White On Time

Sometimes I almost feel psychic.  I bought OPI Angel With A Leadfoot on that recent nail supply trip and ordered Cult Nails Tempest during the 40% off sale they had for Maria's 40th birthday.  Kind of a weird thing to do so soon after proclaiming a least non-favorite white cream, no?  Then my friend Joanna told me that Wisp is being discontinued.  Eerie timing, no?  No.  I'm really just restless and always looking for new options, but still...fortuitous.  I pitted the two new contenders against my current and former "holy grail" white creams, Sinful Shine Wisp and FingerPaints Paper Mache.  First let's see the challengers on their own.


OPI Angel With A Leadfoot is a white cream.

I felt a little silly writing that description, but oh well.  (Just wait.)  This is from OPI's recent-ish Mustang collection, which is limited edition.  People were going nuts over it on the Nail Board, so when the collection finally showed up at the nail supply I bought it to try it out.  I'm not going to rave about it as much as some.  It's a little bit streaky for me.  The formula's thin, which I love when it comes to layering, but it's not as opaque as some.  This is two coats and I think I'd go with a third to wear it on its own.


Cult Nails Tempest is a white cream.

This is a step in exactly the opposite direction.  Tempest wants to be a one-coater, but isn't.  This is two coats.  The coverage is flawless, but the result is thick.  Not ideal for layering, but great for stand-alone wear.


...which brings me to my side-by-side comparison...

Wisp * Angel * Tempest * Paper Mache

I felt absurd taking this photo and even goofier posting it.  If you squint maybe you'll see the differences I know are there.  If you're on a mobile device you probably don't see a bit of difference.  Visible or not, they each have their strengths and weaknesses.  Let's go left to right, one at a time.  All are two coats, with topcoat.

• Sinful Shine Wisp - Thin, opaque, very white, and a great bargain...but discontinued. Curses!

• OPI Angel With A Leadfoot - Thin, but somewhat streaky and not the brightest or most opaque white.  Limited edition to boot.

• Cult Nails Tempest - Self-leveling, opaque, best application of the bunch, but thick.

• FingerPaints Paper Mache - My dethroned former favorite.  Thick, but not as opaque as it could be and not as bright as the others.  Can be a bit draggy too.

This feels like another 'take my word for it' thing, but maybe you can see the differences in thickness if you look at them edge-on.

Wisp * Angel * Tempest * Paper Mache

Can you?  I feel like I can, but we know I'm crazy.


Verdict: There's no clear-cut winner.  For layering I'd pick either Wisp or Angel, but one is discontinued and the other is limited edition, so they're not "reliable" and could both become difficult to find.  For wearing as-is I'd go with Tempest, but it's thicker than I'd like for layering.  Paper Mache isn't bad, but it's the low man on this particular totem pole.


Which white do you use?  I feel like I kinda need a new one to recommend long-term, so I'm open to trying others.