Product Review – Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

Product: Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
Use: As a clear top coat for nail color.
Price: About $10.00 for a 0.5 oz bottle
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

I can’t go out in public without my toes painted – otherwise they look like monkey feet – and if it weren’t for Seche Vite, I’d live a sad, sad life without flip-flops or sandals. This clear top coat for nails keeps my nail color super glossy and chip-free. I can’t live without this stuff!

When a sales person at Pure Beauty introduced me to this product in 2003, I was initially turned off by the price. Ten bucks for a bottle of clear polish seemed ridiculous! She insisted that I wouldn’t regret it and oh-so-helpfully reminded me of their full-refund policy, so I happily handed her some cash and skipped off into the sunset.

I’m happy I listened to her because Seche Vite has become a main staple in my at-home manicure routine. I’ve found no other top coat that compares to the shine and the durability of this product. It easily extends the life of my manicures for at least two weeks longer than other brands I’ve tried like, Sally Hansen, Revlon and Essie. The formula is thick and slow moving so application is tricky. After a while you get used to it though.

This is the only product from the Seche line that I’ve tried, but in the future I’m going to try their base coat and their cuticle softener. And you can count on me blogging all about it!

Pros:
Gives my nails a high-gloss finish. High durability – my nails take a lot of abuse and this top coat keeps them from chipping. I don’t have to use a lot and one bottle lasts me at least a few years. I find keeping it in the ‘fridge helps prevent the formula from getting too goopy and thick.

Cons:
It’s expensive, but you may find it cheaper at stores like Sally Beauty Supply – when I went to my local store on Saturday I saw that they were selling it for $6.99. The formula may be hard to apply initially because of thickness. If you have the same bottle for too long the solution gets really thick. I’ve tried to thin it out with nail polish thinner but that doesn’t work really well for me so I’ve ended up ditching bottles that were really old.

Last night I went to dance class, and my dance teacher worked us really hard. I’m in decent shape, but halfway through class I started panting (foaming, even) like Cujo. We were doing lots of rolling around on the floor and some break dancing. And yes, it’s possible to break dance and be 31 years old. As far as I know it doesn’t defy any laws of the natural world.

Today I’m hoping to make some progress on a travel story. More importantly, I want to get that frickin’ R. Kelly song, “I’m a Flirt,” out of my head. I’ve been listening to it non-stop for two days. Arrrrghhh, it’s so addictive! You’ve been warned!

Wherever you are I hope there’s sunshine.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen