OPI Lincoln Park After Dark vs Essie Wicked
Deep, dark nail polish has a way of looking effortless while still making a manicure feel deliberate. OPI Lincoln Park After Dark and Essie Wicked are two of the most recognizable shades in this category, and both have earned long-standing places in polish collections. At a glance, they can seem interchangeable: nearly black, glossy, dramatic, and suitable for almost any season.
They are not identical, however. Their undertones, opacity, brush designs, and behavior under different lighting create distinct results on the nail. Lincoln Park After Dark usually reads as a softened blackened purple, while Wicked tends to sit closer to a rich blackened burgundy or red-plum tone.
A useful comparison depends on more than a bottle shot. Nail length, base coat, application thickness, top coat, and surrounding colors can all change how these vampy polishes appear. Looking at them side by side makes the differences easier to identify and helps determine which one suits a particular manicure.
Color Identity And Undertones
OPI Lincoln Park After Dark is best described as a deep eggplant cream with a strong black base. In dim indoor light it can look almost black, but daylight usually reveals a muted purple cast. That violet character is especially noticeable near cooler shades, silver accents, or pale pinks. It gives the polish a slightly smoky, sophisticated quality rather than a straightforward black appearance.
Essie Wicked leans warmer. Its blackened wine, burgundy, and red-plum undertones tend to emerge when the polish is exposed to sunlight or placed next to a true black. The color may still appear nearly black on short nails, particularly after two coats, but it has a richer garnet quality than Lincoln Park After Dark.
The difference is subtle enough to disappear in some photographs. Camera exposure can flatten both shades into the same dark silhouette, while a bright lamp or indirect window light may reveal their undertones clearly. Comparing them on adjacent nails, rather than in separate manicure photos, is the most reliable way to see the contrast.
Formula, Brush, And Application
Both shades are generally associated with creamy, highly pigmented formulas. Lincoln Park After Dark often reaches strong coverage in two coats, with the second layer deepening the purple-black base and evening out the finish. A careful one-coat application may look opaque on some nails, but two thin coats usually produce a smoother and more consistent result.
Wicked also builds quickly and can appear opaque after one generous coat, though a second thin coat helps prevent unevenness around the cuticle and sidewalls. Very dark cremes can expose brush marks or bald spots if the first layer is overworked, so allowing the polish to settle before adding the next coat is useful.
The brush experience depends heavily on the version and age of the bottle. OPI’s traditional ProWide brush is broad and rounded, covering much of the nail in one pass for many users. Essie’s brush has varied across markets and reformulations, with some versions offering a narrower application and others a wider, more flexible shape. Older bottles may also have thickened slightly, making thinner coats and careful bottle maintenance important.
Because both colors are so dark, cleanup matters. Polish that floods the cuticle can make the manicure look uneven even when the nail surface is smooth. A small clean-up brush dipped in remover can sharpen the outline, while a ridge-filling base coat can disguise minor nail texture beneath these strongly pigmented creams.
Side-By-Side Wear And Finish
On the nail, both polishes dry to a classic glossy cream finish rather than a shimmer or jelly effect. Lincoln Park After Dark may look a little softer and more muted because of its purple undertone. Wicked can appear denser and more dramatic, particularly against warm skin tones or gold jewelry.
The comparison below describes the usual visual relationship between the shades. Exact results can vary with regional formulas, bottle age, nail length, lighting, and the number of coats applied.
| Feature | OPI Lincoln Park After Dark | Essie Wicked |
|---|---|---|
| Main color family | Blackened eggplant and deep purple | Blackened burgundy, wine, and red-plum |
| Overall impression | Cool, smoky, subtly violet | Warm, rich, vampy, and wine-toned |
| Typical coverage | Strong in two thin coats | Strong in one to two coats |
| Finish | Glossy cream | Glossy cream |
| Best lighting for undertones | Daylight and cool white light | Daylight and warm-neutral light |
| Visual relationship to black | Softer and more purple than black | Often closer to black with red warmth |
| Styling character | Modern, restrained, slightly mysterious | Classic, dramatic, and autumnal |
Wear time is difficult to rank universally because nail preparation and top coat have a greater effect than small formula differences. Both are likely to show tip wear sooner on long nails, where the dark color makes even minor fading visible. A smooth top coat can refresh the gloss and reduce the appearance of early wear, but it cannot prevent chips caused by flexible or peeling nails.
