This Or That: Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Top Coat | Seche Vite

Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Top Coat has been my go-to top coat for a few years now. It does exactly what it claims to do: Makes nails touch dry in 45 seconds. Even if you have no interest in nails I'm sure at one point you will have heard about Seche Vite. It seems to be the top coat of choice on the blogosphere but after trying my mates a while back and not being impressed I turned a blind eye and swore never to buy it. Fast forward a year or so and I ordered a bottle thinking that maybe my mates was a dud or had just gone bad but had it?

Price: Kensington Caviar is more expensive at £12 for a full sized bottle but you can buy the set containg the Kensington Caviar Base & Top Coat 8ml each for around £12. Seche Vite is just under £10 (depending on where you purchase it from) for 14ml.

Finish: They are both fast drying top coats. On my nails they are both touch dry in the same amount of time. Kensington Caviar has a slight pink tinge to it but has never altered the colour of any polish I'm wearing. If anything it makes the colour more intense. Seche Vite is clear and also makes the colour more intense. They both leave the nails seriously glossy but Seche Vite has the edge as the formula is thicker.

Formula: Seche Vite is very thick and gloopy, even when you've just opened a brand new bottle. After the first few uses I noticed the formula started to dry out and get even thicker. I've read reviews saying that even when the bottle is half full it's almost unusable and you will need to use a product like Seche Restore. From what I've read, Seche Vite can be used on wet polish. I've tried this and ended up with streaks, smears and the brush was covered in whatever colour I'd used. If you don't apply enough, it drags across the nail leaving an uneven finish but if you use too much it pools in certain areas and leaves the sides of the nails looking crusty. It also caused major shrinkage at the tips on certain shades. Kensington Caviar is only slightly thicker than a regular top coat, spreads across the nail with ease and doesn't get gloopy untill the bottle is almost finished (even when it is gloopy it can still be used)

Longevity: Seche Vite cracked on my nails, peeled off like a sticker and didn't make my mani last any longer than if I didn't use a topcoat. Kensington Caviar does prolong the life of my mani but certainly isn't a game changer when it comes to wear time. This doesn't bother me in the slightest though as more often than not I'll change my nail colour before any chips or tip wear appear.

For me, Seche Vite isn't worth the hype. I can see why a lot of people love it as it leaves a really gorgeous, glossy almost gel like finish on the nails but the problems with application make it more hassle than its worth plus the smell is horrendous. It even comes with health warnings!

Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Top Coat still remains in my Holy Grail section and I can't see that changing any time soon but another great fast drying top coat is Sally Hansen Insta-Dri. It works in the same way and is a more purse friendly option.

Whats your Holy Grail top coat?

Have you tried either of these?

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NOTD: Essie - We're In It Together

Essie 'We're In It Together'

My current NOTD is Essie 'Neo Whimsical' but I found these photo's from a few weeks back and thought why not upload them. Please ignore the icky looking scratch at the side of me finger, thankfully it's gone now.

The weirdest thing has happened, Essie polishes are lasting longer than one day on my nails! I think this shade lasted around 5 days before chipping.

Products Used:

O.P.I Nail Envy Matte

Essie 'We're In It Together' (2 coats)

Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Top Coat

Do you have problems with Essie polishes?

What colour is on your nails today?

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NOTD: Essie 'Waltz'

Essie Waltz

Earlier on Twitter I posted a photo of 5 Essie polishes I'd ordered (and forgotten about) They arrived today and like a kid with a new toy I had to remove O.P.I 'I'm All Ears' and repaint my battered talons with one of my new shades.

I adore white nails. Stark white, milky sheer white, pale pink white. I love them all! Essie 'Waltz' really reminds me of my beloved Opera Ballerina minus the pink. You can get a sheer wash of colour with one coat or add three coats for full opacity. With sheer milky shades like 'Waltz' I prefer using 2 coats as I think they look nicer when there's a hint of visible nail line.

