So I wondered into Sallys the other day to pick up a few of my regulars. Seche Vite being top of my list as I was getting to the end of my last bottle and anyone that uses this top coat will know just how vital a part of your manicure routine this little bottle is. Just for those of you not in the know, Seche Vite is an ultra fast drying topcoat, it penetrates the layers of your regular polish to provide you with a smudge free manicure in less than a minute. Not only that but it stays glossy and chip free for at least a couple of days, which for me is nothing short of a miracle. Sounds impossible? Try it, you'll never look back! The only drawback is that you must remember to wrap your tips because as Seche Vite is so fast drying you run the risk of shrinkage.
So there I was about to reach for the bottle when another Seche Vite box caught my eye, I own a couple of other polishes in the Seche Vite range, Seche Rose and Seche Base, both of which I love but this looked very different! A black bottle? UV topcoat!
Seche Vite Ultra-V
Now I must admit my first thought was, do I really need to it? A strange questions for a self confessed beauty addict perhaps but I was happy enough with my current topcoat and could I be bothered to cure my nails with a UV lamp after I'd got so use to my 'seche and go' routine? Curiosity got the better of me and alongside my old reliable I purchased Seche Vite Ultra-V. Having never tried a UV topcoat before I got home and did a little research online, I read promises of 'mirror like shine' and 'no chips for a week'. NO CHIPS FOR A WEEK?? It sounded too good to be true!
So along with my new bottle of Nails Inc Piccadilly Circus courtesy of Decembers issue of Glamour magazine I sat down to give my rather sorry looking nails some TLC. A bit of cuticle work, nail shape, then Seche base and 2 coats of Piccadilly Circus later, I was ready for the Ultra-V experience. A quick pro-tip if you want a professional looking manicure leave a small gap all around your nail bed when you apply your polish, if you find this tricky apply your polish as normal and then do yourself a favour and invest in some CND nail fresh and a decent brush, swipe around your cuticle and remove all traces of polish. The Seche Vite Ultra-V product itself is easy to apply, for some reason I was expecting it to be thick but I would say it's actually a thinner consistency than my normal Seche Vite Clear, but as many of you will know it has a tendency to thicken up pretty quickly. UV lamp ready and waiting I followed the instructions and popped my hand under for 3 minutes, waiting to be dazzled by my glossy nails.
Now, I'm not going to lie and say that I could see my reflection in my nails, however there was a definite sheen in comparison to my uncured hand. There was also no shrinkage which I was pleased about as I didn't make any extra effort to wrap my tips, but the biggest thing for me was how smooth the UV coat made my nails, similar to the effect you get from gel or airbrushed nails, they just looked immaculate, I couldn't stop admiring them, which FYI looks a bit strange to other people when your sat smiling at your own hands! Any who, shineyness aside what I was really looking for out of this was staying power, chip free power to be precise.
After Seche Vite Ultra-V
On day one I had some very slight tip wear but this could have been my own fault for not wrapping my tips! This picture in the daylight really gives you a good idea of the colour, I'm really pleased to add it to my ever extending polish collection, it's described by nails inc as a 'dark pink cerise', I'd describe it as warm aubergine but that's just cause I like relating everything to food! :)
Day One
However day 3 roll around and then came the dreaded chip! Right on my ring finger, combined with the ever growing tip wear, it was time to take the polish off. I can't say I was disappointed, I realised that besides a french, I'd never wore a color on my nails for this long and I was starting to get pretty bored of it. So for me the Seche Vite Ultra-V experience lasted 3 days, however I can definitely say the extra minutes curing were definitely worth it for the immaculate finish and from someone who can chip their nails in as little as a few hours, 3 days was pretty good.
I've also since used my Seche Ultra-V with my dashing diva tips and can safely say my tips stayed on for a whole week without lifting or peeling, one important thing to remember when you apply this is not to go all the way to the cuticle, if the polish makes contact with your skin it is easier for water and oil to get underneath and cause the polish to lift away from your nail bed.
What do you think? Are you tempted to try a UV topcoat, have any recommendations for me?
Lots of Love xxx
No comments:
Post a Comment