Removal is usually easier than with glitter or textured polish, though dark pigment can leave a faint shadow around the cuticle or beneath the free edge. For a gentler cleanup process, this guide to glitter polish removal also offers useful principles for minimizing rubbing and protecting the surrounding skin, even when working with a regular cream.
Lighting, Skin Tone, And Photography
Lighting changes the balance between these shades more dramatically than many people expect. Under cool LED lighting, Lincoln Park After Dark can emphasize its blue-violet side and appear distinctly plum. Wicked may lose some of its red warmth and look almost charcoal-black. Under warm indoor bulbs, the opposite effect can occur: Wicked becomes visibly wine-colored while Lincoln Park After Dark looks more neutral.
Skin tone also influences the perceived contrast. On cool or pink undertones, the purple in Lincoln Park After Dark may be easier to notice, while Wicked can create a warmer, high-contrast effect. On golden or olive undertones, Wicked often harmonizes naturally with the skin, whereas Lincoln Park After Dark supplies a cooler counterpoint.
Photography presents another challenge. Very dark polish can cause a camera to underexpose the nail and lose color information. A swatch photographed near a window, with the hand angled toward the light rather than directly under it, is more likely to show the undertones. Comparing one nail of each shade in the same image is also more informative than relying on separate bottle photographs.
For accurate swatching, use the same base coat, number of color coats, top coat, and drying time for both polishes. Photograph them on the same hand or on adjacent nail wheels. A true black reference can help reveal that neither shade is simply black, while a mid-tone purple or burgundy reference can show which undertone each polish favors.
Choosing A Shade For Your Manicure
The better choice depends on the mood you want rather than on a major difference in quality. Lincoln Park After Dark is a strong option when you want a dark neutral with a cool, slightly unexpected twist. It works beautifully with lavender, mauve, icy pink, pewter, and blue-gray nail art.
Wicked is a natural fit for classic vampy manicures. Its wine-toned character pairs well with burgundy, copper, antique gold, cream, and warm nude shades. It can also create a sophisticated base for a single metallic accent nail or a discreet French tip in a lighter red.
Both shades are suitable for stamping, although dark cremes are not automatically stamping polishes. Their opacity may be enough for simple designs on pale bases, but intricate images or dark base colors may require a more specialized stamping formula. Anyone new to the technique can review this practical guide to choosing stamping plates before deciding how to use a vampy cream in nail art.
Practical Picks For Different Preferences
A side-by-side swatch is helpful, but a personal shortlist makes the comparison easier to apply when choosing from an existing polish stash. Consider these recommendations:
- Choose Lincoln Park After Dark for a cooler, purple-leaning alternative to black.
- Choose Essie Wicked for a warmer blackened wine shade with a classic vampy feel.
- Use two thin coats when you want the cleanest finish and the least risk of flooding the cuticle.
- Add silver or blue-gray accents to emphasize Lincoln Park After Dark’s violet undertone.
- Pair Wicked with gold, copper, burgundy, or cream for a warmer seasonal manicure.
If you already own one of the two, the other is most worthwhile when you enjoy subtle variations in dark cremes. They are close enough that both may not be necessary for a minimalist collection, but different enough to justify keeping both for color-specific nail art. Lincoln Park After Dark fills the cool, smoky role; Wicked fills the warm, wine-dark role.
The distinction also becomes clearer with nail art placement. A thin negative-space crescent can expose the purple or red undertone around the edge, while a matte top coat can make both colors look more blackened and subdued. Glossy finishes preserve the character of each shade more effectively, especially in daylight.
For a dependable everyday manicure, Lincoln Park After Dark offers a slightly more unusual neutral without becoming bright or conspicuous. For evening wear, autumn styling, or a traditional dark red impression, Wicked has the stronger visual identity. Neither choice is wrong; the deciding factor is whether you prefer violet smoke or deep wine.
Try both shades on adjacent nails using matching coats and the same lighting, then photograph the result before choosing a favorite. That simple comparison will show which undertone suits your collection, wardrobe, and preferred nail art style better than a bottle label ever can.