SUQQU

Suqqu Foundation Review

April 8, 2013

My skin’s been looking good lately, not only have my girlfriends noticed, even my DH has commented on several occasions which hardly happens! Apart from my diligent skincare routine everyday, I attributed my ‘good skin’ to this wonderful Suqqu Foundation. It is everything I wanted from a foundation except for the hefty price tag.

It retails for £62.00 for 30 grams of product, and is exclusive to UK. I am a shade 10 which is the lightest shade from the pink based range.

It comes with a sponge which is encased in a leather-like pouch, and a spatula (not in picture).

If you are a Suqqu fan, you probably would have heard a lot of raving reviews for this foundation. It has won many beauty awards over the years and widely worshiped by the beauty editors across East Asia. Suqqu has also released a newer cream foundation called Frame Fix Cream Foundation in recent years, and the majority of people still prefer the old one from the reviews I have read. I tested both at a Suqqu counter and applied one on each side of my face, and in the end both the SA and I agreed that the original one looked better on my skin. Having said that I believe the Frame Fix is more suitable for oily to combo skin type as it gives a more matte finish.

The Suqqu Foundation has an airy light creamy texture which I absolutey adore. It spreads like melted and whipped butter, and sinks into the skin straight away. Although it is a cream based foundation, it feels very lightweight and non-greasy. It is the seasonal transition time where my skin is a little drier and more sensitive than usual. If I don’t have layers and layers of moisturizer and primers on, most foundations apply blotchy and can look flakey on my skin. The Suqqu Foundation applies like an exquisite moisturizer – I only need my fingers to spread the product over and it applies completely streak free and gives a ‘poreless-your-skin-but-much-better’ finish with a subtle dewy glow. Since the texture is so forgiving for dryer skin, I can layer this foundation on multiple times on certain areas (ie under eyes or around the edge of the nose) to build more coverage without caking up or enhancing any lines. A pea-sized dab is enough for the whole face for a sheer to medium coverage so a jar like this will last me forever, and of course you can use more product to get more coverage and it will still look natural. It looks still fresh on me after 8 hours of wear in air conditioned environment.

Suqqu Foundation Shade 10 Swatch

Bottom Line: I don’t want to sound biased, but it really is an exquisite foundation with a to-die-for luxurious texture which would be perfect for anyone with normal to dry skin or mature skin. It will blow you away! The Suqqu Foundation is available here with more product information.

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Labels: FOUNDATION • SUQQU

Coming Soon – SUQQU！

March 22, 2013

Clockwise:

Suqqu Foundation
Suqqu Blend Color Eye Shadow Palettes EX11 SUMIREDAMA 董珠 and EX13 GINUSUDAMA 银薄珠 from Spring 2013
4 new Suqqu Creamy Glow Moist Glow Lipsticks

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Labels: SUQQU

Suqqu Brushes Overview with Face Brush and Eyeshadow Brush F Review

March 14, 2013

My Suqqu Brushes are one of my most treasured makeup collections. I have acquired all the Suqqu brushes that I wanted and it was really a great investment for me as I couldn’t imagine a day without them every morning when I do my makeup. Here are some proud and happy family shots of them!

When it comes to brushes, everyone has their own preference depending on their facial features. I generally prefer smaller eye shadow brushes as I have quite a small eye lid space to work with. And the same goes with face brushes, as I find a smaller face brush allows me to layer different products more precisely and blend out the harsh edges.

Below are the hair types used in brushes in order from the softest:

Red Squirrel hair (very rare, only seen from the Jap brands) -> Blue Squirrel hair (rare) -> Grey Squirrel hair (ie Suqqu and CHIKUHODO) -> Fine goat hair 细光峰 (very rare, I have only seen them from CHIKUHODO and HAKUHODO) -> Squirrel hair with no classification (ie Sephora premium brand which I find quite coarse) – > Normal Goat Hair 粗光峰 (the most common amongst western brands, ie MAC, Bobbi Brown, Tom Ford etc) – > Pony hair

CHIKUHODO recommends that if you have dry and sensitive skin type, squirrel hair would be a better option, whereas oily skin type should go for goat or pony.

