5 free polish subscriptions

Squarehue: The 2010s – December 2015

So it’s both an exciting and sad day – we’re ending our trip to the past (and now the future) with the Squarehue decade collection. We end our journey with the 2010s which is particularly interesting since it encompasses the past, the present and the future. I really hope that Squarehue opts to use that template and give us colors from the early 2010s, current day and something geared toward the future of fashion.

So for one last post, let’s gear up our time machine.

Our box including a cute little candy cane!:

Our handy dandy swatch card:

2010s BOX

Bird Fling 2010 (High Gloss Crème)
Description: Bright Red Crème
Verdict: Say What?
To start, I love red and I think this is a pretty shade. My problem is I don’t get what it has to do with 2010 or what the hell “Bird Fling” means. Is that like supposed to be Twitter? If so why is it red? Maybe it’s just that I’m slow or something. In any case I would have opted for a purple gray taupe hybrid reminiscent of OPI’s Metro Chic. I felt like everyone I knew had that shade at the beginning of the decade, plus it’s not something we’ve gotten in any of our other Squarehue boxes.

Baby Baby Baby 2010 (Microshimmer)
Description: Royal Purple Microshimmer
Verdict: Why is it still 2010?
Why two from the same year? Squarehue has done this in other decades as well and I don’t quite get it. You have 10 years to choose from and only 3 choices, just make each one unique. I’m also not feeling this shade for the 2010s either. I’d say this should be from the middle of the decade and I’d opt for either a gorgeous cobalt blue polish or a pastel turquoise-esque mint.

Olympiad 2018 (Foil)
Description: Pale Gold Foil
Verdict: A swing..and a miss
Didn’t we have a lot of gold in these boxes? On the positive side, I like that we got one polish in the box that was geared toward the future and that it had a more unique finish. Unfortunately, I feel like this was way too safe. We’ve already seen this, it’s not interesting or unique and certainly doesn’t feel fashion forward. I get that they used gold because they linked it to the Olympics, but just throw out the Olympics idea and go another route. I’d probably title the polish with a fun play on our ever growing dependence on smart phones/social media and choose a rose gold holographic polish. Holographic finishes are growing more frenzied in their popularity and rose gold is emerging as a huge trend in fashion (not to mention Iphones now come in that lovely rose gold finish). It would have been an awesome polish to end with. Instead, we it’s a lackluster note.

OVERALL

Verdict: Color me disappointed
I really wanted to end this fun subscription with something truly amazing, but this is another box with so much potential that ultimately was wasted. These colors are very pretty but for me they just don’t match up with the decades. Particularly disappointing is the one slated for 2018, which ia a giant snoozefest. On the bright side, these are lovely shades that I’m sure I will use so my $19.99 was not wasted.

What polishes would you expect to see in a 2010s collection and what color would you pick for 2018?

SQUAREHUE NEWS!
Squarehue’s theme for 2016 is “The Adventure Collection”. The January box is called “Hike Banff”. It looks like they are also introducing some new pricing. Shipping is included in the listed pricing. The three polish box is now $21, while the two polish box is $16.

THE BACKSTORY

SquareHue is a monthly nail polish subscription box. SquareHue delivers a unique, curated collection of premium nail polish colors to its style aware members.

Cost:
Box No. 3: $21.00 including shipping for 3 polishes.
New Option! Box No. 2: $16.00 including shipping for 2 polishes.

Polishes are:
“5-Free” Clean formula – Do not contain Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Camphor or Formaldehyde Resin
Not tested on animals
Proudly Made in the USA

Automatically, a portion of your monthly subscription is donated to keep us accountable to what really matters. Currently a portion of all monthly subscription proceeds are being donated for prevention awareness, the protection of trafficked victims and the prosecution of human traffickers.

Squarehue: The 2000s – November 2015

We’re winding down our trip through history with the decades themed Squarehue boxes. The 2000s were the decade where I became an adult. I graduated from Syracuse, got my first real job, went to grad school, got my master’s and tried to figure out what to actually do with my life. For me (and the country as a whole) it was a pretty tumultuous decade. Let’s see how that translates into colors.

