You’ve seen me bring Pretty Serious Presence to the call of duty in my most recent nail art: Bone Nails, Bloodshot Eye Nails, and Ghost Nails. That’s because white is a must-have shade in any nail enthusiast’s collection. From laying down a clean canvas to adding little details, white is versatile and brings a lot to the manicure table.

I’ve tried many white nail polishes along my quest to find a Holy Grail one-coater. (If you’ve experimented, you know that there are numerous white lacquers with formulas that have a lot to be desired. So many are streaky, and some require three coats, just to get even coverage.)

Naturally, my Alice-in-Wonderland rabbit ears stuck straight up when I caught wind of Pretty Serious Presence claiming to be opaque in a single coat.

Could it be The One that I’ve been searching for my whole nail life to find? Can we paint a streak-free white picket fence around my dream home? Should we have three children, or just have fur babies like Grumpy Cat? 😉

P.S. Canadians, you still have until November 13, 2015 at 11:59 pm EST to enter my giveaway for your chance to win 12 Hard Candy nail polishes!

Pretty Serious Presence Pictures

Pretty Serious Presence Swatches

All swatches have:

• OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener – Maintenance version (Used as a base coat)
• 2 coats of Pretty Serious Presence
• Pretty Serious Aqua Coat Top Coat (Provided by Pretty Serious)

Artificial Light Photos

Natural Light Photos

Claims: JUST OKAY

• White (Yes)
• One-coater (No)

Key Notes

• Name: Pretty Serious Presence
• Collection: Pretty Serious Absence / Presence Collection
• Colours Available in the Collection: Presence & Absence
• Amount: 11 mL (0.37 fl. oz.)
• Retail Price: $9.95 AUD
• Disclosure: This was provided as a press sample by Pretty Serious Cosmetics.
• Where to Buy: Pretty Serious & select stockists

Pretty Serious Presence Review

Colour

Presence by Pretty Serious is an angelic white that could only look more pure if a dove kissed it while children giggle from a distance, as they make snow angels in the playground.

It’s the unadulterated white that virtually everyone needs because it doesn’t lean down the Yellow Brick Road or have any other undertone lurking. You get a clean appearance that’s a blank canvas, should you want to wear it solo, but it’s also great for when you’re adding accents.

Another way to use a white nail polish like this is to mix it with a darker colour to lighten it and customize a new shade. You can also progressively add more drops of white as you paint each nail, which gives an ombre look.

Finish

Some white nail polishes look chalky and dull, but not Presence by Pretty Serious! It is glossy, even before slicking on a shiny top coat, so you’ll never have to worry about this creme looking less than lustrous.

Application & Formula

Now, we’re coming to the heavyweight claim of it being a one-coater!

I wanted it to be true because it would end my quest for a heavenly white nail polish. However, it pains me to say that the hunt still continues.

One coat was streaky for me. I even tried adding a thicker coat to see if it would assist the opacity. Unfortunately, it didn’t help, and I felt obligated to apply a second coat to even out my manicure. At this point, I didn’t need to add another layer.

While this didn’t work out as a one-coat wonder, I will say that it’s certainly one of the better white nail polishes on the market because it is pigmented and looks so creamy with two coats.

Additionally, this polish is opaque enough that you can do nail stamping with it! (This will certainly come in handy one of these days when I finally get around to diving into those waters again.)

Ingredients

Those who are making conscious shopping choices will be thrilled to know that it doesn’t contain Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, DBP, or Toluene.

Animal-Friendliness

This nail polish is vegan and cruelty-free.

Pros Fresh, clean & angelic white with no hint of other undertones Glossy creme finish Pigmented Can be used for nail stamping No Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, DBP, or Toluene Vegan & cruelty-free

Cons Streaky in one coat (but pigmented & fully opaque with two coats) If you don’t shop online, it can be challenging to track down this nail polish

Final Verdict: 7/10

I had such high hopes for this white nail polish, and it let me down because, after applying one coat, it looked streaky enough to me that I felt compelled to apply a second to even out its appearance.

Still, it is pigmented and close to being a one-coater, so don’t write it off as a bad polish by any stretch of Gumby’s imagination! Plus you can use it for nail stamping, which is a bonus.

Have you ever found a one-coat white nail polish that covered fully, even with a thin layer? Do you tend to go through white and black nail polishes the most?