Thursday, September 15, 2011

Review: Pro-FX Quick Dry High Gloss Top Coat (+Comparisons)

Hi everyone!! So I recently bought a new topcoat(: I was cruising Twitter and Rie (Nails and Noms) mentioned that she got this new top coat, and it was fairly similar to Seche Vite. I have been needing a new bottle of TC, so after she said that it was like Seche, the very next day I went and bought it. I also ended up buying the 3 In One Base Coat, Top Coat, and Nail Strengthener, but I'll review that another day. Anyway, this is a super long review so better grab a snack or something.




Note From Me: I have 3 go-to topcoats. Seche Vite, NYC Quick Dry, and now Pro-FX Quick Dry Top Coat. Seche is basically my holy grail but it's really hard for me to find where I live. The NYC one was recommended by Sammie (The Nailasaurus) and that's really easy for me to get. I really like that top coat as well. Very nice brush (similar to OPI pro wide brush which I love).

Bottle/Price:  Ohmygawd the bottle is HUGE! I first saw this brand at my local Walmart about 4-5 months ago, and I have always wanted to try it because of the bottle. Apparently it's "salon size". It's 2.5 FL. OZ/ 75 ML. You can see in the second picture, how it compares to a regular bottle of Beauty Secrets Base Coat. This top coat was fairly cheap considering it's size, I only payed $4.95 +tax.

Bubbling:  Rie mentioned that this top coat bubbled on her friend really badly. (It didn't bubble on Rie though). I noticed that this top coat gets bubbles really easily which I absolutely hate! Even if it looks like there isn't any bubbles, move it even slightly stupid bubbles start popping up. And even when you paint it, as you dip the brush back into the bottle it slowly gets bubbles. But, the good thing is, is that if you let it sit for a while, the bubbles go away:) But still, be careful while applying and be sure to not shake it.

Brush/Wand:  The wand is super long and giant. It also touched the very bottom of the bottle which I think is great, it allows you to get every last bit of product. The brush is very soft and much like Seche. But a little bit bigger. If you have enough product on, and with a light touch, it doesn't smear your stamping! :) Also, if you don't let it drip on one side, you can do your whole hand without having to re-dip. Even though the brush/wand is very large, I had no problems what-so-ever(:

Formula/Smell:  The formula is a little thinner than Seche Vite. Formula wise, Pro-FX is closer to NYC. It smells just like Seche though. (It actually has the word "Seche" on the bottle)

Dry Time/Hardness:  Although dry time is quick, it isn't as quick as Seche. It also doesn't harden as fast. It's dry to the touch in about 5 min, fully dry in about 10-20 minutes, hard enough so you don't ding anything in about an hour, and fully hardened by the next day. Which I guess compared to Seche, that's a while, but it is very hard nonetheless. Nothing can really ding the surface and it lasts super long so yay!

Wear Time:  Ok, now for the good part! Wear time! Most top coats start peeling/chipping on me by the second day. This top coat, doesn't chip/peel or even have tip wear until the fourth day... which is usually when I start getting bored of the color and start picking at it. Seriously! Not even tip wear! The other day (I forget what color I was wearing... Zoya something rather), I didn't have anything until day four. I went to the beach twice, swimming twice, sand, dishes, showers, school, everything!! That's pretty awesome!

Shine:  Last but not least, shine. It does dry very shiny, and stays shiny for the most part. I have been out of Seche for a while so I can't really compare it to that... NYC dries shiny as well, but doesn't stay shiny.... for me at least.

Overall:  Overall, I really love this top coat. Even though Seche Vite will always be my favorite, it chips/peels way to fast for way and when using Pro-FX I know it will stay on. You get a lot of good
product for a fairly cheap price, dry time is fast, and I just overall love it! Even though it bubbles easily which really annoys me, the wear time/shine makes up for that.

If you have any questions feel free to ask(:

10 comments:

Rie (Nails and Noms) said...

Yay Kelly, I'm glad you liked this top coat! After I talked to you I did end up experiencing the bubbling my roomie was talking about, but it seems like you found the cause of it. I'll have to experiment with it again and let it sit for a bit before I top off my polish so I can avoid bubbling. When I used Pro-FX over my Fowl Play mani it lasted a full 6 days on me before I got my first chip!

Lauren said...

I'll have to try this one....I love the quick-dry feature of SV, but I hate how thick it gets and how it's not as shiny the next day....

Nail Nerd said...

THANK YOU for such a thorough review! I've been using CND's super shiny topcoat as my secondary one (when you need it to dry slower and not shrink up like SV) and it sounds really similar to this (same bottle even!) but I'm almost out of it and they don't carry it anymore down here sooooooo maybe I should give this one a go!

Kelly said...

Lauren: Yes, definitely try it! :)

Rie (Nails and Noms): The wear time amazes me:)

Kelly said...

Nail Nerd: Yes! Definitely try it! :)

Jacqui said...

Saw this at Walmart today. After reading your review, I totally want to try it out! Seche vite is my current go-to.

Just wanted to say that "seche" is French for "dry," which is why it says that on the bottle. And fyi "seche vite" and "seche rapidement" means "fast dry/drying"

Kelly said...

Jacqui: Definitely try it! And let me know if you like it or not :) I'm still using mine and I still love it! It's even thickened a little bit so it's even more like Seche! :)

Melissa said...

I saw this at WalMart today and am wondering if you are still as impressed with this topcoat as you were when you posted this.

sjackson72 said...

I love the thickness of the gel, and the high glossy shine! It does take a bit longer to dry than other products I suppose because it’s so thick. I myself have not experienced the bubbles and I would recommend this product 4 out of 5 stars it’s fabulous

Unknown said...

I have used Pro FX Quick Dry for years and just love it. I've never had a problem with bubbling and it dries in like about 1-2 minutes. It's priced reasonably and you get the giant Salon size bottle. I also use LA Color Last nail polish and it lasts up to 10 days. I put my Pro FX Quick Dry on my LA Color Last and I'm really hard on my polish as I do a lot of housework and dishes and use a lot of cleaning products that my nails are exposed to and my polish job usually lasts 7 days. I really do beat my nail polish up and it stays looking good. Sometimes I put a quick coat of the Pro FX on my nails after about 3 days so my polish will last longer.

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