I’m all for nail polishes that push the boundaries of beauty (I’m looking at you, Butter London!), but I also like traditional products in colors that feel familiar, like the six shades that make up Essie fall 2010.
Colors like these, all of them medium to dark and $8 apiece, remind me of autumns in the city. The red, pink, purple, green, amethyst and blackish brown feel urban and sophisticated, and I see these colors being worn by a stylish girl (for the purposes of this paragraph, let’s call her Karen). 🙂 I can see her walking the sidewalks of downtown San Francisco in a chic tweed jacket, wearing dark skinny jeans and kickin’ knee-high boots, LOL! And I can almost hear the autumn leaves crunching beneath my feet as my painted nails catch the late afternoon light.
“This fall, designers are mixing it up, combining sheer fabric with leather along with lingerie as outer wear in deep muted tones and bold color palettes which is very alluring. I drew inspiration from the range of elegant, sanguine hues and camouflage tones.”
— Essie Weingarten, founder and president of Essie
Every color in the collection walks in step with the season, unlike last year’s fall release (remember the neon hot pink and highway worker vest orange?), which l still liked, but those colors seemed a little disjointed and random to me.
I like everything this time around, and it all just makes sense. I’m totally thrilled by shimmery sage Sew Psyched and creamy taupe Merino Cool.
Have a look at these swatches, and let me know what you think.
Sew Psyched
Merino Cool
Limited Addiction
Little Brown Dress
In Stitches
Velvet Voyeur
Two coats deliver fully opaque coverage and eye-catching shine, but their texture makes them kinda tricky to work with. They feel slightly thicker than the Resort and Summer 2010 collections did to me, which makes them a tad tougher to apply. I find myself spending a little more time removing excess polish from the brushes and my nails during application than I usually do with Essie’s polishes, but I can live with that.
I’d appreciate a thinner consistency, but these familiar fall colors more than make up for my minor application trubs. I think Essie’s streak of wins continues. They’ve been on a roll lately, and if they can keep it up through the holidays, 2010 could go down as a banner year for the brand. Available at most beauty supply stores starting next month. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A-
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Lisa S. says
I wasn’t thrilled with sew psyched till I saw it on, now its cooing in my ear, buy me Lisa…….. ;0)
Karen says
You should listen, LOL!
Stephanie! says
OMG! I am in loooove with those first 2 colors.
*adds to wishlist* 🙂
Karen says
Those are my two faves too. 🙂
Vikki says
Sew psyched looks so much better on than in the bottle. I love the rest!
Karen says
Doesn’t it though? It’s gorgeous!
Amber says
I felt ‘meh’ about the photo of the bottles, but after seeing the swatches I am liking this collection!
Katie says
Me too! When I first saw them I wasn’t interested at all, but after seeing the swatches they are screaming fall to me!!!!
Karen says
Yeah, they pop much more on the nails! Which one is your fave?
Karen says
Now if only these had the same wide brushes as Rimmel Lasting Pro!
Vidz says
holy hell, sew psyched is gorgeous. and then i opened the entry further and merino cool is also a nice taupey colour!!!!
i am PSYCHED for sew psyched, though. and yes like everyone else said, the first pic was underwhelming. it looks very different from the actual swatches!
Karen says
The colors look totes different on nails! Love them.
gio says
I need Sew Psyched and Limited Addiction, they are gorgeous! The others are all very pretty too.
Karen says
Limited Addiction’s cute. I bet it would look cute on toes!
Vesna says
Great, I only thought I’d like just one shade – Merino Cool, but now that I see them on your nails I can say – I love them ALL! Argh! 😀
Karen says
It’s a great collection. 🙂
makeup morsels says
I’m completely in love with Sew Psyched, Merino Cool, and In Stitches. All such pretty colors!
Karen says
Love those colors too!
Marta says
Wow!!! I’m amazed by the selection of colours, they really are beautiful!! And I agree with you, Merino Cool and Sew Psyched are amazing 🙂
Karen says
Can you imagine Merino Cool on toes and Sew Psyched on fingers? So cute, right?
Anna says
Gorgeous! I love me some Essie =)
Karen says
Me too! Did you see their Resort collection from earlier this year?
ace says
i was planning to list the ones i liked. and then i saw the rest of the list and that became impossible BECAUSE I WANT ALL OF THEM.x
Karen says
This is a great collection. Are you an Essie fan?
Nina says
Oh wow – those are really pretty, truly fall colors!
Karen says
Yes! It’s nice to see a few traditional colors, right?
Nina says
I love love fall colors. I might pick those up when I see them. 🙂
Ann says
I’m so looking forward to Little Brown Dress and Velvet Voyeur~!
Karen says
Love those dark shades, especially on short nails. 🙂
Erin says
Sew Psyched is very pretty! Essie hasn’t really been blowing me away lately though. Maybe I’ll like this collection better than I think!
Karen says
Really? What did you think of the Resort Collection?
noemii says
This is the first time in a looooong time that i’ve actually liked all of the nail polishes from an Essie collection. I don’t love them all but i definitely will be the mini bottles at least if they’re released. Based on temtalia’s swatches, I’m so psyched about Orly’s collection coming out next month though!
Pinch says
Oy, sew psyched looks so pretty and unusual! 🙂
j e n says
Oh no I like 4 of them!!!!! I have to get ’em now! 😛
Melissa W. says
These are really interesting! I want to try Little Brown Dress. 🙂
Cassandra says
I like Sew Psyched 🙂
JillyB says
These are already for sale in my local Ulta. I bought In Stitches (I’m a traditional kind of girl.) But if I weren’t, I’d buy Merino Cool (still might) and Sew Psyched.
lo says
Ooooh, pretties! I’m so looking forward to fall since it’s been the hottest summer of my life. I may need to splurge and buy these.
Kharina says
Ooooo, sexy!!! I want summer to go so I can strat wearing dark nails!
Malaka says
I am loving the sew psyched! So pretty!
Kimberly says
I pre-ordered the entire set so I’ve had them since.. July? I think Sew Psyched is a near dup for RBL’s Diddy mow (from the surf collection). Nonetheless, I like all of the fall colors!
The BB says
I’m really loving the rosy In Stitches. And I’m also feeling Sew Psyched. Looks like SP might be a good alternate for Chanel’s Khaki Vert.
amy says
I am craving Merino Cool and Sew Psyched. I like the muted dustiness of the colour.
Marisol says
There must be something wrong with me. All the new polishes that are coming out haven’t caught my eye. boo!
lia says
the first two look pretty similar to the new Chanel collection (khaki vert and khaki rose)… wonder if they’ll be good dupes!
Lowelli says
Uhhh…..I’m pretty sure I love every colour in this collection.
Andreea says
Oh! OH! I even love the first two colours, while I am an ultra conservative red polish wearer! But I do my very best to get more opern 😉 I wear Satin Blue on my nails today!
BondGirl.pt says
I love all the colours! “Sew Psyched” is my favourite. I think is the first time that I see an Essie collection that I would wear every colour.
Gina says
sew psyched is my fave & you are to funny with your vision of a stylish girl, hehe cute!
Jess says
Oh wow… would it be bad for me to buy every ploish in this collection?! I am in love with them all
Karen says
This is an awesome release! You could always get the minis…
a.b.l. says
Love love, love these colors! Even Sew Psyched…it’s a very wearable green imo. Thank you Karen for already chipping away at my pay check this week lol.