Type: Nail Art
LAVIS Builder Gel Jar Non Sticky - 05 Silver 15g
Type: Nail Art
LAVIS Builder Gel Jar Non Sticky - 05 Silver 30g
Type: Nail Art
LAVIS Builder Gel Jar Non Sticky - 06 Gold 15g
Type: Nail Art
LAVIS Builder Gel Jar Non Sticky - 06 Gold 30g
Type: Nail Art
LAVIS Builder Gel Jar Non Sticky - 04 Black 15g
Type: Nail Art
LAVIS Builder Gel Jar Non Sticky - 04 Black 30g
Type: Nail Art
LAVIS Builder Gel Jar Non Sticky - 00 Clear 15g
Type: Nail Art
LAVIS Builder Gel Jar Non Sticky - 00 Clear 30g
Type: Nail Art
LAVIS Builder Gel Jar Non Sticky - 01 French White 15g
Type: Nail Art
LAVIS Builder Gel Jar Non Sticky - 01 French White 30g
Type: Nail Art
LAVIS Builder Gel Jar Non Sticky - 02 Milky White 15g
Type: Nail Art
LAVIS Builder Gel Jar Non Sticky - 02 Milky White 30g
Type: Nail Art
LAVIS Builder Gel Jar Non Sticky - 03 Pearl White 15g
Type: Nail Art
LAVIS Builder Gel Jar Non Sticky - 03 Pearl White 30g
Frequently asked questions
Is non-sticky builder gel the same as regular builder gel?
No. Regular builder gel is made to level into a smooth curve and is the product for an apex or an extension; it grabs the tool, which is normal. Lavis Non-Sticky Builder Gel is a thick sculpting gel that releases from a silicone tool or a fingertip and holds whatever shape you press it into until it is cured. It is the gel for 3D flowers, bows, raised French, sculpted charms and encapsulation. Lavis lists it for extensions too, but most salons keep it for the raised work and use the jar or bottle builder for structure.
Do I need slip solution?
No. Slip solution exists to stop poly gel and some sculpting gels from tacking to the brush. This gel is formulated not to tack, so a dry silicone tool or a gloved finger shapes it directly. If it feels stiff in a cold room, warm the closed pot in your hands rather than adding anything to it; thinning a sculpting gel is what makes pieces sag before they cure.
What is the difference between this page and the 3D Sculpture Gel page?
Color, mostly. This page holds the seven solid colors, clear, three whites, black, silver and gold, in 15 g and 30 g pots. The 3D Sculpture Gel page holds the twelve Aurora molding gels, which are glitter-infused shades in the same non-sticky sculpting body, in 15 g. A 3D salon usually runs both: the solids for petals, French edges and outlines, the Aurora glitters for the pieces that should sparkle.
How do I cure a thick 3D piece all the way through?
In stages. Build a flower one or two petals at a time and cure between them so the earlier petals do not sag under the weight of the next. Give a thick dome the full lamp time and, if the center still feels soft, a second full cure rather than a longer single one. Seal the finished piece with top coat worked around its edges with a fine brush. Lavis describes this gel as curing without a sticky inhibition layer, so a cured piece can be handled straight from the lamp.
What does "non-sticky" mean in a builder gel?
Most gels grab the tool. Pick up a bead of standard builder gel on a brush and it strings and clings; try to press it with a finger and it comes away on the finger. Lavis Non-Sticky Builder Gel is a thick sculpting gel formulated so that it releases from a silicone tip, a dotting tool or a gloved fingertip without pulling, so you can roll, press, flatten and edge a shape the way you would with clay. No slip solution is needed to keep it from tacking, and a shape holds its outline until it is cured.
That makes it a different tool from the builder gels we sell for structure. Lavis Builder Gel in the Jar is medium-thick and self-levels into an apex; this gel does not level, it stays exactly where you put it. Use it for anything that has to stand up off the nail: 3D flowers, bows, raised French edges, charms and encapsulated pieces. Lavis formulates the line without HEMA.
