Kissing Cousins and My American Apparel Haul

Well today was a long day; I woke up with a migraine and felt a little out of whack.  We were out of ibuprofen so I thought I'd tough it out and I'm so glad I did!  I had a much anticipated girls' day with a friend of mine that I haven't seen since my quarter life crisis about six months or so ago that went incredibly well -- mostly because I practiced some discipline.

I told myself early on that I was only looking out for American Apparel nail polish in one color: Malibu Green.  This is due to my obsession to finding dupes for colors unavailable to me and because I love all things teal.

Anyways, we went to Fashion Valley which resulted in four bottles of polish for me totaling less than five bucks.  Two of them were kissing cousins to a couple colors I already had -- OPI Fly and Nails Inc Belgrave Place; the latter of which I actually received in the mail when I got home today.  So all in all, an awesome nail polish haul it was this weekend.

First things first --
American Apparel Mount Royal:

This was an absolute pleasure to put on.  I've been drooling over this color and Malibu Green for quite some time now so I was excited to pick it up.  We were really fortunate to have been told by one of the girls working in the store that they had a whole bin full of AA polishes that were marked down to $1 so me and my friend went to town -- sort of.  I tried to be responsible and picked out three of my favorites.

American Apparel African Violet:

I can say with some confidence that I don't have a color like this yet...which sort of surprises me.  I'm an utter creme polish freak and I love purple (don't you know, its the grown-up pink!) and this color is gorgeous.  My friend and I had flip-flopped over who would get the color and after she had second thoughts, I decided I'd get it since it was the last one of its kind in the bin and I didn't want it to miss its kin!

Malibu Green was also another lemming of mine which I was able to acquire for $1 but that was swatched with OPI Fly:

Index & Ring - OPI Fly, Middle & Pinkie - AA Malibu Green

This was the color I originally went to the store to get and it also didn't disappoint.  As you can see in this picture, it's OPI Fly's "kissing cousin."  They look a lot closer to one another in real life so if you  missed Fly, Malibu Green is a nice alternative.  It definitely leans a little more green than Fly does, but I think it's a gorgeous addition to a teal lover like me.

Mount Royal also had a kissing cousin in Nails Inc. Belgrave Place:

Index & Ring - AA Mount Royal, Middle & Pinkie - Nails Inc Belgrave Place

Again, if you're a fan of navy blue, having both colors wouldn't hurt.  Mount Royal dustier than Belgrave Place but both are equally beautiful.

All of the American Apparel polishes this time around were like butter to apply.  I didn't have any issues with formula and all of them only took two coats to reach opacity.  They were definitely worth the price.  Each bottle normally retails for $6 each and the AA I went to carried the full line.  These particular colors were actually part of the current line but they had separated more than the others in the regular display which is why they were being clearanced out.  Honestly, that doesn't bother me much since it just takes a little shaking to mix them back up and there were no problems with streaking or color.

If you can get your hands on these lovelies without ordering them online, I would highly recommend it.  Even if you have to order them online for full price, the quality of the formulas are definitely worth $6 a bottle for a full 15mL/0.5oz.  The store I went to also had "discontinued" polishes on another rack for $3 each so if if I'm able to, its pretty likely I'll be back soon.

xoxo

I Love A Good Dupe But An Original Is Just As Grand

So after seeing Polish Fixations post on Deborah Lippmann's I Know What Boys Like, I knew I had to have the color in my stash.  But, at $16 a bottle, it was hard to justify the purchase.  I managed to get a bottle of it on HSN.com using a coupon and free shipping and I am so glad I did, although as you'll see below, there are a few other shades that could easily be substituted for a fraction of the price.

Here's DL I Know What Boys Like:

 This shade is a deep dusty blue that leans purple, or a deep dusty blue that leans purple depending on your preference.  It's a beautiful alternative to wearing a straight blue or purple and its hard to find another shade that I could comfortably call a dupe.  But, of course, the thrill of the hunt is half the fun so here are some of the comparisons I found in my stash:

Index to Pinkie : I Know What Boys Like, NYX Girls True Navy, Finger Paints Grape Gumball, Zoya Caitlin

Index/Ring: DL I Know What Boys Like, Middle: OPI Dating A Royal, Pinkie: Sinful Colors Zeus

 There are similarities to a few of the polishes -- namely NYX Girls True Navy and Finger Paints Grape Gumball.  OPI Dating A Royal looks close in the photo but is more navy blue than the dusty deep blurple IKWBL is.  Grape Gumball is like a shimmery version of it and Caitlin is a lighter, greyed out shade of it.

True Navy comes the closest to being a dupe, with my husband being unable to tell the difference between the two in low lighting.  They're similar formula-wise with DL being slightly better two apply but both took 3 coats for full coverage.

All in all, this is a gorgeous color.  I don't regret buying it; especially on special.  HSN shipped fairly quickly and I received it within a few days of ordering it.  But, like I said, it is a pricier polish ($16) so if you're looking for a less expensive alternative, NYX Girls True Navy would probably do the trick at around $2 - $2.50 a bottle on Ebay, or I got mine in a Pink Zone store in one of my local shopping malls.