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

Where To Buy?

Australianforbeerk2k3 on 1/15/2013 6:11:00 PM more reviews by Australianforbeerk2k3

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This is a good product in that it keeps your nail polish on relatively long, and it creates a gorgeous shine. The trick is to only apply it once (no touching up between manis) or else it will cause polish shrinkage (where the polish lifts up at the edges and peels in chunks). I have stopped using it because of this issue, and am going to try Essie Good to Go, which apparently causes less shrinkage.
This stuff dries very quickly (you can paint your nails and go to bed 10 minutes later and wake up without sheet marks). It smells VERY bad, though, and apparently has quite toxic ingredients compared to other polishes.

As you can tell, I'm pretty mixed on Seche Vite. It has a time and place, but I'm looking for a better top coat overall.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

nikrou on 1/15/2013 3:26:00 PM more reviews by nikrou

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

My favorite and only top coat I will buy. Drives fast (like seconds fast) and is super shiny. Took one lippie off due to the fact that this top coat thickens once it gets to the middle of the bottle and will thus cause you to buy a thinner for it. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't stop me from buying it. I actually usually just buy another when it thickens. Would love to find a top coat just like this but without the thickening issue but until then I am sticking with this.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* MsPsylocke on 1/15/2013 5:00:00 AM more reviews by MsPsylocke

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

So one of my fav SA's at Sally's was raving about this top coat. I'm like are you sure? I have heard both wonderful and not so wonderful reviews on this top coat. I must say it was worth the purchase. I used a base coat used 1 coat of China Glazes For Audrey and then applied the Seche Vite. Wow this stuff dries way faster than my CG Fast Forward top coat. Also it makes my nails way more glossy and they dry so much faster.

I do like it a lot but we shall see when I get to the middle of the bottle if I need to buy the thinner I hope I don't because so far so excellent. I have had no issues with this top coat as of yet and will edit this post if need be but really I like it a lot and recommend it. My manicure looks so nice and shiny and just makes them look really good. Good stuff I'm glad I got it.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

juniebug008 on 1/14/2013 11:05:00 PM more reviews by juniebug008

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Blue    

My nail polish peeled off. It peeled right off of my nails. And this didn't happen just once! It's happened nearly every time I have used this top coat. Like others have already said, it DOES make nails very shiny, and it DOES dry very quickly! But I would much rather have a durable top coat than one that dries quickly and looks pretty for a day or two. Seriously not impressed with this top coat. I'll stick to my HG Sally Hansen top coat from now on.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

brittanykboswell on 1/14/2013 5:49:00 PM more reviews by brittanykboswell

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

love it! quick drying and super glossy!

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Naama on 1/13/2013 4:08:00 PM more reviews by Naama

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

This top coat is one of my favorites!

Pros:
- Inexpensive.
- Great results- shiny nails, protects the nail polish for quite a long time
- Thick brush that makes the application easier
- Dries super fast

Cons:
- With some polishes I've found it made them peel off quicker than usual, but this happened with only 1 or 2 polishes I own and the problem is probably with the polishes, not the top coat.

Overall, I highly recommend this top coat to every nail polish lover!

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

YevgeniyaLi on 1/6/2013 10:01:00 AM more reviews by YevgeniyaLi

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

What was promised: "Guaranteed not to yellow while leaving nails silky, stronger and resistant to chipping and peeling."

Pros: dries really fast, perfect for those who hate to wait :))
Easy to apply. Doesn't become sticky and thick as fast as Sally Hansen's one. (though I haven't used even half of it yet...)
Cons: the brush is thin, need to make more than 3 strokes to cover the whole nail.
Lasting power is not impressive at all: start chipping in 2 days (have a usual transparent nail polish for less than 1 $, even that one lasts longer...)
The biggest disappointment: makes the white nail polish color YELLOW! My french manicure will become yellowish in 3 days with this coat. Have tried several white colors: all become yellowish with this coat....

