Collection: LAVIS Cat Eye CE5 (Ver2) - A Breath Of Spring Collection

What is Lavis Cat Eye CE5 Ver2 A Breath Of Spring?

CE5 A Breath Of Spring is the fifth drop in the Lavis Cat Eye series, 12 magnetic gel colors in one palette. A soft-spoken spring palette: milky pastels, petal pinks, delicate peach blossoms and jelly nudes, each with a quiet magnetic line. It is the Ver2 refresh of the fifth drop, and Lavis describes one of its nudes as reading like second skin.

All 12 are formulated without HEMA and without TPO, come in the standard 0.5 fl oz (15 mL) salon bottle, and cure in 60 to 90 seconds under a UV/LED lamp. Lavis states they are made in California. We carry the drop as 12 singles and as one set that holds all of them.

The 12 shades, as singles or the full set

Each single is one bottle, numbered CE5-01 through CE5-12, and every one shares the same magnetic base. The CE5 A Breath Of Spring set listing has a Style selector, so it doubles as a second way to buy any single shade or to take the Full 12 Colors option and put the whole drop on the wall at once.

Each code links to its own page with swatch photos; the short description is Lavis's own note on the shade. Screens shift a shade more than a swatch does, so if a client is between two codes, swatch both on a tip before committing.

Who is CE5 A Breath Of Spring for?

Lavis pitches this drop for spring. In the salon it tends to book for:

• Spring and Easter bookings: pastels with a hidden effect instead of flat pastel color.
• Bridal and baby-shower sets: the petal pinks and milky tones are the safest cat eye for a formal event.
• Clients who find cat eye too flashy: a pastel line reads as a soft glow rather than a metallic streak.
• Nude French alternatives: the jelly nudes work as a French base with a magnetized tip.

Within the series, CE1 Cozy Cashmere is the warmer nude drop, CE13 Ver2 Moonlit Mirage the ceramic-milky one.

How do you apply Lavis CE5 cat eye gel?

1. Prep. Cuticles back, a light buff to take the shine off, then a clean wipe. Cure a thin coat of gel base from Base & Top Gel.
2. Color bed. One thin coat of CE5 A Breath Of Spring, cured 60 seconds, no magnet. This coat gives the second one something to sit on.
3. Magnet coat. A fuller second coat. While it is wet, hold the magnet about 2 mm over the nail for three to five seconds without touching the gel. The line forms where the field is strongest.
4. Cure at once. Under the lamp within a second or two of lifting the magnet, one nail at a time, then a full 60 to 90 second cure for the hand.
5. Seal. Glossy gel top, cured. The streak is locked inside the color; Lavis quotes up to 21 days of wear with proper prep and a top coat.

Magnets are sold separately in our Magnet collection. Lamps and prep tools are under Nail Tools & Accessories.

Straight, diagonal or double: where the magnet goes

The magnet position decides the look. Centered and lengthwise gives the straight cat eye; tilted, a diagonal streak; a curved-edge magnet or a straight one held with one end closer bends the line. Two short passes with a flash cure between them give a double line, and a flat hold over the whole nail spreads the pigment into a glow.

For more contrast, cure a coat of a dark solid from SNS Gel Only under CE5 A Breath Of Spring first. Over its own base the shade keeps more of its color; over black the line reads strongest.

What do HEMA-free and TPO-free mean on this page?

Two ingredients are left out of every CE5 A Breath Of Spring bottle. HEMA, the small monomer most gel products are built on and the usual suspect when a client reacts to gel, and TPO, the photoinitiator that turns lamp light into a cure. We describe that as an exclusion rather than a safety promise, because no cosmetic can promise that nobody reacts. If a client has reacted to gel before, check what was in it; it is usually one of those two.

Lavis CE5 A Breath Of Spring next to SNS Crystal Twinkle and Diamond Twinkle

Next to CE5 A Breath Of Spring we stock our own SNS Cat Eye Gel: Crystal Twinkle (24 shades, a fine sharp line that shifts with the light) and Diamond Twinkle (24 shades, a broad three-dimensional sparkle). The Lavis drop is narrower on purpose, twelve shades that tell one story, milky pastels, petal pinks and jelly nudes, with Lavis's 9D magnetic pigment for a sharper, deeper line when the magnet is held close.

Pick CE5 A Breath Of Spring when the brief is milky pastels, petal pinks and jelly nudes with a cat eye inside it. Pick an SNS line when the client wants a specific shade outside this palette, or the cat eye itself to be the point of the nail.

Wear, removal and keeping the bottles right

• How it wears: nothing rubs off, because the streak is inside the cured color. A fresh coat of glossy top at week two restores the shine; the line underneath is untouched.
• Taking it off: file the top layer thin, wrap in acetone, wait, then push the softened gel away with a pusher. Prying is what damages the plate.
• The magnet and the bottles: store them apart. A magnet resting next to a bottle drags the pigment to one side and the next coat comes out patchy until it is shaken back.
• Storage: cap tight, away from sunlight, room temperature. Roll the bottle before use so the pigment is even.

Related collections

• SNS Cat Eye Gel Crystal Twinkle and Diamond Twinkle, 24 shades each.
• Cat Eye Magnets Bar, stylus and dual-line magnets for the streak.
• Base & Top Gel The base under and the glossy top over a cat eye.
• SNS Gel Only Solid gel color for underlayers and plain nails in the same set.
• Nail Art Chrome, glitter, ombre and rhinestones to finish the set.

Related reads

• How SNS approaches a safer UV gel manicure
• Dip powder vs gel vs acrylic: how to choose
• Gel or dip powder manicure: which is right for you?