SquareHue May 2013: Madonna Collection Swatches

I Bought This 

Sorry about the delay!  I'm still getting used to the camera I'm borrowing.  I meant to get this post up around the time I received my SquareHue box, but the first swatch photos I took with the new camera came out crappy.  So I'm adjusting and playing with some settings, and I'm hoping the photos come out alright from now on!

Today I have swatches of May's SquareHue box.  Now I know why there wasn't any pink in the Bloom Collection...they were saving it for this month!  The Madonna Collection consists of 3 different shades of pink with 3 different finishes.

Okay, I'm not sure if this month's polishes really have names or not.  As you can see, the first line of each polish spells out Happy Mother's Day!  But they also have a second word that I thought was the finish of the polish, because it matched.  But maybe it's part of the name?  So they would be: Happy creme, Mother's pearl, and Day glow...?

First up is Happy [creme], which is a Barbie pink creme.  It reminds me of OPI Pink Friday, and I may do a comparison post later.  The formula on this one was a bit thick and application was a bit streaky.  I used 3 coats of polish and 1 coat of Seche Vite for the swatches below.

Mother's [pearl] is a pretty color, but it's my least favorite this month, mostly due to the fact that it's a pearl/frost.  I am not a fan of polishes with this type of finish because they usually end up a brushstroke-y mess.  This one was not too bad, but there were definitely visible brushstrokes.  I tried to use Seche Vite to smooth it out and cover up the brushstokes, and that kind of worked.  But still doesn't look great to me.  Other than that, the formula was not bad and I used 2 coats of polish and 1 coat of Seche Vite for the swatches below.

Last, but not least, is Day [glow], a raspberry crelly with a waxy finish.  I think the "glow" is because this a bit bright and would be great for summer!  This is my favorite of the three!  The formula was great and it was a dream to apply!  I applied two coats for the swatches below, no top coat.

This was my second box from SquareHue, and I'm still testing out the waters.  I haven't completely liked either of the boxes I received, so I'm still on the fence about keeping this subscription...especially since you don't know what you're getting until you get it.  Can't wait for June's box!

 

Julep Maven: April 2013 Classic with a Twist (Avery, Jackie) Swatches

I Bought This

I veered away from It Girl this month because I only liked 2 out of 3 of the colors.  Instead, I opted for Classic with a Twist, because I liked both colors and I wanted to try the cuticle serum.  And then I added on the 2 colors from It Girl that I did like, haha.  I'm quite happy with these colors because I don't really have brights and these will be great for the summer season. 

Classic with a Twist came with 2 polishes and the Nail and Cuticle Serum, plus a rock candy lollipop as an extra little something.  The 2 polishes in my box are Avery and Jackie, both cremes and both seem perfect for the upcoming summer!

Click for swatches.

SWATCH: L.A. Girl 3D Holographic - Brilliant Blue

Did anyone else know L.A. Girl has a holographic nail polish collection?!  I haven't heard anything about this, but I spotted the display at Rite Aid when I was there earlier this week and it was still pretty full.  I was pretty excited and bought two of the colors!

There are 8 colors all together, and here are some bottle shots of all of them:

 

3D Silver & Electric Coral

 

Teal Dimension & Purple Effect

 

Dazzling Pink & Brilliant Blue

 

Sparkle Ruby & Black Illusion

I pretty much wanted all of the polishes, but limited myself to two: Brilliant Blue and Purple Effect.  Today, I have swatches of Brilliant Blue for you!

Click through for swatches.

SWATCH: Sinful Colors - Orange Cream

Sorry it took me so long after my last Sinful Colors post to get this swatch up!  But here is Sinful Colors' Orange Cream!

Orange Cream is a peach crelly (creme+jelly) with a very, very, very subtly shimmer.  It's not even noticeable on the nail and is only noticeable in the bottle if you look very close.  This was a dream to apply!  The formula was very smooth and it only took two coats to reach the opacity in my swatches. Doesn't it look so squishy?  I love it!  This is my favorite from the Sugar Rush collection, so far, and will definitely be a go-to color for the summer.

Click through for the swatches.