Collection: Pat Pat Gel

What is Pat Pat Gel?

A highly pigmented gel in a flat palette pan, made to be patted onto the nail with a sponge rather than brushed from a bottle. Lavis positions it as a three-way product: a full solid gel color when patted to opacity, an ombre or gradient when patted thin and blended, and a paint for pop-up nail art when picked up on a brush. Because the pigment is dense, one pass of the sponge carries a lot of color, and a little product goes a long way.

We stock three lines on this page: the Lavis Pat Pat Gel Ver2 palette in 21 numbered shades, the original Lavis Pat Pat Gel singles, and A'DOR's air-cushion Pat Pat Gel palettes in Soft Pink and Soft Nude, plus the sponge and grabber set that does the patting.

The Ver2 palette, P01 to P21

The Lavis Pat Pat Gel Ver2 listing carries every shade as an option; each shade also has its own page. Lavis names them rather than describing them, so the swatch photo on each page is the guide.

The original Lavis Pat Pat Gel singles are numbered 01 to 18 with their own names (for example 01 Petal Pop, 10 Crush Cherry, 14 Chrome Cloud) and sit under the Ombre Gel Palette listing. The numbers do not map one to one onto the Ver2 codes, so reorder by the name on the pan.

Who uses a pat gel?

• Ombre and gradient sets: the sponge blends two pans into each other without a hard line.
• Aura and blush nails: a soft center of color patted out to nothing, the look A'DOR names its palette for.
• Nail artists: dense pigment picked up on a fine brush paints lines and shapes that stay opaque in one pass.
• Salons that want one product for solid and effect: patted to full coverage it is a solid color, patted thin it is an effect.
• Techs watching product cost: a pan is used a swipe at a time, so it lasts.

How do you use Lavis Pat Pat Gel?

1. Prep and base. Prep the nail, cure a gel base from Base & Top Gel; for an ombre or aura, cure a light gel color first as the ground.
2. Load the sponge. Press a sponge from the sponge and grabber set onto the pan. The grabber keeps fingers clean and the sponge square to the nail.
3. Pat. Dab the color onto the nail. For a solid, keep patting until the coverage is even; for a gradient, pat densely at the tip or center and let it fade out.
4. Cure. A short flash cure locks the first layer; pat a second layer to deepen the color or the gradient, then cure again.
5. Art. For lines and pop-up designs, pick up the gel on a detail brush from Nail Art instead of a sponge.
6. Top. Seal with a glossy gel top and cure.

A'DOR's palettes work the same way with one difference: a fine mesh over an air cushion meters how much gel the sponge picks up, which A'DOR designs to reduce waste and keep each pat even.

Lavis Ver2, Lavis original and A'DOR: what is the difference?

The 3-in-1 Pat Pat Gel P16 Glitter Envy is the glitter pan of the range, for a patted sparkle over any of the others.

Pat gel vs brush-on gel for an ombre

A brush-on gel can be sponged too, but it is thinner, so the color goes translucent and streaky as the sponge spreads it. A pat gel is formulated dense enough to stay opaque on the sponge, which is why the gradient reads clean at the tip and fades without patches. The trade is that a pat gel is not a one-coat brush color; pat it to opacity when you want a solid. For plain solid colors in a bottle, our SNS Gel Only range is the simpler tool; for chrome and glitter over a patted gradient, see Chrome Powder and Glitter.

Care and stocking

A pat gel palette is a working tool more than a bottle on a shelf, so it lives on the station and takes some habits. The pans are shallow and the pigment is dense, which is what makes a swipe go far, but it also means an open pan near a curing hand will skin over from the stray light, and a sponge that has touched two pans will muddy both. The habits below keep a palette clean for months.

• Keep the pans capped and out of the lamp's light; a pan left open near a curing hand skins over.
• One sponge per shade per set: the 100-piece sponge set is sized for that habit.
• Opening a menu: a nude, a pink and a deep shade cover most ombre requests; add the glitter pan and one bright for art.
• Removal: patted gel is sealed under top coat and soaks off with the rest of the gel set.

Related collections

• Nail Art Brushes, chrome, glitter and rhinestones for the designs.
• Air Ombre Airbrush-style ombre supplies.
• SNS Gel Only Solid gel color for the ground under a gradient.
• Base & Top Gel The base under and the glossy top over a patted set.
• Nail Tools & Accessories Lamps and prep.

Related reads

• How to do a French manicure at home
• How SNS approaches a safer UV gel manicure
• Gel or dip powder manicure: which is right for you?