Milani Quick Dry Top Coat & NOTD!

Well what do we have here? A less expensive alternative to Seche Vite?

Seche is my HG, my savior, the only reason why, the only way I can paint my nails. Without it, my nails would only be bare and were until I broke down and spent $8.99 on a bottle of it a couple of years ago at CVS. Believe me, that was tough decision, no coupons, no ECBs, straight up $8.99 plus tax. I don't regret it for a minute!

Seche Vite ranges in price from $5.99 at Sally Beauty, in bulk on ebay $19.99 for 6. Or in a pinch you can grab it at CVS for nearly $9.

Now I'm running low on my only bottle! I gave my back up to my mom. Awesome, I'm staying at my mom's house right now.  Perfect!

When I was at CVS this past week grabbing Milani HD lipglosses as fast as I could (They were laying on another display. Just laying there!) I saw a clear bottle of Milani. I read the label aloud, "Hmm, Quick Dry Top Coat? And it's $4 cheaper than Seche. Hmm..." I scratch my head and throw it in the basket and I put back the Seche Vite I previously grabbed.

Fast forward to today... It is now the moment of truth. Side by side I compare them.

Left hand Seche Vite, right hand Milani.

Left hand: It almost has a blue hue like coating, so so very subtle, a glow maybe? I mean ever so slightly, you can discern a difference. It is way more shiny, smooth as ever.

Right hand: During the application of the Milani it is noticeably thinner in consistency, cool when drying. Very different from Seche. The nails are not quite as smooth, not as shiny. Dried within 45 seconds to the touch. Not rubbing, just slight touch. Again, they are smooth, but not Seche smooth. Also I notice right away color from my nail in the brush as I smooth it over each nail. But the brush bristles are white, Seche are black...

Here's the deal... I know from several discussions, some do not like the high gloss finish that Seche provides, others would not have it any other way. I'm of course in the latter group. I love the smooth, sleek and shiny look of my nails. If you don't like that, Milani is the one you want to pick up. And it dries super, super fast.

I should have had a stop watch to compare the drying times but both were smooth to a light touch under a minute.  Completely dry within 3.

Now here's the rub, well the chip after less than 24 hours...  I wasn't at the beach digging in the sand, wasn't even doing a lot of dishes...

Milani chipped.

My other hand with Seche...

This is WnW Diving for Pearls.  Love this color but man WnW, what is going on with your brushes?  Seriously.  2 crappy brushes from the same collection.  I haven't had a problem with their brushes any other time.  Not happy because this is a pretty color.  I'll suck it up though and wear it again I'm sure but WnW please don't skimp on the applicator. Your polishes are so lovely! 
Now granted, I am now realizing that I used the Milani on my dominant hand. That could have made a world of a difference in terms of wear.  So my experiment/test is not over...  I will use both again on opposite hands and document the results! 

Stay tuned!  (seriously, did I just write that.  Does anyone know what that means anymore?  lol)