I was thrilled to be able to finally try a few items from the Japanese beauty line called Suqqu. It’s a brand that’s been on my radar for years but it’s not easily accessible to those in the US. I was sent a few pieces from the Summer 2016 Collection to try and literally could not contain my excitement while swatching these items. The collection is a UK exclusive that you can find online and in stores at Selfridges. I have 3 items to feature here, but for reference Sweet Makeup Temptations has the entire collection reviewed and swatched on her blog in case you are curious about the other items.
I was able to test out the following:
Blend Color Eyeshadow EX-31 Gyoukou £45 for 0.16 oz/4.6 g – this is an eyeshadow quad with some of the softest silkiest eyeshadows I’ve ever tried. The palette has a mix of different textures including a shimmering yellow, sheer matte white, matte burnt orange and satiny cool brown shade. All the colors are extremely easy to blend and layer together – the white is very soft and while I swatched it with a heavy hand on the arm to show the color, on the lids it’s almost translucent when you blend it out. The shades come in a mirrored compact with some of the best compact brushes I’ve ever tried and are made with excellent craftsmanship (most compacts come with applicators that are completely worthless). I have mixed feelings about this quad due to the colors. Quality, pigment, application and lasting power are all top of the line, but the colors are very warm and quite outside my comfort zone. I know they are designed for a more colorful summer look, but I tried these several different ways and yellow/orange really aren’t my colors. Based on my testing I do think the quality, design and pigment are excellent. Now that I’ve been able to see for myself how good these are I am going to do some investigating on other colors and try to order a few (if you have any recs please let me know!).
Creamy Moist Lipstick in EX-20 Hyaku Daidai £27 for 0.13 oz/3.8 g – this is a richly pigmented creamy lipstick and just as the name implies, very moist. Both of the shades I tried are full-coverage colors with an insanely luxuriously creamy texture. I love coral-like shades and usually wear softer peaches but EX-20 is really quite striking even though it’s orange. It has a fun summery vibe. There is a tiny bit of shimmer in this one – it’s visible in the tube and on the lips but not in an overly frosted way. Lasting power is very good and the color stays put as long as you don’t touch your lips.
Creamy Moist Lipstick in EX-21 Senka £27 for 0.13 oz/3.8 g – this is a bright raspberry pink. It’s medium-deep and bright all at the same time. On me it pulls neutral-cool but still has enough warmth in the base that it doesn’t look blueish. If you like lots of bold color this is really quite pretty.
Swatches of all three, first with flash:
Without flash:
A closer look at each item:
Eye look of all four shades layered and blended, you may not be able to detect any of the white, but it was used as the last step to blend out any harsh edges:
After years of reading so many wonderful reviews on the brand I’m thrilled to finally have been able to try a few items. The quality is top notch – I’m so impressed with the texture of everything. The eyeshadows are unbelievably soft – almost pillow soft to the touch. They blend beautifully but the colors in EX-31 just really aren’t my kind of colors. The Creamy Glow Lipsticks are everything everyone has raved about – creamy, glowy, moist with full and flawless coverage. The neutral lip lover in me is dying to try some of the more neutral shades – if you have any recommendations on where to start please let me know in the comments.
I do believe the items in the summer collection are limited-edition (I’ll update once I confirm), currently available at Selfridges. I’m still in the spring mindset for colors (although I do love a good bronzer year round) but the lip items will be perfect for warmer months when brighter colors feel more in season (at least for me).
Have you tried anything from Suqqu before?
Many thanks to Suqqu for sending a few items for me to play with.
Senka is very pretty on you Sabrina!!! I also think the eyeshadows are GORGEOUS on you, but I totally get what you are saying about being outside your comfort zone.
i have palette 20 which has gorgeous neutrals. it might be a bit TOO basic, though. I also have several of their brushes. the cheek brush is INSANE. so soft and does a phenomenal job.
their eyebrow pen is also a favorite. great cosmetics line!!
Love Suqqu Eyebrow Pens in Brown & Moss Green and their brush collection especially the cheek brush is to die for. I always stop for a nosey at their counter in Selfridges as it looks so classy. That Senka Lip colour looks beautiful on you. I don't know why I don't buy more from this brand but I guess I've always thought it more suitable for Asian skin given it's heritage.
