SquareHue October 2014 Review, Swatches, Unboxing: Milan

Do you know fashion capitals of the world? Chances are, you do! We got Paris, New York, and of course Milan, and that’s where SquareHue is taking us in October. I’m actually surprised that the October collection is not BCA themed, because everything seems to be painted pink around here, but I’m not complaining, since I have enough pink polishes as it is.

HOW IT WORKS
For $19.99/month SquareHue subscribers receive a limited edition collection of 3 carefully curated season-appropriate nail polish colors. Each month has a distinct personality to suit a variety of dress needs. Quick drying “5-Free” Clean formula does not contain Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Camphor or Formaldehyde Resin.
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The October Milan-inspired Collection included three cremes: two glossy and one matte. To some people these three shades might seem a little underwhelming, or even boring, but considering the inspiration, I feel like this trio was spot on.

I used to travel a lot, and I did visit Italy, so I know for a fact that fashionable ladies over there think that creme nail polishes are the best. Sure, you would see someone sporting a glitter topper or a holo now and then, but that would be an exception from the rule. What’s on-trend? Well-groomed medium-length almond-shaped nail beds, perfectly polished with one of the classic hues in high gloss finish. Mattes are also acceptable, but not nearly as common.

The shades in October collection are named after three of four streets that make up quadrilatero della moda, a high end fashion district at the heart of Milan. This area is regarded by fashion experts [likea Vogue etc] to be the most influential fashion district in the world.

Via Della Spiga is a cool-toned true red creme. If you have MAC Russian Red lipstick, that’s the color. It’s just a very classic, very rich hue that will work for every skin tone, and fit any occasion. Very Italian, indeed! The formula is absolutely fantastic, I applied two thin coats and they dried to a gorgeously glossy, almost mirror-like finish.

Via Sant’ Andrea is a cool-toned mushroom brown, which is in my opinion, a perfect Fall neutral. After all, mushrooms grow mostly during Fall, when it’s wet from the rain, but the earth is still warm. Unlike Via Della Spiga, this particular polish took me just a little longer to apply, because it has thicker consistency so I had to wait an extra minute or two between layers. Once it set, I got the same high-shine finish that lasted for days with NO tip wear at all. I only removed it because my nails grew so much, it started looking weird.

Via Montenapoleone is the most unique of the three, it’s best described as a charcoal black with matte finish. Mattes are tricky because they require a fairly steady hand to apply, and I always seem to mess up my pointer finger. Luckily, this bump is pretty much invisible unless I look at it under a microscope. By the way, when applied to short nails, black polish looks elegant and sophisticated; and if you’re into vampy or goth style, wearing it on long nails would give you the desired effect.

THE VERDICT
I think it’s awesome that SquareHue likes to change things up, so we don’t just get the same colors and same finishes all the time. I love that in addition to crazy colors I normally would not have picked, I am also getting timeless classics, like these three. Overall, this was a very successful collection, and again, I think SquareHue really do their research when they come up with the themes, because this month they were spot on yet again.