Cuddle Party — Essie Fall 2009 Color Collection

From a color perspective, the Fall 2009 “Cuddle With Color” collection might just be one of the most disjointed and inconsistent ones Essie has ever produced. The same collection encompasses “Pink Parka,” a Hi-Liter pink hue, and “Bright Tights,” a fluorescent orange brighter than any scoop of orange sherbet, as well as “Angora Cardi,” a misty, rose mauve, and “Chinchilly,” a gray hue with earthy undertones. But you have to think beyond cool vs. warm and bright vs. muted colors. Instead, this collection is meant to mirror the look and feel of the prominent fashions for fall, which Essie president/founder Essie Weingarten interpreted as optimistic and cheerful.

Sure, it’s easy to see the vitality of the brighter, more electrifying, ’80s-inspired hues like “Bright Tights” and “Pink Parka,” but the smokier, dustier colors can convey a sadness or an austerity — unless, that is, you associate them with the wintry fabrics incorporated into fall fashion collections. A burnt-russet-meets-taupe color is aptly dubbed “Mink Muffs,” so as to pinpoint its association with this luxurious material, while the collection’s Mediterranean Sea-esque, dark blue color, “Midnight Cami,” can be associated with silky satin fabric. When you consider all the hues together in this context, then, you can see the optimism Weingarten sought to capture.

Check out some of the photos below for an idea of how they look like on nails:

Essie “Mink Muffs”:

Essie “Pink Parka”:

Essie “Chinchilly”:

I really like the “Chinchilly” color, which is a pretty gray color with lavender undertones. It took me three coats to get the right intensity, but it was well worth it. Just one tip: make sure to apply a top coat to lock in the color, since the polish is prone to chipping (unlike most Essie polishes, I found that this one chipped wit relative ease). But hey, with some due diligence, you can prepare yourself accordingly and have beautiful nails for days and days at a time.

Essie Fall 2009 Color Collection, $8 per polish. Available at Essie.com