2000s BOX

Never Forget 2001 (Metallic)
Description: Silver Metallic
Verdict: On the Fence
I’m not sure how Squarehue could have escaped including one of the defining moments in US history, but I don’t know how I feel about 9/11 being commemorated by a polish. I was in New York that day, working in midtown. I used to have to get into the office early and I took the E train, the World Trade Center train, that morning. I had no idea what was going on until someone in the office came in and told me. I realized based on the timing that I’d probably been riding with lots of people going to the World Trade Center at just the wrong time. And so it seemed to me at that moment, the difference between living and dying was just a few stops on a subway train. The giant cloud of dust moving down 6^th avenue, the hundreds upon hundreds of missing posters stuck to everything, the silence that covered the busiest city in the world – it is burned into my memory. I cannot forget. I don’t need a polish to make me remember. Strictly from a polish standpoint, this is another silver and one that’s a bit streaky. I feel like we’ve received a ton of silver and gray polishes from Squarehue, but this shade does fit the title. Personally I’d have gone with a metallic silver holographic to add something special.

Idol 2002 (Micro Glitter)
Description: Silver Micro Glitter
Verdict: We’ve seen this before.
I only ever watched the first season of Idol. As a singer, televised singing competitions just tend to annoy me. I like the pop culture reference and it’s nice to have something lighthearted in this box, but I wish we’d seen a rainbow glitter or a glitter with contrasting shades. I see American Idol with fuschia, purple, blue, red—all kinds of color. This reminds me way too much of the glitterball polish from the 70s and I don’t think it adds to the overall Decades collection.

Hurricane 2005 (Metallic)
Description: Platinum Metallic
Verdict: Like the color, but….
Another gray/silver! Okay, I get this was meant to be a silver/gray type set. And it’s actually lovely in that context, however, in the bigger picture of the whole decades set it just doesn’t work. There were tons of silvers and grays and for there to be three additional polishes in that color theme was just too much. The Hurricane reference is also a bit of a downer, making this quite a sad box.

OVERALL

Verdict: Nice colors, but too dark in so many ways
I really wish Squarehue had opted to make the whole decades collection based on fashion, style and pop culture of the periods rather than the darker historical elements. In my opinion, Polish is just too frivolous for some of these references. As I mentioned earlier this box makes a nice set on it’s own, and the Hurricane color has a great edgy vibe. I just wish that if Squarehue was determined to do an all silver/gray set they would have changed some of the earlier polish colors. I paid $19.99, and these are nicely sized and good quality but I’m still a bit disappointed in this month.

What do you think of the polishes linked to traumatic historical events? Is it okay or does it bother you?

THE BACKSTORY

SquareHue is a monthly nail polish subscription box. SquareHue delivers a unique, curated collection of premium nail polish colors to its style aware members.

Cost:
Box No. 3: $21.00 including shipping for 3 polishes.
New Option! Box No. 2: $16.00 including shipping for 2 polishes.

Polishes are:
“5-Free” Clean formula – Do not contain Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Camphor or Formaldehyde Resin
Not tested on animals
Proudly Made in the USA

Squarehue: The 1990s – October 2015

It’s time to jump back into our metaphorical DeLorean and visit the past with my Squarehue subscription. Each month takes us back to a different decade and today we’re visiting a time period near and dear to my heart. The 1990s were that precious decade where I graduated high school, spent hours waiting to connect to the internet and sported all kinds of flannel. Back then, my life revolved around music: I went to Woodstock 99, interned at Columbia Records and studied music in the dungeon of a castle, high up on a hill.
This one to be exact:

(And as a shout out to my old alma mater – They just made the list of top 25 music school by Hollywood Reporter. It’s amazing how that fact suddenly makes me feel oh so more talented that I did before.)

In a different castle like building, in 1998, I took an undergrad writing workshop with George Saunders where I wrote a short story that ultimately became my grad school thesis and will now be my novel, “The Ice Maiden’s Tale”, set for publication in 2016. So needless to say, the 90s were a huge time in my life (and not just because of my undying love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer), so this collection carries a lot of emotional weight. It needs to live up to my fond (and occasionally hazy) recollections of my lost adolescence and young adulthood. That’s a lot for a small box of polish to pull off. Let’s see how it does.

1990s BOX

Vogue 1990 (High Gloss Shimmer)
Description: Vamp Red Shimmer
Verdict: Vintage Madonna
The only thing better than 80s Madonna is 90s Madonna. And if there wasn’t a dark red polish in this box, you would have seen me go all Hulk Smash, except with letters and words, so maybe not Hulk Smash but like Hulk Blogging. Is that a thing? Can I make it a thing? In any case this shade is a perfect fit for the decade and the title is a perfect nod to the pop culture at the time.

