Seche Vite • Dry Fast Top Coat • Top/Base Coats

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empressofrussia on 5/21/2013 6:18:00 PM more reviews by empressofrussia

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Dark   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Brown    

I love polishing my nails but hate the wait time so when I heard about Seche Vite, I thought it would be an amazing product. And it is. For somebody else. This is my review based on using 3/4 of the bottle with various base coats.

PROS

1) It dries incredibly quickly which is something I appreciate. It gets dry to the touch in 10 minutes which allows me to pain my nails and run out the door.
2) High gloss shine. I like my top coats to be super shiny.


CONS

1) The SHRINKAGE! I didn't mind it as much in the beginning but I hate the fact that my nail polish looks a week old the day after I apply it. Seeing so much cuticle doesn't work for me. And this is even after I wrap the tip.
2) The smell. It's awful. And while I endured to get the great look, after a while, it got ot be too much.
3) The condition of my nails underneath. My nails would peel and strip and I couldn't understand why. Stop using Seche Vite = strong and healthy nails once again.
4) The warning on the back. While I know life will be the death of me, that warning on the back makes me uncomfortable every time I use it. My unborn babies don't need 3 extra eyes. Just saying.

OVERALL: It's good. And it it works for you, excellent. But this is now relegated to the emergency section of my nail kit.

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bellabaluba on 5/21/2013 5:43:00 PM more reviews by bellabaluba

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I really like this product! It dries super fast, and also it actually hardens the nail polish! I often think that my nail polish have become dry, because if I touch it with my finger it feels smooth and non sticky, but it is not necessarily hardened. So, if I am in a hurry (which is every day), and I am getting dressed or whatever, and I accidentally scratch the surface of my nails, I will still get a dent/scratch even though the polish seems dry. But with Seche Vite, that does not happen at all! :) The only reason why it does not get full points is because at the end, the polish seem to have dried out and gotten sticky/goopy making it difficult to apply. And it is very difficult to get the last bit of the product. I have only tried Seche Vite and OPI's Drip Dry. But I am far more content with Seche Vite, and will repurchase.

Also, a tip: I have been told that in the Essie nail salon, they recommend that you do not wait between the coats. Which means that when you're finished with first coat on the 10th finger, you should start directly on the second coat on the first finger you started with. I have tried this technique and it works just fine (such a time saver!). It took me a while to learn how to apply the right amount of product though.

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lvera83 on 5/16/2013 1:11:00 PM more reviews by lvera83

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Olive   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is the ONLY top coat I will Ever use. Its the only top coat that wont smear my nail designs. It dries super fast and then its indestructible.

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ooohdiamonds on 5/15/2013 6:19:00 AM more reviews by ooohdiamonds

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

Creates a lovely, glossy finish. Great quality top-coat to own. Will definitely re-purchase.

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dekayedd on 5/9/2013 9:59:00 AM more reviews by dekayedd

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

When I heard the rave about this product, I knew I had to try it. I was instantly hooked when I first used this product. It gives the perfect shine, it's a rather 'thick' (not goopy, I will come to that later) top coat, so it gives some kind of gellish effect.

The amazing thing is that it DRIES SO quickly, it's unbelievable. I usually try to ensure that my polishes are dry first before I put on seche vite. Using other top coats, it may still smudge the nail art you have painted, but Seche Vite doesn't. Which is awesome, because the nail art you have painted wouldn't go to a waste!

I haven't experienced severe shrinkage issus with this, maybe the trick would be to seal in your polish in fully by painting the edges of the nail as well. This top coat is also quite lasting.

So with most fast-dry top coats, they tend to get all thick and gooey near half the bottle. So you will need to buy Seche Restore to thin the top coat out. This can be a minus point, but I'm okay with it since it happens to most quick-dry top coats.

I can safely say it's the best top coat, except for just one thing- it contains toulene, which may be a deal-breaker for many. I have since tried other top coats such as INM Out the Door top coat, but Seche Vite continues to be my number 1 top coat.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

pebbles88 on 5/8/2013 2:58:00 PM more reviews by pebbles88

Age: 25-29   Skin: Very Dry, Dark   Hair: Black, Relaxed, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

wow JUST used this for the 1st time and HAD to write a review. I painted it over wet nails, then after a little while it completely DRIED-- madness!

love this product, will defo be continuing to use this product, may even try the base coat!

will write back in a few days with an update on how long it took to chip my polish!