Products Used:

O.P.I Nail Envy Matte

Essie Waltz (2 coats)

Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Top Coat 

I do have a baby finger but it's in hiding after the nail snapped right off. No one needs to see my stump.

Whats on your nails today?

Do you own Essie 'Waltz'?

Essie 'Waltz' £1.99 from Fragrance Direct

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NOTD: Nails Inc Hatton Garden



Nails Inc Hatton Garden

The glitter is out in full force today!

Hatton Garden made an appearance on my blog last year but I was just using my phone cam at the time and the quality was terrible. (link)

Products Used:

Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Base Coat

Nails Inc Hatton Garden (2 coats)

Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Top Coat

Hatton Garden is a full coverage glitter, two coats and you're good to go. It stays on the nails for what seems like forever before chips start to appear but as with all glitters, it's a betch to remove. There is so many colours flashing through under different lights, my cam wasn't able to catch the full glory but in real life Hatton Garden twinkles like crazy.

What's on your nails today?

NOTD: Lady Like

After braving darker nail shades for a week or two I was once again drawn to my beloved Opera Ballerina. Opera Ballerina is my drug of choice but instead of wearing it in all its plain glory I thought it was about time for a french mani.

Products Used:

O.P.I Ridge Filler

O.P.I Alpine Snow

L'Oreal Opera Ballerina

Nails Inc Kensingtone Caviar Top Coat

I'm coming to the end of my O.P.I Ridge Filler now so it's started to go all thick, gloopy and streaky which then makes any sheer colour added on top look streaky (you can kind of notice it in the photos) so if anyone knows of a good milky base coat please let me know in the comments.

What's on your nails today? :)

Battle Of The Quick Dry Top-Coats | My Top 2

A good speed dry top-coat makes everything so much easier, I honestly panic when I'm coming to the end of a bottle. Regular top-coats just dont cut it with me any more. I've came across 2 that I would fully recommend, but I do favour one slightly more.

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with sally hansen products but Insta-Dri works well for me. The brush picks up a serious amount of product (which I prefer), It allows you to give the nails a hefty coat without any dragging but you have to make sure you spread it across the nail evenly or you'll be left with thicker pools at the side of the nail bed. Within a few seconds the nails are touch dry, as the name suggests, and you're able to get on with your day after a few mins. The only downside for me is that it doesnt harden as quick as I'd like, you just have to be careful not to press your nails against anything for a good few hours or you'll end up with some dents and the gloss will dull quite a bit.

Price: £5.99 from Boots

Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Top Coat

Sorry about the photo, its from the Nails Inc website. I've already done a review on this, you can read it here. Out of the 2, this would have to be my favourite. It hardens almost instantly compared to insta-dri and I find it to be slightly glossier aswell. Theres one thing I would change though, the brush. Unless you pick up a lot of product you're going to end up with dragging/streaks. I think Nails Inc should rethink the brush design on this top-coat.

Price: £12 from here.

With all top-coats I've tried, its impossible to get right to the end of the bottle without the polish starting to gloop. Its a pain but unfortunately it happens due to the formulations being designed to dry quick. I know theres loads of hype surrounding Seche Vite but on the few occasions I've used it I ended up with tip shrinkage. So for that reason I really dont rate it.

What Top Coat do you use?

Edit: Insta-Dri turned all gloopy less than halfway through the bottle.

Feb: Used, Abused And Reviewed.

Another month is almost over, this year is flying by already! Heres what I've used up this month though I did bin a few empties without thinking and now cant remember what they were.

Liz Earle Orange Flower Botanical Body Wash. 200ml £11.25: I bought this as a trio last year and still have a full bottle left. This body wash just seems to go on and on and on..... It's SLS/SLES free but foams up brilliantly when used with a scrunchie. Theres not really all that much to say about a body wash really.. It does the job but is expensive.

Would I repurchase? Probably not but only because I dont want to spend over £11 for a shower gel.

Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Top Coat. £12: I think you all know how much I love this top coat by now. You can read my review here.