Desert Storm 1991 (High Gloss Créme)
Description: Khaki High Gloss Créme
Verdict: Like the Gap, but not when they had those cool swing dance ads
Maybe it’s because we’re almost through our trip through the century, but am I the only one that wants a little less war in my polish? In any case, khakis were big in the 90s so this shade works in that regard as well as its obvious military connection. I’m sure I can have some fun layering interesting topcoats over it.

Y2K (High Gloss Shimmer)
Description: Gunmetal High Gloss Shimmer
Verdict: I’m gonna party like it’s 1999..
Oh remember this, when everyone thought the world was going to end and computers were going to explode or make everyone’s electronic records say they were 200 years old, or maybe ATMS would just turn into robots or something. Y2K was awesome in its anticlimacticness and a perfect reference for this box. This polish is pretty and edgy but I feel like we’ve seen a lot of silver and gray shades in the previous collections. Maybe instead of shimmer, a microglitter or a different finish? In any case it’s a cool shade and I’m sure I’ll use it.

OVERALL

Verdict: If the apocalypse comes, beep me.
Overall I think this box did a pretty good job, even if it can’t capture the joy of my first college apartment where I learned that cherry Koolaid slushy mix can magically make the cheapest, strongest alcohol taste like a popsicle or the time we snuck alcohol into music theory class at 9:30 in the morning. (No, we weren’t alcoholics, just musicians…wait, I can see your confusion, but no worries now I can’t drink a glass of sangria without getting sleepy.) In any case, I will use all 3 colors from this box, so definitely a good deal for the $19.99 I paid.

So where were you in the 1990s? What polish would you expect to see in a 1990s collection?

SQUAREHUE NEWS!
SquareHue has introduced a new subscription option called Box. No. 2. For 10.99 a month (per shipping) you can opt for a 2 polish box (instead of the regular 3). The regular 3 polish sub is now Box No. 3.

THE BACKSTORY

SquareHue is a monthly nail polish subscription box. SquareHue delivers a unique, curated collection of premium nail polish colors to its style aware members.

Cost:
Box No. 3: $14.99 plus shipping for 3 polishes.
New Option! Box No. 2: $10.99 plus shipping for 2 polishes.
(Shipping is $5 for US destinations and $9 for Canada.)

Polishes are:
“5-Free” Clean formula – Do not contain Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Camphor or Formaldehyde Resin
Not tested on animals
Proudly Made in the USA

Squarehue: The 1980s – September 2015

It’s time again for some vintage fun with my Squarehue subscription. Each month we’ve been treated to a collection inspired by a decade and September brought us the most infamous decade in fashion: the 1980s. Moreso than any other time, 1980s had style overcast with whatfuckery. Hammer pants, giant shoulder pads, doorknocker earrings bigger than your face, neon prints, Cosby sweaters, giant Jersey girl hair, and we won’t even discuss what was considered “workout gear”. If there is such a thing as a crime of fashion, 80s workout clothes would be considered an act of terrorism.

Now Squarehue had managed to class up the 1970s, but could they do it for the 1980s? Was that even possible? I think we need a special judging scale for this one. How about we measure it in Urkels? One Urkel being like losing your swatch and Five Urkels being as good as a ride in a DeLorean with Michael J. Fox.

1980s BOX

Vice 1984 (High Gloss Crème)
Description: Concrete Gray Creme
Verdict: 3 Urkels
““Wait a minute. Wait a minute, Doc. Ah… Are you telling me that you built a time machine… out of a DeLorean?
“The way I see it, if you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some *style?*”
The moment I saw this color I actually did think of a Miami Vice suit so Squarehue was right on with the shade fitting the decade. Am I the only one who also gets a DeLorean gray or Nintendo vibe from this? Anyone? Bueller? I’m not in love with the shade, but it’s a nice neutral, decade appropriate and definitely a more restrained choice from the possible options.

Sierra Sunset 1985 (High Gloss Shimmer)
Description: Dark Mauve Shimmer
Verdict: 4 Urkels
“His name is Blane? Oh! That’s a major appliance, that’s not a name! “
This shade should come with a sticker that says “Molly Ringwald Approved”. This color is on the sheer side (as are most shimmers) and builds to opacity. Less layers and it’s more like your grandma’s kitchen, more layers and you’re rocking it like Andie from Pretty in Pink (which would be a much better name for this polish).

