suqqu ss2018 1/2: lips and cheeks

I’m splitting a mega-post into two different ones (lips and cheeks in this post, eye shadows here), because SUQQU really outdid themselves this season with lots of new textures and formulas that warrant in-depth review. The central theme of their Spring/Summer 2018 collection is Kindami, the art of gilding. In this case, it refers specifically to the gilt-work of a kimono – those fine touches of gold that twinkle as the wearer moves, designed to catch the light in an enchanting, slightly mysterious way.

The collection’s reflectivity materializes in the use of both glitter and gloss, the latter a completely new line of products: SUQQU Flawless Lip Gloss. Since I’m sure everyone is most curious about these (I know I was), I’ll start with them, but don’t forget to check back for the second review post as we’ll be looking at SUQQU’s take on chunky glitter eyeshadow and you really don’t want to miss that!

One last thing to mention before we delve into this: please note that on Selfridge’s and Harrod’s websites the lip products aren’t numbered, but are instead listed by their English colour-descriptive names.

The Flawless Lip Gloss range includes 10 permanent tinted shades (6 of which I have here) as well as two clear, sparkly limited edition ones. In SUQQU’s words, the goal of these glosses is to create a “refined lustre” that enhances the volume lips with clear, pure colours. Hence the glosses being very delicately tinted for a restrained, elegant effect – even the ones that looked glittery in their tubes were like gossamer on the lips.

The full shade range is as follows, with their official product names / online names. No, I don’t know why they did this. Yes, I am as confused as you are.

01 Amecha / Milk Tea Beige
02 Akachakou / Ladyish Beige
03 Sakurazome / Innocent Pink
04 Kirabeni / Golden Strawberry
05 Benisango / Tender Coral
06 Irobara / Dusty Rose
07 Akashion / Dark Berry
08 Akamitsu / Bloody Red
09 Shizukubotan / Juicy Pink
10 Tsuyuanzu / Milky Apricot
101 Tsuyabudou / Radiant Purple
102 Tsuyaremon / Radiant Yellow

In terms of texture, these are very similar to my beloved YSL Tint-in-Oils as they feel light, moisturizing and slippery rather than sticky. They are unscented as well, which is no doubt going to be a big plus for lots of people. Their applicators were especially pleasant to use as the doe-foot is straight and thin for precise application, and seemed to pick up the perfect amount of gloss per coat. I didn’t have to deal with trying to evenly spread out a big glob of gloss or keep dipping to pick up more product.

You’ll notice that these are very uniform in pigmentation (save for the clear limited edition ones), which I really like about them. It takes the guesswork out of shopping online: you know you won’t accidentally end up with something that turns out to be bolder than expected, and their sheerness pretty much guarantees that none of them are going to look truly objectionable on anyone.

Here are the SUQQU glosses compared to other lip glosses in my collection. Mostly this features Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss, with a Too Faced Sweet Peach Gloss, a Surratt Lip Lustre, and a Bite Beauty Creme Lip Gloss. I matched them as closely as I possible could save for the last one, which was just…yeah I had nothing else.

They looked a lot more similar in their tubes than they did in swatches, but it was an interesting experiment to see how they stacked up against other glosses I already own and love. In every instance they were lighter in terms of pigmentation and had finer glitter particles than the alternative.

The other lip products in this collection were a surprise to me as well: 14 Mizukajitsu / Tomato Red that looks like a muted coral on me, 15 Yoinijimi / Deep Brown which was fairly true to its description, and 109 Kindami / Sparkling Gold, a clear balmy base with gold glitter that can be worn on its own or layered over other colours. I must apologize for the following photo – I mixed the order up so they appear here in the order of 15, 14 and 109.

Though the warm pink of 14 Mizukajitsu/Tomato Red is well within the brand’s wheelhouse, the other two shades caught me completely off guard. I mean, we’ve all seen nudes and clear balms from SUQQU, but I don’t think anyone was expecting a 90’s brown and a glittery lipstick topper. Colour me intrigued!

