Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the color jars and the cover jars?
Both are the same LAVIS 2-in-1 acrylic and dip powder in a 1.5 oz jar. The color line uses three-digit numbers, 001 to 282, and holds the brights, pastels, glitters, neutrals and deep tones. The Clear & Cover chart uses two-digit numbers, 01 Natural Pink to 48 Dark Beige, plus named basics such as Clear, Natural Pink, Snow White and Milky White. Covers are skin tones worn as a natural overlay or as the bed of a French. Reorder by the full title, because cover 01 and color 001 are different shades.
Can I use the same jar for acrylic and for dip?
Yes. For acrylic, pick up a bead with a brush and the acrylic liquid you already use; it sets in the air. For dip, paint a dip base coat, dip the nail into a tray of powder, then finish with activator and top. Neither method needs a UV or LED lamp. Pour a working amount into a dappen dish or tray for each method, so liquid and base coat never get into the main jar.
What comes in a Part and a Kit?
A color Part is 36 jars of consecutive numbers, from Part 1 (001 to 036) to Part 7 (217 to 252). A cover Kit is 12 cover shades: Kit 1 is 01 to 12, Kit 2 is 13 to 24, Kit 3 is 25 to 36 and Kit 4 is 37 to 48. Each kit listing also sells its shades one at a time from the menu. Buying a whole Part or Kit is the quickest way to put a full block of either chart on the shelf in one order.
Which jars should a pink and white station buy first?
Start with one clear, one bed color and one tip white. Natural Pink or Candy Pink on the bed, Snow White on the tip and Clear over both gives the classic French. Then add the covers that match your clients: Kit 1 for pink nudes, Kit 3 for beiges and Kit 4 for milky whites and deeper nudes. If a shade runs out every week, our 12 oz page carries the same basics in a larger jar.
What is on the LAVIS 1.5oz page?
This page puts every LAVIS Acrylic & Dip Powder jar in the 1.5 oz size in one place. It brings together two LAVIS charts that are usually sold apart: the numbered color line, and the Clear & Cover powders used for pink and white, natural overlays and French beds. Every jar holds the same 2-in-1 powder. Pick it up with acrylic liquid and a brush for sculpted acrylic, or use it as a dip powder over a dip base. Neither method needs a UV or LED lamp.
LAVIS describes the color powder as highly pigmented, smooth and non-yellowing, and the color line is made in the USA. The Clear & Cover powders are sold as base layer or color layer powders, and any LAVIS powder can be mixed with another to build a custom shade. We list the 12 oz jars on their own LAVIS 12oz page and the 5 lb salon tubs on the LAVIS 80oz page.
Two charts on one page
The two charts use different numbers, so it helps to know which is which before you reorder.
- Color line, three digits. The color jars run from 001 to 282, each with a name, for example 138 Refresh or 251 Celadon. Titles read "LAVIS Acrylic 1.5oz" followed by the number and name. This chart holds the brights, pastels, glitters, neutrals and deep tones.
- Clear & Cover, two digits. The 48 numbered cover shades run from 01 Natural Pink to 48 Dark Beige. Titles read "LAVIS Cover Powder 1.5oz". Alongside them sit the named pink and white basics: Clear, Natural Pink, Candy Pink, Snow White, Milky White, Cover Peach, Cover Rose, and shimmers such as Shimmer Baby Pink and Shimmer Bunny White.
Cover 01 is Natural Pink and color 001 is a different shade, so always reorder with the full title, not the number alone. Covers are chosen against the client's skin, while the color line is chosen from a swatch.
Which jars should a salon buy first?
We suggest starting with the jars you open on almost every client. For a pink and white station that means one clear, one bed pink or nude and one tip white from the Clear & Cover side. Natural Pink or Candy Pink on the bed with Snow White on the tip covers the classic look, and Clear seals the smile line.
Next come the covers that match your clients' skin. Kit 1 (01 to 12) holds the pinks and pink nudes, Kit 2 (13 to 24) the whites and sparkle covers, Kit 3 (25 to 36) the beiges and warm nudes, and Kit 4 (37 to 48) the milky whites and deeper nudes. Hold a jar against the side of the finger: the cover that disappears at the sidewall is that client's nude.
Color jars are easiest to add by request. Stock the nudes, reds and the few brights your clients ask for by name, then fill in the chart one block at a time with the Parts below.
Parts and kits
- Color Parts 1 to 7. Each Part is 36 jars of consecutive color numbers, from Part 1 (001 to 036) to Part 7 (217 to 252). A Part puts a whole block of the chart on the shelf in one order.
- Cover Kits 1 to 4. Each kit listing holds 12 cover shades. Choose the full kit from the menu, or pick a single shade from the same listing.
How do you sculpt acrylic with these jars?
The jars cover the powder only, so pair them with the acrylic liquid you already use and follow that liquid's directions. The order below is the standard one.
- Prep. Push back the cuticle, remove the shine from the nail plate, wipe clean, and fit a tip or form if you are extending.
- Apex bead. Pick up a medium bead and place it at the stress area. Press it into shape before it starts to set.
- Free edge. Place a second bead toward the tip and draw it out to length. For a French, this is where the white goes.
- Cuticle area. Lay a small, thin bead near the cuticle and keep it off the skin. Product on the skin is where lifting starts.
- Finish. Once the acrylic has set hard, file, shape, buff and seal with your usual top coat.
Pour a working amount into a dappen dish or small jar instead of dipping a wet brush into the 1.5 oz jar. Liquid in the jar makes the powder clump. Brushes for each step are on our Brush page.
Dipping from a 1.5 oz jar
The same jars work as dip powder with any dip base, activator and top coat. Pour a working amount into a tray, so base coat never touches the main jar.
- Prep the nail plate the same way as for acrylic.
- Base and dip. Paint a thin layer of dip base, dip at an angle and tap off the excess. For a French, dip only the tip into the white first.
- Build. Repeat with thin layers until the nail reaches the thickness you want.
- Activate and finish. Apply activator, file and shape, apply activator again, then top coat.
Liquids for each step are on our Dip Essentials page, and our dip powder thickness guide explains how to keep a dip set slim.
Storage and reorders
- Keep the lid on. Close each jar between clients so dust, filings and moisture stay out.
- Separate acrylic and dip. Use one working jar for each method, so liquid and base coat never meet in the same powder.
- Shelve by chart. Keep the color numbers in order on one shelf and the covers, pinks and whites together on another.
- Reorder by full title. The two charts share some numbers, so the title tells you which jar you mean.
- Out of reach of children. Store the jars closed, dry and away from the lamp and other heat.