Deep Space 1988 (High Gloss Shimmer)
Description: Blackened deep, deep burnt burgundy Glitter
Verdict: 2 Urkels
“Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?”
I like the *description* of this shade more than the actual color. The burgundy doesn’t translate to me. It reads much more like the color of a tootsie roll, which doesn’t feel like space or like the 80s to me. This one was the most disappointing of the bunch, it was like having to go to detention on a weekend.

OVERALL

Verdict: 2 Urkels and John Cusack with a Boombox
“I am looking for a dare to be great situation.”
I think there was a lot of missed opportunities with this collection. I appreciate the *attempt* to bring sophistication to the 1980s, but that’s not where the 80s shine. I have to say I’m a little sad that we didn’t see some of that crazy 80s excess or some weird baby blue and pink glitter with a crazy neon topcoat. I’m also uber sad about the names of these polish. I wish they’d used some Pop Culture references, because what the 80s lacked in fashion it made up for in entertainment. I would have included a bottle inspired by 80s music, another by 80s movies and the last by fashion.

What colors would you expect in a 1980s themed Polish Box?

THE BACKSTORY

SquareHue is a monthly nail polish subscription box. SquareHue delivers a unique, curated collection of premium nail polish colors to its style aware members.

Cost:
Box No. 3: $14.99 plus shipping for 3 polishes.
New Option! Box No. 2: $10.99 plus shipping for 2 polishes.
(Shipping is $5 for US destinations and $9 for Canada.)

Polishes are:
“5-Free” Clean formula – Do not contain Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Camphor or Formaldehyde Resin
Not tested on animals
Proudly Made in the USA

Squarehue: The 1970s – August 2015

I’ve been pretty excited for most of the decades featured in Squarehue’s 2015 subscription. The exception to that was the 1970s. See, I was born in 1979, which would make you think I avoided most of the ugliness of it, but alas I was stuck with my sister’s hand me downs, so I wore things like little baby bell bottoms. My living room had a red shag rug, a bright yellow couch (encased in plastic for extra freshness) and these weird floor lamps with balls that looked like flowers in blue, green and yellow. My kitchen featured avocado green appliances. My mom only got rid of that couch a few years ago, so let’s say that I spent way more time in the 1970s than I ever wanted.

My open box pics are to show you exactly how things come packaged.

Take note of how the bottles came in the cardboard. It took all my strength not to take one out and make it so all the labels faced the same, but I quieted my inner OCD tyrant in reverence to authenticity.

1970s BOX

Watergate 1973 (Microglitter)
Description: Blue Microglitter
Verdict: Love!
I guess they are going with the color of water for Watergate? I’m not complaining because I love this polish. It’s sparkly and fun although I’m not sure it’s seasonally appropriate. This would probably have been a better pick for earlier in the summer.

iPolish 1976 (High Gloss Cream)
Description: White High Gloss Creme
Verdict: Hit!
I don’t really get the name, but the white totally makes me think of John Travolta’s leisure suit in Saturday Night Fever. It’s a classy take on the 70s and I find it thematically appropriate. In regards to the formula, many white polishes are a nightmare to apply. They are super thick or very streaky. I swatched with one coat and I think it looks great. A second coat and this will be perfect. I think it’s my favorite white in my entire polish collection.

Night Fever 1977 (Holographic Glitter)
Description: Holographic Glitter
Verdict: Like
Personally, I would have called the white polish “Night Fever” and just gone with Disco or Disco ball on this one. This one obviously suits the theme perfectly and I think it’s a lot of fun. This will be a great shade for New Year’s or to use in jelly sandwich manicures. I love that we got a Holographic polish in this box.

OVERALL

Verdict: Love!
Shockingly, this is one of my favorite collections from SquareHue. I had feared avocado green, burnt umber, baby poop brown and mustard yellow, but SquareHue definitely did a classy take on the 1970s, and included a new finish (the holographic glitter). I’ll use all of three of these polishes, so the 19.99 I paid is well worth it.

What colors would you expect in a 1970s themed Polish Box?

THE BACKSTORY

SquareHue is a monthly nail polish subscription box. SquareHue delivers a unique, curated collection of premium nail polish colors to its style aware members.

