Though I adore the inevitably cozy aspects of fall as much as the next guy, I can't say I'm a huge fan of the season. Here in Tennessee, the autumn is undeniably beautiful. However with the gorgeous changing of the season, comes the flowering of goldenrod...which renders me utterly useless for the duration. Until we have a good freeze, the hay fever season is in full swing and my itchy eyes prevent me from enjoying the changing leaves as much as my stuffy nose prevents me from enjoying the taste of pumpkin pie. I am also a militant fan of the heat and all the sleeveless, stocking-free stuff that entails. I've never been fond of constricting coats, sweaters, or scarves. I hate the way a stubbed toe hurts ten times worse when it's cold.
This fall, though, in spite of the allergies, I'm getting more into the mood of the season. Perhaps it's because I'm pregnant and therefore more inclined to 'bundle up' when the weather calls for it. Perhaps it's because I'm craving hot tea at this point in the pregnancy and as we all know, hot tea and autumn go together like nutmeg and egg nog. So I was abnormally excited when Senna Cosmetics quite unexpectedly sent me a generous preview of their fall collection, 'Virtual Vintage'. Not only do the rich hues of the collection appeal to my new found love for autumn, but the name appeals to my obvious love of the past.
The first thing I noticed were the eye shadows, which I featured in last Tuesday's tutorial, and which unfortunately are not justly portrayed in that video. The colors are both subdued and brilliant, casual and elegant. My favorite of the shadows is 'Fixation', a deep green w/ outstanding flecks of gold throughout. Depending on the base you use with it, the color can be either subtle or startlingly bold. Unfortunately, none of the swatches I attempted to photograph were indicative of the true shade of the shadow and neither is the swatch on Senna's own web page. The other shadow I was gifted, 'Blend' is a great matte neutral shade that is idea for doing just what its name suggests, regardless of the color you use.
'Hue' blush is a great tone for fall. The color it lends to the cheeks is not that sun kissed glow of so many summer shades, but a simple fall flush. It's suitable for all occasions. I also really enjoyed the 'Buff and Brighten' highlighter and finishing powder duo. Highlighters are hit or miss with me, since most of the time they can be far too shimmery for my taste. This one adds sheen, but not glitter. I've been using it daily.
The lip and eye liners with the collection are satisfactory, if not entirely indispensable. The lip colors I received, 'Garnet' and 'Valentina' are far more distinctive. 'Garnet' is a sheer shade, w/ a subtle gold fleck throughout. 'Valentina' is a lovely and long lasting vintage red, with scarlet undertones. Used in conjunction with the fabulous 'lush' lip lacquer, it's like the perfect evening 'big sister' to 'Garnet'. I suggest applying the lip lacquer just to the center of the bottom lip, for that perfect bombshell pout.
I guess you could say that though I have nothing lose by a negative review of these gifted products, I cannot hide the fact that I was extremely impressed. I also love the new packaging of the Senna lipsticks and feel that it suits the high end quality of the products much more than their prior black tube. I look forward to trying more from the line.
Below, you'll find the video I did using the products as well as what I feel is a complimentary 1940's hairstyle for the look:
