Tag Archives: OPI top coat

NOTD: Julep Sofia and Essie Absolutely Shore

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I finally got around to trying Julep’s Sofia, a sheer green colour with micro glitter (so many nail polishes, too little time!). Because this colour is so transparent I layered it over Essie’s Absolutely Shore, a soft sea foam green shade, as I thought that by layering it it would make the actual colour pop.

Julep’s Sofia goes on more pigmented than I originally thought.  I used two layers over Absolutely Shore to achieve a good pigmentation of the colour.  It does, however, dry matte, which is something I absolutely hate.  If I still had a bottle of my beloved Seche Vite topcoat this wouldn’t be a problem, but I’m trying to use up my OPI Topcoat which doesn’t dry as shiny as the Seche Vite.

Overall, I thought this combo was okay.  I wouldn’t necessarily do it again.  I’ll probably try this colour again over China Glaze’s In the Lime Light (which also dries matte), maybe I’ll like it a little more a second time around.

I also want to say that Julep’s Sofia glows in the dark.  I don’t know if all Julep shades do this but I was quite alarmed when I turned off my lights to go to bed after I painted my nails and they were glowing back at me.  I haven’t read anyone else commenting on that detail when I read reviews of this polish but I guess it’s a cool effect, perfect for Halloween.

This is my first time using Julep nail polishes.  I have another one as well which I haven’t tried yet (Natasha).  The application was quite nice and I love the packaging and shape of the bottles.  In terms of colour though, I would probably skip this one.  It’s pretty in the bottle, but the fact that it dries matte and you have to layer it because it’s transparent, I dunno, that’s a con for me.  I’m sure I can find a combo that I absolutely love, but first impressions aren’t the good. I’m glad I only paid a penny for it (which also included another polish, a hand scrub, and nail file).  Julep polishes are also quite pricey compared to their counterparts.  The retails for $14 USD for 8 ml of product, whereas by comparison, OPI and China Glaze both had 14 ml of product for less money.

Have you tried Julep’s Sofia?  What were your thoughts?

Also, don’t forget to enter my May Loose Button Luxebox giveaway! ** Canadians only! Ends next Friday.

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The Cult Collection: Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

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So I haven’t blogged in a few days just out of pure laziness but I am back! And what better to blog about than a cult collection post?  This time we are looking at Seche Vite’s Dry Fast Top Coat.

According to Seche Vite’s website:

 

Seche Vite™ dry fast top coat is widely acknowledged as the world’s finest top coat. Specially formulated to penetrate through nail lacquer to the base coat forming a single solid coating over the nail plate for a much more durable finish. Guaranteed not to yellow while leaving nails silky, stronger and resistant to chipping and peeling.

Seche Vite has quite a cult following behind it (just Google “best top coat”).  It is known for being super shiny and super quick to dry.

A few months back I needed a new top coat so I got OPI’s version but I just didn’t find that it made my polish shiny at all. Then I heard about Seche Vite.  I didn’t want to get another new bottle of top coat because I basically just got the OPI, but I was at Sally’s Beauty Supply and they were offering a free Seche Vite base coat when you bought the top coat so I thought why not?  I can’t remember the Canadian pricing for the top coat (I think it was around maybe $10-11 CDN, it’s 7.99 USD online), but if Sally’s offers a 2 for 1 deal again, I would snag some, it’s so worth it.

Alright, so does it do what it says.  I can say wholeheartedly that yes, it presents your nails as super shiny and it takes about a minute to dry.  This stuff definitely does what it says and deserves it’s cult status.  Your nails look super shiny after you apply it and you don’t have to wait around and not touch anything for at least 10 minutes.  It does dry super fast, but I would still be mindful of what you do with your hands or feet at least half an hour after you paint them.  It’s not completely dry, but it’s dry enough to go about your day.

Although it looks great over basically any polish, Seche Vite does wonders over China Glaze’s neon polishes, which I find dry very matte.  The top coat really makes them shiny and as bright as they are in the bottle when you get them.  It also makes the shatter and crackle polishes amazing.  When I first used OPI’s Black Shatter I thought it was okay, but not amazing.  As soon as I applied the Seche Vite, that made all the difference in the world, I don’t know how to explain it, but the black looked darker and really made the effect stand out.  Here’s a tip: If you use a China Glaze neon polish under a shatter polish (like in my Turtle Nails post), put some Seche Vite over top of the colour before you apply the shatter.  Shatter works best over shinier surfaces for some reason.

So is it worthy of cult status?  Yes! I would for sure buy this again and I honestly haven’t even touched my OPI top coat since I got this. This is the only top coat I’ll use from now on.  Like I said, your polish just looks so much better with it over top.  It can change a drab polish to an amazing one all with one stroke.  It’s hyped up, but deservingly so.  This is a staple in my nail polish collection.

Have you tried Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat?  If so, what were your thoughts?  Love it or hate it?  Cult-worthy or over-hyped?

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