Aprés invented the soft-gel tip extension system in 2018 under the name Gel-X®, defining a new category of nail enhancement that has since reshaped the entire professional nail industry. Before Gel-X®, technicians extending nails worked with sculpted acrylic, hard gel, or rigid plastic tips bonded with cyanoacrylate — all of which required dust, fumes, or aggressive filing. Gel-X® introduced something fundamentally different: a pre-shaped, full-coverage soft gel tip bonded with a UV-cured gel adhesive, applied in under an hour with virtually no dust and no monomer.
The complete Aprés Gel-X® system is built around four products that work together. The Gel-X® tip is the pre-shaped soft gel extension, available in 11 shapes and 5 lengths across sizes 0–11. Aprés Gel-X Prep cleanses and dehydrates the natural nail. Aprés Non-Acidic Gel Primer maximizes adhesion. And Extend Gel — available in standard, Novice (thicker for beginners), Sensitive, and HEMA-free formulas — is the UV-cured adhesive that bonds tip to nail. Each layer cures under a 36W+ dual-source UV/LED lamp. For our full picks across Extend Gel formulas, see our Best Gel-X Nail Glue buyer's guide.
Aprés sits at the top of the soft-gel tip category for three reasons. The shape library is the deepest in the industry — 11 shapes including Natural Coffin, Natural Almond, Sculpted Stiletto, and the popular Tips 2.0 line. The size range is the broadest — sets carry 0 through 11, where most competitors run 0 through 9. And the pro-stylist community around the brand is unmatched — more YouTube tutorials, more salon adoption, and more documented troubleshooting than any other brand we carry.
How to shop the system depends on where you are. Signature Kits include tips in multiple shapes plus all the gels and prep — the right call for first-time users or anyone setting up at home. Individual tip sets (600 pcs per shape) are for techs who know which shape they use most. For other current kit options and refill bags, browse the full Aprés Gel-X kits collection to see everything currently in stock.
For the broader category and how Aprés Gel-X® compares to OPI Gelevate, Gelish Soft Gel Tips, Kokoist Gelip, and TGB DesignEx, browse our soft-gel tip category page. For non-Gel-X® Aprés products — gel polish colors, finish gels, and HEMA-free options — visit our broader Aprés Nails collection. For the full step-by-step application walkthrough, read our Complete Gel-X Nails Guide.