I have a confession to make!I've become dissatisfied with Seche Vite. So much so that I'd like to find a new top coat.
I know! It's pure blasphemy! It's treason! But, it is so.
If you are unfamiliar with the glories of Seche Vite, let me enlighten you. Seche is a extremely fast drying top coat ... I mean, like 5 minutes after you slap it on, you're good to go. It also forms a hard, shiny, gelatinous coating over your polish that keeps the polish from chipping for quite a long time.
Why would I want to abandon this wonderful invention, you say? Well, I have a couple of reasons.
First off, the brush in this thing is ridiculous. After you've made your way through about half of the bottle, it is pretty much impossible to get anything out unless you revert to tipping the bottle to odd angles and screwing the top back on every time you dip the brush in. Very irritating.
Secondly, Seche Vite bubbles and thickens like no other. After 1/2 the bottle is gone, you'll notice some thickening of the polish and a little bubbling. Nothing too serious, but annoying all the same. But then when the bottle is maybe 2/3 gone, this stuff goes insane. Bubbles everywhere and it turns into glue. I've tried adding huge amounts of (Seche brand) thinner. While that does help a little with the thickening, it does nothing for the bubbles. And who wants bubbles in their manicure?
So here's what I'm proposing to do. I will start a great lacquer hunt for another amazing top coat. It must dry quickly, be shiny and gelatinous, be cheap (Seche Vite is expensive-ola), and not thicken or bubble. That's quite a list, we'll see what I come up with! I'll be posting about all the new top coats I try.
Do y'all have any suggestions for me?
And don't forget the shrinking problem!
ReplyDeleteI have your next topcoat - Megashine by Sally Hansen. It's in a silver bottle and costs about $5. You will love it;)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - O yes, how could I have forgotten that?
ReplyDeleteHome Spa Goddess - I will definitely check it out!
I love Poshe. It does thicken up a lot but the Poshe thinner takes care of that.
ReplyDeleteNosaby - Yeah, I've been meaning to check out Poshe.
ReplyDeleteI've tried the Sally Hanson one as well and it's terrific! It does, however, thicken and bubble (like seche) once you get through 2/3 of it, but at $5 a bottle, I'm not complaining. Maybe you could try Zoya's Armour Top Coat, "All lacquered up" gave it some good reviews so I'd consider giving it a shot :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Anonymous!
ReplyDeleteSally Hansen's Insta-Dry (red bottle) is also great, and the version for french manicure (pink bottle) is even better, as it protects the polish from yellowing and doesn't get gloopy near the end of the bottle!
ReplyDelete(However, when it becomes denser I set aside the bottle, start another one and when the second too is nearly finished I pour the content in the first one, adding some thinner: it works perfectly! Like having a new bottle. ;) )
Nubar has a topcoat that is fast drying. It also works with Konad as a topcoat. It's called Diamont. bynubar.com sells a base and topcoat together. It really is good.
ReplyDeleteleo - Thanks, I'll have to look into that! :)
ReplyDeleteLucy - Yeah, I've heard a lot about Diamont, but I've never tried it. It IS a lot cheaper than Seche Vite. Do you know how much the shipping is?
You can try out CND super shiney. I really like that one too. Seche can get kinda gooey but I like it too!
ReplyDeletePoshe is the best! It's like some wonderful alien technology or something. It self levels, and SO HELP ME, it can repair itself. Twice I've accidentally touched a nail right after applying the Poshe. Thinking the nail was ruined, I headed for the remover and then right before my eyes...wait for it...the wrinkle disappeared! Yes! Not once but twice! A million times better than SH Insta-Dry or Seche Vite, which were my two tcs of choice before. A word about quick dry topcoats: they all get thick. It's the downside of the "quick dry" part. Poshe has a thinner that works well. - Melanie
ReplyDeleteDenny - I've been wanting to try a lot of stuff by CND lately ... methinks a haul is in order! :)
ReplyDeleteMelanie - That's awesome! Thanks for the tip.
I'd give another vote for the Sally Hansen Megashine. It's awesome. It does thinken near the bottom 1/3 but at $5 it's cheap enough to just start a new bottle at that point.
ReplyDeleteI really really like the China Glaze brand topcoat. It dries in about two minutes, gives a beautiful shiny top, and keeps it from chipping really well. Only problem I have with it is that after four days or so it peels, but by then I'm ready to take it off. Good luck on the hunt!
ReplyDeleteAlisa - Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - Ooo, that sounds very interesting. Thanks for the tip!
okay, this is what i do. it's REALLY not as involved as it sounds. when my seche vite is half gone, buy another. pour half of the new bottle into the old bottle. use until half full, pour in second half of newer bottle. repeat. it WILL get a little thick, but i like my SV a little thicker, makes for a shinier finish and i find it easier to work with.
ReplyDeleteamanda - that actually makes a lot of sense. I think I'm just too lazy for that. :D
ReplyDeletejessica's top priority is great, but...they reccomend to refill the bottle once you used it till the top of the Jessica logo, so it wont get thick, i think it's a problem you cannot prevent, we want a chemical that seals and dries fast, so if you think about that, it's quite logical the top coat dries even in the bottle...
ReplyDeletecrystal - yes, that makes sense. :)
ReplyDelete