I visited a friend of mine who does nails.
I'm confused.

I saw her use a powder just like acrylic powder but on the container it said gel powder.

I asked her about it and she says that it is gel but in powder form. HUH?
She mixes it with with her usual acrylic powder and applies with her usual monomer and dries nails under hand drier, (just like you do when doing L+P)

Alarm bells went off in my head but I didn't want to challenge her as she has many years of experience doing acrylic nails and I am just training so not in a position to inform on products and application, but from what little I have learned so far, I'm sure that you shouldn't mix products like that.

Am I wrong in thinking that this may be this new acrygel that I keep hearing about and she is misusing the product?

i'm confused i've never used a hand drier when using l+p??
Do you mean a uv lamp?? if so i've never used a Lamp with l+p either

After clients nails are done, she then sits client at another table. They then put their hands under this thing similar to a UV lamp but in actual is a heated fan and dries their nails.

Is this after she's applied enamel?

maybe shes putting a gel top coat on the acrylics to save on filing?
never heard of gel powder?
bit of a contradiction!
xxxx

yup. everything is completed

Erm, not quite. The product is a powder. It says gel powder on the tub and she mixes this with her usual acrylic powder in another pot and applies in usual manner as you do when doing L+P. I don't see anything that looks like gel or even close to the texture of gel.

hmmmm sorry, no idea x

Some salons use a nail dryer after enamel application so that their clients have to sit with their hands still, it allows the enamel to set even though the nail dryer has no effect on the actual drying process, it stops clients denting their polish.