Light Up The Summer with Essie Neon 2009

Holla back, ya’ll! Essie’s Neon 2009 collection takes me back to fourth grade, circa the mid-’80s, when neon was all the rage. The cool girls were rocking oversized, highlighter-bright neon sweatshirts that hung all the way down to their knees.

The colors were so bright they’d reflect off our chins. I’m surprised we didn’t burn out our corneas.

The four limited edition polishes ($8 each) build upon last summer’s ultra hot Essie Neon 2008 collection (arguably one of the *best* Essie collections, ever), by going even brighter this time around, into full-on neon highlighter territory.

But one thing really surprised me about these colors, and it rhymes with phat.

• Flirty Fuchsia: a semi-matte neon hot pink
• Funky Limelight: a matte highlighter yellow
• Perky Purple: a matte neon purple
• Punchy Pink: a semi-matte neon pink with a hint of orange

Essie’s classic high shine is missing from this collection. All four colors dry down to a matte to semi-matte finish, which I found a little odd considering how obnoxiously bright they are. I mean, if you’re gonna wear yellow nails, you might as well go all the way, right?

No big whoop, though. That’s what Seche Vite topcoat is for.

In terms of color, each of the shades apply smoothly with minimal streaking. Gotta love that about Essie.

As an overall collection, Essie Neon 2009 feels fun, young and beachy. I like it, but I think the colors in this year’s batch are more juvenile (so says a woman who reads teen vampire fiction) and less wearable than 2008’s.

Last year’s Neon’s were bright but had a richness that I think made them wearable by a broader range of women.

I’m guessing people will feel very strongly one way or the other about Neon 2009… They’re love ‘em or hate ‘em colors. Let me know where you stand.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Related Reading...

• Essie Summer 2009: The Neon 2009 and North Fork Collections
• Splurge or Steal: Essie Neon Delivers Chanel Nail Colors for Less
• It’s That Sweet Time of the Year, Essie: Essie Winter 2009
• Essie Summer 2008 Nail Polish Collection: Help!
• Armani Beauty Manta Ray Fall 2009: Like a Gray of Light

So far, 34 people have commented on this post. How cool is that?

1. 1. retrofox said, on April 26th, 2009:

   I LOVE this colors! They just scream SUMMER! I bought Perky Purple and Funky Limelight last week at Ulta and have already worn PErky Purple! I got a ton of compliments on the color so I’m interested to see how people will react to Funky Limelight. I might try it on my toes first…

2. 2. jojoba said, on April 26th, 2009:

   I am all for perky purple.

   jojoba´s last blog post..Review/FOTD/Comparison: Dior Bronze Harmonie de Blush Nuancier Solaire (Sunshine Tones) 001 Rose Brazilia

3. 3. Paulien said, on April 26th, 2009:

   Love the perky purple!

4. 4. LayLa said, on April 26th, 2009:

   @__@ canT…
   stooop….
   staring at thesee
   love them !!!!
   that yellow is great.

5. 5. Catherine said, on April 26th, 2009:

   WOAH those are bright! I would have expected these to be really glossy… it surprises me that they’re matte. I… would totally put an uber-shiny top coat on these. I mean… if you’re gonna go BRIGHT you’ve got to go all the way, right? LOL. I totally want minis of all of these.

   Catherine´s last blog post..butterflies and shooting stars

6. 6. Ellery said, on April 26th, 2009:

   Punchy Pink will be mine!!! I’m obsessed with neon colors right now (hello MAC Morange lipstick & Chrome Yellow eyeshadow!)

7. 7. Jeni said, on April 26th, 2009:

   I have Perky Purple on right now and LOVE IT. I’d wear it matte, but I have a shiny topcoat on right now for work tomorrow. The other three shades are a bit too bright for me, personally, but I think they’d be great on someone with a darker skintone.

8. 8. Crystal said, on April 26th, 2009:

   What font did you use in these pictures?

9. 9. Wenvers said, on April 27th, 2009:

   I have received them and the yellow one is a bit of a bummer but the other ones are goreous. I also use the Seche Vite topcoat to make them shine!

10. 10. gio said, on April 27th, 2009:

    wow, they’re so bright and summery! I love Perky Purple and Punchy Pink!

11. 11. Kalyn said, on April 27th, 2009:

    I saw a ton of these on sale at my nail salon over the weekend. These are hot colors for the summer!

12. 12. Selena said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Saw these at Ulta… they bring back memories… to bright for this Mom, but love them none the less.

13. 13. Nicole15 said, on April 27th, 2009:

    I think i’m loving them…

14. 14. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi Nicole15,

    Yay! Do you think you might pick any up?

15. 15. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi Selena,

    Aren’t they kinda eighth grade? They are fun, though.

16. 16. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi Kalyn,

    Yah! Which one is your favorite?

17. 17. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi Gio,

    I love Perky Purple, too.

18. 18. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi Wenvers,

    Seche Vite rules! It is my favorite top coat, ever. Isn’t the shine amazing?

19. 19. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi Crystal,

    That’s my own handwriting. I should probably make it into a font, ha!

20. 20. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi Jeni,

    Yah, Perky Purple is a lot of fun! What top coat did you use?

21. 21. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi Ellery,

    I can totally see you rocking the Chrome Yellow.

    How are things on your end? Are you doing well?

22. 22. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi Catherine,

    Right? What’s the point of wearing bright yellow unless you plan on flaunting it?

    Oh, you’re in luck! There is a mini set available You should get the mini set of all four shades for $18.

23. 23. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi LayLa,

    LOL! The colors are kinda hypnotic!

24. 24. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi Paulien,

    That shade seems to be a crowd favorite. I can’t wait to wear it on my toes.

25. 25. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi Jojoba,

    Yes! Me too!

26. 26. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi Retrofox,

    Oh cool! I had a feeling Perky Purple would be one of those colors that everybody would gravitate to.

27. 27. Sarah said, on April 27th, 2009:

    I totally bought ALL these nail polishes! i had to!

28. 28. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi Sarah,

    Fab! Which one is your fave?

29. 29. Rachel said, on April 27th, 2009:

    I do love the neons!

    (btw, neon are always matte – in order to get that bright they are chalk-full of pigments. They’re just meant to have the top coat!)

    Rachel´s last blog post..Daisies and Hip Hop Don’t Mix

30. 30. Crystal said, on April 27th, 2009:

    That’s your own writing?! Awesome, if you made it a font I would definately get it.

31. 31. Michelle said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Meh i’ll pass. I’ll stick with OPI’s South Beach collection for now.

32. 32. Karen said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Hi Rachel,

    Ahhh, interesting! I was wondering what the heck was going on with the finish.

    Do you plan on picking any of these up?

33. 33. Rachel said, on April 27th, 2009:

    Karen,

    Yeah, it’s just a neon *thang* but gosh-darn if they aren’t worth it. I’m planning on at least getting the three non-yellow. I have the two yellow neon Misa’s fron last summer and I don’t think I need another one (even though it is *true8 yellow highlighter shade.) As loyal as I am to reds, I loves me a good neon. They’re just so darn cheerful!

    Rachel´s last blog post..Daisies and Hip Hop Don’t Mix

34. 34. Ree said, on July 13th, 2009:

    I love the perky purple, but I didn’t expect it to be matte, interesting surprise. I think it will be nice to choose the finish (matte alone, or add a topcoat for shine) my first Essie polish and I can’t believe how easy and nicely it went on, I’m hooked!

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