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I discovered Seche Vite a little over ten years ago.  I had my nails done at the salon next to when I lived and the manicurist used Seche Vite and I was in love ever since.  I am a nail polish junkie and through all my findings I had never experienced a top coat that was quite as glossy that left your nails feeling glass-like.  Just simply luxurious.  And your nails feel dry unbelievably quick.  Until I tried Deborah Lippman’s Addcited To Speed….

Let me backtrack a little here, earlier last year I started becoming increasingly concerned about this whole 3 Free nail polish thing.  For those of you who are not sure what that means it means the polish is free of Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde and Toluene-chemicals that are known to be harmful.  Now to what extent of damage they can do is a little unknown still, but for me I wanted to be a little “greener” in general.  AND to top it off, I guess I haven’t been reading labels like I should but Seche Vite clearly marks on the bottle, “WARNING! This product contains a chemical known in the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.”  Admittedly I had used Seche Vite throughout both of my pregnancies and both of my little girls appear to be completely healthy but going forward I wanted to eliminate chemicals and toxins as much as I can.  I didn’t think I could give up Seche Vite until I found Deborah Lippman’s Addicted to Speed….

Now, you can argue with me that it is twice as expensive as Seche Vite at $20 a bottle.  But….for those of you who are loyal users of Seche Vite, you know as well as I do how hard it is to finish a bottle of Seche Vite without it getting unbelieveably thick and goopy to the point that you just toss it out.  I know that Seche Vite sells some type of thinner you can add to the bottle but I found it ridiculous that you have to purchase an additional product to make your current one last longer.  Plus I am sure the thinner works fine but I have this mental block that makes me think when you add something to polish you are somehow messing with the integrity and performance of the polish itself.  I know wierd, but that’s just me.  I have the bottles to prove it, here are my bottles that I accumulated that are unfinished because they got too thick.  I threw them away as soon as I found Deborah Lippman.

In addition, I tried a few of the Sally Hansen top coats and didn’t feel like they performed quite as well as Seche Vite did.

Deborah Lippman is definitely on the pricier side of nail polishes, however, so many of the colors are unique and I am all for healthier nail polish.  I started using the Deborah Lippman topcoat in October so I can’t say yet if i am going to have the thickness problem that I had with Seche Vite.

It’s worth a try, if you purchase it at Nordstrom you can always take it back no questions asked just keep the box with the return sticker on it.  Hope this helps!

Also for those who are curious about what polishes are 3 Free here is a post I found, I am sure there is something more updated but this answered most of my concerns/questions.

http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2008/04/go-green-healthier-polish.html

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Ok, so recently I became increasingly curious about high end nail polishes.  I wanted to see what all of the hype was about. Is it really worth the $18 to $25 a bottle?  I don’t know about all that, the verdict is still out on that one.  About a month ago I bought a Chanel polish in the color Black Pearl and although I absoutely love the color I didn’t find that the polish had any longer wear than an OPI or even Rimmel polish.  As well, I recently bought the Deborah Lippman nail polish in the color Wicked Game and although I absolutely ADORE the color, I don’t think I would necessarily say that these high end polishes last any longer than OPI or some other drugstore brands.  I rarely ever get my nails done anymore as I’d rather spend money on makeup or clothes so I justified these expensive polish purchases to this fact.

Will I continue to buy high end polishes? Probably but I have made it a point to buy colors that are unique.  So my recent love is Deborah Lippmans Wicked Game polish.  This polish is amazing, it’s this multidimensional color that looks like a purple, grey or even green depending on how the light shines on it.  Amazing.  I’ve also decided to buy polishes going forward that are 3Free – Free of Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Fomaldehyde and Toulene.  As well, beware, I have found Talc and Parabens in some polishes too.  I’ve really started to read labels carefully.  This is a personal choice of mine to try to lessen my chemical/toxins exposure.

In any event, check out this beautiful polish.  I am in LOVE!

I have been stepping out of the box this year as I have been programmed to wear neutrals because I’ve worked in a corporate environment for a long time, but not anymore: )  So I am enjoying experimenting with fun colors!  What are your favorite colors this season?