The seven colors, two sizes
Every color comes in a 15 g pot for the tech who uses it for accents and a 30 g pot for the salon that runs a 3D menu.
| Color | What it is for |
|---|---|
| 00 Clear | Clear 3D shapes and crystal effects; the bed under encapsulated glitter, foil or dried flowers; a clear base for emboss work. |
| 01 French White | Opaque white for raised French smile lines, white petals and white charms. |
| 02 Milky White | A softer, translucent white for petals that should look soft rather than painted. |
| 03 Pearl White | White with a pearl sheen for bridal and pastel sets. |
| 04 Black | Raised black outlines, black flowers, bows on a nude nail. |
| 05 Silver | Metallic charms and studs sculpted rather than glued. |
| 06 Gold | Gold charms, raised gold edges, sculpted jewelry pieces. |
For glitter shades in the same non-sticky body, the twelve Aurora colors are on the 3D Sculpture Gel page.
How do you sculpt with it?
- Finish the base nail first. Color coats cured and, if the piece will sit on gloss, the top coat cured and wiped. 3D work goes on a finished nail so nothing under it moves.
- Take a small amount on a silicone tool. A pea-sized bead makes a full flower. Because the gel does not tack, you can roll it into a ball on a silicone mat, then cut and shape it.
- Press the shape onto the nail. Set the ball down and push it into a petal, a dome or a bow loop with the flat of the tool. Edges can be thinned with the tip; a clean tool keeps the edge sharp.
- Cure each piece. Thick pieces need the full lamp time and sometimes two cures; a flower with five petals is cured after every one or two petals so the earlier ones do not sag. Lavis lamps are under Lavis Nail Lamp.
- Add stones or paint. A rhinestone pressed into an uncured center, or a line of painting gel over a cured petal.
- Seal. A top coat over the whole nail, worked around the raised piece with a fine brush, or a no-wipe top applied to the piece only if you want a matte body and a glossy edge. Base and top are under Base & Top Gel.
The same gel can build an apex or an extension if you need one from a thick gel, and Lavis lists it for that. In practice most salons keep it for the raised work and use the jar or bottle builder for structure, because the levelling behavior of the structural gels is what gives a smooth curve.
Which size should you buy?
The 15 g pot is the accent size: a salon that adds a flower or a raised French to a few sets a week will not finish it before it ages. The 30 g pot is for a 3D menu, or for the two colors that do most of the work in any salon, the clear and the French white. Because a pea-sized bead makes a whole flower, even the small pot goes a long way, so start small on the metallics and the milky and pearl whites, and size up only on the colors you reach for daily.
Where non-sticky gel earns its place
- Raised French: a thin roll of 01 French White pressed along the free edge and cured gives a smile line with height, the current alternative to a painted French.
- Flowers and bows: the classic 3D service. Five petals of 02 Milky White around a gold center is a ten-minute add-on to a nude set.
- Encapsulation: 00 Clear over a foil or dried flower on a form, then the structural builder over the whole nail.
- Charms without glue: a sculpted stud in 05 Silver or 06 Gold is cured to the nail, so it does not pop off the way a glued charm can.
- Texture: ripples, quilting and drops pressed into a thin layer and cured, then topped.
Care, tools and stocking
- Tools: a silicone-tip sculpting tool and a dotting tool; a stiff detail brush from our brush collection for feathering edges. Wipe tools with gel cleanser between colors.
- Lid on between pieces. A thick gel skins over if the pot sits open beside a running lamp.
- Do not thin it. Thinning is what makes a sculpting gel sag; if it feels stiff on a cold day, warm the closed pot in your hands.
- Curing thick pieces: a piece that is soft in the middle after one cure needs a second cure, not a stronger lamp. Our note on why builder gel feels sticky after curing explains the inhibition layer; Lavis describes this gel as leaving none.
- Opening order: 00 Clear, 01 French White and 04 Black in 15 g covers French, flowers and outlines; add 06 Gold and the 30 g sizes once 3D is on the menu.