Even Nurses Who Wash Their Hands "100 Times Per Shift" Rely on the $11 Nail Top Coat I’ve Used for 24 Years

My cousin, a licensed cosmetologist, has long been my go-to for beauty product recommendations. Her advice is especially solid when it comes to nail care. I remember when she first recommended Seche Vite, an InStyle favorite for best quick dry top coat, which has since become my manicure must-have. 

She explained that it dries so fast that after she finishes polishing her nails, she can immediately pick her baby up. Anyone who’s ever done an at-home manicure knows that drying freshly polished nails requires at least 20 minutes of waving and fluttering your hands — or sitting perfectly still if you’re patient — before touching anything, let alone cuddling an infant. 

I immediately ran out to get what would be the first of many bottles I would purchase over the years. Considering the previously-mentioned baby just turned 24, I’m coming in hot on my silver anniversary as a Seche Vite superfan. Sure, I’ve dabbled in acrylics, gels, and dip powders over the years, but I actually enjoy doing my own nails most of the time. Sitting around waiting for them to dry? Not so much. 

Shop now: $11; ulta.com

When I first tried Seche Vite — the French translation is “dry quick” — I felt like I arrived in mani heaven. Seche Vite allows me to polish my nails in just minutes without worry about chips and dents. I start with a base polish followed by two coats of color. Then, I go directly into a coat of Seche Vite, making sure to not wait longer than two minutes before applying. It might feel a little thick initially, but the brush has a narrow design that makes it easy to spread across your nail. 

I know it works fast since I’ve lost count of the times I’ve gone to bed shortly after polishing my nails, and woke up to no sheet marks on my nails. Aside from being ultra fast-drying, Seche Vite locks in my color for about a week, and it adds a hint of shine to my mani.

If I have extra time to dry my nails, I’ll grab my bottle of Seche Vive instead. This is a top coat that gives regular polish a gel-like look, but there’s no curing, and removal is easy with regular polish remover. I’ve been experimenting with doing a thin coat of this over the Seche Vite after my manicure is thoroughly dried, and it’s worked out well so far. 

Shop Now: $13; ulta.com

Shoppers also have found similar positive results after using Seche Vite, including nurses. One nurse who works in a busy hospital shared that they “use hand sanitizer and wash [their] hands over 100 times per shift,” but that Seche Vite is “the only top coat out there that will take that sort of beating for almost two weeks,” adding that it “actually keeps the color on [their] nails without chipping.” They continued that “nurses can finally have great nails.” A separate shopper who “works with [their] hands all day” also said this “top coat is near indestructible” and that it “dries within minutes.”

Seche Vite is one of the few beauty products that I grab two at a time so I’m never without it. Plus, its low price tag has saved me tons by skipping the salon for an at-home mani, and the small bottle seems to last for months. If you’re tired of smudging your freshly polished nails, grab the Seche Vite top coat at Ulta for just $11.