Holiday Bling with American Apparel Metallic Nail Lacquers: Silver Jazz, Gold Flash, Bronze Dash

Above: Silver Jazz, Gold Flash and Bronze Dash (Photo Credit American Apparel)

Hello all! I really wish I could post as regularly as I used to but life has been hectic with other priorities.  I have some goodies in queue ready to share with you guys and I will try my best to post them when time permits, but today will be a quick and dirty post.  Nichole from American Apparel  sent me some pictures of their new nail lacquer holiday collection.  These are metallic polishes and come in a new rounded bottle. The colours are as follows: Silver Jazz, Gold Flash and Bronze Dash.  I have not been to excited about American Apparel’s summer Neon collection, but I am interested in checking these out in store, as I really like metallic polishes.  Hopefully, I like these and will pick these up to share with you guys!

A Shocking Summer: American Apparel Neon Nail Lacquers Summer 2011

Photo Credit: American Apparel

Above top to bottom: American Apparel Nail Lacquers Yellow, Orange, Red, Purple, Green, Coral

Just a quick a dirty posting today. Nichole from American Apparel forwarded me some preview pictures of their summer 2011 neon nail lacquers. The colours include: Neon Green, Neon Coral, Neon Red, Neon Orange and Neon Yellow. These look like the old school neon  colours from the early 1990′s don’t they? I will have to examine these in person when they come out because the Red, Orange and Coral looks very similar to each other.  These nail lacquer colours in the pictures also look very different from the pictures in the website. While I like neons, my favourites neons of pink and blue is missing from this collection. I wish they would have included it, I think it would make the collection much more well rounded instead of having three colours that seems to be very similar. What do you guys think? Do you see anything you like so far? I would be interested in trying the Purple if I like it in person. These are available on the American Apparel website but are not in stock at my local stores yet.

Above: Green, Red, Coral, Yellow, Orange, Purple

Above: Orange, Purple, Green, Coral, Red, Yellow

American Apparel Launches 12 New Nail Lacquer Colours for Winter 2010

Image Credit: American Apparel

Above left to right: Cocoa, Mannequin, Army Jacket, Port, MacArthur Park, African Violet, Make-up, Trench Coat, Raccoon, Rouge, Cameo Blue

It has been busy busy at school and I have been so out of the loop that I didn’t even realize that American Apparel has released 12 new nail lacquers for the Winter season. Luckily, the lovely team at AA sent me a lovely email about it. They describe this new collection [as] an eclectic mix of colors that were all inspired by the city of Los Angeles and some of the company’s favorite classic garments. I definitely have my eye on Raccoon, Army Jacket and MacArthur Park. Does Cameo Blue looks like a possible candidate to be mixed with white shimmer polish to frankenpolish an alternative to Chanel Riva Le Vernis. The 12 new colours now available in AA’s  website but I haven’t seen it in stores yet. Ladies and Gents, do you see any you like?

From American Apparel:

American Apparel Expands Its Nail Polish Collection with 12 New Colors

LOS ANGELES — American Apparel (Amex: APP), the vertically integrated clothing manufacturer based in downtown Los Angeles, is announcing the addition of twelve new colors to its successful line of nail polish.

The company’s Made in the USA nail lacquer is now available in 48 colors. The 12 new shades take inspiration from simple and straightforward elements of both Angeleno and global culture, reflecting the ubiquitous nature of the T-shirt on which American Apparel built its brand. Echo Park, a new shade of concrete grey, and MacArthur Park, a muted mossy yellow, both reference neighborhoods where the company first opened stores and where many of its employees live. Others, like Trenchcoat and Army Jacket, are nods to iconic garments and their evocative, eponymous tones.

“Nail polish is our favorite category for exploring color. We planned on releasing only six new shades, but we felt so strongly about all of these that we decided to release a full dozen. Its difficult to pick a favorite–they all compliment wardrobes in different ways. We can’t wait to see the looks people create with them,” said Marsha Brady, a creative director for American Apparel.

American Apparel Nail Lacquer has become one of the company’s fastest-moving products. The two previous launches of colors quickly sold out worldwide. The consistency and quality of the polish has been universally noted in the reviews of the product and the company diligently oversaw the production process to ensure this standard again.

