A tailored Gel-X alternative, form by form.
We do not fit pre-made Gel-X tips. We build soft-gel extensions on reusable upper forms instead, choosing a form for each of the ten nails and shaping the apex by hand. Slower to do, finer to wear, three to four weeks.
We do not fit Gel-X. If that is what you came for, here is the straight version: we stopped using pre-made soft-gel tips and do not keep them in stock, and the refusal covers repairs and single nails too. What we do instead is the same soft-gel extension idea built on reusable upper forms, with a form chosen individually for each of the ten nails and the apex shaped by hand.
What a full set includes:
110–120 min, as a Full Set, priced in the booking system. Three to four weeks of wear, with a refill within 28, 21 or 17 days depending on length.
A Gel-X alternative here is not a separate procedure — it is a Flawless Gel Nail Extensions — Full Set, an upper form chosen per nail rather than a pre-made tip. See that page for the full step-by-step and current pricing; the difference that matters here is the form itself, not a different process.
We use upper forms from several Ukrainian professional lines — DARK, DNKa' and LUNAmoon — in a range of shapes, lengths and profiles, matched to your plate and the architecture we are aiming for.
Gel-X — sometimes searched as gel x nail extensions — is a legitimate and popular system, and it is worth being clear about that before explaining why we went another way. It uses a pre-made soft-gel tip, sized from a kit and bonded to the natural nail. It is quick, it is consistent, and in a high-volume setting that consistency is the whole point.
An upper form is a reusable mould held over the nail while the gel is placed inside it. The difference is where the shape comes from. With a tip, the shape arrives already decided and the nail is fitted to it; the sizes are fixed, so on most hands at least a few nails are a near-fit rather than a fit. With a form, length, curve, apex and stress zone are built for the nail in front of us, and thickness is controlled as the gel goes down instead of being whatever the tip was moulded at. Our technician is trained on both — her 2024 certificate from the Victoria Avdeeva School is literally Extensions with Upper Forms and Gel Tips — so this is a preference formed with the alternative in hand, not a gap in what she can do.
Wear is the same for both, because it is the material and the architecture that decide it rather than how the length got there: three to four weeks, with a refill within 28 days for short or medium nails, 21 for long and 17 for extra-long. Past that window, extensions must be booked as a New Full Set rather than a refill, whether booked online or by staff. Long nails often need an earlier return, usually within two and a half to three weeks.
On whether gel extensions damage nails — the honest answer is that the material does not decide it, the technique does. Minimal filing of the natural plate, sharp regularly-replaced bits, no pressure and no overheating, correct architecture without unnecessary load, full removal of any lifting, timely correction, and removal by material rather than by tearing, with a safe thin layer left rather than filing down to the natural nail. After removal the plate should be even, without deep ridges, painful thinning or layers torn off with the product. A little temporary dryness or a difference in how thick the nail feels is normal.
A Full Set takes 110–120 min. By our estimate that sits roughly five to ten percent above the average cost of a Gel-X set in the city; current prices and durations are always the ones in the booking system, not a figure in a paragraph.
What you give up is the fully standardized shape of a ready-made tip and the speed that comes with it. What you get back is a fit chosen per nail, thickness under our control, and an apex placed where that nail needs it. Slower to do. Finer to wear.
Extra length is charged by length category, and XL books normally at the listed prices. Beyond XL, custom or extreme lengths are discussed first and assessed individually on shape, architecture, materials and time — the technician may shorten the length or decline it if the natural nail cannot safely carry the construction, or if it will not survive your week. A broken nail is a paid Single Nail Repair, priced at the full set divided by ten and multiplied by one and a quarter; it is free inside the first five days only when the cause is a material or workmanship defect.
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Choose Gel Overlay when you want your own nails reinforced: the technician chooses the material after assessing the nail, and the overlay can build some length, normally short through long. Book a Flawless Gel Nail Extensions — Full Set for length beyond long, or to rebuild a missing part of a nail on an upper form.
Book a Gel Refill while your Gel Overlay or extension set is within its refill window: up to 28 days for short or medium nails, 21 days for long and 17 days for extra-long, counted from your last refill or new set to your appointment date. Regular refills keep the set in shape, and a refill costs less than a new full set. After the window, a Gel Overlay restarts as a new Gel Overlay and extensions as a New Full Set. If we can’t confirm your last visit or nail length, the studio checks before confirming. We refill only work we built: another salon’s extensions, Gel-X or acrylic are removed as a paid Complex Removal first.
It starts with an assessment of your nails’ thickness, flexibility and any damage. The builder gel is then chosen for your length and nail condition: we use builder gels from DARK, DNKa’ and LUNAmoon rather than the original BIAB™. The work itself is gentle on the plate: minimal filing, no pressure or overheating, and removal by material, never by tearing, leaving a safe thin layer rather than filing down to the natural nail. The honest limit: it is a coating that needs upkeep, and it does not heal or treat a nail.
Three to four weeks of wear. To keep it in shape, book your refill within 28 days for short or medium nails, 21 for long and 17 for extra-long (Gel Overlay goes up to long). If a nail chips or lifts within five days of your appointment, we fix it free, up to three nails; the exclusions are in our policies.
Every service is priced with its time on our prices page and in online booking. Standard extra length, including extra-long, books at those prices; custom lengths beyond extra-long are assessed and priced at the appointment. Removing another salon’s work is a separate paid Complex Removal. Before any work starts, your estimated total and time are confirmed with you.
