Cirque Heritage Collection

ByCordelia

Cirque Heritage Collection Review Swatches

Today I’ve got the beautiful new Cirque Heritage Collection to show you. Cirque Colors creates beautiful, cruelty free nail polish. Be warned, this is a picture heavy post.

PR sample.

Cirque Heritage Collection

About the Cirque Heritage Collection
From the Aztecs to the Inuits, Cirque Colors drew inspiration from the native cultures of the Americas to create a collection called — Heritage. This collection consists of 7 vibrant holographic lacquers that celebrate the richly spirited traditions and arts of these indigenous groups.

Sky Woman is a shimmering periwinkle, was inspired by the fabled creation story about the woman who fell from the sky.
The bright pink hue of Powwow embodies the dynamic music and performances honoring their heritage.
Luminous Owl is an homage to iconic printmaker, Kenojuak Ashevak.
Xochitl was named for the Aztec word meaning “flower”
Sani was the first-known Navajo silversmith.
Panacea is the greek goddess relating to medicine.
Cerrillos is an old mining town in New Mexico where Native Americans found turquoise to make iconic turquoise jewelry.

Price
$13

Availability
Cirque, Amazon, Other Stockists

Cirque Sky Woman
Sky Woman

Cirque Sky Woman

Cirque Sky Woman SwatchSky Woman
A deep periwinkle with a rainbow holographic finish

 

Cirque Cerrillos
Cerrillos

Cirque Cerrillos

Cirque Cerrillos SwatchCerrillos
A vivid turquoise with a rainbow holographic finish

Cirque Sani
Sani

Cirque Sani

Cirque Sani SwatchSani
A silver foil with a rainbow holographic finish

Cirque Panacea
Panacea

Cirque Panacea

Cirque Panacea Swatch
Panacea
A flashy chartreuse with a rainbow holographic finish

Cirque Powwow
Powwow

Cirque Powwow

Cirque Powwow Swatch

Powwow
An electric fuchsia with a rainbow holographic finish

Cirque Xochitl
Xochitl

Cirque Xochitl

Cirque Xochitl Swatch

Xochitl
A radiant orchid with a rainbow holographic finish

Cirque Luminous Owl

Cirque Luminous Owl

Cirque Luminous Owl Swatch

Luminous Owl
A warm coral with a rainbow holographic finish

Cirque Heritage Swatches
L to R – Sani – Panacea – Cerrillos – Sky Woman
Cirque Heritage Swatches
L to R – Xochitl – Powwow – Luminous Owl

Powwow Swatch

Powwow is lovely.

Cirque Colors Powwow

Cirque Heritage Gradient

I created gradient tips using all 7 colors on my nails. Pinky nail is Sani with a gradient into Luminous Owl. Ring nail is Cerrillos with a gradient into Sky Woman. Middle nail is Powwow with a gradient into Xochitl. Index nail is Panacea with a gradient into Cerrillos.

Cirque Heritage Gradient

Cirque Heritage Gradient

Powwow with Xochitl

I think this one turned out the best.

Cirque Luminous Owl Cerrillos

For this mani I used Cerrillos as the base color on 3 of the nails. I did dots and about 1/3 of the middle nail with Luminous Owl. For the sun emblem on the middle finger I used Ica Valley. For the pinky I used Xochitl for the base and put 3 dots of Cerrillos. I really love the color combination of Cerrillos with Luminous Owl. It screams summer and tan to me.

Overall, I love the Cirque Heritage collection. I think the colors are beautiful. The formula was easy to work with on all colors. I especially like Powwow, Cerrillos, Xochitl and Panacea. The holographic finish is strong in every shade. I think the theme behind the collection is really cool, too.

What do you think of the Cirque Heritage Collection? Let me know!

Pros

  • Cruelty free
  • Unique colors
  • Great formula

Cons

  • If you don’t like holographic nail polish, skip this collection

Cordelia Frost is the creative force behind Phyrra, a treasure trove for cruelty-free indie and goth makeup enthusiasts. She's the author of the game-changing 'Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual' a must-read for hooded eyes makeup.

Cordelia's world is a kaleidoscope of alternative beauty, gothic fashion, and life-enhancing tips, making every visit to Phyrra a journey into a more colorful and inspired self.

