Product Review: Americolor Shades Fall 2017

AMERICOLOR GELS PROVIDED BY AMERICOLOR

The newest shades from Americolor are out, and boy are they cool. They’re the in between shades, that are hard to nail just so. I gave them a test run thanks to my friends at Americolor, and made a Princess Wedding Cake to test them out. As you do.

The New Shades on the Block

See what I mean? those in between shades that you aim for, and you hope you made enough because you reckon you’ve got none and buckleys getting it again? Now its foolproof! Woot!

I mixed the colours in one tablespoon of Basic Buttercream, with one squirt in the first mix, and two in the second, to give you an idea of the light and dark versions of the colour.

Blush

Blush is a sweet, almost honey like Baby Pink. No matter how much colour you add, thats what you get, so don’t worry about overshooting! Perfect for Vintage style Roses.

Apparently you can also paint directly with this, and get a Rose Gold colour! And didn’t get a chance to try that, so let me know how you go!

Peacock

A really crisp, bright blue. Dare I say, a great “Frozen” colour (its coming back, brace yourselves). Makes a really lovely crisp Baby Blue too, even from the yellowy hue of Natural Buttercream.

Cork

A Natural, ceramic looking colour. I’m not sure if I love this one or not? I feel like I could get similar results with Ivory or Gold, that being said, it was a perfect shade for ceramic moulding (as you’ll see below…)

Laurel

A really Springy, fresh green. The kinda Green you wish Leaf Green was. Great for Foliage, and just quietly, the perfect shade for Kermit the Frog should the need arise #muppetsforever

Sangria

This one was my favourite. A deep, dramatic grape/red, awesome for Flowers, but also a really stunning colour as a backdrop, which colours like Super Red don’t really achieve. This one is going into my favourites bag.

Dijon

I actually really liked this colour! Aptly named after a Mustard, its an earthy, warm yellow brown. When I first mixed it, I thought it wouldn’t be that useful (I tend to think of flowers first), but then I realised its a PERFECT colour for sand, clay dirt, natural and native designs, and hessian or fabric (which is what I used it for). The quiet achiever.

Tale As Old As Time

So I made a Princess Wedding Cake. Because I have no self control.

“Tale As Old As Time” – Beauty and the Beast Inspired 100% Buttercream Wedding Cake.

Yep, 100% Buttercream. You know I love it. Ok, the breakdown!

Top Tier: 6″ cake iced in Peacock Blue, Marvellous Molds Fleur De Lys only used as an impression mat to mark the cake, which was then hand painted with edible blue dust. “Disintegrating cornice” made with Modelling Buttercream in Cork, and hand painted with edible metallic dusts, to age it, and give it a sense of ‘grand old’). Mold by Cakers Warehouse.

Second Tier: 8″ cake iced in Dijon, textured with a silicone basting brush. Took like 5 mins #winning

Bottom Tier: 10″ cake iced in Sangria, textured with a quilting impression mat, then hand painted in the tracks, to give depth. Basic Buttercream in Cork, used in Marvellous Molds Fleur De Lys Molds, hand painted with Rolkem Dust. Shiny.

Large Roses piped in Sangria, small Rose piped in Blush, and of course my signature Super Red/Maroon Roses (which actually were perfect for The Beauty and The Beast Rose!). Foliage in Laurel.

Sounds complicated, but these are the only tools I needed (not pictured is the quilting impression mat or paintbrushes, because I was using them and forgot to put them in the picture!):

The Verdict

I love everything that comes from Americolor let’s be honest, but I really dig that they are bringing out colours that are hard to mix consistently. If I had to pick just a few of these colours to buy, I would go with Sangria, Dijon, and Peacock, as I think they are the MVP’s.

Viva La Buttercream xx