Suqqu Spring/Summer Palettes, Ex-11 Sumiredama, Ex-12 Hisuidama, Ex13 Ginusudama

It has to be today! Since Suqqu summer palette is already on its way to me, here comes the Suqqu post that was being delayed forever. Meanwhile I was playing with my palettes and enjoying the following posts by fellow bloggers:

• Bellyhead from Wondegondigo reviews Ex-11, Ex-12 and Ex-13
• Karima from Shameless Fripperies has a stunning make-up tutorial with Ex-11
• Selphia swatches of all three quads
• Drivel About Frivol, reviews and comparisons of Ex-11 and Ex-12
• Rachel from Ok?okay!Makeup reviews Ex-11 and  Ex-12
• Messy Wands reviews Ex-13
• Beauty of Interest have swatches of all three quads
• Sweet make-up temptations swatches and compares all three quads

Do you see a pattern here? This can only be love in beauty blog-sphere. Everyone wants to report about these three quads. Sometime around February I was amazed watching this craziness and waiting for my Ex-11 to arrive to check that out myself. I ordered just one at first to try it out and see if I would like the formula.

Fast forward to today, I have all the three quads and despite numerous other quads I own, I reach for these three quiet often. It is really not easy for a brand to sit on top of my favorites list with all the releases for a certain season, so I decided to dedicate a post to these beautiful palettes. Unfortunately reviews and swatches of these lovely quads are much easier to find than the quads themselves, which are very hard to get unless you live in UK or Japan. To get more information on how to get Suqqu products, I recommend that you check this post from Bellyhead. I have checked out Selfridges in London and it seems as of today they still have Ex-12 and Ex-13 in stock.

Three eye shadow palettes from Suqqu Spring/Summer 2013 Collection

I would like to present you my take-on these, which will be less pan shots, less swatches but a few eye make-up photos. Ex-11 Sumiredama (violet pearl), has two darker shades with duo-chrome effect and two highlighter colors. All colors are satin, no mattes in this quad but since the shimmer are not over the top, I can use it for day time looks too. It has a peachy pink, a neutral taupe with complex shimmer, an ivory and a dark plum with green/blue shimmer (swatched below in this order).

Suqqu Ex-11 Sumiredama swatches with direct sun

The palette gives an effortless purple smokey eye with complex but rather subtle shimmer. The results are not too warm or cold, therefore should be flattering on many skin tones. Although I find the color combination of this one the best among the three (did someone said purples?), I think this palette is the sheerest among them once it comes to pigmentation. I found the purple (third shade from the left on above swatch) to be the most pigmented one and used it on the crease and outer half of the lid. I used the taupe shade all over the lid and highlighted the inner corner with ivory shade. I then used the peachy shade over the purple on the crease for a smooth translation. I finished the eye look with a dark purple eye liner on the waterline and along the upper lash line and applied generous amount of mascara (Chanel Le Volume).

Suqqu Ex-11 Sumiredama eye make-up, eyes closed

Suqqu Ex-11 Sumiredama eye make-up, eyes open

Ex-12 Hisuidama (jade pearl) was the last palette I decided to purchase. After the first application I was cursing myself since I ever considered to skip it. This one became my favorite green eye look in no time. Most of the green palettes don't look so good on me, especially because they blend with my eye color. My misses include Dior's Khaki Design palette, which was not flattering on me. Also Tom Ford's Sahara Haze are not one of my favorites from their range. I don't know how but Jade Pearl of Suqqu worked much better than expected. This one is also much more pigmented than Ex-11, the shades are (from left to right) a very pigmented white, a gorgeous green with very complex shimmer, a warm brown with golden shimmer and a matte pink shade, which is the only shade here which is a bit sheer.

Suqqu Ex-12 Hisuidama swatches with direct sun

For this look, I applied the green shade all over the lid, defining it with brown on the crease and outer third of the lid, then adding some white on the inner corner for highlight and smoothing the edge on the crease with the pink shade. I also used the green shade along the lower lash line for more definition and finished the eye look with plenty of mascara (Chanel Le Volume).

Suqqu Ex-12 Hisuidama eye make-up, eyes closed

Suqqu Ex-12 Hisuidama eye make-up, eyes open

Ex-13 Ginusudama is the warmest of them all. It is also the one with the shade which has the strongest duo chrome effect. From left to right, these are a satin pink, a warm reddish bronze with gold shimmer, a satin ivory and a gorgeous duo-chrome shade which is very hard to define. This one is green, purple and taupe at the same time with a touch of navy if it makes sense. Combined with bronze, it gives a unique and interesting result.

Suqqu Ex-13 Ginusudama swatches with direct sun

For the eye look below, I applied the bronze shade all over the lid, defining my crease and outer third of the lid with the duo-chrome shade. I used the pink shade on the inner corner and to smooth the crease translation. I also applied a taupe liner (I believe this one is Urban Decay's Mushroom, which I am obsessed with at the moment) to the upper lash line and along the lower water line. I finished the look with mascara on upper and lower lashes (again Chanel's Le Volume)

Suqqu Ex-13 Ginusudama eye make-up, eyes closed

Suqqu Ex-13 Ginusudama eye make-up, eyes open

Final thoughts: I am happy to be able to complete this post about my first Suqqu Palettes. I found myself reaching for them quiet often for the last months and I was afraid not to make them justice by my photos. They are very blendable, smooth and mostly pigmented (other than the few shades I mentioned above) with complex shimmer properties and nice color combinations. My favorite is Ex-12, which is a surprise since usually green doesn't work well with my coloring. My only problem is the amount of product in these and their price (only 5g of product and retails for £45). The powder is very smooth and I can already see the level of a few main shades descreased in the pan after using them for 4-5 times. All three are limited editions and Ex-11 seems to be mostly sold out. If you are still thinking to try one out, I would recommend to act quickly.

Do you own or tried any Suqqu eye shadows/palettes? Let me know what you think about them.