I really like SUQQU and wish we could find it on counter in the US. SUQQU is a luxury brand and so you wouldn't expect to find it at Sephora, but I think it would find a comfortable home at Neiman's and select Nordstrom's. I can dream, can't I? LOL Whenever I would go to Japan, I'd always hit the SUQQU counter as soon as I had some free time to shop 🙂 The SAs were always so kind and gracious. Unfortunately, I haven't been to Japan in a couple of years which effectively put the skids on my SUQQU purchases although I still avidly read the reviews on the European and Asian blogs. I'm particularly fond of their lipsticks and eyeshadows. To me, those are the real standouts and I can easily see why they sent you those items to try. The first time I tried SUQQU, it was abundantly clear that it's a high end brand–from richness of color, to texture, to finish, to longevity.
As for the brushes that Lisa Eldridge is always raving about, yes, they are excellent and I did purchase a few of them (cheek, powder, and two eye), but I have an amazing collection of Hakuhodos (They have a showroom right here in Torrance, CA) and some Chikuhodos (Chikuhodo makes SUQQU's brushes, incidentally) and their beautifully formed squirrel brushes are every bit as soft and luxurious as the actual SUQQU brand–and they are much, much easier to obtain here in So Cal 🙂
Bottom line: I know SUQQU would be one of my favorite brands if there were counters in the US. Please SUQQU! There is a market here for you.
I find it interesting that Suqqu has sent out samples of their summer items to some US bloggers. Do you think they are testing the market for interest? I sure hope that means they might be opening a counter here soon!!!
Sabrina, I just came back from Taiwan a few weeks ago and was able to get a lot of Suqqu products. I feel like the quality is superb. The brushes are amazing, so soft. The balancing cheeks (blushes) are softly milled and good pay off. I LOVE all of their eyeshadows. They almost have a creamy texture. Great shimmers, buildable coverage. I am totally getting more the next time I'm in Asia. Its not any cheaper over there. Skincare is supposed to be pretty good too, but haven't tried it. Their lipsticks are SO moisturizing too!
Great post! The eyeshadow look on you here is great.
The x-20 is such a beautiful shade! Thanks for sharing!
-Cheyanne
http://www.lifeofcheyanne.blogspot.com
Love the lip colors they are so pretty!
Senka is beautiful, I love how bright it is without being garish!
I'm so thrilled to see you share these gorgeous products, actually I think the eyeshadow color looks pretty good on you. I might want to get Senka if I can. As a makeup rookie, SUQQU is my go to brand for their superb quality and design, making work a lot easier and enjoyable for me. I got couple eyeshadows from SUQQU, and no.15 is my go to palette for its universal flattering nude colors and high quality.
Kozuecha #10 the quad is an amazing neutrals quad. Very basic but gorgeous. Suqqu makes all the limited items start with an EX so they're all limited. Makes it so nice when they release stuff you know what's permanent or not. I wish other brands would take that system on. The creamy glow moist lipsticks in #4 & 5 are my favs, shimmery neutrals. I normally don't plug myself in somewhere but my blog has swatches if you want to see thebeautyendeavor.com
I am very excited to see you testing SUQQU!!!! Senka & the eye shadow look really nice on you!
While I enjoy wearing makeup to look polished & professional, Suqqu is the only reason for my growing makeup stash (okey with occasional Burberry). Here are four things you might want to keep in mind in making your decision:
1. Creamy Glow Moist (CGM) Lipstick and Creamy Glow (CG) Lipstick are two different formulas. Contrary to the Selfridge webpage, these two LE & UK-exclusive lipsticks are CGMs. CG is an older formula that is discontinued in Japan. Relatively speaking, CG is less moisturizing (but still not drying) with a better colour payoff. CGM is very moisturizing with a good degree of transparency (read: less colour payoff). These two are definitely exceptions. For someone with dark natural lip colour like me, it is important to take this into account and try my best to stay away from the lightest shades in CGM. Senka looks so nice (and a rare one in CGM formula) I am seriously considering getting two of them. Also CG#11 is high on my wish list. I expect it to be a light, slightly warm colour that brightens my medium Asian complexion.
2. The shimmers in some of the Suqqu eyeshadows are to die for. I sometimes get lost in their complexity. I have not tried this palette in person; but according to all the online reviews & swatches, my impression is that the complexity of shimmers in this palette is not in top five.
3. Some of the colours produce an interesting (and sometimes unexpected) new colour when two of them are mixed together. Several bloggers have deliberate swatches to show the mixed colours. This feature is not very obvious, if not absent, in this pallet.
