The formula for these polishes is liquid but with the perfect amount of viscosity to remain exactly where you put it. They don't run or pool and they self-level well at two coats. The wands are very long due to the tall rectangular shape of the bottles, but I have never had a problem with too much polish running down the wand and overwhelming the brush, even when I've forgotten to wipe the wand on the neck of the bottle. The brush itself is of a standard size, round, with flexible bristles that fan easily and are perfectly suited to manipulating the polish on the nail. Honestly, American Apparel polishes are consistently some of the easiest and smoothest to apply of any brand I own. They are very well pigmented also. Most are essentially one coaters if applied carefully, although I tend to use two.
Both Raccoon and Cocoa dry naturally in very good time to a slightly rubbery looking but satiny smooth finish that I think looks best with a glossy topcoat. For both polishes, I used two coats of polish over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite for the photos.
Raccoon is a dark seal brown creme, dark enough to look almost black in low light. I'd also call it a coffee brown, or a drab because there's a touch of green to it that keeps it from being a dark chocolate. There's something very elegant about this color. Elegant and at the same time comforting. This is not a fecal brown, at least not to me. Fuzzy helpfully suggested that perhaps browns are comforting BECAUSE they're fecal. *lol* Not! Wood is brown and yet nobody goes into a house with hardwood floors and says, "hey, that looks like sh*t!"
In any case, here are photos of American Apparel Raccoon....
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| American Apparel Raccoon |
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| American Apparel Raccoon |
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| American Apparel Raccoon |
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| American Apparel Raccoon, with bonus stray glitter |
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| American Apparel Raccoon |
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| American Apparel Raccoon |
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| American Apparel Raccoon |
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| American Apparel Raccoon |
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| American Apparel Raccoon |
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| American Apparel Raccoon |
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| American Apparel Raccoon |
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| American Apparel Raccoon |
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| American Apparel Raccoon |
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| American Apparel Raccoon |
Cocoa is actually a perfect dark taupe, or wenge, creme. It has enough grey in it to give it a certain soft creaminess that I find very appealing. This is the first American Apparel polish I've come across that I wouldn't necessarily call a one-coater. Especially if you apply in thin coats, this one covers best with two.
Photos of Cocoa, shown, as with Raccoon, in two coats over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite...
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| American Apparel Cocoa -- I don't know what the orange pigment adhering to the interior of the bottle is all about but it doesn't at all affect the color... |
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| American Apparel Cocoa |
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| American Apparel Cocoa |
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| American Apparel Cocoa |
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| American Apparel Cocoa |
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| American Apparel Cocoa |
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| American Apparel Cocoa |
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| American Apparel Cocoa |
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| American Apparel Cocoa |
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| American Apparel Cocoa |
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| American Apparel Cocoa |
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| American Apparel Cocoa |
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| American Apparel Cocoa |
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| American Apparel Cocoa |
Cocoa, besides being lighter than Raccoon, is also a much softer color. I found them both flattering and eminently wearable on my pinkage and believe they would suit any cool-toned complexion as they are both cool browns.
love,
Aunt Liz
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