As for me, my preference goes to brushes made with 100% grey squirrel hair, or a mix of squirrel and goat (of which I highly recommend the GS range from CHIKUHODO as they are just as soft but the bristles have the same resistance as goat hair which are better for blending and picking up more pigments. I don’t wear heavy and bold makeup so naturally these brushes suit my needs.

Most goat hair can feel prickly on my skin as I have very sensitive and thin skin. On the other hand I have friends with oily skin (with bigger pores) who complain that squirrel hair brush deposits very little pigments on their skin.

If you want to invest in a set of premium brushes, you probably would have done a lot of research by now and maybe Suqqu or CHIKUHODO’s Z-series brushes are on the top of your shopping list. They are very similar since they are all made by CHIKUHODO. I have them both and here is a brief comparison that I put together:

– Suqqu are slightly more expensive than the Z-series.

– The ferrule and the handle qualities of the two are almost identical.

– They are both made of 100% grey squirrel hair so they are equally soft and smooth. They also have equal amount of hair in each brush of the same type. The Z-series brushes feel more dense, silkier and heavier on the face, whereas Suqqu brushes are fluffier, and more bouncy – in the words of some “they feel like breeze on the skin”

A quick review for the Suqqu Face Brush:

I contemplated for a long time whether I should spend 168 Pound on a powder brush? But I am really glad I got it in the end. I thought loose powder and dewy skin cannot co-exist, but this has changed my perception. Since I had this brush, I literally use loose powder on my face everyday. It feels like breeze on my skin (apologies for the repeat but I can’t find a better word to describe the sensation). The ultra fine hair deposits an invisible veil of powder on the skin that is just enough to set the makeup and take away the unnecessary shine, but retains the natural radiance of the skin. You will never look cakey or powdery with this brush. The bristle is slightly tapered which also gives you a better control when applying powder over the t-zone.

Suqqu face brush used and unwashed 😛

Onto the Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush F:

The shape of the bristles is very similar to MAC 239. Function-wise, it is mainly used for laying down colors and it deposits the same amount of pigment as the MAC. Needless to say, it feels 1000 times softer and silkier than MAC. What I love about this brush is that it is very flat if you look at it from the side, which is perfect for smudging a soft (or smoky) line along the lower lash line which is what I have been using it for lately. Compared to a normal pencil brush, it distributes the pigments much more evenly, feels smoother and takes about 2 seconds to do one eye. In short I love this brush!

Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush F used and unwashed

Links to my review of the other Suqqu brushes:

– Suqqu cheek brush

– Suqqu eyeshadow brush L

– Suqqu eyeshadow brush M

– Suqqu Eyebrow brush S

All Suqqu brushes can be purchased from Selfridges.

Another long post! Is that what pregnancy does to a woman..I have been noticeably rambling a lot lately..

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Labels: BRUSHES • CHIKUHODO • SUQQU

Peachy FOTD with Chanel Pearl River Eye Shadow Palette

March 12, 2013

This is the look I have been wearing for the past week. It is refreshing to switch from my usual preferred color palette of pink and cool neutrals to a warmer look, and what could be a better palette to use than my new Chanel Pearl River Eye Shadow Palette from the Hong Kong Collection (reviewed here). The overall look is peach for a natural day look, which is inspired by some of the makeup looks I have seen in Korean beauty magazines lately. I always find that a natural looking makeup requires more skill and effort to master. But once you get it right it just looks so beautiful and fresh on any woman, and best of all it helps to take away a few years of age!

In this FOTD, I have spent a lot of time and products creating the base – I wanted to achieve a fresh, dewy and almost barely-there base so that my own skin texture shows through. On the other hand subtle contouring was applied to mimic the natural shadow so my face won’t look too flat. Once this was achieved, everything else was straight forward – just applied light layers of colors to enhance the features.

Face Products Used:

Brush 1: Giorgio Armani blender brush

Brush 2: Becca concealer brush

Brush 3: Suqqu face brush

Step 1: By Terry Teint De Rose as Primer, then MAC Mineralize Moisture Foundation (reviewed here) applied with brush 1

Step 2: Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage followed by YSL Touche Eclat #1 applied with brush 2 for under-eyes concealing.

