Today I have something a little different for you guys. I decided to review and compare the three top coats I have (and have heard about often) so you can get the idea of how they work pitted against one another. I do warn you, this will get wordy!
When I started reading blogs and generally getting more into nail polish, I kept seeing the name Seche Vite and people raving about its mystical polish drying powers so I decided to give it a try. Obviously, wonders happened and I swore I would never forsake it with another. Then I got to the middle of the bottle and my beautiful magic serum turned into a gloopy mess.
Then I saw a couple of posts about Revlon's Quick Dry top coat (mainly this one at Lacquerized) that conviced me to give it a try and had great results at first. It prevented my sheet marks as well as Seche Vite and dried just a touch slower but then I had a problem with bubbling.
Enter Sammy's ravings at TheNailasaurus about NYC's In a Minute top coat. After a while of reading her posts I stumbled onto a bottle at my K-Mart so I decided to try it too.
What I did to compare: I painted two coats on each nail as normal, waited one minute and then applied top coat to each nail (Seche Vite on my index and pinky, NYC to my middle finger and Revlon to my ring finger). After applying the top coat I waited five minutes and started making dents in the polish with my fingernail at 5 minute intervals for every dent so 4 dents total = 20 minutes drying time.
Be sure to keep reading after the jump for more pictures and the final verdict!
As far as performance goes, Seche Vite is still very good, but I cannot get over the shrinkage issues and the not being able to use almost half a bottle. NYC is very good, much better than expected for a polish that cost less than $2 but I have to say I still prefer the Revlon! I know, it's crazy, it was the slowest one but, in Revlon's credit, my bottle is more than half empty and I don't remember it being this slow when brand new.
I think the reason I don't love NYC 100% is because of the shine/finish. It's still crazy shiny but I see some weird brush strokes in the polish sometimes. As if the brush was too stiff for the polish and it dented it when you were applying it (?). It's weird but I know I've seen it on some of Sammy's posts as well. Also, NYC is a tad thicker than Revlon, and you have to be careful to apply it all the way to your borders and cuticle line so you don't leave any polish without top coat because the difference is definitely noticeable. However, since that's just user error it shouldn't affect anyone's decision. The positive for NYC is that, while it feels like it has a thicker formula, it doesn't dry as thick as its counterparts, so I would feel more comfortable doing two layers of NYC (say if I was doing a tape mani to dry the first layer then again to seal everything) than I would with the Seche Vite.
Bottom line: Seche Vite is still the fastest and I do keep buying it because when I'm in a real hurry that's the one I reach for. NYC is a flippin' great top coat even without considering the price (Seche usually retails around $8, Revlon $4-6 and NYC is less than $2), so the price point is just a sweet sweet bonus. Personally, I will keep using the Revlon when I can. The shine is definitely comparable to Seche and I just like the texture more. I will try to redo the experiment with a new bottle or try thinning my actual bottle and report back if I see any difference.
I hope you guys found this useful and if you have any suggestions, either for top coats or other posts you'd like to see, make sure you let me know in the comments!
UPDATE: Click HERE to see my new comparison! Featuring Seche Vite versus Essie Good To Go, Poshe and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri.
I know the feeling with SV being gloopy at the half bottle mark. It sucks and they should make the brush longer so it actually gets to the bottom of the bottle. The shrinkage issue, I find it mostly happens when I apply it too soon to wet polish and to avoid it shrinking, I would run the brush along the edge of my nails to wrap it. It doesn't need alot, just a small amount would keep SV in place. But I have to say, even the gloopy mess dries really fast, it's just a bitch to apply. I would definitely pick up a bottle of NYC if I see it.
ReplyDeleteI have really tried applying the SV at different times to see if that helps but lately I've been having shrinkage at the cuticle line, no matter how well I wrap my tips. It's like my SV said "OH you wrap me so I can't move from the tips eh?! Very well, away from the cuticle we go!".
DeleteI feel my mani looks dirty after that :(.
I've seen that happen once or twice with mine also...I try not to put such a thick coat of SV on...eh, you win some you lose some lols
DeleteCee, you couldn't say any better.
ReplyDeleteVery good comparison.
