BB Couture Tortuga Island

I've decided it is high time I continued my exploration of the BB Couture Hands of Hope Collection, which paid part of the proceeds for aid to Haiti. This is the polish that captures that pretty, cool spring day after a few dreary days of rain and clouds....the sun is out, and the fresh green buds and leaves are showing. Ah, spring! New growth! 

I have been into the pale colors, recently. And I like it! Out of the six colors in this collection, Tortuga Island is the only shimmer (the others are cremes, such as Cap Haitien). I just love this fresh, pale green, and I am looking forward to wearing it soon! 

These are my first BB Couture, and I am very happy with these polishes. The formula is rather thin and slightly runny but otherwise easy enough to manage. So, let's get to swatching! 

In the sunlight, with slight VNL showing:

Taken in the shade:

Ooh, I just love this delicate green. Pale green is a color I am feeling for spring. I may have to go get a pretty pale green linen jacket or something. Or maybe I already have one? Yikes, time to dig out my spring clothes, especially before I do any shopping, ha ha!

I know tortuga means "turtle" in Spanish. I Googled "Tortuga Island" and found more than one possibility, but the one in Haiti is an island off Haiti's north coast. I think it has a lot of trees, so perhaps that is why it's the name for a green polish? At any rate, I love that these colors are named after places in Haiti, and while I am running late getting all of the colors posted, perhaps this post is a reminder not to forget what is going on there in Haiti. 

China Glaze Layers: Refresh Mint Green With He's Going in Circles

 

I have so many different things to post, aaagh! I need to continue with my Color Club Pardon My French review series, but I also have to keep the holo giddiness going in honor of my first giveaway, Holla For Holos!! 

When I was putting together different bottles of polish to try to describe the color of China Glaze He's Going in Circles" I came up with a pairing with China Glaze Refresh Mint Green from the Up and Away Collection. Hmm....why not try this combination on??

I've got, below, Refresh Mint Green on my index and middle fingers, He's Going in Circles on my ring. I found the Refresh Mint Green to be a bit streaky and gloopy, and you can see this effect in my pictures. The color is really, really pretty, though, so maybe I can figure out a way to make it work.

Now the Refresh Mint Green is two coats on the ring, below, and one coat over the Refresh Mint Green on the middle finger.

Two bottles, three great looks!!!!  Brushing on a light coat of the He's Going in Circles transforms the mint green! The color is deepened, and the surface now has a slight colorful sparkliness!! 

Now, let's check it out in different angles in the sunlight!

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

He's Going in Circles on its own is quite splendid, but using it as a top coat over this mint green is a great change of pace and a lovely combination. If you want a hint of color and holo sparkle, try this layering out!!

He's Going in Circles!!

 

He's Going in Circles is a fresh spring color with plenty of holographic pow! Another beauty from China Glazes's Kaleidoscope collection, this polish is a light green, perhaps somewhat of a seafoam green but with a good amount of blue. However, but I would not call it an aqua. Looking at it next to its very blue sister polish below, one can see the greenness.

 

 

Holding it next to the mint green "Re-Fresh Mint" from China Glaze's the Up and Away collection,  one can see how beautifully these two polishes coordinate! I am thinking of He's Going in Circles as a darker mint green. So there.

Okay, let's get it on the nails and start out in some shade then move on into the direct sunlight, below:

 

 

  

  

  

  

  

 

Isn't this a lovely, fresh spring color?? The sparkle of the holo is a bit more potent in this polish than in some of the other Kaleidoscopes, as well.

Orly Wandering Vine Comparisons!

 

I had mentioned that at first I wasn't sure what the point of Wandering Vine was since it seemed similar, if probably not quite as dark as, Orly Enchanted Forest from the fall 2009 Once Upon A Time collection.Well, I must be scientifically thorough in my reporting---here's the comparison!

Hey, which one is which? This picture is indoors with overhead light, and so you can't see the subtle differences in the colors very well. Take a guess!

Okay. Now it should be obvious (well, unless you didn't realize that the Once Upon A Time collection came with the cutest little charms! Yes, the one with the charm is the more forest green Enchanted Forest.)

Above, Wandering Vine is on the left. It's still dark, but not quite what one would call forest green. Below, I popped open the window (because I had no sunlight out front and literally could not go out the back door...no problem, I'll just open up the screen and hang out the dining room window to get that sun!!). The bottle on the left is Wandering Vine.

There's my winter wonderland, melting down from the second blizzard of the week. See, you can see the roof of my shed!

Another obvious comparison is with the famous and lovely Rescue Beauty Lounge "Recycle."

Here is a shot of bottles and nails in late afternoon sunlight, taken a couple of weeks ago, before I became snowbound! The Recycle might have a litle more yellow or the Wandering Vine a little more blue or gray. Below, bottle shots back indoors, including Rescue Beauty Lounge's "Orbis Non Sufficit" on the left. This color is another dark green, but significantly grayed out. I include it fomr some context because of the gray I think I am seeing in Wandering Vine. The lefthand bottle below is Orbis Non Sufficit, the righthand one is Recycle.

Blasted with my camera flash:

Now, let's get all four polishes together for the final comparison!!

Left to right: Orly Enchanted Forest, Orly Wandering Vine, RBL Recycle, and RBL Orbis Non Sufficit.

On the nails: Index = Enchanted Forest, Middle = Wandering Vine, Ring = Recycle, Pinky = Orbis Non Sufficit.

Above in the direct sun, they all look pretty similar. Just inside in the streaming sunlight, you can really see the four different colors!

So, if I walked around work all day with these four colors on my right hand, no one would say "hey, Euridice is wearing four different colors of dark green on her right hand! What's up with that?" Up close, if I waggled my fingers within a few inches of someone's face, then he or she might notice...perhaps just subconsciously.

The Enchanted Forest is darkest, while Recycle and Wandering Vine are close to one another, but Recycle is the darker of the two. They are not dupes but in the same color category. They are the kind of dark green I want in a handbag...dark, rich, and GREEN---not so dark they appear black.

Recycle kind of has this look of hardness with a luminosity from within (or maybe I've been staring at it a little too much!). Wandering Vine looks creamier. My next comparison might be to introduce some darker greens from my collection, perhaps OPI's almost blackened forest green "Here Today Aragon Tomorrow" and MAC's blackened teal "Beyond Envy." More context!

If you want Recycle but don't really want it badly enough to splurge, then Wandering Vine should fit the bill. If you must have Recycle, or an exact dupe, then go for it! I am happy to have both.

Orly Wandering Vine--Yay!

 

Here is the fourth and final polish I purchased from the Orly Bloom collection: Wandering Vine. I wasn't sure what the point of this green was...it just seemed kinda like "Enchanted Forest" from the wonderful Orly "Once Upon a time" collection of fall 2009. It was getting a lot of buzz, though---and I guess "Wandering Vine" is not as dark as Enchanted Forest. So...I went for it!

Wandering Vine is indeed a gorgeous medium dark green creme that applied wonderfully. Is it a spring color? Well, who knows! It's definitely great for summer and on into fall until it's time to go darker and more forest green. 

Okay, let's start on the porch with a shade picture then out into the sunlight!

 

  

  

  

 

Is this polish a dupe for the gorgeous, luminous Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle? Well, I am fortunate enough to own "Recycle." Hmmm....not to be a tease, but I just might want to post something on that very topic!! :-P