American Apparel Nail Lacquer is priced at $6 per bottle and is available in a 3-pack for $15 and 7-pack for $32. It is sold at American Apparel stores worldwide as well as online. The nail polish is DBP, toluene and formaldehyde-free. For a full view of color range, ingredients, swatches and photographs, please visit our online store.

Beauty of the Day: An American Apparel Rainbow

Above: Factory; Mouse; Peacock; Malibu Green; Office; and Butter

It has been a while since I shared some of my stash and I think I would show my American Apparel lacquers. I quite like American Apparel nail lacquers because of their creaminess and they have some pretty fabulous colours. They are always very affordable being that they are 3 for $18 CAD. I really like the slim rectangular bottles, they are modular, stackable and don’t take up a lot of room.  Even though Office is sheer, it is my favourite colour from American Apparel. If you missed some of my posts on AA lacquers reviews, swatches and comparisons, you can read them at this link. PS You can now subscribe to Bella Koola either by email or Google Reader. Just enter your email at the side.

Above: Factory; Mouse; Peacock; Malibu Green; Office; Butter

Battle of the Blues: MAC Morning After vs American Apparel Peacock Nail Lacquers

Above: MAC Alice + Olivia Morning After and American Apparel Peacock nail lacquers

Being a nailpolish fiend, I am bound to have dupes or close cousins of certain colours. Sometimes it is an accident and sometimes it is on purpose because I like the colour very much. Very often I just don’t remember I have a certain shade or I convince myself that I don’t have anything like it in my stash. When I bought MAC’s Morning After nail lacquer home, I thought this colour looks suspiciously like American Apparel’s Peacock.

In the bottle, the two colours look almost identical, with Morning After being brighter and lighter and Peacock darker and more muted. For comparison’s sake, I think Morning After is more turquoise and Peacock more teal. On my nail, Morning After is more blue with just a hint of green. In contrast, Peacock is darker and not as bright as Morning After. I find Peacock has more green and gray and the colour muter than Morning After. Both colours have a glossy creme finish and are very pigmented. I achieved full colour opacity with two coats. Despite some small differences in hue and tone, I think Morning After and Peacock are very similar and I don’t think it is necessary to own both, unless you really really love shades of dark teals and turquoises. As for myself, I don’t like one better than the other.

Peacock is a permanent shade from American Apparel at $7.00 CAD and Morning After is a limited edition from MAC at $14.50 CAD.

Above: MAC Alice + Olivia Nail Lacquer in Morning After

Above: American Apparel Nail Lacquer in Peacock

NOTD American Apparel Nail Lacquer in Factory Grey

Above: American Apparel Nail Lacquer Factory Grey

After trying both Butter and Malibu Green from American Apparel’s spring 2010 nail lacquer line, I find I like the formula of the fall collection much better. While I think the new colours’ texture too thick, the old colours’ texture is neither thick or thin. This is the case for Factory Grey from AA’s fall 2009 collection.

The application of Factory Grey is a dream. It is smooth, buttery and streak-free. The nail lacquer dries to high shine creme finish that is pigmented and opaque. I only have to use two coats to achieve full coverage. Factory Grey is a cool gray that reminds me of MAC’s nail lacquer in On the Prowl from the Hello Kitty 2009 collection, but Factory Grey is darker and more charcoal in contrast. Factory Grey seems to has a hint of purple in it.  This colour reminds me of concrete. Ladies if you love wearing grays, I think it is a great colour for cool tone beauties but it is not too cool that warmer tone ladies can’t wear it. As well, if you missed out on On the Prowl from MAC, Factory Grey is a nice alternative. Factory Grey is a permanent shade from America Apparel. Did I also mention that I love the sleekness and compactness of all America Apparel nail lacquers? It makes storage much easier.

PS ladies, FIY you can now subscribe to Bella Koola by email, just click the subscribe by email button on the right hand column and enter your email address. You will get updates whenever I post new entries.

