Sephora Collection Prisma Chrome Eye Shadow

Continuing with my endless catch-up game with the Sephora Collection Prisma Chrome Eye Shadow, purchased summer 2012. These are wet-dry powder shadows that promise a metallic chrome finish. There were only a few colors left when I bought them as they were being replaced by a newer line, now also discontinued, called Outrageous Prima Chrome Eye Shadows (will review these too, soon).

Anyway, 3 particular colors caught my eyes, 20 Gold Reflection, 40 Purple Prisma, and 50 Black Diamond. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

The Sephora brand's got some neat stuff I think, but unfortunately their sense of packaging is horrendous. These chunky boxes that house the Prisma Chrome Eye Shadows are just one of many examples. Just look at these trunks of a compact! Can you believe these giant things are single eye shadows?


Granted, the powder shadows are pretty striking in how they were baked into the pan. With these I think Sephora was trying to imitate the popular Estee Lauder Pure Color Cyber Eyes (now called Pure Color Gelee Powder EyeShadows, I think) that came about half a year before, in the winter of 2011, with huge success. The difference is that the Estee Lauder ones are a triple blend of gel, powder, and liquid, whereas these Sephora ones are just baked powder (thus went for half the price).

Either way, the fact that the baked powder were raised slightly from the pan doesn't excuse a compact thick enough to probably fit 2-3 stacking pans, raise baked powder and all! Urgh.


I never tried the Estee Lauder ones, so I can't really make any kind of comparison here, but these Sephora Prisma Chromes are pretty nice! The powder themselves are smooth, although slightly dry, but this is to be expected of a baked powder. When used dry, they're more translucent and buildable, although still decently pigmented. When use wet, they become opaque and intensely metallic. Also, 2 of out the 3 colors I own change colors slightly when used wet. Over all, I'm glad I gave these a try and I like them, but I like their next generation much much better, the Outrageous Prima Chrome Eye Shadows. I'll get to those soon hopefully and you'll see why.

- 20 Gold Reflection: metallic (dry and wet), medium intensity (dry) and high intensity (wet). A vibrant saffron gold when used dry, and when used wet it's the freakin' sun in a swatch on the back of my hand! This is hands down my favorite color of the bunch and probably one of the most stunning eye shadows I own, and not just because of its vivid vibrancy. This color pretty much blows NYX Ultra Pearl Mania LP17 Yellow Gold out of the water, being a much brighter and even more yellow a yellow gold. Damn, I could stare at this color all day! Now, as for wearing it, hmm... LOL

- 40 Purple Prisma: semi-metallic (dry) and metallic (wet), medium intensity (dry) and high intensity (wet). This color disappoints me a bit when used dry, as its dry finish is more like a brushed chrome than metallic. When dry, the color is a dulled semi-metallic violet with a pinky violet sheen, and it's neither metallic enough or dark enough. When wet though, it's like an entirely differently color, gaining lots of blue and turning a lavender with an intense silvery metallic sheen. This silvery sheen is so strong you can actually see it in the swatch without me having to angle my hand for light to reflect!

- 50 Black Diamond: matte (dry), satin (wet), medium intensity (dry) and high intensity (wet). I think this color has the most drastic transformation between dry and wet finishes. When used dry it's a smoky charcoal black, but when used wet it's an opaque blackest black, with a few microscopic shimmer scattered here and there. If the wet 20 Gold Reflection is the freakin' sun in a swatch on the back of my hand, this wet 50 Black Diamond is the freakin' black hole in a swatch on the back of my hand! On the back of this compact says "Made in Italy," but I call BS on that. I suspect it's made in China, in the 23rd century, this black stuff they use to write with called "ink." Of course I'm kidding, but the point is when used wet this is pretty much calligraphy ink: thick, opaque, and no-joke black. I actually gave this color to my sister who likes to line her eyes with the blackest blacks. If it's not to her liking she can always use it to for her calligraphy practice :P

20 Gold Reflection, 40 Purple Prisma, and 50 Black Diamond. Dry swatches top row, and wet swatches bottom row. Note the metallic silver sheen on 40 Purple Prisma. Now I just need a red giant and a white dwarf ^.^