4. Some of the lightest shades in the regular line have a good degree of transparency (read: not opaque). I'd argue that it is a deliberate attempt rather than a formula failure. I sometimes use them as face highlight due to the transparency and the interesting shimmers.
Bottom line: Suqqu's biggest selling point to me is effortless elegance; and it never failed to deliver. I don't think you will go wrong with any of the palettes…. The eyeshadows are more unique for the above mentioned reasons (and colour harmony). While I love the lipsticks I have to admit that I do not find them as unique as their eye products.
Suqqu PR… if you are reading this: Please consider come to Canada. Don't stop at the US boarder.
Hi Dust,
I'm so glad you said what you did in points 3 and 4 and couldn't agree with you more. Not everything has to be perfectly opaque to be of good quality. I absolutely cringe every time I read some inane comment along the lines of "For that price, it should be opaque." Well, not everything has to be opaque. Not everyone wants everything to be opaque. A certain degree of translucency is what enables us to mix and layer colors to create variations that go far beyond the colors in the palette. I regard the colors in a palette as a starting point and love exploring the ways they can be used to create a look uniquely my own. As long as the colors are rich and complex, combine and layer, apply smoothly and evenly, and wear well without fading, then it is a top notch product–even though it might have translucent shades 😉 SUQQU excels at creating those crystalline shades that take a palette into the extraordinary.
When I saw the swatches I realized that this palette really resembles candy corn lol The colors are so pretty and I think the look you did is very nice!
I've never heard of this brand before so it was interesting to learn smth new, thank you 🙂 but I must say WOW these products are pigmented! and these lipsticks look so nice on you!
xxx
made-make-up.blogspot.com
The eyeshadows look so pigmented and amazing! That pink lip shade looks amazing on you! <3 Lovely post
Amelia | http://amelia-g.blogspot.com.au/
I love Suqqu and I think the eye shadows blend between themselves into new colours in each palette, to a very nice effect. Creamy Glow Moist lipstick in #9 Zakuroseki is a lovely neutral beige-rose colour, for my lip pigment it blends in almost invisibly.
I love Suqqu cosmetics. Every time I travel to Japan I try to stop by a Suqqu counter to pick something up. When my husband travels there for business, I usually do screen captures of the items I'd like and have him shop for me. The SAs are so incredibly helpful there.
I hope that since they sent you product for review it means that perhaps they will open a few counters or an online way of obtaining their products. At least one that is easier and less expensive than Ichibankao or doesn't have the high shipping fee of Selfridges.
You wear all these shades really beautifully Sabrina! I love how Senka looks on you in particular. For such bright shades for the eyes, it looks very wearable too. I'm glad to see SUQQU expanding outside of non-EU bloggers for these samples. As others mentioned, I hope this is a harbinger of further expansion, which is making me giddy at the thought.
I love that your blog, a Mecca for me when it comes to Western high end brands, is now featuring SUQQU! It's a newfound love for me even though it's very hard to access (shipping rates across the pond are abominable…if one can hustle to buy before LE items are sold out!) The subtle, often understated, elegance of the brand is often lost to Western consumers who want ULTRA PIGMENTED EYESHADOWS when they're forking over $$$. EX-31 is a good place to start the transition 😉
Palettes are long sold-out at selfridges and lipsticks are shown as available on their website, but actually they don't ship to the US (lipstick get automatically removed during the checkout). It is not a temporary website bag – I am trying it for weeks. The same issue with their palette 01 – I am trying to buy it for YEARS now from Selfrdiges website and while it is available on the website it doesn't allow shipping to anywhere in the world (I tried to ship it to Europe before – all the same). Extremely annoying. Suqqu should already start selling in the US or at least create a global online store. How come the UK market is more important to them? It doesn't make any sense. Especially as they extensively send out collections to bloggers to promote and then it is impossible to buy those products, even if I am ready to pay $40 to ship it from the UK. This is one of the worst mistakes that marketing can do. It only feeds the "black market" that blooms on ebay and all those Japanese re-sellers getting a 20-30% markup.
I've never managed to get my hands on any of the limited edition palettes or lipsticks, they sell out so fast. But from their main line I like the Creamy Glow Moist Lipstick in #9 Zakuroseki – it's a lovely neutral beige-rose, which looks very natural but better than natural.
WOW!!! Senka look amazing on you!! I hope they'll have Suqqu in Canada soon too!!