Review: American Apparel Nail Lacquers (spoiler: yes, you need them!)

Regarding the spoiler in the title of this post, let me clarify: if you love creme polishes then, YES, you need the new American Apparel Nail Lacquers. That's the short version, now here's the long version.

If you saw this post, then you know I was super excited to try this new collection, based on the color selection alone.  But then after reading more about American Apparel's first foray into nail polish, I was even  MORE excited to get my hands on some bottles.  It turns out that AA has been working with a family-run, New York-based nail polish manufacturer that has been using the same family secrets and techniques to make their polishes since the early 1970s. In fact, the family's 90-year-old grandmother still likes to hand-fill the bottles herself.

So the fact that AA has partnered with a company that's been making polishes for a loooong time gave me a lot more hope that these would be more than just your typical private label polishes that clothing manufacturers buy and just slap their label on. Plus, obviously these polishes are made right here in the USA, which is also fantastic, and helps take the edge off the price tag ($6 each).  It's wonderful to know I'm helping the US economy (which desperately needs it, as we all know) and also supporting a family-run business that cares about the products they make. OK, I'm stepping off my soapbox now. :)

So if you saw this post, you know what colors I purchased from the American Apparel website. Here they are again:

Here are my own personal takes on the colors (please note that ALL of the American Apparel polishes are cremes. There are currently no shimmers, glitters, etc.).

Hunter is a true 80s hunter green (I swear it reminds me of the towels I had in my bathroom during high school). They totally nailed it with this shade as it is the most spot-on representation of hunter green I have ever seen in a polish. It's not too dark, it's not too light, it's not too blue, it's not too yellow. If you were a child of the 80s, you are going to know this hunter green the minute you lay eyes on it. Trust me. It's perfection.

Mouse is a variation of the uber-popular mushroom gray-brown shades that are everywhere these days. But what sets Mouse apart from the rest is that it's lighter than say, You Don't Know Jacques, and it really IS the color of a mouse! For me it is the perfect blending of gray and brown. It's not too purple, it's not too yellow, it's right in the middle. And it's not so dark that it looks like a regular chocolate brown from a distance. You know that this is a true gray-brown from a mile away, and it's got enough gray in it to keep it from veering into the land of straight-up beige. It's got a modern, industrial vibe to it, which I love. It doesn't get much better than this, my mushroom lovers.

Mount Royal is named after a street in the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles (Eagle Rock is known for its artistic, bohemian vibe).  My guess is that this polish's distinct shade of blue might have been inspired by the vintage street signs that still grace the area of Eagle Rock (but that's just my guess--I don't live in LA so I don't know a lot about Eagle Rock other than what I've just told you).  At any rate, Mount Royal is a blue polish lover's dream shade. It's got a worn (but not faded) denim quality to it (think indigo), and even though there is purple to this blue, it's not enough to make it one of those "is it a purple or is it a blue?" shades.  You know this is blue from the get-go, but it's an interesting blue that has a lot of depth to it. I adore it.

Here's the most important points I want to make about these polishes now that I've had a chance to test them:

1) They are SHINY. And I'm not just talking a little shiny. These babies shine like a MIRROR, without the help of a top coat. In fact, it was almost too much shine when I used my top coat (Sally Hansen MegaShine).

2) I am incredibly impressed by the level of opacity.  One coat and these babies are opaque--no streaks at all. I used two coats because, well, I'm a two-coat kind of gal.  But I swear I didn't need to use two coats.

3) I put Hunter to the 5-day test and I had NO chips.  Only minimal tip-wear and a loss of shine (which I blame more on my top coat than the polish). 

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that these are quality polishes and you WILL get your money's worth here. In fact, the only complaint I have really isn't a complaint but it's worth noting:

I personally like a thin brush, and this one's on the thin side, for sure.  But the pitfall of having a thin brush is the possibility that you're going to have too much polish on the brush when you start to apply it to your nails. I had a few issues at first with polish dripping down the wand and on to my nail, so just be very careful that you run your brush, from top to bottom, against the opening of the bottle before you attempt to paint your nails. That should control the excess polish and save you some trouble on your initial application. Other than that, these polishes applied very smoothly on my nails--the formula is creamy and easy to work with--not too thick, not too thin, just perfect for me.

Let me put it to you this way: It's taking everything in me to not place another order ASAP for the rest of the shades in the collection.

I almost forgot--here are some pics:

Hunter, after FIVE days of wear. I used Orly Bonder base coat, two coats American Apparel Hunter, and one coat Sally Hansen MegaShine top coat.

Day two of Mouse. I'm in la-la-la-la-loooove, ladies.

The color of Mouse is NOT accurate in this pic (it looks more yellow than it really is) but I took it under florescent lighting because it was the only way I could capture the shine. Do you see it now? It's even shinier in person.

Day two of Mount Royal.  This baby was TRICKY to photograph but this picture is the most accurate representation of the color I could capture. There is a glare at the top of the photo, so concentrate on the lower portion of this pic for the most accurate representation of the shade.  It's close, but in real life Mount Royal has more of an indigo vibe than what is translating in this pic. It's more vivid and not as soft and muddled as it seems in this shot.  

So there you have it! That's my complete and detailed review of the new American Apparel Nail Lacquers! I hope this helps some of you who have been on the fence about these--I want to assure you that, in my humble opinion, these are quality polishes and the colors are ah-maze-ing. You need some. Sorry, but it's true. :)

Oh, and when I ordered from the American Apparel website, I used a 10% code I found online, but now there is a 15% off code you can use (YAY!). Here it is: f469-fi52232. Also, I opted for the cheapest shipping rate ($5) and the website said it would take 7-12 days for me to get my package. I got the package in FOUR days, and I even ordered during the Christmas rush! Pretty incredible.

So tell me...what shades do you have your eye on? I'd love to know!