How does cat eye nail polish work?

Cat eye gel polish holds fine magnetic particles in the colour. When you hold a magnet close to the wet gel, the particles gather into a line, halo or wave of light. Curing the gel locks that light in place, so the effect shifts as the hand moves. Without a magnet the line will not form. Removal is the same as other soak-off gel: buff the top, soak in acetone and lift gently.

Do I need a magnet for cat eye gel?

Yes. The magnet is what creates the effect, so it is part of the system, not an extra. Hold it at about 45 degrees, 1 to 2 mm from the nail, for 5 to 10 seconds over a wet coat. Round, bar and stick magnets give different shapes, and shaped tools can draw hearts or flowers.

What is the best way to apply cat eye gel?

Cure a thin first coat for 30 seconds, then apply a second thin coat and leave it wet. Bring the magnet in until the line forms, cure fully for 60 seconds, and seal with a glossy top coat. A dark base such as a super black gel underneath makes the line stand out more.

Which cat eye set should a salon start with?

A LAVIS CE collection gives 12 shades in one palette, which is an easy start for a seasonal menu. A LAVIS C set gives 24 shades of one cat eye story for a full display. LDS Universal shades layer over gel colours a salon already owns, so they stretch an existing wall without buying a whole new range. Whichever you choose, add at least one magnet and a glossy top coat to the order.

Is cat eye gel HEMA-free?

It depends on the line. LAVIS lists all of its cat eye collections as HEMA-free. Other cat eye lines carry their own labels, so read the listing before booking a client who reacts to HEMA. HEMA-free gel still is not a guarantee against every reaction, so a patch test remains the safest step.

Cat Eye Gel Polish | Magnetic Velvet & Galaxy Nail Art

Magnetic cat eye gel polish from LAVIS, LDS and SNS Pro: 600+ single shades and sets, from the LAVIS CE1 to CE18 collections to 24-colour C sets. Add a magnet and Diamond Top, with free shipping on qualifying orders.

Learn More About This Collection

What cat eye gel is, and what this page holds

Cat eye gel is a soak-off gel polish with fine magnetic particles suspended in the colour. Hold a magnet close to the wet gel and the particles gather into a bright line, a halo, a wave or diagonal rays, depending on the magnet and the angle. Once the gel is cured the light is locked in place, and it shifts as the hand moves, which is why clients ask for it by name.

This page brings together every cat eye line in the DTK catalogue: the LAVIS CE collections of 12 shades, the LAVIS 24-colour C cat eye sets, seasonal LAVIS sets such as Velvet Glow, Velvet Ember and Amber Crystal, the LDS Universal and Fruit cat eye ranges, and the SNS Pro Twinkle sets of 24. Most shades are sold one bottle at a time in 0.5 oz, and most collections are also sold as a full set. Use the filters beside the grid to narrow by colour, availability, price or product type.

LAVIS CE collections: 12 shades per collection

The CE line is the core of the LAVIS cat eye range. Each CE number is a themed palette of 12 magnetic shades, and several numbers have a second palette marked Ver2 on the listing. LAVIS describes CE7 Villain Era and CE10 Beauty Bureau as its 9D shades, the most intense cat eye effect in the line.

Collection	The look	Season it suits
CE1 Cozy Cashmere	Creamy nudes and warm latte tones	Fall into spring
CE2 Under The Sea	Aqua, teal and deep ocean shades	Spring and summer
CE3 Tropical Candy	Juicy citrus brights	Summer
CE4 Fairy Tale	Coloured cat eye in a jelly gel, rich jewel tones	All year
CE5 Ver2 A Breath of Spring	Soft pastels, petal pinks and milky greens	Spring
CE6 Ver2 Prism Pop	Glassy cat eye with prism sparkle	Spring and summer
CE7 Villain Era	Deep emerald and noir metallics, a 9D shade set	Fall, winter, Halloween
CE8 Hidden Treasures	Glittery emerald, ruby and amethyst	Holidays and all year
CE9 Ver2 Cabin Fever	Warm, earthy neutrals	All year
CE10 Ver2 Beauty Bureau	Ornament reds, greens, gold and royal blue, a 9D shade set	Winter into spring
CE11 Enchanted Spell	Soft aurora bases with a silver line	Fall
CE13 to CE15	Multicolour galaxy shimmer, Christmas glitter, gothic metallics	Holiday and party
CE16 to CE18	Galaxy shades: dual line, deep space, halo	All year, galaxy nails

The galaxy group is worth knowing well: CE16 Double Vision forms two magnetic lines at once, CE17 Stellar Shift carries a deep space palette with shimmer that moves like light through a nebula, and CE18 Galactic Halo wraps the nail in layered light. See them in the CE17 Stellar Shift shades, or browse every CE number in LAVIS cat eye gel.

LAVIS C cat eye sets: 24 colours in one box

When a salon wants a whole wall of one effect, the C sets are the bigger format: 24 bottles of one cat eye story, also sold as singles. The cat eye C sets in this collection are C09 Morning Dewdrop (jelly cat eye in nude, pink, purple and blue), C10 Light of Dawn (a light gold, water-light effect on soft pastels), C11 Mystic Veil, C12 Candy Quartz (sweet tones with a smooth line that suits almost everyone), C13 Hallowed Solstice (dark and moody for fall and winter), C14 Secret Garden (pastels with an effect so smooth it reads without a bright base), C15 Gilded Aura (golden shimmer on rich bases) and C16 Honey Eclipse (rose, honey and amber). Start with C12 Candy Quartz or C14 Secret Garden for colours that sell across the year.