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*TOP REVIEWER* wendycoco on 5/7/2013 8:01:00 PM more reviews by wendycoco

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

LOVE LOVE LOVE nails dried completely in about a minute. Not just the top of my nails but all the way through. Omg so wonderful and nails r super hard and shiny! I'm so glad I finally gave it a try! Cost $7.99 which is fine with me! Only drawback is the smell but it's a small price to pay for awesome.

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bua on 5/4/2013 8:24:00 AM more reviews by bua

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This is the best top coat I've used so far, but it has a learning curve, and requires high maintenance.
Pros: it really fixes uneven coats, has a great shine, and gets rid of the bubbles as well. Drying time is phenomenal.
I know a few reviews say it should be applied right after the polish coat. Whoever wrote those reviews apparently have not been using this magic top coat long enough. Seche Vite can drag your polish; doesn't happen a lot but it does with a few polish that I use. And if that happens, your brush will stain and if you didn't notice and put it back into the bottle... :(
Cons: this thing is a nightmare when it thickens. It becomes impossible to work with; thick, uneven coats, and the top coat itself will bubble up. You NEED SECHE RESTORE if you intend to finish up the whole bottle. It is also not 5-free; it has TOLUENE. For those of you who do not know the harms of toluene, GOOGLE IT NOW.
That being said, I still LOVE this top coat to bits and have been using it for 2 years now. Yes despite the cons and the price tag.

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monkeyr159 on 4/27/2013 4:00:00 PM more reviews by monkeyr159

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Oily, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This really is the best top coat! It is fast drying & gives your nails such a nice glossy, wet look. I have to admit I hated it at first because I was actually using it wrong. Usually with top coats I wait a minute or so before putting it on top of the color, but with Seche Vite you're actually supposed to put the top coat on right after. I found out about this and started doing it this way, and I found it worked much better (didn't chip as fast and no shrinking!) So make sure you're using it correctly, and then you've got an awesome top coat :)

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*TOP REVIEWER* fuzzysham on 4/27/2013 3:49:00 PM more reviews by fuzzysham

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

This is the best top coat I have ever used, and I will never use another brand ever again.
When I first bought this, I used it after the second coat, when it was relatively dry and the next day the polish shrunk a bit and my thumb polish completely peeled off in one sheet! After that I thought it was complete garbage and didn't use it for a few months.
One day I was on MUA, as always, and on the start page I saw someone had recently reviewed this and given 5 lippies and explained you have to use it when the polish is still *wet*. I decided to try that that night and It works! I'm glad I happened to see that tip that day because after I learned how to use it properly it really is the best top coat! It dries super fast, I never get bubbles, knicks, smears anymore, and it lasts several days before it significantly chips! Love it! My HG top coat

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

comet1 on 4/26/2013 2:13:00 PM more reviews by comet1

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I have been using this top coat for years. I do my own nails, fingers and toes, and this stuff never lets me down. It makes my polish last for at least a week, sets the polish quickly, and leaves a beautiful shiny finish. It is a little pricey, but it is worth every penny!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

emily0212 on 4/19/2013 10:37:00 AM more reviews by emily0212

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Where has this stuff been all of my life. It seems like my nail polish takes forever to dry, even when I go to a salon, and I've bunged up more manicures than I care to count. This stuff dries nail polish super fast, super hard. I'm impressed! And CVS had a special where you got the top coat and the base coat in a little box set for $8.99. SCORE!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

lilmomomo on 4/17/2013 12:48:00 AM more reviews by lilmomomo

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

good top coat!
only at the end... it starts thickening up and sucks

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sam23 on 4/15/2013 5:20:00 PM more reviews by sam23

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Other, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I'm very much on the fence about this stuff. I bought it for my vacation this week because I wanted my polish to last at least the five days I'm gone and it is failing me. The first chip appeared to be just a chip and it was on the very edge so I don't think it was due to nail bending. However, the latest chips have been from my polish pealing right off my nail bed area. I use orly nail defense as my base though and I have had pealing like that without seche vite so that's why I'm on the fence. I'll give it another shot and go lighter on the base coat and change my review if it works out better.

edit: I gave it another shot and it's still not working for me! I have a lot of chips on the tips of my nails. my nails are pretty stiff, they don't bend and then snap back so I know it's not chipping because of bending. I'm so disappointed!! if there is some secret to applying it so that it lasts a long time, do message me and let me know. should I do two coats instead of one? should I wait a full 24 hours after I apply the polish to add the top coat?

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BeautyJunkii on 4/13/2013 7:20:00 PM more reviews by BeautyJunkii

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Great product. . Works great, coat your nail properly and let dry for 8 minutes and your good to go.

