Kanebo Sensai Colors

When I read the news that Kanebo was going to introduce a new makeup line "Sensai Colors" to replace their old and dusty "International" line I was extremely excited!
Shiseido The Makeup and Kanebo International are the only 2 Japanese brands we get here so a revamp and lineup of fresh new products was more than welcome!

Supposed release date worldwide was February 1st but of course lovely Austria (known as the overpriced beauty desert) was way behind so we didn't get the items before the 3rd week of February.

When I called the department store to ask if the line was finally available I was super excited when I heard it was just out so I went there just an hour later to pick up some goodies from the new line.


The new Sensai Colors line includes lipsticks, eyeshadow palettes, blushes, highlighters etc. and a new base makeup line which I didn't bother to test as all colors are too dark for me.

Of course the most exciting item were the eyeshadow quads though I honestly was slightly disappointed with the 4 color choices given.
There are 2 brown-toned palettes (one warmer/orangey and one more neutral one), a purple/pink and a black/silver color.

I ended up with:
-Eyeshadow Palettes in ES03 Shiro Nadeshiko and ES04 Murasaki No Nihohi
-Cheek Blush in CH02 Shirosakura
-Eyelid Base
-Deep Moist Shine Rouge in Usuhanasakura

-Eyeshadow Palette:


The Eyeshadow Palettes come in pretty simple but elegant and heavy compacts. It looks like striped metal covered with clear plastic or so lol.


Each palette comes with 4 colors, with a mirror and applicators.
Honestly the texture isn't the best I found from Kanebo. In my opinion their Coffret D'or and even Kate eyeshadows have a much silkier texture. I find the shadows a little chalky and dry to the touch, reminding me a bit of Lunasol's newest eye palettes.
Considering that I can get about 3-4 Kate palettes and about 2 Coffret D'or palettes for the same price the Sensai Eyeshadow Palettes are not worth it.


The finish and pigment varies from color to color though in general the shadows tend to be sheer.

ES03 Shiro Nadeshiko:


This is a basic silver/gray palette working with pretty much all skin-tones and eye colors.
The colors are a matte white, slightly shimmery silver gray, light very shimmery silver with fine glitters, white and dark satin gray.
All in all you can easily dupe this palette with one of Kate's smokey palettes e.g. Glamtrick Eyes in BK-1.

ES04 Murasaki No Nihohi:


This is the palette featured in the ads and the color combination that attracted me most online however in reality I wasn't sure if it would work for me due to the warm pink-toned purples in the palette.
The colors are a matte pale flesh color, slightly shimmery baby pink, very shimmery pink mauve withs silver glitters and deep warm purple (matte). All in all the palette is a bit too red for my liking =(

All in all the shadow palettes are good but not worth their hefty price tag. Also since it's available here the "special" and "hard-to-get" factor is lost so the whole line is less attractive than the stuff only available in Japan =P (I am weird, I know!)

-Cheek Blush:


The compact the blushes come in is the same as the eyeshadow palettes.
I got the blusher in CH02 Shirosakura which is a pretty cool rosy plum color. The blusher pan actually consists of 3 colors (a plummy pink and 2 mauve pinks) that blend together into a softly shimmery cool plum rose.


The blusher is silky and offers good and buildable color-depth.


All in all it's a nice blusher but again it's not super unique and somehow it's missing the special kick for me.

-Eyelid Base:


The Eyelid Base comes in a heavy glass jar and is a soft cream with a nearly invisible ivory tint and fine pearl shimmer (hard to detect).
It gives a smooth canvas for eyeshadow application and feels very comfortable and moisturizing.
The primer is good in intensifying eyeshadows thus making them more vivid and vibrant.


I think I still prefer my Lunasol base though as it has a little more coverage, more pearl sheen and is not as soft. Furthermore it makes shadows a bit more blendable than the Sensai Eyelid Base. However the Sensai base is more moisturizing.

-Deep Moist Shine Rouge:


To me the Deep Moist Shine Rouge is the best item of the collection (at least the color I picked up is really GREEEEEEEAT).
The lipsticks come in a rather bulky heavy tube (same design as the compacts) which gives them a luxurious feel.


The texture is super moisturizing, soft and comfortable to wear.
The slightly glossy and very shimmery finish makes my lips look more full and plump. The shimmers however are slightly scratchy but not really bothersome.


The color I got (MS111 Usuhanasakura) is a light shimmery pink bordering to frosty. I think if you're very warm-toned or tan this will be a bit hard to pull off.
I really like this color a lot though admittedly I still think Lunasol has much prettier and better lipsticks =)


To conclude my review I'd say the items are solid quality and it's worth picking up a few pieces however I don't feel real love and don't think I'll buy more stuff from the current selection. Maybe a few more lipsticks or so...

I didn't list pricings as this will depend where you live.