I’ll be posting some FOTDs soon to give you a better idea of how all this looks on the face. For now let me just stress that the texture of all these lipsticks is smooth and balmy – yes, even 109, despite the fact that it’s shimmery. I know the glitter is pretty obvious in this very enlarged swatch photo, but the particles are extremely fine in real life and I could barely detect them visually let alone feel them on my lips. The effect at a normal distance is a pretty, subtle sheer frost with the occasional glint of gold.

Moving up the face, SUQQU’s has also released 3 new Pure Colour Blush shades for the season: 08 Momodaidai, 09 Ayakagerou and 106 Hanairoka. The first two shades are permanent while the third is limited edition.

08 Momodaidai is described as being “apricot orange” on the left and “coral” on the right, but I’d personally describe the shades as being more like coral pink/golden beige.

It blends together to form a golden coral that’s very illuminating and pretty in that “everyone would look good in this” way, and in that regard initially reminded me of NARS Orgasm. Swatched together however, you can see that 08 Momodaidai is far more refined in terms of sheen and represents sort of a middle-ground between my other coral blushes.

Suqqu Pure Colour Blush in 08 Momodaidai, Make Up For Ever Blush in B302, Becca Mineral Blush in Flowerchild, NARS Blush in Orgasm

Next up we have 09 Ayakagerou, which is described as being “light brown” on the left and “sheer beige” on the right. This is fairly accurate to what it looks like in real life, though in the interest of accuracy I should add that the brown has a bit of a rosiness to it and the sheer beige is actually a sheer pale golden beige.

So far it’s the most neutral, non-blush blush SUQQU has released. This is exactly the kind colour I reach for when I’m wearing bold eyes and lips and need something that won’t compete, but at the same time will add enough dimension to my cheek area to ensure it doesn’t look like I’ve just forgotten about it. I’d say it’s more a blush you can subtly sculpt with rather than an actual contour colour. With regards to application, I suggest not swirling the two shades together but layering them instead, starting with the brown and then finishing it off with the gold to highlight. In my opinion, the luminosity overwhelms the depth when mixed in the pan.

I love nude blushes, so it surprised me when I spent 10 minutes swatching my whole collection of them and found that even my three closest shades were actually not that close after all. This is truly a unique colour in my collection, and I’m really glad it’s permanent because now I can recommend it to other nude blush lovers and not worry about it being limited edition and sold out everywhere!

SUQQU Pure Colour Blush in 09 Ayakagerou, NARS Dual Intensity Blush in Craving, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure, Cle de Peau Beauté Cream Blush in 04 Perfect Peach

Speaking of limited editions, say hello to 106 Hanairoka. It’s described by the brand as a “soft red” and “creamy pink”. I see it more as being cool red/warm pale pink.

Though this looks like a very intimidating colour to attempt, true to the brand’s tasteful aesthetic it goes on vibrant but sheer, making it easy to wear and hard to overdo. As you can see from the swatch on the far right, it reads as a cheerful bright pink on my skin.

Since it is unfortunately limited edition and probably quite a nuisance to track down, you’ll be happy to know that it has a close sibling shade in the permanent range – Pure Colour Blush in 03 Sumiasyake. It’s not an exact dupe, but if you’re having trouble finding 106 it’s definitely close enough (on top of being a beautiful colour on its own).

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading and I hope the swatches have been helpful. That’s it for the lip and cheek portion of my review, but I’ll be back with a post on the eye products – liners, cream and powder shadows – next, so do check back soon!

SUQQU Pure Colour Blush in 106 Hanairoka, Hourglass Ambient Light Blush in Luminous Flush, SUQQU Pure Colour Blush in 03 Sumiasayake, Cle de Peau Beauté Cream Blush in 02 Pale Fig

 

This post features products that 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..