The Sample: Senna Glow Eye Colors in Capri, Coppertina, Cordovan, Emerald, Rose Gold & Sweet Dreams (Review, Swatches & Photos)
««Press Sample»»
I’ve mentioned Senna Cosmetics several times on this blog (see here, here, and here)–it’s really an awesome brand. Every single product I’ve tried from Senna, I’ve absolutely loved. Truly. I wear their Barely Base almost every single day; for the past few weeks, I’ve worn their Baked Bronzer in Dawn almost exclusively on my cheeks. Their 2 Haute Nudes palettes, Sultry and Mystic, are regular go-to’s of mine. And since I loved all the shadows in their palettes so much, I expected great things from their single shadows.
Senna has a vast and gorgeous selection of shades available in not one, two, or even three but FOUR different formulations (Glow, Luminous, Matte, and Sparkle). Lucky gal that I am, I have six different shades in the Glow formula to show you guys today: Capri, Coppertina, Cordovan, Emerald, Rose Gold, and Sweet Dreams.
Coppertina and Cordovan are both from Senna’s Fall 2013 Midnight Wine collection (which also includes 2 Cream Lipstick Shades (Beautiful Bronze and Ruby), 3 Lip Lacquers (Blush Wine, Leather, and Mulberry), and 1 Sheer Face Color Powder Blush in Moonberry). Coppertina is described as a “gold sparked copper”. It’s a light-medium copper brown infused with a gold shimmer. Cordovan is described as a “bronzed wine”, which is quite accurate. I would say it’s about medium-to-dark toned and doesn’t shimmer but rather glows with a faint hint of pearly luster.
The other shades I have to show you guys are Capri (light-medium sapphire blue laced with silver and light blue micro-shimmer), Emerald (mid-tone shimmery jeweled green), and Sweet Dreams (a pale, creamy (color-wise not texture-wise) seashell-pink with a faint baby-pink shimmer). All the shades are a part of Senna’s permanent collection.
–Emerald, Sweet Dreams, Rose Gold (sorry for photographing these out of order! I accidentally switched Rose Gold and Sweet Dreams :P)–
–you can see the very fine smattering of shimmer in Sweet Dreams a bit better in this pic. Click the image to enlarge–
First off is packaging, as per usual. Senna’s eyeshadows are packaged neatly in cute little plastic compacts with a matte lid emblazoned with Senna’s unique and adorable paisley-print logo. The compacts are about an inch and a half across in diameter. The packaging is slim but sturdy and compact but still totally easy to access. I also really like the semi-frosted lid because it looks nice but you can still easily find the shade you’re looking for.
As for the shadows themselves, I would say that my results were varied. Overall, they were pretty nice and I liked them a lot but they definitely weren’t the most amazing shadows that I’d ever tried, in terms of texture. Cordovan had the nicest feel of all of them–it was soft and very smooth and pigmented. Capri and Emerald were both soft but a tad dry and both exhibited a bit of fallout. Sweet Dreams was pigmented but was fairly dry and a touch powdery.
Coppertina was probably my favorite shade-wise but felt very dry, stiff, and just a tiny bit gritty. Still, it’s surprisingly pigmented (it feels like it wouldn’t be) and looks absolutely beautiful when worn. And Rose Gold, the other shade I was most excited about originally, is very sadly lacking a bit in pigmentation and is soft but dry.
All the shades looked best applied with fingers or over a primer, which intensified the pigmentation and dimension of the colors. When applied with an eyeshadow brush and sans primer, shades like Capri and Emerald were a tad on the sheer side–Rose Gold being the worst culprit–and the shimmer didn’t really pop. Over a primer (Nars’ Pro Prime), all the shades really sang and lasted all day on my eyes without creasing.
*all swatches were applied using a sponge-tipped applicator and without primer*
(click images to enlarge)
Again, while I don’t find Senna’s Glow eyeshadow formula to be particularly unique or something worth writing home about, they certainly are nice. The shadows are super easy to apply and especially blend (a huge plus for someone like me who isn’t all that adept at blending :P), they come in a wide variety of beautiful shades, and they look lovely on the eyes. But the quality does vary from color to color, so these can be hit or miss. Still, despite the “technical score” I have given these below, I have been reaching for these shadows–particularly Coppertina and Cordovan–on a daily basis.
I find these very comparable to MAC’s shadows (from their permanent line), so if you’re a huge fan of MAC and do enjoy the quality of their shadows, I highly recommend you check these out. Senna’s range of shades and finishes is amazing! I have nothing against MAC, I’m just not all that excited by their eyeshadows. Though they are nice and get the job done, I don’t find myself recommending them based on quality alone but rather for availability, the wide range of shades, and affordable prices.
Senna’s shadows are just a bit more than MAC’s shadows at $18 but you do get a tiny bit more product (0.07 oz. vs. MAC’s 0.05) and overall, Senna’s shadows are cheaper per ounce.
All in all, though some of the shades do suffer a bit in terms of texture, they all performed beautifully on the eyes and I would recommend these.
»»Pricing: $18.00/0.07 oz. (2 g.) *UPDATE: right now, if you purchase these or any of Senna’s other products online, you’ll get 20% off! Good through Monday December 2nd, 2013*
»»Availability: SennaCosmetics.com and all Senna Make Up & Brow Studio locations (click here for a list of locations)
»»Recommended for: those whose most desired trait in an eyeshadow isn’t necessarily a super buttery texture
»»Overall Rating: Capri=B , Coppertina=B, Cordovan=A, Emerald=B , Rose Gold=B-, Sweet Dreams=A-
Disclaimer: the product(s) featured in this post were provided to The Beauty Sample free of charge by the manufacturer/PR for review purposes only. Regardless of how the product was obtained, my priority is to you, my readers, and I will always give you my honest opinion.