Step 3: Becca Finishing Powder applied with brush 3 over the t-zone.

Eye Products:

Brush 1: MAC 227

Brush 2: Stila Precision Brush

Brush 3: CHIKUHODO Z-10 (reviewed here)

Brush 4: Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush F

Brush 5: Suqqu Eyeshadow Brush L (reviewed here)

Brush 6: Nars #12

Step 1: With the Chanel Pearl River Palette, applied the gold shade with brush 5, then added the peach color along upper lash line with brush 4. Use brush 6 to apply the chocolate brown on the outer v. The champagne color is applied under the brow bone with brush 1.

Step 2: Applied the peach shade along the lower lash using brush 3, then added the brown to the outer corner. Brush 2 is used to add the pearly white color on the inner corner.

Step 3: Applied Majolica Automatic Eyeliner, and finished with Cover Girl Clump Free Mascara.

Step 4: Filled the brows using Shu Uemura Hard Formula H9.

Cheeks and Lips:

Brush 1: CHIKUHODO GS2 Contour and Highlight Brush

Brush 2: Suqqu Cheek Brush (reviewed here)

Step 1. Applied Nars Multiple Tint in Turks & Caicos with Coffret D’OR Blush on the cheeks using brush 2.

Step 2: Maquillage Face Creater 3D in #55 is used for highlight and contour with brush 1.

Step 3: Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Salmon finished with Lunasol Clear Lip Gloss.

One more pic!

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Labels: BECCA • BRUSHES • CHANEL • CHIKUHODO • EYESHADOW • FOTD • Giorgio Armani • MAC • Maquillage by Shiseido • SUQQU

Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette 01 and Eyebrow Brush S Review

November 19, 2012

I often receive emails from my readers sharing their love for Suqqu products with me, and it is very flattering to hear that they find my reviews helpful for their purchases. To date Suqqu remains one of my favorite makeup brands. There are a lot of other great brands out there, but every time I use a new Suqqu product, it always blows me away. For instance, the Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette 01 with the Eyebrow Brush S are just the perfect combo – they are officially my holy grail eyebrow products now.

There are two eyebrow powders in the palette – one is a medium brown shade and the second one is a moss green shade which allows you to mix the colors to your desire. The light brown shade shown on the right is perfect for contouring the nose or eye socket. You can hardly see this shade in my swatch which is why, ironically, what makes it a perfect contouring shade! As usual Suqqu product design is always very attentive, as the palette comes with a brow brush and a shading brush. The quality of both brushes are excellent for their mini size.

The powder is ultra smooth, very pigmented and long lasting. The most outstanding quality is that it is a perfect ashy brown palette for my complexion and hair coloring. The shade moss green is brown based with a tiny tinge of green to it. It might sound ‘strange’ but it’s a very common color used in Asian cosmetics. We refer to this shade as a ‘natural linen’ color. Since most Asians have black to black-brown hair, and red is the most dominant color in black, a tinge of green mixed with brown helps to counteract the red tone. This helps to lighten the hair with an ashy tone.

Compared to Laura Mercier Eyebrow Palette 01 Ashy Blonde and Shu Uemura Hard Formula 6

The Suqqu Eyebrow Brush S is the thinnest eyebrow brush I’ve ever used compared to other brands, so it gives the most precise and thin stroke that really mimics the natural eyebrow hair. Most eyebrow brushes including Stila and MAC are very firm and stiff, but the bristles of this Suqqu brush are firm yet soft (which might not make sense until you try it!), so it is a very directional brush for application and allows you to define and shape the brows better.

Left: Stila Eyebrow Brush Right: Suqqu

As you can see, the thickness of Suqqu is only half of Stila!Both products are available on Selfridges here and here.

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Labels: BRUSHES • Eyebrow Pen • Laura Mercier • Shu Uemura • SUQQU

Becca Endless Summer 2012 Collection – Ultimate Color Gloss Malibu Punch Review and FOTD

October 13, 2012

I really appreciate the way Becca release their makeup collections. They are one of the very few beauty houses (or perhaps the only) that schedule releases depending on the season of the country. The Becca Endless Summer 2012 Makeup Collection is just out in Australia. Whilst I find myself inevitably drawn to the dark and plummy shades from the current fall collection, it is refreshing to see the bright, tropical and summery hues.

