You might have noticed that I haven’t been posting nail polish reviews in a while. In fact, my last SquareHue post was about the October collection, and since then I kind of went silent about the topic all together. Truth is, these past fall and winter months were not kind to my nails. They were splitting and breaking, despite my best attempts to moisturize them with hand creams and cuticle oils. This was the first year in a long while when I had to constantly file them down to short nubbins. I felt ashamed and “not feminine enough”, as if my nails were no longer worthy to be shown. Now I realize how ridiculous that statement is, but at the time it felt like I probably shouldn’t be posting nail polish swatches, period, since most nail bloggers out there have these perfect almond-shaped healthy digits and what I had here was a total disaster, that I will ultimately get trolled for.
You know what? I don’t even care anymore, and neither should you, if you do. The absolute majority of women in the world have short nails [which they are perfectly happy with], and they don’t stress over it on a daily basis. Having short nails, ridges, small nail beds, or whatever shouldn’t be the reason to stop wearing pretty nail polish. The latest SquareHue January and February collections are so lovely, I couldn’t keep them to myself any longer. Nor am I going to wait until my nubbins grow out, so here they are – both of them – in one post!
Based on your feedback, SquareHue underwent some changes recently, too. Now you can preview the curated color choices for the next month [March picks are already here!]. The subscribers are also able to choose, switch, and even skip the boxes if they don’t fancy any of the colors for the next month without having to cancel and re-subscribe. I think these changes are wonderful, and very convenient!
HOW IT WORKS:
For $21/month, SquareHue subscribers receive a limited edition collection of 3 carefully curated season-appropriate nail polish colors. Alternatively, the company recently launched a 2-polish box variation that costs $10.99/month + Shipping & Handling. Each month has a distinct personality to suit a variety of dress needs. Subscribers are able to preview, choose, and switch nail polish colors for the upcoming month, and skip boxes when they need a break. Quick drying “5-Free” Clean formula does not contain Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Camphor or Formaldehyde Resin. Click here to subscribe.
CONTENTS:
To keep things in order, I’d like to introduce you to the TANGO trio from SquareHue January 2017 box first. This year the company celebrates their fourth year in business with The Dance Collection, so each month will be inspired by different dances from around the world.
The first polish is called Golpe, a lovely medium periwinkle blue with subtle silver and blue metallic. It’s a highly pigmented one-coater, and I actually think one coat looks better than two 🙂 In the swatch: two coats of nail polish over Sally Hansen Complete Care 7-IN-1 Nail Treatment as a base and Seche Vite top coat.
The second polish is called Media Luna, and described as a bold, vibrant midnight blue with silver and blue glittery metallic shimmer. Also well-pigmented with great coverage and longevity to boot. It’s one of the longest-wearing SquareHue nail polishes on my recent memory, or at least on my nails it is. In the swatch: two coats of nail polish over Sally Hansen Complete Care 7-IN-1 Nail Treatment as a base and Seche Vite top coat.
The third nail polish is called La Parada, a tangerine jelly with holographic micro glitter. The formula is thick and goopy, which increases the drying time, but when this sheer one-coater finally dries, it sets with a lightly textured feel. In the swatch: one coat of nail polish over Sally Hansen Complete Care 7-IN-1 Nail Treatment as a base and Seche Vite top coat.
SquareHue February 2017 box contained a bright and colorful SAMBA trio; an unusual pick for February colors, but stunning nonetheless.
The first polish is called Copas, which is described as a beautiful emerald green shimmer. It’s the kind of color I like wearing in the fall, not too dark and not too bright, and has a little something something to it. The formula is a little runny, which made it very easy to apply. In the swatch: two coats of nail polish over Sally Hansen Complete Care 7-IN-1 Nail Treatment as a base, no top coat used.
The second polish was a beautiful orange with gold micro glitter, named Volta. Sending us two orange nail polishes in a row is a bold move, but when I compared them side by side they appeared to be quite different. This one is super bright and incredibly reflective. It can be easily one-coated, but I like to apply two for extra sparkle. In the swatch: two coats of nail polish over Sally Hansen Complete Care 7-IN-1 Nail Treatment as a base and Seche Vite top coat.
The third, and last polish is called Marchessie – a bright pink with lovely gold micro shimmer, perfect for Valentine’s Day. When everyone else is doing red, SquareHue surprised us with this romantic pink with a twist. I am in love with this color! It has the perfect balance of girly and sophisticated, and that gold microshimmer gives me life 🙂 It looks nice and even with just one coat, which makes it look like a jelly polish; with two coats it’s a gorgeous shimmery creme. In the swatch: two coats of nail polish over Sally Hansen Complete Care 7-IN-1 Nail Treatment as a base and Seche Vite top coat.
BOTTOM LINE:
I think all of these colors are great! There is a variety of colors and finishes, and even two oranges are different enough so I have no complaints here. I am head over heels in love with Marchessie, it’s a beautiful pink unlike anything else I own. This might be my new go-to color for spring.
What polish are you wearing right now? Have you tried SquareHue before? Let me know in the comments!
Disclosure: This post features products received for editorial consideration and may contain affiliate or referral links. For more details about my product review policy, copyright, and information about affiliate links, please refer to Disclosures & Content Use page.
