Okay, now my favorite top coat is Sally Hansen Mega Shine. I’ve been using it for a long time and I really love it. However, I’m always looking for the next best thing, and many -if not most- of my fellow nail bloggers always talk about Seche Vite. I know it’s not new or anything but I had never tried it… until now. I got myself a bottle at Sally Beauty Supply when I was there for some nail polish remover and nail polish thinner, and I tried it on my Mummy Nails for the first time. I am not sure if I will keep using Seche, use it on an occasional basis, or replace my beloved Mega Shine with the Seche.
Here is what I found:
Seche Vite:
- Dries faster than SH Mega Shine. Significantly faster as evidenced by my mummy nails, but in all fairness they had less layers than a usual mani for me.
- Has an AWFUL smell! It smells like a room that’s had a bunch of spray painting going on in it and no ventilation. Makes me wonder just how healthy it is to use it as often as I paint my nails (at LEAST 2x/week fully including a good top coat).
- Has a thicker consistency than SH Mega Shine which I’m indifferent about, but you may not like the formula.
- Has a regular round/non-wide brush.
- Is not as shiny as Mega Shine, but is shinier than say, regular OPI top coat. It does seem to get dull quickly though.
- Seem to do a great job keeping nails for chipping. I have almost NO tip wear after a whole day of working, cooking, doing dishes, and loading the wood stove.
Mega Shine:
- Is shinier. Definitely gives your nails a more glossy appearance and doesn’t dull as quickly as Seche.
- Smells far less strong than Seche Vite.
- The consistency of SHMS is much thinner than Seche. This eases application, but isn’t that big of a deal.
- Has a wide brush.
- Dries quickly but not as quickly as Seche Vite. It seemed like Seche dried my nails more completely faster, for instance with SHMS my nails will be dry to the touch, but very susceptible to indents or crinkling of the polish for a while afterwards. The Seche seemed to not only dry them to the touch, but make them less susceptible to pressure-type mess-ups.
- Costs slightly less than Seche, IF you find a coupon in your Sunday paper. It sells for $$7.99 here in stores, and there is almost always a $1 off coupon. Seche sells for $7.95 at Sally Beauty Supply here and with your Sally card it’s a little cheaper but still over 7 bucks.
Bottom line: Seche would make a great I’m-in-a-hurry top coat or a great coat between layers to set the first more quickly so you can go on to the next. But SHMS dries fast too, and I like the shine factor better so for the most part I will probably stick with my Mega Shine. 🙂
Have you tried both of these? What do you think about one or both? I’ve heard some people talk about shrinkage with Seche, but that didn’t happen to me yet, has it happened to you? That would really irritate me. Let me know what your thoughts are! 🙂
Polish Me, Please! 
Pingback: The Secret to Shiny, Long-lasting Nails | Polish Me, Please!