Square Hue January Box: Review & Swatches

Today's Mani Monday is the review of the first SquareHue box of the year. This January SquareHue box is the London Passport Collection. This is the second month of the Passport Collections. Last month was New York, if you're curious. I must say I was slightly surprised when I first opened the box since it was VERY reminiscent of last month's box.

To continue reading the review and see swatches, click the link below.

This marks my one year anniversary of SqaureHue boxes (I started in February 2013). The colors in this box on first glance is very similar to December's box. It had a red and a cream, just like this box. Luckily the shade and finish are different.

Buckingham is a high gloss creme. The red of the month's box. This one is a darker, slightly browner version (vs. a fire-engine red from last month). It is opaque in two coats, and applies well. Not a color I particularly like on my nails. It's more in my head, but I'm not a fan of it. The macro shot is lighter than what it swatches on the nails.









Westminster is another high gloss creme. This is the cream of this month's box. Unlike last month, it's a creme finish versus a sheer pearl. There are no shimmers in this one. It's a creamy off-white color that leans a little yellow. This would actually be a good base for Broadway from last month. As is the case with lighter colors with a white base, this isn't fully opaque in two coats. Although pretty close, it required about 2.5-3 coats for full opacity. It applies well on the nails without any issues. It's a good basic color to have, but may not be the most flattering on all skin tones.



West Elm is the only non-cream color of the bunch. It's a shimmer finish. A metallic deep, royal blue with lighter blue/perhaps silver shimmer particles. Another pretty polish that applies well. Opaque in two coats and truly sparkles. This is the only unique color compared to last month. The polish is good, and a nice color to own. The only downside is that I already own a couple of colors similar to this.




Swatches

Two coats each of West Elm and Buckingham, and 3 coats of Westminster with top coat. West Elm on my pointer finger, Buckingham on the middle finger, and Westminster on my ring finger. Note: any bubbly looking texture on the surface is due to my top coat, not the polish. I tried to thin out the top coat, but it wasn't cooperating. 

Sunshine Pic

Shade Pic

Flash Pic

Bottom Line: As an individual box, the contents and quality are good. My issue is that I can't help to compare it to the contents of last month's box, and that was just so much better with similar colors. I can't deny the quality of the product, I'm just not a fan of this month.