SquareHue September 2015: The Decades – 1980

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Guys, I was SO incredibly busy last month that I totally neglected to review several of my subscription boxes. I promise you, the reviews are still coming, and I want to start with SquareHue September 2015 collection, inspired by the 80s.

Even though that’s a decade I was born into, it was filled with nothing but childhood memories, so I was oblivious to the whole pop culture of that era. I only became aware of it much later, mostly because many adults in my life seemed to be stuck in the 80s, and not being on-trend to a typical teenager is the crime of the century 🙂 I bet if I was in high school right now, I would totally do the whole Instagram eyebrows, contouring, talons, and Kylie pout thing right now. But these days it takes more to get me to follow the trend than to simply pronounce something as one. Without further ado, here’s how SquareHue imagined the 80s decade!

HOW IT WORKS: For $14.99/month + Shipping & Handling, 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. Quick drying “5-Free” Clean formula does not contain Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Camphor or Formaldehyde Resin. Click here to subscribe.

COUPONS: 

• Use code HALLOWEENFLASH to get 40% off your first box.
• Use code SYDNEY to get the Sydney collection delivered with your first box. Offer valid for the 3-polish subscription plans only.

Vice 1984 is a light grey high gloss creme with cool undertone, and while it looks a tad boring in the bottle, I actually thought it has potential to be a great non-traditional neutral. This shade is subdued enough to still pass as a nude, but doesn’t venture into the pinks and beiges category. I didn’t expect to wear it much, but so far it grades my nails five times in two months. Considering that my nail polish collection is not that small, this is quite an accomplishment.

The formula is creamy, pigmented, and slightly on the runny side. I needed to apply at least two coats to achieve even coverage, and then seal everything with Seche Vite. This shade has medium longevity on my nails and starts chipping slightly on the 4th day.

Sierra Sunset 1985 is a dark cherry with silver microshimmer and cool undertone. I have a couple similar colors already in my stash, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t use them very often, because I see red as more of a warm color and don’t like pairing it with silver.

The formula was quite runny and even pooled into my cuticles a few times when I didn’t swipe carefully. The color reached opacity after three thin coats, and then I sealed it with Seche Vite. The wear time was below average, with chips appearing on 3rd day.

And finally, Deep Space 1988 is a dark chocolate with bronze microshimmer and warm undertone. What a stunner it is! The color is perfectly on-trend, and it looks as good on long nails as it does on short nails [I googled a few swatches].

The formula was nice: rich, pigmented, not a one-coater, but a solid two-coater. It dried quickly, and looked very fancy. It lasted for 5 solid days before I noticed a tiny chip on my pinky, but then again I’m not super hard on my nails and do all of the housework wearing gloves.

THE VERDICT: The collection was cohesive, and the colors seemed to go together well. However, I can see that some people might be disappointed about the lack of neons, or a jelly finish. In SquareHue’s defense though, they were tasked to make collections not only inspired by certain decades, but also to reflect seasonal trends, and currently runways are telling us deep chocolate shimmers, burgundies, and grays are very popular. Do you still remember what I said in the beginning of this post about being stuck in the 80s? I am currently torn in between. On one end, I wish this collection was more 80s, on another end I’m glad that SquareHue went the unexpected route with colors that are more “now”, if you know what I mean.

Which team are you on: Team Stuck in the 80s or Team #TrendingNow? Let me know in the comments below!

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