Hi everyone. I hope your weekend started great. I am having some flu symptoms but nothing very serious until now. After a dense and a busy week at work combined with a short trip to Dusseldorf for an event (more about that later), I am more than ready to relax a little. The semester will be over soon, I have to treat myself to something after that, will have to think about it. Any ideas?
I have been playing with Suqqu Spring Collection for some weeks now but my FOTD shots are slow. When I drive to work in the morning, it is dark. When I come at night, it is dark again. I am an avid believer of FOTDs by daylight since I don't like to wear tons of make-up and lights wash everything out. Don't get me started with all the Instagram mask and brows trend. Today I would like to post some swatches and thoughts now about Blend Color Eyeshadow Palette 22 Kikyoutsubomi, Ex-28 Kinshasuna, Face Color Palette Ex-04 and Bright Up Lipsticks 08 Sumidaidai and 09 Azamibae. I will follow this post with a more FOTD heavy second post.
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| Suqqu Spring 2016, Blend Color Eye Shadows Ex-28, 22, Bright-Up Lipsticks 08 & 09, Face Color Palette |
Tokyo in Springtime is the inspiration behind this collection. Last year it was really magical to be there during cherry blossoms. This year we are still trying to figure out if there is a little time in the beginning of March to do it again. Suqqu Spring 2016 Collection includes two new Blend Color Eyeshadow Palettes (quad) and two Eye Color Palettes (trios). I have been wearing the Blend Color Eyeshadow Palettes for a couple of weeks and this week I started to test the trios. I will review and swatch the trios in the next post.
Both of the Blend Color Eyeshadow Palettes in this collection have natural pastel shimmery hues which doesn't look too pastel once worn on the eyes due to their soft pigmentation. The base shade (bottom left) is not a cream like the Fall 2015 quads, but instead it is a powder. The lasting powder of Suqqu is phenomenal, they blend like a dream. I wore only Suqqu since two weeks and I was thinking that the western high-end brands have so much to learn from these textures and formula.
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| Suqqu Blend Color Eye Shadows Ex-28 Kinshasuna and 22 Kikyoutsubomi |
Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Palette 22 Kikyoutsubomi is a much softer take-on to Sakura theme than last year's quad, #18 Sakuraori (reviewed here). I have shared with you before that Sakuraori has been my all time favorite Spring Eyeshadow Palette but I have been enjoying the natural polished look Kikyoutsubomi gives me. It is less pink and warmer on the eyes than Ex-25 Haruhinata (reviewed here). If you like warmer shimmery naturals with a touch of pastels, you will love Kikyoutsubomi.
My highlights of this quad is the split pan cool taupe color. Once the cool brown is mixed with the pink, it reveals a very complex beautiful taupe which can be worn on its own for full satisfaction and need nothing else. The other highlight is the peachy golden shade, which sets this quad from last year's. It is such a wearable and unique peach. I wore this one multiple times but couldn't manage to shot an FOTD with enough light to show its beauty, but it will be included in the next post. Meanwhile, please take a look at Belly's post here.
Oh and not to forget, I need to check the meaning of Kikyoutsubomi, which consist of the words tsunami (蕾) buds, unopened flowers, ki(輝) radiant kyou(杏) apricot, so my guess is here radiant apricot buds which explains the beautiful peachy gold shade (apricot).
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| Swatch: Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Palette 22 Kikyoutsubomi |
As Kikyoutsubomi gives a nice feminine polished look, I am digging the limited edition quad, Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Ex-28 Kinshasuna the most. The name kinsha (金紗) suna (砂), I believe, suggests sand-washed sand crepe fabric. Although I can understand that the reflections of the textures are really suggesting that, I would personally call this quad "the white frost on a spring bud". The combination of yellow with very soft pastel blue and purple is breathtaking. I think Kinshasuna is one of the must-haves of this collection. Especially if you are a Suqqu fan and like wearing cooler tones on the eyes, don't miss this beauty.
