Manicure Monday: Square Hue Nail Polish Subscription

*Press Sample*

Well, well, well... there's a new nail polish subscription service in town and it's called Square Hue. And you may want to check out the new kid in town. Square Hue, like other subscription services, offers you the convenience of having three pre-selected nail polishes sent directly to your door each month. I recently had the pleasure of checking out their December collection, aptly named Santa Luxe. The December box includes three holiday-themed colors: Holly Berry, Champagne Toast, and Sugar Plum.

The Square Hue team selects three on-trend colors that suit a theme each month then ships them out to subscribers to keep our tips in style. This month, the theme is definitely holiday luxury and glam, hence the focus on shimmer. They are definitely designed to compliment your chic holiday-party attire and they remind me of holiday ornaments.

Check out my swatches* below.

 Champagne Toast is a shimmery champagne-gold, so it's name suits it well. It's not a super yellow gold, more like a light gold and it reminds me of OCC Cruising, although it's slightly less yellow. The best way to describe it is that it really does resemble champagne. It's possibly my favorite color in the collection.

 Holly Berry is also appropriately named. It's a shimmery red that I'd classify as a true red and it reminds me a lot of most shimmery red polishes you see this time of year. Nevertheless, it's a pretty and classic color.

Sugar Plum is a beautiful shimmery purple, definitely a plum-grape hue that will surely please purple polish fans out there.

Square Hue's subscription costs $21/month plus shipping (a total of $26.50/month). But, right now you can take advantage of their holiday promotional price: $14.99 plus free shipping. Just use promotional code DECBLOGGER15 at sign up and you lock that special price in for the duration of your subscription. Offer ends 12/24/2012. (Note: Because Square Hue is based out of Miami, Fl. any subscriber in Florida will also be charged tax on their subscription which will bring their promotional price to $16.04)

So, what do I think? I'm definitely impressed with the color pay off. One coat got me strikingly close to the color you see in the bottle, and the second coat took it over the edge. What you see in the bottle with these is what you get. They also applied smoothly, so there's no need to worry about streaking with these three colors. I'd be curious to see how their creme formula performs as well (you all know creme polish is my absolute favorite). From what I've experienced, the quality of the polish is great, and comparable to other popular brands.

I also love the packaging. The square bottle is sturdy and looks different than most of my polishes. But most importantly, it has enough surface area on the bottom that you don't have to worry about the bottle tilting over while you're applying your polish - a fear I've had realized when using my Julep polishes because of the bottle's shape. And with Square Hue you're getting a good amount of polish, 0.50 fl oz to be precise. That's nearly double what you get in a Julep bottle (0.27 fl. oz.) for those of you keeping score. So, you're getting a lot more product for your buck.

To sweeten the deal, a portion of proceeds generated from each subscription are donated to charity. Square Hue focuses on charities that help others who are hurting or suffering. Their current area of focus is battling human trafficking, and proceeds are going to the A21 Campaign.

Unlike other subscriptions, Square Hue doesn't currently offer multiple style categories to choose from. Everyone receives the same three polishes each month and color selection changes from month to month. If you don't want the polishes offered that month, you can opt to suspend your account for the month. However, if you suspend your account for three consecutive months, your subscription will be cancelled and you'll have to resubscribe to start receiving polishes again. It's important to know this because if you join during a promotional period (which lets you keep the promotional price for the duration of your subscription) you lose the promotional pricing if your account is cancelled/closed. But you can skip a month or two in a row without losing your promotional price.

If I had to choose something that I'm not too keen on with the polishes I received, it's that the colrs aren't terribly unique. I'm sure I've seen the same colors available through many other brands. But that doesn't diminish the fact that the colors are beautiful and the polish itself is good quality. Square Hue's team definitely hit the nail on the head choosing these colors because they are certainly on trend.

Other things to know:

• Products are never tested on animals
• Three-free formula contains no DPB, Formaldehyde, or Toluene. And to take it a step further, they are also free of Camphor. 
• Easy returns. If you're ever dissatisfied with your polishes just contact Squre Hue within 15 days of receipt and they'll help you return them.
• Cancellation is super easy. Sign in to your account and click "Cancel." 

So what do you think of these colors? Are you a fan of nail polish subscription services? 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”