Seasonal LAVIS sets

Velvet Glow and Velvet Ember: two 12-shade sets, Glow for Christmas and New Year, Ember for fall. Each set listing names its gifts, a sample colour board and a magnet.
Amber Crystal: six warm, deep shades with high-density magnetic pigment and a crystal-like shine, sold as singles and as a set of 6 in the Amber Crystal collection.
Edits listings: LAVIS groups full CE sets by theme on one listing, for example Galaxy Edits, which offers the CE4, CE12, CE16, CE17 and CE18 sets as options, alongside Luxe Edits and Holiday Edits.

Reading a cat eye listing: the CE number tells you the collection, the two digits after it tell you the shade, and Ver1 or Ver2 tells you which of the two palettes that number belongs to, since a CE number with two versions holds two different sets of colours. Set listings say how many bottles are inside, and some name free gifts such as a sample colour board or a magnet. When you reorder a single shade, match all three parts, collection, shade and version, so the colour on the new bottle is the one your client chose.

LDS and SNS Pro cat eye

LDS makes two cat eye ranges. The LDS Universal cat eye shades run RB01 to RB12, from crystal clear to silver, gold and copper light; they can be worn alone or layered over another gel colour, including black, to change the look. The Midnight Merry set packs RB01 to RB12 as a holiday edition. The LDS Fruit cat eye range pairs juicy, fruit-inspired colours with cat eye shimmer for summer sets.

SNS Pro adds two boxed sets, Crystal Twinkle and Diamond Twinkle, each with 24 magnetic gels numbered 01 to 24 and a 24-colour card for the counter.

How to choose a cat eye line

You want the widest choice of palettes: the LAVIS CE collections, 12 shades at a time, by season or mood.
You want one effect across a full wall: a LAVIS C set of 24.
You want a line that works over any colour you already stock: LDS Universal, layered over black or a base shade.
You are building a holiday menu: Velvet Glow, CE10 Ver2 Beauty Bureau, CE13 to CE18 and the Midnight Merry set.
A client asks for HEMA-free: stay with LAVIS cat eye collections, which LAVIS lists as HEMA-free; for other lines, read the label on the listing.

Cat eye lines compared

Line	Bottle	Shades per set	Effect	Good for
LAVIS CE	0.5 oz	12	Themed palettes, galaxy and 9D shades	Seasonal menus, most variety
LAVIS C sets	0.5 oz	24	One cat eye story per set	Full shade walls
LDS Universal	0.5 oz	12	Clear to metallic light, layerable	Turning any gel into a cat eye
LDS Fruit	Single bottles	Sold by shade	Bright fruit colours with shimmer	Summer sets
SNS Pro Twinkle	Boxed set	24 plus colour card	Crystal or diamond sparkle	Counter display

How to apply cat eye gel

Prep and base: prep the nail and cure your base gel as usual. For the brightest line, apply a dark base such as LAVIS Super Black first; a dark background makes the light band stand out.
First colour coat: apply one thin coat of cat eye gel and cure it for 30 seconds.
Second coat, left wet: apply a second thin coat and do not cure it yet.
Magnet: hold the magnet at about 45 degrees, 1 to 2 mm from the nail, for 5 to 10 seconds until the line forms.
Cure: cure fully for 60 seconds.
Top: seal with Diamond Top and cure. A glossy top protects the effect and keeps the line sharp.

Pro tip: if the line looks blurry, the magnet was too far away; bring it closer. If the line will not move, the gel was laid on too thick; use a thinner coat. And if no line forms at all, the coat was cured before the magnet went in.

Magnets, base and top

A cat eye gel cannot form its line without a magnet, so every station needs one. The cat eye magnets collection holds round, bar, stick and shaped magnets that create lines, hearts, flowers and stripes. Finish every cat eye set with a glossy top coat, and keep a dark base and a clear base on hand; base and top gels for every line are in base and top gels. Cure with any UV/LED lamp from our nail lamp range.

HEMA and cat eye gel

LAVIS lists all of its cat eye collections as HEMA-free. That is a statement about the LAVIS cat eye line only; other cat eye lines on this page carry their own labels, so read each listing before you book a client who reacts to HEMA. HEMA-free gel is not a guarantee against every reaction, and a patch test is still the safest step. For every HEMA-free line we carry, see HEMA-free and TPO-free gel polish.

A cat eye calendar for the salon

Spring: CE5 Ver2 A Breath of Spring, CE6 Ver2 Prism Pop, C10 Light of Dawn.
Summer: CE3 Tropical Candy and the LDS Fruit shades.
Fall: CE1 Cozy Cashmere, CE7 Villain Era, CE15 Fangtastic, Velvet Ember, Amber Crystal.
Holiday: CE10 Ver2 Beauty Bureau, CE13 to CE18, Velvet Glow and LDS Midnight Merry.

Removal works like any soak-off gel: buff the surface to break the top coat, soak in acetone, then lift the softened gel gently. LAVIS shades also sit alongside the rest of the brand in the full LAVIS range.