Allow me to say – the Endless Summer Collection is the best collection Becca has ever done. Every shade is well edited for spring and summer, and the texture is superb. I had a very hard time limiting myself to a few products. After fiddling at the counter for 30 minutes, I settled with the Becca Ultimate Color Gloss Malibu Punch and their famous Beach Tint in Lychee. There were other products such as their Mineral Blushes that I was that close to buying, and even now I just can’t seem to get them out of my mind!

The Becca Ultimate Color Gloss in Malibu Punch is a very intense and bright tangerine shade. This shade is worn by the model in their promotion campaign (here), and it looked absolutely stunning on her so it became their best selling shade from this range. Although it’s called a gloss, it almost feels like a liquid lipstick as the pigmentation is so intense, and delivers the ultimate bold color with a high glossy shine whilst feeling weightless on the lips. The lasting power is also phenomenal, as there is still a stain left on my lips after 4 to 5 hours of wear. Compared to the much raved YSL Glossy Stain, the Becca Ultimate Color Gloss truly deserves more credit, if not better.

I did my makeup differently in my FOTD today. To accentuate the bold lip color, I applied more-than-usual amount of bronzer in Nars Laguna along the cheeks and the jawline for a touch of sun-kissed warmth. Nars Luster is applied along the hollow of my cheekbones for a more defined look. My eye makeup using Burberry Midnight Brown (reviewed here) is also more smoky hence it looks more dramatic than what I would normally wear. The overall result – romantic but with sharpness.

Other products used: Suqqu Moisturizing Cream Foundation( LOVE it!) and Shu Uemura Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil in 6.

The Becca Ultimate Color Gloss retails for USD$24 and the entire Becca Line is available at Sephora now! I bought mine at David Jones for AUD$42.

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Labels: BECCA • FOTD • LIPGLOSS • NARS • SUQQU

Suqqu Spring 2012 – Blend Color Eye Shadow 11 HIMESANGO Review and Swatches

April 29, 2012

Hi everyone, long time no see! Hope you are all well. I went on a vacation during Easter, and then I have been swamped with work upon return so I decided to take a mini break from blogging. I received a few packages today from all of my blogging friends over the world – can’t thank enough of them! The minute I opened my long awaited Suqqu Blend Color Eye Shadow HIMESANGO 11 from its Spring 2012 collection, I knew I had to share it with you immediately. My heart is singing when I swiped my fingers across these too-die-for eye shadows.

Different to the eyeshadow quad from the permanent line, the spring collection comes with 5 colors. As a taupe lover I bought shade 11 Himesango. All shades are foolproof and they layer together beautifully. If you think the permanent line is not pigmented enough, then this spring Suqqu has delivered an extraordinary eye shadow palette. The pigmentation is richer with an ultra buttery and velvety texture (it almost felt cushiony!). The three shimmery shades contain the finest micro-shimmer, and they apply silky smooth with a delicate gleam . I love the fact that there is always a matte shade included in the palette. Himesango contains an ivory white which feels creamy and serves as an excellent base color. It instantly evens out the lid color and make your eye makeup look “cleaner’. As I have mentioned in my earlier post, Suqqu eye shadows are the most densely pressed and smoothly milled, so you will never experience any fallout with their eye shadows.

Swatches of Himesango

This picture below is out of focus but it shows the gleam well…

On my eyes:

Upper Lid: Applied the peachy shade all over the eye socket, then layered with the taupe shade beginning at the lash line and blending into the crease line. Finished with the lighter chocolate shade intensifying the outer v.

Lower lid: Accentuate the inner corner with the shimmery peachy shade, and rim the outer third with the dark chocolate shade and smudged the taupe shade across.

Overall Look:

Other products used:

Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact in Sweet Lock – reviewed here

Burberry Lip Cover in Tulip Pink – reviewed here

Bottom Line: HIMESANGO is the best Suqqu eye shadow palette I have used! And it is available here.