Cost:
Box No. 3: $14.99 plus shipping for 3 polishes.
New Option! Box No. 2: $10.99 plus shipping for 2 polishes.
(Shipping is $5 for US destinations and $9 for Canada.)

Polishes are:
“5-Free” Clean formula – Do not contain Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Camphor or Formaldehyde Resin
Not tested on animals
Proudly Made in the USA

Squarehue: The 1960s – July 2015

For Throwback Thursday, I figured I’d choose a review with a retro vibe. For July, Squarehue’s sub box is featuring the 1960s.

Perfectly packaged inside are our three lovely square bottles with a handy dandy swatch card.

1960s BOX

Turn On 1960 (Neon Matte)
Description: Neon Matte Yellow
Verdict: Appropriate choice, just not my taste
This is highlighter yellow and something I’d never choose for myself. It makes sense for the decade, but I do wish that perhaps some of the previous boxes weren’t so yellow heavy. It seems like we’ve gotten a lot of yellow, or yellowish green shades. The nice thing about matte polishes is they are versatile and you can wear them with their regular finish or glossy with a topcoat. On the bright side (pun intended) I can probably have some fun using this for nail art, and I don’t have anything quite like it in my collection.

Tune In 1966 (Neon Matte)
Description: Matte Dark Fuchsia
Verdict: Love!
Love the saturated color on this and the matte finish makes the color pop even more. This is a fun color and definitely fits with the 1960s theme. It will look perfect worn matte and paired with a cute little black dress–like the classic red nail, but with a touch of unexpected whimsy.

Drop Out 1966 (DuoChrome High Gloss)
Description: Sheer Pink/Blue duochrome
Verdict: Love!
Duochromes are probably my second favorite finish (after jellies) and this color is beautiful. As you can see in the swatch it’s sheer, but you can add layers to achieve opacity. It has an ethereal sparkle to it that makes it stand out. Not only will this be gorgeous to wear on its own but fun to layer over other colors. This is one of my favorite polishes from SquareHue and a nice counterpoint to the other neon shades in this set.

OVERALL

Verdict: Love!
I think the 1960s collection was the best match to the decade theme I’ve received so far. Every color fit the decade and I liked that we received some interesting finishes.
I paid $19.99 for the box, and received two polishes I loved and one that’s not quite my favorite, but is unlike anything I own, so I’m very happy with this box.

Do you agree with me that the collection fit the 1960s, or did you expect something more “groovy”?

THE BACKSTORY

SquareHue is a monthly nail polish subscription box. SquareHue delivers a unique, curated collection of premium nail polish colors to its style aware members.

Cost:
Box No. 3: $14.99 plus shipping for 3 polishes.
New Option! Box No. 2: $10.99 plus shipping for 2 polishes.
(Shipping is $5 for US destinations and $9 for Canada.)

Polishes are:
“5-Free” Clean formula – Do not contain Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Camphor or Formaldehyde Resin
Not tested on animals
Proudly Made in the USA
Automatically, a portion of your monthly subscription is donated to keep us accountable to what really matters. Currently a portion of all monthly subscription proceeds are being donated for prevention awareness, the protection of trafficked victims and the prosecution of human traffickers.

Squarehue: The 1950s – June 2015

As you may have noticed it’s been a little quite over here at Subscription Therapy. I had wonderful plans to get tons of posts and home projects done over the July 4^th holiday and guess what happened? I got sick. Yesterday, I stayed home from work and unless getting obsessed with the Covet fashion app counts as an accomplishment, I did diddly squat. (Although I did learn that I am highly skilled at styling outfits for French movie premieres, who knew?) In any case, I’m starting to recover from my latest plague and trying to catch up with my June stragglers plus all the fun new boxes popping up at my doorstep.

I thought I’d kick off my recovery with some retro fun and review the June Squarehue featuring the 1950s.

Our Itty bitty box:

1950s BOX

Perfectly packaged inside are our three lovely square bottles with a handy dandy swatch card.

Palm Springs 1950 (High Gloss Creme)
Description: Neon Palm Green Creme
Verdict: Like, but maybe a different year
I like this because I have no other polish remotely like it (even in my 300+ bottle collection) but I’m not feeling it for the 1950s. I get Palm Springs was a thing back then, but this color screams out 1960s to me rather than 1950s. But, again I don’t have anything like it so it’s a nice addition to my polish hoard.