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

mkcmkcmkc on 1/6/2013 5:06:00 AM more reviews by mkcmkcmkc

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

HG top coat. I usually chip at-home manicures within 2-3 days as I work in retail and wash my hands constantly. This product can remain chip-free for 5-7 days...though I like to change my polish more frequently than that, anyways. I apply this top coat to 2-3 layers of polish (Essie is my go-to) after 5 minutes of painting the last coat. The reason I don't apply it to reaaaally wet polish is that it stains the Seche brush, and sometimes shrinks the polish from the tips and cuticle. Before Seche, I would take an hour to do my nails, if not more...and half the time I end up ruining a nail by bumping or denting it, URGH. With Seche, it takes less than 15 minutes and my mani is dent and chip-free!!!!!! Yahooo. I don't worry too much about the chemicals, I use this product twice a week at most, and the amount of exposure is pretty minimal. The only downsides are price and the drying-out (after half the bottle, it begins to get very tacky) but the pros definitely outweigh the cons for me.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

jvdb on 1/3/2013 4:15:00 PM more reviews by jvdb

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Fine   Eyes: Green    

WOW. Bought this due to reviews on here and since a lot of polish bloggers seem to use this. After applying a base coat and THREE layers of polish without waiting for them to dry completely in between I then applied this top coat. No shrinking noted like some have complained about but that might just depend on the type of polish underneath. Ten minutes later and my nails are DRY!!! No tackiness whatsoever. I'm sure I could dent them if I tried hard enough but I have been doing small tasks and no dents even though I have knocked them against a few times and it is still less than 20 minutes since I applied. This is unheard of for three coats of polish in this time, takes manicure time down from an hour to only a few minutes. Can't comment on staying power yet since this is my first application but I have high hopes, I normally chip nails within 2-3 days of wear.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

nicnacsong on 1/2/2013 11:41:00 PM more reviews by nicnacsong

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

Seche Vite was a decent product. However, there are several things about it that convinced me to switch to Poshe.
First of all, it's more expensive than Poshe.
Secondly, it is not Big 3 Free like Poshe is.
Lastly and most importantly, once you get through just half of a bottle of Seche Vite, it becomes goopy, thick and nearly impossible to apply smoothly. Normal nail polish thinner doesn't work for this. I'm not going to spend even more money just to make this already pricey top coat usable again, no matter how well Seche Restore apparently works.
I actually have not been using Poshe for that long, so I don't know if it does the same thing, but the price and lack of the chemicals present in Seche Vite are enough to sway me anyways.

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

carissarose on 12/31/2012 2:11:00 AM more reviews by carissarose

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Truly do not understand the hype and praise of this top coat. Yes, it makes your nails dry super fast. Yes, they are ultra shiny. But my nail polish literally peels off all at once a day or two after. Not to mention it gets super goopy and unusable once you get halfway down the bottle. And they expect you to pay MORE money to get the thinner? No thanks. I've tried to make this work on and off for years and it's always been a fail. My favorite top coat is CND's Ultra Shiny and along with their Sticky base coat, my nails last at least 7-10 days with little to no chipping. With Seche, it would be 3-4 days at the most, and that's pushing it. CND's top coat might not be as fast drying, so if you want one that is as fast drying as Seche's then try Poshe. It's very similar, but it lasts longer (on me).

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* Bellona on 12/30/2012 10:21:00 PM more reviews by Bellona

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this when I ran out of my OPI drip dry. I was trying to see if I could eliminate it and replace both the drip dry and my regular top coat. No such luck. I went out and bought more drip dry. Although it does dry nail polish crazy fast, found this to make my polish chip by the next day. Even toes :(
Pros:
- dries super fast
- shiny/glossy finish
Cons:
- chips my polish
- smells incredibly strong in a chemical way
For me, the con is a big one. I want my mani and pedi to last. So I'll keep this on hand for use when I travel or otherwise need my polish to dry hard within a few minutes and get out the door. But for a lasting mani/pedi, I wouldn't recommend using this. I'll try some of the tips other members have recommended and if they work, I'll edit this.

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

theinflightradio on 12/29/2012 12:14:00 AM more reviews by theinflightradio

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Ugh, color me wholly unimpressed. This top coat, on first use, seemed to make one of my polishes last longer (Essie) but when I tried it on a lower quality polish (Nicole OPI) it failed. Because of this, I can't really say the topcoat did anything for longevity. Thankfully, online dealers allowed me to buy it for a price I'm not weeping over anyway. I recommend picking up a bottle online if you can!

