Essie Winter 2009 Sweet Time of The Year Swatches & Review
 In case you were wondering, the mint green train isn’t stopping anytime soon. I know some of you feel it’s too light for Fall/Winter but I’m so all over it, I can’t stand it! In fact, Essie is introducing her twist on the minty nail trend in her candy-themed Winter 2009 collection.
I had the privilege of meeting Essie backstage at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. In fact, I saw her two days in a row. How crazy is that? A friend introduced me in the backstage area and we chatted for a few and then the next day she hosted a press event for the limited edition Capri Blue polish she created for MBFW. That’s when I first laid eyes on the Winter colors and you KNOW I fixated on that green. Get all the details and see the colors, after the jump! |
When asked what colors she loves to wear, Essie admitted that while she’s normally a Bordeaux girl when it comes to her toes, she wore Lacquered Up all summer. And because she spends a lot of her time in meetings, she prefers to keep her fingernails pretty and safe. She wears combinations of sheers and pales, changing her look each week. Some fave combos include Ballet Slippers with Mademoiselle and Fed Up with Blushing Bride though she’s currently loving Mademoiselle with Blushing Bride.
For Winter, Essie wanted something whimsical, fun and refreshing. She created these confections with that in mind. Rock Candy is your typical Essie pink sheer. It’s a bit milky and I ended up using three coats to get it even. You know I’m not one for sheers so it’s not really my style.
First of all, let me say that Essie is a doll to chat with. I was uber-intimidated to meet such a giant in the polish industry and her statuesque figure only adds to her presence. She’s one tall drink of water. But my butterflies were unwarranted because Essie is very down-to-earth, extremely inviting and so in love with color.
For Fashion Week she collaborated with Mercedes-Benz to create a polish to match their Capri Blue metallic paint. Essie Capri Blue was available exclusively in the Mercedes-Benz backstage lounge but you can get a similar look wearing Midnight Cami from the Fall Cuddle With Color collection.
Lollipop is unique in that it applied like a glaze. Not jelly-ish and not creamy more like a lip gloss. Though in spite of its texture the color is opaque in two coats. Very unusual and candy-like for such a traditional red hue.
Mint Candy Apple is the pièce de résistance. You know how I’ve swooned over the other mint greens to date and this one is in a class all its own. This really does look like pastel after dinner mints. Oh how I love those. So delicious and melty in your mouth. This beauty is creamy, slightly blue and unfortunately for your wallets, utterly unique. Even though it took three coats for a completely even, opaque finish, I. Don’t. Care. It’s gorgeous!
I swatched it next to every mint green I own and not a one comes close. Lined up against its predecessors it totally stands out.
The Essie Winter 2009 collection launches in November though I’ve heard rumors that it will go on sale on Essie.com tomorrow October 15th.
What do we think Fanatics? Who’s up for mint green-a-palooza this winter?
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
I think i actually like that more than both the jade and peppermint patti…
It's a pass for me on all three… not feeling any of these and will probably save my $ for some other collections!
Oh Jesus!!! That Mint Candy Apple must mine!!!
I love that mint green. And I have a lot of Essie reds, I love the formula and, unlike some polish lovers, I think a woman can never have too many reds. Something about this one in particular is calling my name — maybe the finish.
Love love loooooove that mint green!
Can you do a color comparison of:
1. Essie "Mint Candy Apple"
2. OPI "Hey! Get in Lime"
3. OPI "Damone Roberts 1968"
I have "…Lime" and I've been eyeing the other 2 lately, but dont want to get a color that's pretty much a duplicate. Thanks so much! I love this blog!!!!!!!!!!!
i think i need all of them!
i would love to see it compared to some of the other "minty" shades out there, like rijah said chanel jade and mac peppermint patti thanks for posting this, i've been dying to see them
I saw mint candy apple in an ad in marie claire a couple weeks ago and was really disappointed to find out it doesn't come out for two more weeks and have been eagerly waiting to see a swatch of that color. it is gorgeous. But yes I would really love it if you could do a comparison with your other mint greens on one hand. polishes do look so different in their bottles.
Wow! The Mint Candy Apple is gorge! I can't believe how different it looks in the bottle comapred to the other peppermints from this year! I have the Barry M Mint Green on my toes right now!
