essie

The one time I visited France was part of a whirlwind European vacation with El Hub before we got married, and we rode the rails to get around, hustling from train station to train station in performance fleece and flannel.

I must have looked more like a hobo than a fashionable girl, burdened by the weight of my big red backpack, as I passed perfectly put-together French women on the streets, them with their scarves and perfume; me with my maps and dirty laundry.

I tried to soak up as much proximity glamor as possible, a feat I believe is also possible by osmosis, even though there’s very little (read: no) scientific evidence to back it up. (Persnickety science fun fact: technically it would probably be glamor through diffusion, not osmosis, since osmosis refers specifically to the movement of water molecules from a higher to lower concentration through a semi-permeable membrane.)

That trip was six years ago, and now my French glamor/glamour reserves are running dangerously low (like low-rise jeans for men), and it could be kismet that the Essie French Affair collection and I met at this intersection of my so-called life.

I’m told that Essie Weingarten, founder and president of the brand, was inspired to create the six limited edition polishes by actress Brigitte Bardot, the scorchingly hot French ’60s sex symbol and former French fashion model.

“I think every woman has a little Brigitte Bardot in her,” Weingarten said, “and this palette coaxes her out!”

Essie French Affair Polishes from the left: French Affair, Nice is Nice and Coate Azure

Sand Tropez; Topless and Barefoot; and Kisses and Bises
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De ja vu — the feeling you are doing something you’ve done before.

De ja vu — the feeling you are doing something you’ve done before.

De ja vu — the feeling you are doing something you’ve done before.

De ja vu…

I started feeling kinda funny when I was swatching the new Essie Winter Collection, and I’m pretty sure it’s not because of jet lag (I’m back in the Bay, by the way… haha, I just made a rhyme).

About halfway through I figured out why the de ja vu had set in; the limited edition collection ($8 per bottle or $48 for a boxed set of six) kinda looks a little like their last one.

Essie Winter Collection 2010 (left) and Essie Fall Collection 2010 (right)

Anyone else get the feeling Essie was going for a remixed version of fall? The colors aren’t exactly the same, but both collections share some strong similarities, like a single pop of green, a red shade and two purplish polishes.

Essie aimed for mysterious, decadent and elegant colors with the new release, and I think she nailed it (heh) with the darker Luxedo (a blackend purple), Masquerade Belle (a blackened blood red reminiscent of Chanel Vamp), Hot Coco (a creamy brownish taupe) and Smokin’ Hot (a graphite grayish purple).

The two lighter shades, Going Incognito (a jade green) and Silken Cord (a bright red), feel a little out of place with the others because they’re so… sprightly. Don’t get me wrong, Christmas colors are cool, especially if you’re in the mood for a festive holiday mani/pedi, but when I see these two together I can’t help but think of Santa’s elves running around the workshop in pointy shoes and green tights. Not exactly mysterious, decadent and elegant, ya know?

All the shades in this release have a creamy finish and lots of shine. With the exception of Going Incognito (streaky!), they went on smoothly, taking just two thin coats for full opacity.

Take a peek at the swatches below and let me know watcha think.
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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
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Not all summer nail polishes inspire spontaneous boogie down sessions, but the moment I peeped the creamy colors in the Essie Summer 2010 collection, my booty wanted to hit the dance floor!

Essie founder and head honcho (honchette?) Essie Weingarten said she based the six-piece collection — bright with splashes of summery greens, pinks, corals and reds — on the floral prints she’d seen on the runways at New York Fashion Week. If you like what she came up with, you can find the six shades for $48 at beauty stores, salons and also online.

• Pretty Edgy: a creamy kelly green
• Knockout Pout: a creamy bright pink
• Vermillionaire: a creamy (you get the idea here) reddish orange
• Miss Matched: a sheer (surprise!) and creamy (ha!) purplish pink
• Haute as Hello: a creamy coral
• Demure Vixen: a creamy light purple

I used two coats for these swatches, and every color applied smoothly, with the exception of Miss Matched, which was a tad streaky. All of them exhibit that classic Essie texture (very creamy) and shine.

Pretty Edgy

Knockout Pout

Vermillionaire

Miss Matched
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