Pro Nail Essentials: Base, Top, Liquids & Tools for Salon Pros | DTK Nail Supply

What sits on this back-bar page

Colour gets the attention, but every service at the desk also runs on the bottles behind it: the base that grips the nail, the top that seals the work, the liquid that sets a dip layer and the monomer that turns powder into a bead. This page collects those working liquids and gels in one place, from several brands, so a salon can restock the back bar in a single order instead of hunting through each brand page.

The grid holds four groups. The largest two are dip liquids and base and top gels, with roughly a hundred listings each. A smaller group covers acrylic liquids and primers, and a short list of glues and sealer gels rounds it out. Use the filters beside the grid to narrow by brand, product type or availability, because stock moves quickly on the most-used bottles.

Dip liquids, brand by brand

A dip system is a set of liquids that work as a sequence: a bond or prep step, a base that grabs the powder, a sealer or activator that hardens the dipped layers, a top that seals the finish and, in several systems, a brush saver to keep the applicator clean. Each brand numbers and names those steps its own way, so read the label of the system you use and keep the whole sequence from one brand. The pages for the dip liquids, sorted by system and the powders these liquids are built for carry the full range.

SNS

SNS liquids come in 2 oz bottles, including the Gel Base, Sealer Dry and Gel Top steps of the SNS dip system. Pair them with SNS powder and follow the order printed on each bottle.

LDS

The LDS dip system is numbered from #1 to #5: #1 E.A Bond, #2 Base Coat, #3 Sealer Dry, #4 Top Coat and #5 Brush Saver. The base coat also comes as a 2 oz refill, which suits a station that goes through base faster than the other steps.

DND DC

DND DC Dipping Essentials are 0.5 oz bottles numbered #1 Bonder, #2 Base Gel, #3 Activator and #4 Top Gel. Check each listing before ordering, because the four steps do not always restock together.

Kiara Sky and Gelish

Kiara Sky and Gelish dip liquids also sit in this grid. Several of their bottles run low at times, so confirm the full set of steps is in stock before planning a dip menu around them.

Base and top gels for gel services

Base and top are the two layers clients never see and always feel. The base anchors colour to the nail plate, and the top locks it in and sets the shine. A no-wipe top cures without a sticky layer, so there is nothing to wipe off before the client leaves. Lay both in thin coats and cap the free edge on every layer: thick layers cure unevenly, and that is where chipping and peeling start.

HEMA-free options from A'DOR

A'DOR sells its Drip Gloss base and top in 0.4 oz bottles, as a set or singly, labelled HEMA-free, and a Diamond Top Coat in 0.5 oz labelled HEMA and TPO free. A'DOR presents its gel system as HEMA-free; even so, a client who has reacted before should have a patch test first. The full A'DOR gel and nail art line shows the colours these coats are made for.

LAVIS chrome base and matte tops

LAVIS makes a Chrome Base in 0.5 oz as the foundation under chrome powder, plus a Chrome Matte Top and a classic Matte Top. If chrome is on your menu, the base and the powder go together; see chrome powders that go over this base. For the rest of the brand, browse LAVIS gel, builder and chrome lines, and for colour to lay over these coats, LAVIS colour to finish over these coats.

Pro-volume and system pairs

KUPA Gelfinity base and top come in 8 oz bottles for refilling a chair bottle, alongside 0.5 oz base, top and matte top bottles. DND DC sells its Base #800 and Top #900 No-Cleanse as a pair, and the numbered DND, DC and DIVA pairs have their own page: numbered DND base and top pairs. Chaun Legend offers a Non-Wipe Top and Base duo, Aprés sells its Base Gel Coat and Non-Wipe Glossy Top Gel Coat in 0.5 oz, and OPI's Intelli-Gel Super Gloss No Wipe Top Coat is here for OPI services. For a strengthening layer under colour, LDS Gel Strengthener (0.5 oz) adds a flexible reinforcement for thin or peeling natural nails. Every brand's coats in one view sit on the cross-brand base and top shelf.