Bel Air 1957 (High Gloss Creme)
Description: Powder Blue Crème
Verdict: Miss
I’m just not feeling this shade. I find it boring and just not quite 1950s either. I feel like the shade should be more aqua rather than blue.

Sock Hop 1958 (High Gloss Creme)
Description: Saturated Pink Crème
Verdict: Hit!
We’ve had a lot of pinks in this collection so far, but I think this one is my favorite. Personally I would have called it “Poodle Skirt” instead of Sock Hop, but since you wear a poodle skirt to a sock hop, it’s all just semantics. I thought this shade fit the decade the best.

OVERALL

Verdict: What does SquareHue have against red?
I know, I know I’ve been asking for a red for a while now, but it’s a hugely important color in most of the the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s and the closest we’ve come is “rust”. I don’t see how you could put this box together without a bright cherry red crème. I also don’t like that all three shades were the same finish. Variety is always more fun. I do like the pink polish but I feel like this one was a lost opportunity.

I paid $19.99 for the box, and while I’m disappointed that the shades don’t live up to the decade, the polishes are good quality and the green and pink will be nice additions to my collection.

When you think of the 1950s, what colors spring to your mind?

THE BACKSTORY

SquareHue is a monthly nail polish subscription box. SquareHue delivers a unique, curated collection of premium nail polish colors to its style aware members.

Cost: $14.99 plus shipping (Shipping is $5 for US destinations and $9 for Canada.)

Polishes are:
“5-Free” Clean formula – Do not contain Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Camphor or Formaldehyde Resin
Not tested on animals
Proudly Made in the USA

Squarehue: The 1940s – May 2015

So it’s that time again for some retro fun with our decades collection from Squarehue. May is offering the 1940s and I was crossing my fingers we’d see some influence from film noir in this box.

Drumroll please…
1940s BOX

Perfectly packaged inside are the three lovely square bottles with a handy dandy swatch card.

Sorcerer’s Hat 1940 (Shimmer)
Description: Dark Blue Shimmer
Verdict: Love!
This shade is an obvious nod to Disney’s Fantasia and a perfect shade for the season. It’s a great color for patriotic nail art and I think this will be my go to pedicure color for July 4^th. I love the shimmer in this and how it fits not only the decade, but the season. We’re off to a great start.

War Hero 1945 (High Gloss Creme)
Description: Sunflower Yellow Gloss Crème
Verdict: Hit!
As a pale girl with pink undertones I need to be careful with yellows. In fact, until I joined nail subscriptions I’d never even tried one out. Now, I have a bunch in my collection and these types of sunflower shades are my favorites. Personally, I love the Van Gogh feel to this polish but I’m not sure how it ties into a “War Hero”. But this color feels like a nice fit for summer and will transition well into Fall.

Mambo 1948 (High Gloss Creme)
Description: Rust High Gloss Crème
Verdict: More like a Rhumba
I love the name. Mambo! That sounds like a bright, fun cheerful polish and then we get.…rust. What? This should have been something bright and happy. I’m not one to adhere strictly to seasons, but this color feels incredibly Autumn-esque and I just can’t see reaching for it over the plethora of more cheerful colors. This one was a wasted opportunity.

OVERALL

Verdict: Like!

Two of the polishes felt seasonally and thematically appropriate, and the third one (while nice) just didn’t seem to jive with the collection.

I paid $19.99 (with shipping and handling) and I received two polishes that I would easily pick out for myself if I were out shopping. The 1950s better have a cherry red, you hear me Squarehue? I’d also love to see a fabulous mint. (In case you’re taking suggestions).

What did you think of the collection? What do you think a polish called “Mambo” should look like?

THE BACKSTORY

Squarehue is a monthly nail polish subscription box.
SquareHue delivers a unique, curated collection of premium nail polish colors to its style aware members.

Squarehue: The 1930s – April 2015

So it’s time again for some retro fun with our decades collection from Squarehue. April promises to transport us to the 1930s, so grab out swatch stick and jump into our DeLorean, or you know, just open the damn box..

As usual, our cute tiny mystery box.

1930s BOX

Tucked inside our three lovely square bottles and a handy dandy swatch card.

