SUQQU Spring 2017 Colour Collection

SUQQU has been winning over fans for years with their timeless and elegant products, and it is so easy for any company to play it safe and continue on its current trajectory.  But in order to break new markets, and inject a fresh attitude, change is sometimes necessary.  And after teasing us for months, SUQQU has finally released its Spring 2017 Colour Collection, featuring 5 completely brand new Designing Colour Eyes along with lots of other pretties.  I have some pieces from the collection to show you today, so enjoy!

SUQQU Designing Colour Eyes are a new line of eyeshadow quads that replaces the previous Blend Colour Eyeshadow range.  The packaging uses the new black top / gold bottom design that was first introduced last fall with the Pure Color Blushes [see here].  It is slimmer and feels better in the hands than the former design.  I was relieved to see SUQQU had retained the mini dual-ended squirrel brushes in the new palettes because those are really high quality and actually work great.  They have unfortunately removed the velvet sleeve which I personally don’t miss but if you travel with your palettes often, I can see how that can be a bit inconvenient.  I’m also glad they got rid of those plastic tray covers that don’t sit properly and always get in the way when closing the palettes.  The important thing to note is that the new Designing Colour Eyes now come with 5.6gm of product, which means a third more product for the same price as before!

But fans didn’t flock to SUQQU for their packaging, it was ultimately all about the complex elegant shimmers, and the ability to layer on shades breezily.  The new formula feels as soft and smooth as before, but the biggest difference was the increased colour intensity and opacity.  Whereas in the past, SUQQU could be considered as one of the more pigmented of Japanese makeup, it was still classically Japanese with subtle washes of color.  The new Designing Colour Eyes takes on a more Western approach towards eye makeup, and are much more pigmented than before.  On the other hand, the older palettes carried more variety in opacity and finishes which allowed for more interesting play.  In contrast, the 2 palettes I tried offered the same level of pigmentation and texture across all 4 shades, with little variations in finishes.

This is perhaps best demonstrated by taking a closer look at the new SUQQU Designing Colour Eyes 03 Benimiyabi:

Benimiyabi was the first to catch my eye out of the 5 new Designing Colour Eyes released this season with the stunning cool-toned red.  The name of the palette, loosely translated means “elegant red”, which is really apt for this colour story.

I swatched these on a slightly damp arm (damp from a makeup remover wipe, nothing more), and check out how pigmented they turned out!  The swatches from left to right are:

• Top left of palette – light pink-beige with a strong metallic sheen
• Top right of palette – medium taupe with a metallic sheen, though of a slightly lesser extent than the previous
• Bottom right of palette – dark khaki bronze with a satin finish and some golden micro-shimmers
• Bottom left of palette – medium brightened coral pink with a satin finish, sprinkled with pale pink and champagne micro-shimmers

Benimiyabi’s red/brown colour story reminded me of EX-32 Rengazome from last fall [reviewed here], so I decided to swatch them side-by-side for your reference:

Both sets of swatches were done on the same slightly dampened skin from a makeup remover wipe, but while I only used 1 swipe for the Benimiyabi palette, I needed about 3 swipes per shade for Rengazome.  Notice also Rengazome’s older formula contained a variety of finishes – matte, satin, shimmer; and the lightest shade was markedly sheerer than the rests.

For those who were intrigued by all the gorgeous red hues last fall but were unable to make that leap with the warm tones, Benimiyabi is a good one to catch now because it is by far the coolest-toned of them all, and of course the khaki bronze-taupe combination is killer.

I recreated the same eye look using Benimiyaki as I first did with Rengazome, and the effect is definitely much flashier with the strong metallic sheen.

I was very touched when I saw Jorge had also picked out Designing Colour Eye 05 Aoshizuku for me, because it was clear that he had taken time to look at my pictures and perhaps browsed through some of my blog to see my personal preferences.  Aoshizuku is definitely another palette that I had my eye on from the earliest sneak pictures!

Aoshizuku surprised me with its intensity, while I had expected it to be steely cool, it actually swatched out warmer!

From left to right, the shades are:

• Top left of palette – pale, icy silver with a frosty finish.  This shade felt mildly drier than the others, with some gritty bits when touched, but applied well without any fallouts.
• Top right of palette – light cool-toned gold with a shimmery finish
• Bottom right of palette – deep brown with a satin finish and some violet and pale golden micro-shimmers
• Bottom left of palette – deep smokey purple that has a strong reddened base which pulls the shade almost brown.  There are some violet and silver micro-shimmers in there too.

I was most intrigued by the chameleon-like nature of Aoshizuku, and had to play with it several times to get to an eye look that I was satisfied with.  This is much more dramatic than any other SUQQU eye palette I’ve tried, and I personally find it exciting.  On the other hand, the shades are incredibly soft and tend to overblend into each other, which detracts from the vibrancy of the shades, turning them into murk.  At the same time, there are some really cool hidden shimmers in here, and the icy silver is truly transformative, bringing out some turquoise micro-shimmers that I didn’t see before.

Before I show you the full look in context, I’d like to also show you 2 other pieces from the Spring 2017 collection.

SUQQU Pure Color Blush 101 Kasaneyamabuki is a new limited edition shade for this season, and it is a stunning ombre featuring a warm salmon pink on the left, and a golden orange on the right.  The previous Pure Color Blushes that I had featured more of a sheer highlighter on the right [see here], so I was urprised by how pigmented the orange is in Kasaneyamabuki.  The pan is large enough that you can concentrate your brush on either side to pick the colour of your choice, or swirl across both shades for a blended tangerine hue.

The finish of the blush is a flattering satin with just a hint of shimmers for that lit up cheeks effect.  This Kasaneyamabuki blush is perfect for those looking for something new to add to their existing blush wardrobe of pinks and corals, and so bold for SUQQU!

You cant get past spring without some balmy lipsticks.  SUQQU first introduced these Extra Glow Lipsticks in Fall 2016 along with the Pure Color Blushes, and these are some of my favourite juicy lip formula today.  Featuring a blend of 7 oils, SUQQU’s Extra Glow Lipsticks incredibly comfortable on the lips and also pack a good dose of colour.  The one I have here is SUQQU Extra Glow Lipstick 13 Saeazami, and as you can see from the swatch above, it is a cool-toned creamy pink with a slightly sheerness.

Here is the full look, featuring Designing Colour Eye 05 Aoshizuku on the eyes, Pure Color Blush 101 Kasaneyamabuki on the cheeks, and SUQQU Extra Glow Lipstick 13 Saeazami on the lips.

Generally speaking, there will invariably be a slight learning curve whenever companies reformulate their products.  I tend to go heavier on my eye makeup, and so I am fully embracing the increased levels of pigmentation and bolder colour stories.  On the other hand, I do miss the more complex shimmers of the older range, and I am not so fond of the strong sheen in some of the shades.  Regardless, it is still top notch quality that I find impossible to fault, and eagerly await future releases!

Everything discussed here is permanent, with the exception of Kasaneyamabuki.  Unfortunately, they seem to be all soldout at the moment on Selfridges’ website, but you could probably get hold of the pieces by calling the counters directly – see here for the full list of contacts.  Good luck and have fun!

_{This post featured products that were generously provided for my consideration.  Regardless, all opinions expressed here are my own honest, unbiased views.}