Acrylic liquids and primers

Acrylic powder needs a liquid to form a bead, and the monomers on this page are labelled EMA. Most brands say their own liquid gives the best result with their own powder, so if you work in one brand's powder, start with that brand's liquid. The monomer and prep liquid shelf and acrylic powder to pair with these liquids carry the rest of the system.

• EMA monomers: Mia Secret in 8, 16 and 32 oz, V Beauty Pure in 8 and 32 oz, Kiara Sky in 16 oz, CND Retention Sculpting Liquid from 4 oz up to a gallon, Young Nails liquid in 6 and 32 oz, and LAVIS UV Liquid EMA by the gallon.
• Acid-free primers and bonds: Mia Secret XTRABOND (0.5 and 1 oz), V Beauty Pure Super Bond and Nail Prep Dehydrator, and Young Nails Protein Bond (0.25 and 0.5 oz).
• pH balancing for gel: OPI Bond Aid, a 30 mL acid-free prep step made for the OPI gel system.
• Acid primer for problem lifters: No Lift Nail Primer, a methacrylic acid primer in a 22 mL bottle, meant for clients who still lift after acid-free primer. Apply it paper-thin to the nail plate only and keep it off the skin.

Acrylic sets without a lamp: the bead air-sets on the nail. Odor and set speed vary by liquid, so test a new liquid on a practice tip before switching a whole station over. Brushes, dappen dishes and other extras live in the acrylic station extras.

Glues, sealers and stone gels

Two LAVIS nail glues cover tips and repairs: the Extra Strong 3 Seconds glue in a 16.5 g bottle and the Extra Strong 3-Second Bond for tips and repairs. For embellishments, LDS Sealer Glue Gel (15 ml) is a UV/LED gel that sets stones and seals edges, and LDS Rhinestone Gel (15 ml) is a thicker UV/LED gel made to hold crystals and charms in place while they cure. Glue is for tips and quick repairs; the gels are for stones that need to survive weeks of wear.

The four groups compared

How to stock a back bar from this page

1. List your services. Write down which of gel, dip and acrylic you actually offer each week; only stock the groups you use.
2. Pick one system per service. Choose one dip brand and one acrylic liquid and keep their full sequence together, rather than mixing steps across brands.
3. Match the base and top to your colour line. Use the coats made for the gel you wear most, and keep a no-wipe top as the default finish.
4. Buy volume where it moves. Pro sizes such as 8 oz gel refills, 2 oz dip refills and gallon monomer suit stations that empty a brush bottle every week; decant into a labelled chair bottle.
5. Keep one problem-solver. An acid-free primer for most clients and one stronger primer for the few who still lift covers most prep situations.
6. Add the small helpers. A nail glue for repairs and a stone gel for embellished sets save a lot of rebooking.

Prep that protects wear

Lifting often traces back to prep rather than to the bottle. Push back and clean the cuticle area, shape the nail, remove the shine from the plate, cleanse and dehydrate, then apply a thin layer of primer and let it air-dry before the base or the first bead. Keep primer and base off the skin and the sidewalls. On gel services, thin coats and a capped free edge on every layer do more for wear than an extra coat ever will.

Cure gel layers under a lamp suited to the brand you use; the lamps for curing base and top layers compare lamp types and power side by side. For long structured sets, builder jars for structure under colour add strength under the colour.

Storage and handling

• Cap every liquid straight after use and store it upright, away from heat and sunlight.
• Keep gel bottles away from the lamp and from windows, since stray UV can thicken gel in the neck of the bottle.
• Store monomer in a cool, dark place and work with good ventilation at the station.
• Label decanted chair bottles with the product name and brand so steps from different systems never get mixed.

Related collections

• Dip liquids, sorted by system Bond, base, activator and top for each dip brand.
• The cross-brand base and top shelf Base, top and matte coats from every gel brand.
• Monomer and prep liquid shelf EMA liquids, dehydrators and primers.
• Lamps for curing base and top layers LED and UV lamps for gel services.

Related reads

• What nail monomer is: EMA vs MMA
• Choosing a nail primer for acrylic
• How to prep nails for long-lasting gel
• Comparing nail dipping systems