Seche Vite ‘Dry Fast Top Coat’ is regarded online as one of the best topcoats in existence. Yet I myself had never tried it. I was completely obsessed with Julep ‘Freedom Polymer Topcoat’, which has similar properties to Seche Vite but comes with a much higher price tag. When my Julep topcoat ran out I was reluctant to replace it with the same product, purely because $18 for a topcoat is a little bit absurd, even if it is amazing. So I decided, as the Editor of Pedicure.com I should probably try Seche Vite, as it’s so raved about online. I ordered it off amazon and here are my thoughts!
Pros
I have read online how people don’t like the thin nature of it, which I don’t really understand as I paint mine on relatively thickly as it gives it a much more glossy finish. I tend to be one of those people who paints thicker coats and less of them because I want get to the finished product!
This is one of the few dry fast topcoats I have encountered that actually dries the entire nail. Not just the surface like so many others do. Everyone knows the sadness and frustration of testing the top of your nails and seeing they are dry, only for the polish to smudge off because the bottom layers aren’t dry. Seche Vite removes this issue! It also self-levels the polish it goes over. This is especially good if you have damaged nails with a slightly uneven surface. Once it has self-levelled it looks thick, glossy and perfect, which I find tricks people into thinking you have had a shellac manicure. Huzzah!
Cons
An issue I have had is that it doesn’t get on well with some of my polishes. I have found with some of my glitter polishes it doesn’t last nearly as long, especially on my toes. But with the polishes it does get on with I can get a full week of chip-free wear, which for me is miraculous!
Another negative is that there is a bit of a chemical smell. I know most polishes smell pretty awful, but we put up with it (and just tune it out) because of how pretty our nails look afterwards. This job means I’m around nail polish a lot and don’t really notice the smell anymore, but this polish has such a strong smell at first I really noticed it. Since reading up about it I have discovered this smell is because it is not free of the big three chemicals and does contain Toluene, but not enough to be considered dangerous. However for some people the risk is not worth it for glossy manicures, which I totally understand.
Have you tried Seche Vite? Is there another holy grail topcoat in your stash? Comment below and let us know!
Mette
xx
