Monday, March 15, 2010

American Apparel - Berry

We all recall the drama from a couple of months ago about American Apparel, right?

I literally had my order ready to go when I found out about the recall.  Which disappointed me no end because I had heard such amazing reviews for their lacquers.

Well, they're back!  And, in Australia anyway, American Apparel have reduced the price (from 3 for $28 to 3 for $22).  So I naturally went nuts and picked up six.  I'll be showcasing three of them throughout this week, and save the others for over the next couple of weeks.

Berry is just the kind of deep and rich plum I have a billion of, but never get sick of. 

Formula wise, this is wonderfully creamy and smooth.  Two coats and you're opaque.  And it dries to a high shine, as seen here.

My only qualm?  The brush is a lame duck.  It's uneven (which makes getting close to the cuticle hard as you inevitably get a rogue hair ruining a good finish) and way too long (which makes it hard to balance).  In the end, I resorted to my old 'use an OPI Pro-Wide Brush' trick in order to clean up the finish.  You can see smudging on my index and middle finger where I struggled along with the American Apparel, before resorting to the Pro-Wide for the ring and little finger, with a resultant better finish.

But, other than the brush, this is a super lacquer.  I can see myself wearing this alot for the upcoming autumn and winter here in Australia.

Have you guys tried American Apparel?  What did you think of them?  Do you find the brushes problematic, or is that an operator error on my part?