59 Comments

  20. I’ve seen tons of reviews of this collection over the last few weeks. It is totally gorgeous, but I have been sort of biting my tongue about the “theme” until now. I don’t know much about the Cirque creator or her connection to Native American culture(s), but it makes me really uncomfortable that she is using indigenous cultures as the inspiration for the collection. White appropriation of indigenous cultures has a long history that continues strongly in the present-day (case in point: hipster headdresses at Coachella). To use Native American culture as the inspiration for a commercial product without acknowledging that legacy is to me, problematic. Indigenous cultures “From Aztecs to Inuits” have hundreds of years of experience with non-natives trying to define and appropriate their cultural heritages; I don’t see how this is a celebration of indigenous heritage as much as an expression of the ongoing western heritage of cultural theft.

    For the record, I don’t claim to speak for indigenous people on this — these are my views as a white woman with an academic background in American Indian studies. I’d love to hear other thoughts.

    1. Hi! I would recommend that you email the company owner. I do not know her ethnic background or heritage. I cannot speak on behalf of her or her intent.

      I personally have a degree in Anthropology and while I did take some Native Peoples of North America classes, I would never attempt to speak on behalf of an indigenous culture. My knowledge is limited.

    2. Hi @coreyander:disqus , my name is Annie and I’m the founder of Cirque Colors. Clearly, cultural appropriation means different things to different people and there is no general consensus on what can or cannot adopted by someone of another culture. This collection was developed out of an appreciation for a contemporary Inuit artist by the name of Kenojuak Ashevak, whose colorful prints are what inspired the original colorway behind this collection. During the initial conception, I thought the subject matter was a bit limiting so I expanded upon it and did more research about the different indigenous groups in North America. Great care was given to not take scared iconography and practices taken out of context (i.e. “hipster headdresses at Coachella”), but rather show that these groups have a rich and vibrant culture through the use of bright colors. The intent was to bring light upon these cultures and if people wanted to learn more, they can research the color names. It’s no different than a musician incorporating tribal beats in his/her song or a tattoo artist conjuring up Japanese-themed art for someone’s sleeve. It’s simply a visual interpretation of the various aspects of these native cultures.

      1. Hi Annie,

        First of all, congratulations on another beautiful collection. You always make extraordinary polishes and these are no exception. Given that this is a beauty blog, I don’t want that point to get lost!

        To be clear, I don’t call your intentions into question at all and I appreciate that you considered the immediate cultural context of particular symbols when developing the collection. I am not opposed to cultural borrowing/exchange in principle and I agree wholeheartedly with your observation that cultural appropriation means different things to different people. This is just my take, for whatever it is worth.

        My concern isn’t about whether or not cultural exchange is generally acceptable, but the specific ways that is carried out and the power relations that these practices express, which can range from exploitative to mutually enriching. I am also a strong believer in the importance of recognizing the historical contexts that structure social life. I don’t believe that it is possible to completely separate a particular action from the social context in which it occurs. Even something that is “simply a visual interpretation” carries with it the socio-historical context in which that interpretation is made.

        With respect to indigenous cultures of the Americas, exploitation and erasure by non-natives is a huge part of that kind of historical context. Incorporating Japanese cultural inspiration into a tattoo, to use your example, doesn’t occur within the same historical context, which is why I don’t personally view that as the same. Rather, it is the long history of non-native people making money using native cultures (with good intention or ill) while the native people themselves do not benefit that I wish to consider.

        As a non-indigenous woman who researches (and in that sense takes something from) indigenous communities this is absolutely something that I grapple with personally: identifying what actions I can take to avoid inadvertently perpetuating a long historical dynamic of uneven exchange between indigenous and non-indigenous Americans (or to mitigate those that can’t be avoided). I think that it takes more than good intentions to properly address inequalities of power and asymmetries of cultural exchange; I believe it takes a deliberate effort to recognize where they exist and take actions to push back against them or counterbalance them.

        I hope you will take these comments in the constructive spirit with which I offer them. I think there is a lot of opportunity for this collection to concretely benefit the people whose heritage inspired it and hope you will consider how that could occur.

  25. Wearing Cerrillos right now! Also it feels crazy/awesome to see my work on your page (I did the makeup for the press image)!

      1. Thank you!!! Its been great working with cirque, also did the makeup for the alchemy collection.

Comments are closed.