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Jess1189 on 4/11/2013 12:50:00 PM more reviews by Jess1189

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

This stuff forgives a multitude of nail polish sins! It evens, smooths, and makes your manicure incredibly glossy. My only complaints are the cap (if it had the Orly-style grip cap, that would be better) and the God-awful gasoline smell. But other than that.....wow. I was skeptical about how great people say this is, but it really is that good. A staple in my nail care collection!

Oh, and like someone else said, make sure you apply a liberal amount that really coats the nail...there should be a bead or drop on the end of the brush that you can just smooth over the nail.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Pestina18 on 4/10/2013 5:56:00 PM more reviews by Pestina18

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Olive   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

Quick highlights: smelly, strange color, contains toxic chemicals (is NOT 3-free), doesn't keep polish on longer |||||
Won't buy again. After hearing the hype about Seche Vite top coat, I finally decided to try it. It was fairly expensive, but I ordered it online in a two-for-one deal. Had I read the ingredients, I wouldn't have bought one - let alone two.

First of all, this nail polish STINKS. It's the only polish I own that smells so bad. The worst part is that the smell lingers on nails. If I apply it on a Friday afternoon, wash my hands multiple times and shower, I will still be smelling it on my nails all through Saturday. Yuck. It also makes my nail polish appear a little darker and sort of a more "dingy" color. It wasn't very shiny, but instead made my nail polish color look dirty. Not cool.

Most importantly, Seche Vite is not a three-free nail polish. It contains toluene, a toxic chemical. There's a WARNING on the back of the bottle that says, "This product contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm." No way! I usually only buy three-free brands (no formaldehyde, toluene, or DBP). Seche Vite is not one of them. I don't eat after applying it, I wash my hands, and I certainly wouldn't use it on children or if I were pregnant.

This polish keeps my polish on longer than using no top coat at all, but it isn't any better than any other top coat. My nails start chipping within 3 days, like they would do with any other top coat. It also doesn't dry quickly - it takes a few hours to dry completely. I don't understand the hype. I bought two bottles, but I threw one out and I'll only be using the other bottle when I'm going away and won't be able to touch up my nails. But I definitely wouldn't buy this again.

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goodbyeoddie on 4/5/2013 2:47:00 PM more reviews by goodbyeoddie

Age: 19-24   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

This is an amazing product! I kept reading all the hype about how it dries your nails so quickly, and me being the person that likes to touch everything after painting her nails, I thought I'd give it a go. I bought the .5 oz and i've have it for a couple months now and I've barely made a dent. At first, I really didn't like it though.


I found that I would apply it and wait about 20 seconds, giving it a good drying time, I thought I'd be safe to touch things again. Nope. I also found that 2 days later my nails would be chipped and looked like I'd have the same nail polish on for weeks. What was going on? This was supposed to be the holy grail of top coats!


I did some research and I found I didn't actually know how to apply this product. I would paint my nails, wait a couple minutes (thinking that I'd be helping the speed of my nail drying), then apply the seche vite top coat. In reality, I wasn't allowing the product to actually adhere to my wet nail. So, here are some things you need to know about applying this top coat:


1. Apply when your nails are wet! I know it's scary (I always think I'll stain the brush and mix it in my clear top coat), but the formula adheres best to your nail by penetrating the layers of wet nail polish. That's what makes it dry fast!


2. Coat your ENTIRE nail. Make sure to get the very edge that you've clipped too! I've read a lot of reviews and people have found this works best when you wrap your nail in the polish. This product penetrates the wet layers, but also shrinks and dries it, which is why a lot of people have experienced cracking.


3. When applying, make sure you have a bead of the polish at the end of your brush. Not too much, not too little, but make sure you have an even coat to apply over the entire nail.

6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

jobiecc on 4/3/2013 9:59:00 PM more reviews by jobiecc

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I do really like the Seche Vite Top Coat, but I have to say that it didn't dry as fast as I expected. Maybe it's because the ratings and the reviews of the top coat online raised my expectations a lot higher than to what I expect from other "fast drying" top coats, but this definitely isn't the fastest. Actually, to be honest, I think that the Revlon Extra Life No Chip Top Coat dries faster than the Seche Vite. Also I find that the texture of the Seche Vite needs to be quite thick; it's more gooey than other top coats.

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polishthisannie on 3/31/2013 4:17:00 PM more reviews by polishthisannie

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

Gives the best shine ever, but unfortunately it also shrinks the polish underneath from the tip and from the cuticle. You can prevent this by painting the tips of your nails, but for me the shrinkage near the cuticle is the thing that bothers me most. It does dry very fast and I like the fact that it's a bit thicker than some top coats.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No