Boardgame 1934 (High Gloss Creme)
Description: Brilliant orangey red creme gloss
Verdict: Hit!
I usually don’t like oranges that much, but this one has a lot of red to it and a fabulous formula so it won me over. (I definitely see this polish as more of an orange than a red). I can see this shade matching the label on a boardgame box, so this one is working for me.

WPA 1935 (High Gloss Creme)
Description: Dusty Mint Glossy Creme
Verdict: Hit!
This color seems more suited to a later period (it feels like it would fit in with more mid-century modern design) but I love all shades of mint so this one is a hit for me.

Tomorrowland 1939 (High Gloss Creme)
Description: Dusky Grape Glossy Cream
Verdict: So tomorrow is purple?
Is this a pretty color? Sure. But why is it “Tomorrowland?” See, this is where I expect to see that silver from last month’s box. We’ve already received a purple shade in 1900s box and that one felt a little more period appropriate. But, this is still a fun color for Summer.

OVERALL

Verdict: Like, but with just a faint hint of disappointment

Do I think these are all lovely colors?
Yes.
Are they nice formulas?
Yes.
So what’s the problem?
Well, they don’t feel 1930s to me. They also don’t really match the names. Why is that grape color Tomorrowland? Am I missing something? Was the Disney ride purple? I’ve always envisioned it as being futuristic, which involves metal and robots and stuff. These colors are all pretty and seasonally appropriate but this month it felt like they had colors they wanted to use and then attached names/decades to them after the fact. The other decades all seemed to have more of a connection to the colors. I decided to subscribe to this box because of the theme so I was really hoping to have a full collection that felt a bit historical. The 1930s set just doesn’t feel quite as authentic as the others, but it’s still quite nice.

I paid $19.99 (with shipping and handling) and I received three generously sized polishes in cheerful shades that are great for Summer, so I definitely got my money’s worth. I’m hoping the 1940s will bring us some film noire shades and not just a random color with a name attached. I’d love to see something like a “Casablanca” polish as a white with gold shimmer. Squarehue has already included an army green so it will be interesting to see how they reference the war.

What did you think of the collection? Is this what you’d expect from a 1930s theme?

THE BACKSTORY

SquareHue is a monthly nail polish subscription box.
SquareHue delivers a unique, curated collection of premium nail polish colors to its style aware members.

Squarehue: The 1920s – March 2015

I’m going to be honest, half of the reason I was so enthralled with Squarehue’s decades collection was because I wanted the 1920s. I’ve been obsessed with the decade since I can remember, so this box had a ton to live up to. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

1920s BOX

As usual our cute tiny mystery box.

Inside our perfectly packaged polishes along with a handy dandy swatch card.

Cocktails & Cigarettes 1920 (Sheer)
Description: Peach/Teal Sheer Shimmer
Verdict: Love
This is such a cool and unique polish. It’s hard to see in my picture but it has a teal shimmer to it. According to Squarehue you can layer it over black polish to get a teal color, and over white to get a peach chiffon shimmer. I’m really getting into using funky polish toppers so this is perfect.

Style & Speed 1921 (Micro-glitter)
Description: Silver Metallic Micro-glitter (glossy mirror like finish)
Verdict: Miss
In general I’m not crazy about silver polishes, but this didn’t feel 1920s to me or seasonally appropriate. (Silver just doesn’t’ scream out “spring” to me). I associate the 1920s more with gold and black and of course flapper red. This one was a disappointment.

Art & Deco 1925 (Shimmer)
Description: Copper Shimmer
Verdict: Love
It’s funny to me that this shade reminds me more of Art Nouveau than Art Deco but still lovely and decade appropriate. This is a unique shade and works well for spring.

OVERALL

Like

I’ll admit it, I’m super sad this didn’t have a flapper red in it. If I’d loved all the shades it might have been enough to offset my sadness, but the silver was a big miss for me. The other colors did make up for it so I still gave this box a “like” verdict. I paid $19.99 (with shipping and handling) and I got two unique generously sized polishes that I love and one polish that isn’t quite my style. I still think that’s a lot of bang for my buck, so I’m quite happy with this and hoping to see something that’s not a metallic for the 1930s box.

What did you think of the collection? Is this what you’d expect from a 1920s theme?

THE BACKSTORY

SquareHue is a monthly nail polish subscription box. SquareHue delivers a unique, curated collection of premium nail polish colors to its style aware members.

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: