Something Borrowed: American Apparel Butter

When Rach gave me the run of her stash for my second polish to borrow, I had no idea where to start.  There were a ton of polishes I recognized by name that I have wanted to try - RBL Jane, Zoya Shawn...where was I to start?!  It occurred to me that I should probably try out a completely different brand while I have the chance.  I've heard stories of the almost mythical application and formula of American Apparel polishes, and since I've got kind of a bit of an obsession with yellow this summer, the obvious choice was Butter.  :-)

Butter, or "Buttah," as I'd like to call it, is a pale yellow creme.  (All American Apparel polishes are cremes, by the way.  That's just how they roll.)  There are several pale yellows out there (China Glaze Lemon Fizz, Chanel Mimosa, RBL Square Pants), but what sets Butter apart is its formula.  This sucker is pigmented.  For serious.  I didn't even know that was possible with yellows!  I only needed the standard two coats for opacity.  Application was a little weird for me, but only because I'm the only person in the world who can complain about a super pigmented polish.  For me, it makes it feel like the brush kind of "drags" through the polish, so I needed that second coat just to even out my own wacky application.  Other than that, I think the result is quite nice!  (Apologies!  Looks like I got some random black dots on my middle nail somehow.)

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

Love it!  It's such a great spring/summer color!  I really wanted to add some polka dots to it, but I no haz the skillz to do dots.  *cries*  I think I just need to suck it up and invest in an actual dotting tool.  Anywho, it's a perfect alternative to my beloved Square Pants if, 1) you can't track it down, 2)  don't want to pay out the wazoo for it, 3) don't want to do 4 coats of polish, and/or 4) don't want a sheer polish.  

Speaking of Square Pants, I didn't do a direct comparison of the two since I knew they'd be so different based on finish alone, but here's my photo of it, for reference:

It's funny, 'cause I though Square Pants was a pale yellow, but it almost looks like mustard compared to Butter!  Either way, I love them both!  :-)

I'll be honest.  I really love Butter (Buttah!), but I can't say that it's going to jive with everyone's skin tone.  However, I can now speak highly of American Apparel polishes!  I certainly don't love their business model or their marketing, but in terms of nail polish, they've got a great color range (even if they're all cremes), the formula and wear is excellent, and they're only $6!  

Another win from Rach!  Can't wait to show you guys the last one!  :-D