Wednesday, March 25, 2015

SquareHue March 2015 Review

And now for something completely different. . . well, not completely I guess.  It is still make-up/beauty stuff after all :)  P.S. Sorry this post looks funky - I lost it and had to repost it from my email.  Not a good afternoon here today :(



SquareHue's nail mail! For those unfamiliar with SquareHue, they make and sell 5-free polishes through a subscription service.  They do not, at this time, sell the polishes outside of the monthly service.  Unlike other monthly nail polish subs, SquareHue does not offer choices or previews, instead promising 3 full-size, on-trend colours and finishes according to a particular theme.  This year, they are doing a different decade every month so this month, the colours are inspired by the 1920s.  While I can't select my own options/colours, it is really easy to skip a month (or many) and to re-establish the sub whenever I like.  I wasn't really down for the 1900s or 1910s but was hoping this month would be a little Gatsby-chic :) Love the 1920s :)

Here are the shades SquareHue came up with to honour this decade in our history:


From left to right, "Cocktails & Cigarettes 1920" (a sheer Pearl shade), "Style & Speed 1921" (a silver micro glitter) and "Art & Deco 1925" (a copper shimmer)

Swatches on their info card:



Cocktails & Cigarettes:
While originally not that excited by a sheer polish, this one is delicate and shimmery, kind of like Daisy Buchanan herself (read The Great Gatsby if you haven't ok? it's short and so representative of the period).  A peachy-pink, I was pleasantly surprised to see a bit of turquoise shine to this sheer.  The formula is easy to work with and looked lovely with two coats, although certainly not opaque.  This one is growing on me.  While not something that I would usually reach for (I like my nails a little flashier), this is subtle and totally work-appropriate.

Style & Speed:
I love a good silver polish.  And this one is a good one.  It has a bit more depth than other silvers I have owned in the past and the micro glitter finish stays nice and shiny without leaving glitter all over the place.  The formula is nice enough but needs a bit more work to level properly (or at least my husband had a little trouble doing my toes for me - but he's no expert).  Still, pretty good to go after two coats.  I much prefer this to the gold SquareHue sent me a few months back (pre-blog, sorry!) as this type of metallic suits my skin tone nicely.  That said, it's not very exciting and very much something I could easily have already owned (if I hadn't used up my last silver a while ago and delayed replacing it).

Art & Deco:
I like this one a lot.  I was nervous about a copper shade but find this one looks almost rose-gold with a decent amount of pink to it.  I like.  The shimmer is not as shiny as the micro glitter above (you can really see the difference in the swatch pic) but it does have a nice sheen.  I find the formula similar to Style & Speed in terms of ease of use as well and, while two coats is nice enough, I think three really helps bring the colour out a bit more.  This is lovely and understated for a metallic finish.

Overall Verdict:
This is a pleasant enough collection from SquareHue but not the most exciting set I have received from them (that would be the Prague collection from November).  I am, however, really happy to see some new finishes and no yellows/oranges.  SquareHue seems to send out a lot of creams and a lot of shades that I find a challenge with my colouring - well, not this month!  I will wear all of these shades, happily, and am pleasantly surprised by them - particularly the two I was most nervous about.  That said, I hope not to receive any more metallics for a while as I have received a silver, copper and gold from them thus far and, while I like metallics, don't need a bronze in my collection as well :) I am in for next month since the 1940s is so rich with history and I love old Hollywood glam.  After that, we'll see.  I might take a break until we get to decades I actually experienced in person (a good jelly finish for the 1980s? please??).  But if they hit it out of the park, all bets are off! 

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