Would I repurchase? Yes

Betty Hula Body Moisturiser samples in Champagne & Spice and Rum & Blackcurrant*: My full review is here.

Would I repurchase? Yes, Rum & Blackcurrant.

Phytobaume Eclat Couleur conditioner: This was a sample from one of the Feelunique beauty boxes. My hair is really long and thick so I only got three uses from it. It seemed to do a good job, conditioned my hair well but by the next day my hair felt a bit heavy and needed washed again.

Would I Repurchase? No

Dior Show Brow: Again, you can read more about it here.

Would I repurchase? Yes but its been discontinued. Booo!

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Blam. Full Size 100ml, £34: I love cleansing balms and this didnt disappoint, smells gorgeous, cleanses without stripping the skin and once you add water it turns milky and is easily removed. The muslin/microfiber cloth that came with it is brilliant aswell.

Would I repurchase? Yes

Jennifer Aniston Perfume (price varies): I'm not going to say too much about this except that its a cheap dupe for one of my fave perfumes.

Would I repurchase? Already have.

Dermalogica Age Smart Renewal Lip Complex. Around £16: You can read my review here.

Would I repurchase? Yes but I wouldnt pay the full price.

Items marked with * are PR samples

NOTD | Essie - Smooth Sailing.

Smooth Sailing is described as a breezy lavender blue with a reflection of pearl and is from the Braziliant Collection from Summer 11.

I almost never wear blue polish so I really dont know how or why I ended up buying this, maybe it was the 'reflection of pearl' that won me over.

The pearl effect softens the blue and makes it really wearable, though for some reason its a few shades darker once on the nail than it looks in the bottle.

Products Used:

Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Base Coat

Essie Smooth Sailing (2 coats)

Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Top Coat

The formulation was perfect and if you take your time with the application you could get away with only one coat. I used two coats, I always do, if I dont then I feel like somethings missing/wrong, because I'm a freak you see.

I also bought some Urban Decay crystals which can be used on the face, body and nails. I think they're too big on the nail, I still havent found any that are the perfect size and its so hard to judge sizes online. If anyone knows of any tiny crystals that are ok for nails then let me know.



I got 2 mini bottles Smooth Sailing and 2 packs of  Urban Decay Rocks, I'll be adding one of each to my giveaway.

Review: Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Top-Coat.

45 Second Speed Dry Top-Coat.

'Luxurious and conditioning caviar enriched speed dry top-coat that locks in colour for a longer wearing manicure. For touch dry nails in only 45 seconds. Adds a wet look salon finish to your nails.'

Directions For Use:

Apply one coat over your favourite nail varnish. Use in-between manicures to refresh and revive your nails.

This top-coat isnt new, its been around for a few years now but the reason I didnt try it untill recently is simple - it claims to be touch dry in 45 seconds and I've fallen for similar claims before, of course none of them were true. Even if I painted my nails in the afternoon and didnt go to bed untill around 12 I still woke up the next morning with sheet marks.

Anyway - a few months ago I got the Nails Inc Magnetic Collection from QVC for the stupidly cheap price of around £20 and Kensington Caviar Top-Coat was included. From the first swipe of the brush I knew it was good.

The nail colour underneath seemed magnified, more vibrant and the gloss was amazing, almost gel like. I was impressed with the finish but still didnt dare touch my nails untill 5 mins later. Usually with top-coats I've tried in the past there would still be a tackiness but not with this, my nails were smooth like glass, I could run my finger over the nail without any smudging (obviously dont press the nail hard or you will get dents.)

I no longer have to put any thought into when would be the best time to paint my nails, I can do them whenever I want then carry on doing what I need to do. It really does make your nails touch dry in 45 seconds. I find it works best when I fully load up the brush and apply a generous amount to each nail.

Kensington Caviar Top-Coat retails at £12 but Boots sell and 8ml duo of both the top-coat and base-coat for around £10, thats what I went for this time, if I'm as impressed by the base-coat I'll do a review.

Whats your HG top-coat?