive together in one listing.

Both bonding gels hold well. The difference is how they feel during placement, and retention depends far more on prep than on which bottle you choose. For oily or lifting-prone nails, a builder gel from a jar is another way to bond the tip.

Tips: Gel-X, LAVIS and LDS

Aprés Gel-X tips come in a Natural line, flatter with less C curve for flatter nail beds, and a Sculpted line with a more curved, universal fit. A Natural box holds 50 tips in each of 10 sizes, and boxes marked 600 Pcs hold 14 sizes. Ombré Gel-X tips fade from clear to opaque white. To browse every Gel-X shape and length side by side, choose tips by nail shape; for single sizes, see Aprés Gel-X refills and boxes.

LAVIS boxes list 10, 12, 14 or 15 sizes depending on the shape, and the half-matte tips have a textured inside, so you skip filing inside the tip. Single sizes come in LAVIS 100-piece refills. LDS boxes hold 600 tips across 12 sizes, coded 01 to 27 by shape, length and finish: clear, half matte, matte (pre-etched), tapered and toe tips. Browse them in LDS 600-piece tip boxes.

Lamps for curing the bond

Soft gel extensions are usually flash-cured finger by finger to fix the tip in place, then fully cured with the whole hand. Two lamps sit on this page: the LAVIS Mini Desktop Nail Lamp for single-finger work, and the Gelish Touch LED Light, a plug-in lamp with a touch-control timer. For more choices see handheld flash cure lamps and full-hand cure lamps.

Putting a first set on with your kit

Prep: push back the cuticle, remove the shine, clean and dehydrate, then apply your bonder or primer.
Size: lay out a tip for every finger before you open the bonding gel, checking the fit from sidewall to sidewall; the half sizes in some ranges help with in-between nails.
Bond: a thin layer of adhesive or Extend Gel inside the tip, kept away from the cuticle.
Place and flash: press the tip on at a low angle, hold it and flash-cure.
Full cure: cure the whole hand in your full-size lamp.
Finish: shape the free edge, add colour if you want it, then a no-wipe top.

For the full service in detail, including etching and aftercare, follow the step-by-step soft gel service guide.

Which kit for which buyer

Home studio or first extension service: one LAVIS tip and lamp kit in your most-booked shape covers everything in one order.
Salon with lamps already in place: LAVIS Set 4 plus two or three tip shapes keeps the gels together and lets you choose tips freely.
Salon running the Gel-X system: Extend Gel, Non-Acidic Gel Primer, Aprés base and top gel, and Gel-X boxes in the shapes your clients ask for.
High-volume tip use: LDS 600-piece boxes keep a single shape stocked for a long time.

If you want colour that pairs with Gel-X tips, the Aprés Gel Couleur colors page covers the matching gel polish.

Wear, removal and restocking

With correct prep, a soft gel extension set lasts about three to four weeks or more. When it grows out, a new set is the usual route rather than a fill, because the tip carries a built-in apex. To remove, break the top seal, soak in acetone and lift the softened tips gently, without scraping or drilling. Restock tips by size as you see which ones you use most; refills and single-shape boxes make that easy without buying a whole new kit.