Collection: Essie 2010 Fall
Merino Cool (730) is described by Essie as a “sensuous autumn mulberry”, which really doesn’t give this shade enough credit! It’s a deeper midtoned heathery plum cream with heavy doses of grey, brown—so, taupe—and purple. Its dusty quality makes it perfect for fall sweater weather.
The formula is quite good: the first coat is a bit thin, as you’ll find with many Essies, but the second coat can be applied more generously as it self-evens reasonably well. I got just about full opacity with two coats (I would probably do a bit extra just to get those pesky bald marks to disappear), as you can see in the swatch.
You’ll also notice that in dimmer light, Merino Cool looks decidedly taupe, but in brighter light, it can perk up with a plummy mauve tone.
I think this is a fantastic shade that can be worn by a lot of different skintones due to its fairly neutral base. It may not have absolutely perfect application, but I feel the color is gorgeous enough to warrant a high recommendation.
Essie Nail Polish retails for US$8.50 / CA$9.99–$10.99 and is 0.46 US fl oz / 13.5 mL. The polish is free of toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). It is made in the USA.
Essie Cosmetics, founded in 1981, is based in Westfield NJ, USA. In 2010, Essie was acquired by the L’Oréal Group.
fivezero 
Such a beautiful shade! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Isn’t it perfect for fall? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely perfect for Fall 🙂 I love such mauve shades a lot – these are my favorite 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
They’re really elegant shades, especially with a hint of grey!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Totally! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have this shade! It’s in my untrieds pile… dunno why though. It’s the quintessential Fall shade for me. It’s actually quite similar to the Cashmere Matte shade I was wearing last week in Comfy in Cashmere.
LikeLike
Pretty! I thought it looked more taupe grey in the bottle but on your nails it pulls more purple! Interesting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it definitely changes a lot depending on the light. If it’s dim, it looks taupe grey on me, too. Bright light brings out plum tones.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I totally love this pretty shade
LikeLiked by 1 person
These greyed shades are so sophisticated!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes they are
LikeLike
Oh I do like this one! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a great fall shade!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a lovely shade !! PS I would really appreciate it if you could check out my blog http://www.thelittlelifestyleblog.com
Thank you Xxxxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
LikeLike
I had never heard much about this polish until the past couple months, so I literally thought it was a random new one in the Essie permanent line! No idea it was an older one. It feels like I just started seeing it in stores too, I was so confused haha. It’s such a pretty fall shade 🙂 Please please show more ‘fall’-y colours like these from your collection!! (read as: no more orange) 😉 hahah. But seriously, I love fall nail polish colours and if you have a massive stash of polishes, I’m going to want to see what you’ve got! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely! I’ve already started swatching a bunch of vampies and other cool weather-appropriate shades. Don’t worry! Pastels are being phased out, notwithstanding today’s Yves Rocher in Soft Coral.
Although I will admit that fall does make me think of rich oranges, so you may still see a few more pop up between now and December 😉
LikeLike
Ooh, that’s a good one – very vintagey. It looks like a teacup!
LikeLike
Love!❤️❤️❤️
If you noticed that I have to hit follow again, I dunno why I was unfollowing you, that just explains why I have trouble looking for you on my reader. 😔
LikeLike