Out of all the top coats I've tried throughout the years, Seche Vite remains my favorite. Every once in a while, I try to switch it up, and I'm disappointed (--if you have any other top coat suggestions for me, I'd love to hear them!). I love that this top coat is actually fast-drying and I don't have to worry about my nail polish after I use it. I also love how freaking shiny and glossy it is and it REMAINS shiny well after the first day of nail polish. Going top-coat-free sucks. You tell yourself that you're saving yourself time and trouble, but really your nail polish just ends up chipped and loses all of its luster the very next day. Which brings me to my second favorite thing about Seche Vite: it keeps even the cheapest nail polish chip-free for up to a week.
Pros:
- Dries fast.
- Keeps nails super glossy.
- Prevents chipping. Extends nail polish life for real.
- Inexpensive if you buy it online (pack of 3 for under $7).
Cons:
- Gets goopy near the end.
Where To Buy
You can get it from Amazon here for less than 7$ for a pack of 3 -- and I recommend buying a 3-pack for the reason above. You can also find it at Ulta or some drugstore, but it's just about $10 a pop.
I'm going to keep using and repurchasing this top coat. The only downside I've noticed (and have heard others mention) is that it gets goopy before you get to finish a full bottle. Given the pros, I can live with that. What's your favorite top coat? I'd love to hear it.
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Seche Vite contains Toluene which is an allergen and can cause reproductive problems. While Seche Vite works well at fast drying it may not last 1 week and I am highly allergic to tolulene. Do you have any truly vegan suggestions that are fast drying, high gloss and long lasting?
I haven’t found any products that are as good as Seche Vite, but I’ll come up with some suggestions. Thanks for the feedback!
Hi Suzana!
Thank you for your hard work for making such an awesome cruelty free list.
But Unfortenately I suspect that Seche isn’t cruelty-free anymore.
They sent a statement to Sophie Carleen from Naoki (dutch): here’s the source: https://naoki.nl/informatie-over-cosmetica-merken-die-op-dieren-testen/
Statement: AII Beauty (Seche) has never, nor will it ever, test its end products on animals. However, some chemical manufacturers are required by federal law to use some ingredients that have at one time been tested on animals. We believe that it would be misleading for any beauty company to claim that it conducts no animal testing, when associated chemical manufacturers are required to do so.” (source: email 19-08-16)
Plus I see it’s sold at Aliexpress located in China: https://nl.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20190314032240&SearchText=seche+vite
Hope te hear from you, thank you so much in advance.
Love,
Lilo
Hi Suzie! I’ve been looking into another brand from American International Industries, Body Drench… do you know if ALL their brands are CF?
I hope you see this, I’m going crazy finding CF stuff in my country.
I guess this means that it is not vegan, which IMHO makes it NOT cruelty free. 🙁
Is Nutra Nail cruelty free?
Does anyone know of a cruelty free gel nail polish.
You can try Madam Glam, NCLA or I believe Wet N Wild has a line of gel polishes as well if you need something cheaper.
Thanks for these suggestions Krista! 🙂
Seche Vite is absolutely the best quick dry top coat I’ve ever used. It’s shiny and dries so fast. And it’s cruelty free!
I stopped using this years ago when I changed all my products to cruelty free! So glad to see its on the good list! I also got scared of the chemical warning, but it is such a fab top coat! x
I stopped buying this upon going vegan cause it assumed it wouldn’t be cruelty free, I’m so happy it is!
Cruelty Free Kitty for some reason does not count killing in its determination of Cruelty Free. So the products which are stated to be Cruelty Free are often not Vegan (and in my opinion, that means not Cruelty Free).
There is a warning on the box that contains chemical including Tolune which is know in state of CA to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.
I bought this stuff after hearing so much praise about it, but when I looked on the box mine came it, it says “This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.” So I got a bit scared lol.
omg i am so happy it’s cruelty free! this is definitely my HG top coat. I just decided to go cruelty free so it’s great I don’t have to go on the hunt for a new top coat. 🙂
Yay! 🙂
I just saw this at CVS on Sunday but didn’t buy as I wasn’t sure on their CF status. Thanks so much for sharing!
I love this top coat too! Great to know there’s no animal testing. It’s super fast drying and provides an incredibly shiny finish! I haven’t finished mine yet, so I can’t attest to the goopy-ness, but I’ve heard that same comment lots before.
I’m glad you liked it too! 😀