Seche Vive

Okay so after reading the reviews and seeing quite a few negative ones I was nervous. How could such a lauded product just fail for some people? I think I know the answer thanks to trial and error and a few google searches. 1 - this needs to be applied on WET or TACKY polish. Forget all you know about top coats and you’ll get it. This product should be applied before your polish has finished drying because it doesn’t just sit on top of it, it bonds through all the layers of polish and onto your natural nail. It hardens everything and seals it in to make it last. If your polish is dry it cannot do that. It also can’t be applied to bare nails, so if you just want shiny bare nails stick with a cheap top coat that can be applied that way. This one just can’t be used like that. 2 - it needs to be applied quite thickly. So again forget what you know about nail polish, thin coats of this won’t work. Get a good bead of it on the end of the brush then swipe it down the nail, moving it gently to cover all of it and DONT LET THE BRUSH TOUCH THE POLISH UNDERNEATH! This will stop it from working and it’ll just peel off. 3 - Seal the edges of the nail! So with whatever is left on your brush after you’ve applied it to the nail go around the tip of the nail to seal it in. This will stop the top coat and polish from shrinking back and leaving the tips bare or prone to chipping. It’s not just a swipe on and go type of product, it has a learning curve but once you’ve got it you’ll never look back. And finally Four - it takes minutes to dry to the touch however it takes 20-25 mins to dry to the point that you can touch it and it won’t wrinkle. So leave it alone. It then takes up-to an hour or more for it to fully harden and set to become dent proof. So don’t wait 10 minutes and start poking at the nail, it will dent. I left mine over an hour and when I remembered to check it nothing could dent my nails. They are solid! All in all it’s an amazing product but it definitely needs to come with better instructions, I was so frustrated with it until I found blog posts explaining how it has to be used and I followed them. My nails are set and hard now, I still had some issues with application because it’s so thick but it’s like anything, once you get the hang of it you’ll be doing it perfectly every time. My nails are so so shiny and I’m excited to see how long they last because traditional polish never lasts more than a day on my hands. I typically have to use gel polishes but they are a pain to do on yourself. I hope this review helps anyone that’s struggled with this product or thinks it doesn’t work. It’s not your fault, the company should provide all this information but for some reason you have to find it yourself. I will continue to use it if it lasts like it promises. I’ll update in a few days time to check in with how it looks.

I love to knit. I also love to paint my nails. What's the point in this information I hear you say? Well as anyone who is crafty in any way knows you can’t do both, difficult decisions must be made. This bothers me. I want to paint my nails and have them dry in under an hour so I can finish knitting my blanket, yes I am aware I'm old before my time, is this too much to ask? Seche Vite says no. This topcoat was recommended by a friend and I have never looked back. I'm such an avid fan that I rarely finish a bottle instead passing it on to uninitiated friends. You can’t paint nails and practice guitar you say? Here try this! I don't know how it works (witchcraft?) I just know that it does. A slick of this over your finished manicure and within ten minutes your nails are dry. And I don't mean touch dry, the kind of dry that a fight with a zipper in the bathroom can ruin. I mean dry, cured, solid, un-smudgeable! Further benefits of the Seche Vite topcoat is that it's high shine and long lasting. I can now get a solid week out of a manicure before it starts to chip (rubbish nails and the nature of my work means I usually only get 3 chip free days). So what’s the downside? Well this stuff gets gloopy. Quickly. Due to the nature of the fast drying formula after around a month of usage the polish starts to thicken. This is easily fixed with the Seche Vite Restore. This is a wee bottle with a dropper and 2 drops in the polish restores it to its natural state. The restore is well worth buying, you get a longer life out of your polish and the restorer can be used in other polishes as well. The bottle I have has lasted over a year. What I will say is don’t try and save pennies by using nail polish remover to restore your top coat. Yes it thins it, yes it works with other polishes. But it actually ruins the quality of the top coat and stops it from drying as fast. Which really, is the whole point of buying it all along.

I'm only on my second manicure with this top coat, so if my experience changes I'll be sure to update this. BUT, so far this is an AMAZING experience. I can rub my nailas against a towel 5 minutes after application and nothing happens. Nothing. No smearing, no smudging, no texture imprint, nothing. After 5 days of wear, still shiny, no chips, looks absolutely spotless like I've just done my nails. I also find it very easy to apply. Smooth and easy, and although it dries quick I have enough time that multiple strokes blend seamlessly into one layer. I am super impressed. I previously used the essie and opi top coats. Essie was good but didn't last at all after a few weeks from opening. Opi lasted long, but was to soft, so always had imprints and smears as it seemed to keep sllightly liquid for 24 hours. This solves all the things, and I couldn't be happier. I took off my previous manicure after about 5 days because I did a sloppy job with the polish, but will keep the current (much neater) one on as long as possible to test the wear. Will report back! UPDATE: Above photo is my manicure after a full week of wear. As you can see, some tiny patches have come off, but this is still 100% better than any other topcoat I have ever used. I have one tiny scratch on the other hand by way of super sharp fabric scissors, and not even that went all the way through the top coat. I am sold for life.

The best i’ve ever tried

Deixa um ótimo acabamento, esmalte seca muito rápido!

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Very quick drying for use as a top coat !

This is very good, however when the bottle gets about half way - it becomes very thick and difficult to apply and can damage the polish under. So it’s good, but only till around half way - Unable to finish the product