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| Swatch: Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Ex-28 Kinshasuna |
Because I can't get enough of it, here is another shot, from an angle you can see the shades much better. The icy blue is nicely neutralized with the gorgeous yellow. That gorgeous yellow, can we talk about it? I don't have anything like this one in my collection. It is not gold, not very pastel, just right. I am wearing it in the eye look below on the inner corner. I applied the blue on the middle and purple on the crease. If you can't pull off a baby blue, you should try Ex-28 Kinshasuna and get surprised.
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| Close-up: Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Ex-28 Kinshasuna |
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| In-action: Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Ex-28 Kinshasuna |
In Spring Collection, another icy beauty is the new Suqqu Face Color Palette which includes two brushes on the top tier, a color correcting powder and a blush combination on the second. The brushes which come with the compact are useful for touch ups. They are made of natural hair, I believe it is squirrel. They are nicely soft although not as soft as by full-size Suqqu brushes, I promise it will be softer than all your Chanel, Dior, MAC and similar brushes *chuckles*. One of the brushes is smaller and has an angle. I believe that one is aimed for the blush and the other one is for the powder. Yay for two touch up brushes instead of one. Once put the brush in the blusher and if you would like to use it for your powder afterwards, you end up getting the blusher all over the face, not a good idea. It is great to know that luxury is all about the details and Suquu get you covered.
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| Suqqu Face Color Palette Ex-04 with Face Color and Cheek Color |
Here is a close up of the Face and Cheek Color Palette. The soft shades on the face powder gives a soft focus and color correction for the face. The blush is very soft and shows up on my NC20ish skin just right but I suspect starting from medium complexions, it would be more like a brightening or highlighting product. The powder is very finely milled and very soft to touch but it is not powdery. It kicks up some powder once you dip your brush in there but it blends like butter on the face. It doesn't look powdery on my dry complexion but I can see that it has some mattfying touch too, probably due to Talc. The powder has silica listed in the ingredients which explains how light it is. It is not a purely silica based powder but a cross between a finishing and a setting powder. On another note, the ingredients list is really impressive, including Jojoba Seed Oil, and Squalene. There is 6.1 g of product in the compact.
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| Close-Up: Suqqu Face Color Palette Ex-04 with Face Color and Cheek Color |
Lastly there are two new Bright-Up Lipsticks which will join the permanent line. I am a fan of Suqqu Creamy Glow Lipsticks, they last so well on me while giving a shiny natural finish. This was the first time I tried Bright-Up Lipsticks and I am impressed. I think these two are the other two highlights of the collection. 09 Azamibae is a natural pink, 08 Samidaidai is a understated coral. These are so glossy, almost look like a gloss on the lips but they are not sticky. They have a certain transparency but enough color to them. They don't last as long as Creamy Glow Lipsticks but they make the lips look so full and the lips feel very hydrated, I am a fan. I love both of the shades and the formula, definitely recommended.
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| Swatch: Bright Up Lipsticks 08 Sumidaidai and 09 Azamibae |
Here is a look I managed to capture despite the lack of sun during the last weeks. I am wearing Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Ex-28 Kinshasuna on the eyes, Face Color Palette Ex-04 on the face and cheeks and Bright-up Lipstick 08 Sumidaidai on the lips.
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| FOTD: Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow Ex-28 Kinshasuna, Face Color Palette Ex-04, Bright-up Lipstick 08 Sumidaidai |
Final thoughts: Suqqu's beautiful textures and formula is combined with very soft, feminine and natural to pastel shades for this spring. I am especially loving the new Bright-up lipsticks. Both of the eye shadow quads are superb in quality. If you are fair or you like your eyeshadows to be softly pigmented you will enjoy both of the quads. My favorite is the unique combination of icy blue and yellow in Ex-28 Kinshasuna.
The collection will be available in February. Suqqu is available on store at Fenwick of Bond Street, Harrods and Selfridges and online at Selfridges and Harrods. Does anything catch your eye?
Disclaimer: The products in this post were provided free of charge for my consideration.
I am not paid for this review. All opinions are honest and my own.