{ 26 comments }

Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • SUQQU

My Picks for the Best Eye Makeup 2011

January 13, 2012

It is Friday night! I usually don’t blog on Friday night as it is my “happy hour” time, but I wanted to lose a couple of pounds after the festive season so I decided to stay home and just vegetate, and in the meantime killing my time off blogging…This post is about my picks for the best eye makeup year 2011! The same with my previous post – I picked one or two of my favorite and most used items from every eye makeup category.

Best Eye Shadow Primer – Nars Smudge Proof Eye Shadow Base

Best Liquid Eye Liner: Dolly Wink Liquid Eye Liner in Jet Black, reviewed here.

Best Gel Eye Liner: Bobbi Brown Gel Eye Liner – an oldie but a goodie!

Best Eye Liner Pencil: Dior Crayon Eyeliner Waterproof – I use an eye liner pencil to define the outer third of my lower lash line, and I like the Dior as it is soft and pigmented so doesn’t tug my skin, and it stays put for a whole day without any smudge.

Best Eye Brow products: I get asked all the time what eye brow products I used in my FOTD. They are always by my holy grail combination – The K-Palette Real Lasting Liquid Eye Brow Pen in dark brown, followed by the Laura Mercier Brow Powder Duo in Deep Blonde

The Laura Mercier Brow Powder Duo in Deep Blonde has a light brown ashy color which works really well with my complexion. I use the dark shade to define my eye brow and the lighter shade to contour the bridge of my nose.Best Eye Brow Tint: MAC Brow Set in Girl Boy. If I go for a very soft and fresh makeup look, I tend to tint my eyebrow slightly lighter and I really love the color of MAC Girl Boy.

Best Cream Eye Shadow: Chanel illusion d’ombre long wear luminous eye shadow, I like the weightless texture and the shimmery semi-translucent finish.

Best Pigment: Inglot Pigments

Best Single Eye Shadow: Le Metier de Beaute True Color Eye Shadow. I haven’t used them long enough to do a proper review yet, but I was impressed and they win for their exclusiveness!

Runner Up: Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eye Shadow. Chanel offers a beautiful and wearable selection of single eye shadows. I have collected quite many of them and both the texture and the colors never let me down.

Best Eye Shadow Palette in general: Without a doubt that it’s my Suqqu Blend Color Eye Shadow, the entire range is easy to wear on a daily basis.

Best Cool Neutral Eye Shadow Palette: Other than Suqqu I have also included a few of my all time favorite neutral eye shadow palettes in this post. For the cool neutrals, Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Prelude wins my heart. Do you know Chanel les 4 Ombres has also won the 2011 Japanese Cosme best eye shadow award?!

Best Warm Neutral Eye Shadow Palette: the legendary Lunasol Beige Beige – perfect for a “no makeup” makeup look.

Best Sparkly Neutral Eye Shadow Palette: Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in Golden Mink (reviewed here)

Best Collectible Eye Shadow Palette: Shiseido Maquillage Eye Creator by Alexander Wang (limited edition). This is my most precious makeup as I am huge fan of Alexander Wang’s modern and edgy design. I was lucky enough to snatch up some products from his first makeup collection in collaboration with Maquillage.

Best Drugstore Eye Shadow Palette: Kanebo Lavshuca Melting Eyes – as the name suggests, the eye shadows are so fined milled that they almost felt they were melting into the skin.

Best Mascara: The Helena Rubinstein Lash Queen Mascaras. I have both the original lash queen and the feline extravaganza lash queen. The feline adds more volume to the lashes but the original defines the lashes better and gives a soft and feathery finish. Absolutely adore this range!

Runner Up: Fresh Supernova Mascara – it gives super thick and dramatic lashes (almost doll like). The only downside is it doesn’t hold the curl well so I have to use another mascara or a primer underneath.

Best Drugstore Mascara: Kiss Me Heroine Make Volumising Mascara

Best False Eye Lashes: It’s a tie between the Princess Lee criss cross 7 in light black and the DUP Eyelashes. They are the most natural looking falsies I have used so far – soft and feathery and the human hair blend into your own lashes. I get a panic attack if I don’t have multiple backups of them. Just a note to those of you wanting to buy the Princess Lee lashes, be aware that there are so many counterfeit on the internet as Princess Lee lashes are extremely exclusive.