These are the summer releases from SUQQU that I was most excited about trying. There hasn’t actually been an eye/cheek combo in their line before, so this is a new format. The packaging is appropriately unique: EX-01 Rikkakou comes with silver lines on the palette and a pouch with “SUQQU” embossed in silver foil, and EX-02 Natsuyuuka is done the same way in gold which corresponds with the silver and gold detailing on the Colour Balm Crayons (you can read more about those here).
If my rusty Chinese is to be trusted, EX-01 Rikkakou roughly translates to “early summer splendour” and EX-02 Natsuyuuka to “leisurely summer dusk”.
Both palettes feature 2 eyeshadows: one darker satin shade in the familiar, semi-sheer texture of SUQQU satins, and one lighter shimmer/glitter shade. Both of the lighter shades are slightly drier and less silky in texture than the satins – not unexpected, considering they are extremely sparkly.
It’s worth noting that the lighter eyeshadow shades and the blushes are all sheer but buildable. These swatches on my very dry forearm took multiple swipes, but the colours showed up a lot faster/better on my primed eyelids and foundation-coated face. These palettes seem to flourish on surfaces that have a bit of “stick” to them, so bear that in mind if you’re swatching these on the back of dry hands or applying them without a base.
EX-01 Rikkakou features a beautiful taupe eyeshadow as well as a pale pink shadow that has visible silver glitter flecks and a slight lavender reflect that shows up when you layer it over the darker shade. The blush colours are a neutral light pink and a bright candy pink, and combined they are a cool medium pink.
EX-02 Natsuyuuka is comprised of a rich jewelled teal and a pale shimmering bronze. Unlike the light pink of EX-01 Rikkakou, the light bronze doesn’t have a colour shift when layered over a dark base. The blush colours are a frosted pale peach and medium coral-orange, and combined they are a warm luminous coral.
The blushes are technically a cream formula but quite unlike any cream I’ve encountered before; they’re not gel-ish, wet, mousse-like or creamy in any way. In fact, I think they’d be more accurately described as a slippery powder blush seemingly designed for finger application. And yes that’s what I’ve been doing, heathen than I am!
Though I’m usually not a fan of cream blush at all, the dryness of this formula really works in my favour – it’s not wet enough to disturb my foundation or concealer (which, due to hyper pigmentation, I spend a LOT of time on). Also, because these are quite sheer, I can gently but haphazardly tap them on with my fingers without worrying that I’ve made pink polka dots all over my cheeks. If you’ve ever applied cream blush with your fingers before, you’ll know what I mean.
I’ll be posting a FOTD with each of these palettes next, so stay tuned! In the meantime, you can see more of SUQQU’s summer 2016 collection here, here and here.
Pricing & Availability: I need to get back to you on pricing for these, but SUQQU Eye and Cheek Colour Compacts will be available in the UK at Fenwick of Bond Street, Harrods and Selfridges in stores and online from the 28th of April, and in Japan from May 1st.
These products were provided as press samples, however all opinions and observations are my own and not influenced by the brand or its PR team. This post contains affiliate links
2 Comments
Jane
May 9, 2016 at 12:54 amThis collection doesn’t come to the UK? I see they have some other items as a summer collection instead.
Emily
May 9, 2016 at 8:06 amI don’t think these were available online, but I know you could get them at Selfridges in London. If you’re in the UK, your best bet would probably be to call and see if they have any in stock: +44 (0) 207 318 3956 Good luck!