Thank you so much for posting this!! I am still new to the nail world and am right smack in the middle of my "OMG SV I love you let's never fight" phase but I am noticing as I hit the half bottle mark it is becoming a little harder to work with. The bubbles, oh the bubbles >.< This has been very helpful in deciding what I may want to try soon!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! You'll find yourself in a long love-hate relationship with SV but, in the end, you'll always go back to it :D
DeleteRE: SV..I used to have major shrinkage issues and bottle gloopiness as well. For the gloopy, Seche sells a product called Seche Restore, which restores the ingredients that evaporate with use. It's not thinner, it's actually just the ingredients in SV that evap off. It's amazing. One bottle lasts me forever since it only takes a few drops to work. I have used regular thinner with good results as well. I've used every TC out there and always go back to SV since nothing else really compares long term. I found my restore at Ulta, and it's like 9 bucks, but soooo worth it.
ReplyDeleteShrinkage? Yup, been there. I've found that if I wrap my tips very well and apply my SV while my polish is still as wet as possible, I don't have any shrinkage anymore. Usually the shrinkage coincides with the evaporation, so if i see it starting I add a couple of drops of Restore and I don't have any more problems! I actually abandoned SV for so long because of those issues, and went to Revlon and Essie Good To Go. Then NYC. Then Orly Sec N Dry, then Sally Hansen...the list goes on! Now that I know the secret of Restore, I havent had to use another TC at all!
I have considered buying the Restore but it just bugs me that I have to spend more $ (although I know the bottle will last very long) to fix something that I feel should have lasted longer. I always wrap my tips, it's a compulsion really. I wrap them with the base coat, polishes and top coat but, like I said up there ^, lately it's been all about the shrinkage at the cuticle line :(
DeleteI'll probably cave in and buy the Restore eventually since nothing really works as well as SV. Oh, another reason I tried waning off of SV is that I know it's not Big 3 Free and I was being as careful as possible with my very weak nails just in case that was the problem.
I hear ya there. I held off on the restore forever because I was so miffed that I had to buy another product to make the product I already paid for keep working! But in the end I think my body chemistry just hates most top coats save for seche. The cuticle line shrinkage is soooo irritating, isn't it? I do my clean up after my SV is totally dry now and that helps, but occasionally I still see some shrinkage there. Usually because I was in a hurry or because I did my clean up first and didnt apply my SV right down to my cuticle. Thats' my real trick. Just slap it on and deal with the clean up. Seriously goes against every application trick I use, but heck, if it keeps that line clean, I'll take it. I have horrible OCD and if my cuticle line gets messed up I will go insane! I can't tell you how many times I've slipped and taken it up too high or had some shrinkage or smearing and I've spent an entire day just perseverating on it! Same with my nail shape. I need a good therapist that specializes in manicure OCD. ;)
DeleteI've never seen someone do a post like this; VERY great for deciding what a fast drying top coat is! I use SV all the time now and I love how fast it dries. Usually I don't do my nails if I don't have a fast drying top coat because I'm scared it'll smudge, but SV is brilliant. Yay for this! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I'm glad you found it useful. I can't take all the credit for the idea though, I saw something similar on AllLacqueredUp ages ago.
DeleteHave you tried Essie's Good to Go? This one is definitely my fav...not only does it dry quickly, it also has a great consistency plus it doesn't cause shrinkage. Essie's quick dry top coat is definitely the fastest quick dry top coat that I've used. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried it because every time I go to Walgreens it's sold out! I have heard great things about it though and have always thought of trying it, especially because I have so many Essie's. It's just a matter of actually finding it.
DeleteA poster on MUA suggested applying Seche while top layer of polish is still slightly tacky to help with shrinkage and to wrap the tips as others above have suggested. I've done this and it works for me, I'd also suggest minimizing your exposure to water the first day (a long hot shower will practically guarantee shrinkage). I use regular polish thinner and my Seche works until the last drop but I want to try Seche Restore. Sallys sells a big Seche (around 4.5 oz total I think) and with their beauty club and their occasional 25% off coupon it can be a good deal (makes it less than $3 per .5 oz).
ReplyDeleteHmm, I haven't heard about the water exposure, I'll definitely try that next time. Thanks!
DeleteI like SV but it's not my top choice. I love Sally Hansen's quick dry top coat. But I may give NYC a go!!! As far as shrinkage goes It's only happened to me once with SV (and I should mention that the polish that shrank has shrunk before with a different topcoat too). I always wrap the tip and that seems to work :) Also I do this for all my base and top coats but I use them until I can't even tilt it to get enough on the brush. Then I keep what ever is left and open a new bottle. When I've used up a bit of the new bottle I pour what's left from the old bottle into the new. And sometimes add thinner. That way I don't waste a bunch.
ReplyDeleteThe first top coat I tried (which was just a few months ago!) was NYC. It was fine until the next day when I noticed tiny little cracks all over my nails. The Seche Vite needs a LONGER brush! I'm currently trying Out the Door top coat.
ReplyDelete