A Touch of Green and Blue = Aquamarine NOTD American Apparel Nail Lacquer in Malibu Green

Though by now I have many greens and blues in my nail polish collection, I knew I won’t be able to resist picking up Malibu Green. It is a vibrant aquamarine colour, mostly green with a touch of blue. It is a great colour for spring and summer because it has a nice tropical feel to it. The formula for Malibu Green is thick and gooey, much like the other AA spring nail polish Butter. I suspect that most of the AA spring 2010 colours will be thick. In contrast, I find the AA nail polishes from fall 2009 thin. Malibu Green is very pigmented and opaque within one coat because of its thick texture. Though it is thick, I like that it is not streaky, like Butter (thick but streaky). I can get full colour coverage in one coat, but I used two coats for good measure. Unfortunately, I cannot capture the true vibrancy of this gorgeous aquamarine colour. Blue greens are notoriously hard to capture. In pictures it looks like Malibu Green has a touch of gray; however, it is a true green with just a hint of blue.  I believe, Malibu Green may look similar to China Glaze’s Flyin High from the Up & Away 2010 collection. Ladies, if you have access to an American Apparel store or you just love colours in this family, you should give Malibu Green a try.

NOTD American Apparel Nail Lacquer in Butter

Two years ago, at the height of the yellow nailpolish trend, I can’t get enough of the cheerful colour. Yellow just makes me happy and the colour is fun; however, I cannot find a yellow that is streak free. All the yellows I have encountered are streaky and sheer. Although American Apparel’s Butter is a pretty colour, it has the same problems. Though the polish is smooth and pigmented, the polish is a bit thick and goopy. In fact, it is too thick for my taste, as I end up using too much polish for each layer. Even with thick layers, the colour is still streaky after two thick layers. I didn’t bother with a third coat because I know the polish would take forever to dry. Despite the the slightly streaky finish, it is not the streakiest of yellows and I do like the colour. In contrast to many of the taxi cab or sunshine yellows from two years ago, Butter is a light pastel yellow. Butter really looks like the colour of butter. American Apparel’s Nail Lacquer in Butter is a spring 2010 release, now available at all American Apparel stores.

American Apparel Nail Lacquers Mini Haul in Factory Gray; Malibu Green; and Butter

Above left to right: American Apparel Nail Lacquer in Factory Gray; Butter; Malibu Green

Though I found that the American Apparel nail lacquers I have tried previously are a bit streaky, I do like their creamy, smooth and glossy finishes. When I saw that they have new colours for the spring, I can’t help but pick up a few. The nailpolishes retail for $7.50 CAD or three for $18.00 CAD. For this stash I picked an old colour from last fall in Factory Gray and new spring colours in Malibu Green and Butter. Enjoy these pictures for now and I will be back as soon as I can with NOTD postings for each colour. I can’t wait to try these colours out, especially Malibu Green and Butter because they are OH SO PRETTY for spring. PS You can now subscribe to Bella Koola by email, just type in your email at the subscribe by email box and press the button to get updates whenever I update.

Above: Factory Gray

This a creme finish in a soft medium tone heather gray.

Above: Butter

The name speaks for itself, it is the colour of creamy yellow butter.

Above: Malibu Green

This colour is a blend of blue and green, very much like an aqua colour.

NOTD MAC Blue India vs American Apparel Peacock Nail Lacquers

I have noticed that quite a few peeps have been googling MAC Blue India vs American Apparel Peacock nail lacquers, so this post is dedicated to comparing the two colours. initially I thought the two would be very similar and I was going to skip MAC’s Blue India because I have American Apparel’s Peacock already. However, upon seeing Blue India at MAC, I immediately could tell that Blue India is a muted gray-blue, while AA Peacock is a blue teal. Peacock is much more blue than Blue India, while the latter has a lot of gray in it, making it look slated. Both are glossy creme finishes and are very pigmented and opaque. I achieved full coverage with Peacock with one coat and Blue India with two coats. While MAC’s Blue India is now discontinued because it was a limited edition colour from Liberty of London, you can still buy AA Peacock, as it is permanent. Peacock is just as lovely at $7.50 CAD a pop or three for $18.00 CAD. Enjoy the pictures below and be sure to check out the original postings of Blue India and Peacock if you haven’t already.

Above American Apparel Nail Lacquer in Peacock

Above MAC Nail Lacquer in Blue India