Muddled Purples

Here is a photo heavy comparison of A England Incense Burner from the Rossetti Goddess collection and China Glaze Side Saddle.

I think these polishes are similar, but not dupes at all.

Let's start with Rossetti's Incense Burner:

There is a strong, deep, purple under all this shifty olive to purple magenta, but it's virtually impossible to see!

Dante Gabriel Rossetti would approve of the complexities of this polish; as the complexities of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood seemed to ruminate through the group like a Victorian soap opera.

The reference is to the incense burner in the painting called Prosperine, the Roman answer to Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter (stolen by Hades as a maiden and her mom Demeter raised a ruckus on Olympus until she and Hades came up with a visitation agreement, during certain times, therefore this is the reason why the seasons occur. Hey I don't write this stuff, Robert Graves is your boy!).

The painting uses Rossetti's second muse, Jane Morris. Wife of the inestimable designer, William. The sullen looks are hard to fathom in today's manufactured-happy-selfie-life, but when you look at the life of a Victorian woman, it was stymieing to contemplate.

Here is another shot:

It looks like a brown shimmer with a reddish undertone and a gold contrasting shimmer.

Then you shift it around and you can see this:

Patience is a virtue if you want to find this side of the coin. If there is one thing I can say it's that the olive green flash, or some have described it as moss, I kind of liken it to lichen (sorry, couldn't help myself).

I wanted to compare it to China Glaze Side Saddle. Under most lamp light the variations are slight. Small enough so they sit next to each other in the purple drawer!

Here is some Side Saddle, as a reminder; since I blogged it awhile ago.

It has a strong gold shimmer in a plum base and basically is brown.

It has reddish brown tendencies, but I really didn't get a good photo this time.



Let's get to comparisons!

Here is a shot that really shows the undertones:

Left to right:
A England Incense Burner
China Glaze Side Saddle
A England Incense Burner
China Glaze Side Saddle

Side saddle really looks brown, for all intents and purposes.
Incense burner has a grape purple shimmer.

Here under a lamp:

Left to right:
A England Incense Burner
China Glaze Side Saddle
A England Incense Burner
China Glaze Side Saddle

In my estimation, it's like a warm and cool brown after you muddle all the colors together.

It's a shame, to be honest, that Incense Burner is so muddy. Pre-Raphaelites enjoyed the luminous jewel tones of the Medieval era stained glass, the clarion shades of illustrators.

It's a bummer that this polish isn't rising to the occassion.  I get that in the Prosperine painting has darkness through the shadows, but why not celebrate the peacock silk?

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!