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

terrikelowna on 12/28/2012 5:13:00 PM more reviews by terrikelowna

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

there's nothing I can add to the already glowing reviews here except that I wish I'd discovered this amazing product years ago!! LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

rosaschnee on 12/27/2012 9:17:00 PM more reviews by rosaschnee

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

This product dries super fast! Not only that, it leaves a really nice gel like finish. People have mistaken my home manicures as salon quality shellac nails.
The only downside to this product is it goes gloopy in the bottle way to fast, I only managed to use less than half of the product before being unable to use it anymore. But I would still repurchase because I've never used anything like it before.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* CordulaM on 12/25/2012 4:57:00 PM more reviews by CordulaM

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

I'm on board. Dries super fast, nice finish. Like how it 'fixes' errors. Yes, it gets thick, even before it's half done, but I got the restore and I like that too ;)

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

blu3 on 12/25/2012 2:09:00 AM more reviews by blu3

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I swear by seche vite when you want that nice gloss and somewhat of a gel look. If i have the slightest imperfection with my nail polish application, seche vite over will smooth everything out and leave it looking flawless. I actually keep a bottle in my purse. I'm the type to have nail polish chip off within a day or two (oily nail beds), but I have noticed that if i do TWO coats of seche vite (instead of a usual one), I can get my polish to last close to a week without a chip. This honestly will get any nail color to look like a gel (shellac) finish.

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

bonniherself on 12/24/2012 11:14:00 AM more reviews by bonniherself

Age: 44-55   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

Note: I've edited this review. I originally gave this product more lippies because, despite being a very finicky product that can be difficult to use so that it works, it had (mostly) worked for me. However, I finally got totally fed up with it. The whole story is in the review if you want to know why I downgraded this to one lippy.
...
Pros:
+ Dries manicure fast (usually; see below)
+ Very shiny with thick gloss effect that can fix some kinds of errors in a manicure (when it works)
...
Cons:
- Shrinkage (pulls the polish away from the sides, cuticles, and tips as it dries)
- Can cause peeling
- Contains the chemical toulene (a genuine concern for some people)
- Picks up pigments from polish
- Very thick, can smear or drag fresh polish
- Doesn't really extend life of a manicure any longer or better than other fast-drying top coats
- Can lose its shine or get a scuffed surface after a couple of days' wear
- Smell is pretty noxious
- Will ruin your manicure if you don't use it exactly, precisely, absolutely the way it must be used for it to work
...
Because I'm a person who likes to make sure I'm not making hasty judgements, I kept giving this top coat the benefit of the doubt and trying all kinds of things with it, hoping to find the magic secret that would let me love it the way some people do.

That is, until the evening I put a gorgeous glitter polish on my toes and used this top coat. About two hours later, I went to check the polish and maybe do some cuticle cleanup and found to my surprise and annoyance that the pedicure, from base coat to top and all the layers in between, were all still entirely unset, gooey, and it all peeled right off.

I'd heard of this happening, but hadn't seen it. Now that I have, I can honestly say, I won't be doing anything more with this top coat, ever. I tried to get along with it and make it work for me (I read EVERY hint, suggestion, direction, you name it), but it just won't work consistently, and I'm not inclined to waste any more of my time and energy trying to make it work. This top coat is just far more hassle and trouble than it's worth. There are a number of other good fast-drying top coats out there (INM Out the Door, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri, Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat, Mavadry, and others). I'll stick with those from now on!

I very much doubt that I'll finish the bottle I have now, as I can't imagine wanting to ruin yet another pedicure (or manicure!). I will certainly never buy it again, because, frankly, there is only just so much frustration and annoyance I'm willing to put up with from a cosmetic product. Seche Vite has just used up my last ounce of good will.

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

brandi9689 on 12/19/2012 3:29:00 PM more reviews by brandi9689

Age: 44-55   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I purchased Seche Vite Top Coat based upon all the positive reviews from my local Sally's. I really really wanted to like this product. PROS: The shine is amazing and I love the fact that my nails dry fast especially when time is a factor. CONS: Unfortunately, no matter what nail polish I use (HE or DS), my nails chip and peel within a day. I have better luck and less chipping and peeling on my toes vs my fingers.

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

magnifiquee on 12/19/2012 2:15:00 PM more reviews by magnifiquee

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

I can't stress enough how much I adore this topcoat. I used to use Sally Hansen's but that one didn't really glide on nicely and left an uneven coat on ugh. I went into Sally's and asked the girl that worked there what she would recommend and she told me to try this out! It was on sale for 2 for $12 which is awesome because usually just one bottle is that price. I'm not really worried about price since I have a pro sally card so I get quite a bit off it anyway. The packaging is alright, just a standard nail polish bottle but I really wish the brush was bigger like OPI's brushes are. It does dry up pretty quickly which kind of sucks and I had to take a lippie off for that. But you can use their restore product which is stupid since I shouldn't have to buy another product to keep my original one fresh. ANYWAY, this is a great topcoat it gives a great shine and leaves the nailpolish on for more than a week, I love love love it!! Would recommend :)

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No