ALU’s 365 of Untrieds – American Apparel Butter
365 of Untrieds is my personal challenge to weed through the polishes in the ALU stash that I’ve been wanting to try but just haven’t gotten around to.
“They call me Mellow Yellow, quite rightly. The day after our annual trip to Put-In-Bay I’m usually in recovery mode. Staying up til 4am every night, consuming a wee too much alcohol and indulging in all the delicious treats that accompany backyard barbecues take a lot out of a girl. So the last thing I wanted was a bright or vampy nail polish. I looked to my untrieds stash for something soothing and calming and came up with American Apparel Butter. I know it’s been said that yellow is actually a hostile color. That more fights will occur in kitchens painted yellow than blue or green but I can’t imagine anyone getting stabby over a color that looks like it was made from the fuzz of baby chicks. |
Formula & Application: American Apparel nail polishes are 4-Free (including formaldehyde resin). The tall rectangular bottles come topped with a short, round cap an average length round brush at the base of a very long stem. The stem collects a lot of polish so make sure you wipe it well to avoid drips. The brush is nice and flexible so it fans out easily to cover the nail however, the consistency of this particular polish doesn’t quite work with a fanned out brush.
The lacquer itself is a bit thick and goopy but well pigmented and it does level itself out. Of course, like most yellows streaking can be an issue. That’s why I suggest not pressing too hard to fan out the brush. Doing so will increase streaking. So while I am normally an advocate of really thin coats, to make Butter look better, two medium coats of polish works best. Though how impressive is it that after two coats it’s opaque? For a pale yellow, that’s damn near magical. With the exception of a slight bit of dragging near the cuticle, barely perceptible to the eye, it looks flawless.
American Apparel Butter is a pale yellow creme. What sets it apart from the majority of the light yellows is the somewhat beige undertone that makes it more creamy, like frozen custard. When I was little we kept our boat in Marblehead, OH and there was this little frozen custard stand called Colonel Mustards Custard and I remember being freaked out by the odd yellow tint that looked exactly like this nail polish. Of course, one bite of that fantastic frozen treat and I no longer cared what color it was. It was DEEE-licious.
I looked for dupes to this color and came up short. All the pale yellows I own, China Glaze Lemon Fizz, Orly Lemonade, OPI Banana Bandanna, Hello Kitty Banana Cream, are too yellow/golden to be any sort of match.
Bottom Line: If lemon yellows aren’t your thing and you want something a bit more creamy, take a closer look at Butter. It’s a pretty unique color and the pigmentation is almost spot on. I’ve been wowed by American Apparel nail polishes in general (see my previous review) and this is just another in a long line of winning colors from the brand.
365 of Untrieds Stash/Share Verdict: Why wouldn’t I STASH it?
American Apparel Butter is available at AA stores nationwide and online at AmericanApparel.com. Nail polishes retail for $6/ea for a .5oz bottle. Buy them in a set of 3 for $15 or 7 for $32 and save.
Have you tried American Apparel nail polish before? What are you favorite colors from the line? Thoughts on Butter? Do you prefer creamy yellows like this or more lemony shades like China Glaze Lemon Fizz?
Disclosure: A product sample was provided by American Apparel. For more info view my Disclosure Policy.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
I’m not a fan of yellow nail polish (I don’t even own one), but this one looks really good.
I have this on now too. It is a beautiful polish. Very on trend but sophisticated. A very wearable, without being too much in your face yellow. A “neutral” yellow and I’d say it is office appropriate.
Love this yellow
How many days do you have left on your 365 challenge? Keep up the good work; I have OPI’s Banana Bandanna and the formula is very thin for some reason. So I’m all aboard on this yellow.I love polishes that take one to two coats and their opaque.How does AA’s Butter compare to the Hello Kitty yellow polish you swatched a couple months back?
Normally, I shy away from yellows (I own one for the sake of owning one, which is OPI The It Color) but this looks like it will complement my NC42 skin nicely.
I love American Apparel’s nail polish! Pinto (the terracotta color) is my favorite.
I had never heard that about yellow. I knew that dark colors were seen as hostile, but never yellow! good to know
I bought this colour last year and quite like it. It is lovely and creamy, even the girls at the MAC counter like it. You did a great job in applying the colour evenly. My was just a tad streaky.
Beautiful yellow! I’m scared of them now though since the last one stained my nails. How is this one in terms of that?
I didn’t experience any staining with this one. While pigments can certainly stain the nail, with lighters colors I would suspect an ingredient to be at fault more than the color itself. I know toluene was notorious for causing yellowing of the nail.
Thanks for the info!
I used Sinful Colors so no toluene there, but glad to hear it is not the color itself to blame.
This is really gorgeous and creamy and looks great on you! Your application skills make me drool with jealousy. I think I will have to add this to my lemming list. I have a bunch of other AA polishes, but passed this one over originally.
this is a nice yellow! I really like it!!
Interesting! I never knew that yellow was considered a hostile colour or that more fights seem to occur in yellow kitchens than blue or green ones. Wonder what they say about boring white ones like mine.
This yellow looks nice on you!
I am wearing this today, painted it on last night, and saw your picture. Great minds think alike, lol!
Please please PLEASE! do a review on Revlon Topspeed: Ocean! It is the most unique color I have ever seen!
This is the prettiest yellow nail polish I have ever seen!
This is my favourite yellow followed by Maybelline Banana Puddin’. Both have a creamy quietness to them that most yellow do not have. This one definitely has the edge in terms of application though.
Also, did not know about yellow being a hostile colour! My kitchen and dining area are a butter yellow – eek!
Also as others have said, not a fan of yellow polish. Also not a fan of any pastels that are what I call chalky even if this does have beige undertone vs white. Just looks really sick on me. We don’t have AA stores anywhere around me. Maybe in San Francisco or the LA area…but never seen one.
I worked in a Salon where the owner painted the price yellow. We had more itchy situations than normal. Within six months stylists and nail techs started leaving. Within a year the business closed. Don’t know if it was the yellow walls but most people had a negative reaction. I hated it.
I don’t even own a yellow polish… but this one is pretty cute! Hmmmm maybe I’ll use this as a mani someday…
I cant believe that you go this finish in two coats! I love it!!!!! I want it!!!! No American Apparel near me…
I live right next door to American apparel in SF, I’ll have to stop by!
Amazing! This is definitely a new lemming for me
I don’t have an American Apparel anywhere near me (closest is 2.5 hours away) so I’ll have to wait!
that’s a perfect name for that one! heheh.