💅 NYC Nail Artists

Gel manicure (soft gel):

thin gel colour cured under a UV/LED lamp. Soaks off in acetone; lasts about 2–3 weeks.

Structured manicure:

a shaped layer of builder or hard gel that levels and strengthens your natural nail before colour. Salons also call it a structure, structured gel or Japanese structure manicure.

Japanese gel:

gel from Japanese brands (e.g. Kokoist, Presto). Usually soft and soak-off, known for a glossy finish and fine art. Often used for structured manicures.

Builder gel / BIAB:

a thicker, usually soak-off gel brushed on for strength and shape. BIAB means "builder in a bottle". Can be refilled.

Hard gel:

the strongest gel. It doesn't soak off, so it's filed down or refilled. Used for overlays and extensions.

Gel overlay:

any gel (soft, builder or hard) over your natural nail, with no extension.

Russian manicure:

a dry manicure done with an e-file (nail drill) that cleans very close to the cuticle, so gel can sit right at the base. Often paired with hard gel.

Gel-X / soft-gel extensions:

full-cover soft-gel tips attached with gel. They soak off.

Fill / refill:

rebalancing grown-out builder or hard gel instead of removing it.

Cat eye:

magnetic gel polish. A magnet pulls the shimmer into a band of light.

Chrome:

a fine metallic powder rubbed onto cured gel for a mirror finish.

Filters group hard gel, Japanese gel, builder/BIAB, structured and overlay together under "Structured / hard gel" — search for any of them to find all.