I'm going to pass on these. I don't care for sheers, red is not good on me, and I can wait until China Glaze comes out with a mint green!
Rock Candy looks nice!
this really does reming me of chg groovy green which I own
Me likey the green and lollipop! Wonder how MCA compares to Illamasqua MILF?
Hi Michele:
What a thrill it must have been to meet "Essie" of Essie Nail Products twice even, and her mint green polish is heavenly. I can see why you adore the color greens. It's gorgeous.
"…This really does look like pastel after dinner mints. Oh how I love those. So delicious and melt y in your mouth. This beauty is creamy, slightly blue…" Gota have it!
((((Love Michelle))))
Mc Huggs
I like the red a lot. Not into mint greens, really.
Can't wait to get Mint Candy Apple. I have a lot of mint greens as well. But it's never too much! Thanks for sharing.
I love mint apple green and lollipop <3
I like that Essie Candy Apple. I like Chanel Jade. I will actually BUY Barry M 304 and I'm waiting for a Jessica polish that I know is too "lime" but looks in the photo as it may have a gold sheen.
Sad as I am I suspect that these greens won't suit me at all but I'm still getting them because I'm a victim of fashion. Gr.
Mint Candy Apple is so pretty but I was hoping it would be a dupe for Peppermint Patti.
I have to get the mint. I missed out on Peppermint Patti. I was on an no-buy for Lent. I don't know if I could do that one again. I really don't want to miss out on this baby. I even like Lollipop. The sheer one I don't like. Not my style at all either.
You can buy these at a Douglas Cosmetics now! I picked my set up last week, they had just come out of the box
And I totally love the green.
Lovely color. I've gotten on a kick of doing a 'french' mani with 2 colors – right now it's OPI short shorts with in my pocket on the tips with a white separater line. I got the Butter London Thames and I'm thinking maybe this green with Thames on the tips and a silver separater – I'll have to get the Thames out when I get home and see which it goes best with. But I may have to have it anyway.
I was just looking for a mint green polish!! LoL! Thanks ALU and Essie!!!
Thanks for the swatches, I'm a sucker for reds and really like the look of Lollipop!
Do you know if this is the only collection Essie is bringing out this winter? It seems odd there is only 3 colors instead of the usual 6. I loved last years collection including some great purples and was hoping for something similar this year!
Thanks so much for the swatches! I've been looking for swatches ever since I saw it in the magazines. I can't wait to get the Mint Candy Apple!
Eeee! Mint Candy Apple is the shade I wanted all of the other mints I've bought this year to be! I'm so excited!
Gorgeous colors really! But I'm talking only about the natural pink and the green:)
This is the best mint I've ever seen!!! I need that one! Thank you for the wonderful swatches!
The collection is up on the Essie site now. I can't wait to try the mint.
finally, swatches! I was browsing some magazine, and my eye caught an ad for those three polishes, and I wanted them so much! Of course, this was before they were up on the website 0=!
I want both the red and mint..yum yum!
OHH La La the Mint Candy Apple colour is too pretty for words, luckily Essie is easily available. I am still disappointed that the Chanel Jade is a US only launch.
Another mint green for your collection: Illamasqua's Milf. I want to check out the Essie & compare.
Hi! I love the mint green, too. I also hope you can do a comparison with OPI's Hey Get In Lime! Thanks!
This color doens't look like the alle the other swatches when I google it(Mint candy apple) Actually I google Essie Winter 2009. Too bad I like this so much more, hmm…
Thank you for putting the Essie mint up with the other mint polishes. It is such a unique shade for a holiday manicure!
I have been wearing Mint Candy Apple for the past week, and absolutely love it! Mine is much more blue than it appears to be in this picture…just letting others know.
I just saw Essie’s Mint Apple Green at Gene Juarez! It’s stunning!!!!!!!
The Mint green is delicious – but I quite like the Mercedes-Benz Blue too.
I have noticed that my bottle of Mint Candy Apple changes its colour on the nail. In to bottle, the colour leans towards blue, but on the nail, it gets a slightly yellowish cast. The colour on the nail is beautiful as well, perhaps closer to China Glaze Refresh Mint. It is just strange that it changes colour so much.
Nice looking colors. I was wondering how the looked on the nail b/c the colors in the bottle don’t look right to me.