My lacto starter smelled a little like nail polish remover. Probably not a good thing. What smell should I expect out of the starter?
Usually that is the sign of Ethyl Acetate or Acetone. It 'could' subside, and also could not. Homemade Lacto starters are very trial and error. This is primarily why Jamil likes using store bought lacto cultures, because the Homemade ones are sometimes hard to predict.
I have had 1 batch that had a slight smell of Ethyl Acetate, and it turned out fine with some time. I would say if you are scared to pitch it into wort, don't.
Next time, make 2 Lacto starters, and then choose the one that smells the most like a clean, tart, lactic acid smell.