SUQQU Summer 2017 UK Exclusive Collection

I’ve been living in a time capsule… it didn’t occur to me until a couple of days ago that 27 April is rolling round next week (not next month!), which only means pending mayhem because that’s the day the new SUQQU Summer 2017 UK Exclusive Collection will be hitting Selfridges!  This is a beautiful collection, and perhaps my personal favourite of all times because it marries the legendary SUQQU texture and blendability with some gorgeous color.  Read on, and get carried away with me!

This Summer 2017, SUQQU is launching an exclusive capsule collection of makeup for its UK fans again.  Designed by Creative Consultant and talented makeup artist Jorge Balzaretti, the collection consists of colors that are very wearable, especially for us cooler-toned ladies.  There are limited edition 2 Designing Color Eyes palettes, 1 Pure Color Blush, and 2 Extra Glow Lipsticks.

SUQQU Designing Color Eyes 103 Kisui reminds me of Tom Ford’s Sahara Haze (unfortunately I had sold the latter so I couldn’t get you a comparison swatch), and is composed of deep forest greens, a bright poppy yellow and a gorgeous bronze shimmer.

Here is an angled shot for you to appreciate the shimmers better…

Green is not an easy color for me to wear, because it often pulls too warm and turns muddy, or too cool and clashes with my dark brown eyes.  So I was surprised by how cleverly Kisui is composed, with a neutral- almost cool-leaning green and a yellow to allow for customization. And as fans of SUQQU will realize, this season’s palettes brought back the beloved magical ability to layer the shades for beautiful combinations.

Swatched in clockwise direction starting from the top left of the palette:

1. Brightened cool-toned yellow in a matte finish
2. Light-medium bronze filled with pale  golden shimmers.  There is a slight sheerness to this shade but it can be easily built up, though never completely opaque.
3. Very dark, cool-toned matte green that has some interesting multi-coloured micro-shimmers in it that lends the overall shade a soft satin effect
4. Medium moss green that pulls warmer on my skin tone than it appeared in the palette.  There is also a touch of soft micro-shimmers here for a satin finish

When I layered the shades, the intensity of the colors soften, and as you can see, the combination of shades changes the warmth/coolness allowing you to calibrate according to your needs.  I particularly love the combination of shades 2+3, which is a deeper shimmery bronze that I would wear all over my lids all day, any day.

For this eye look, I started by laying down the dark green as a base, working from my lash line up and blending into the crease.  Next, I laid down the medium forest green on the inner 2/3 of my lid, and patted some bronze shimmer in the middle.  Finished by popping the yellow into the inner corner, and lined my lower lash line with the dark green.  The complexity of those shimmers bring the greens alive, and yet are not glaringly obvious, only giving a sparkle under low lights.  Mad love!

SUQQU Designing Color Eyes 104 Natsusango is an interesting and complex palette that I love so much, I’ve already worn a hole in it!  It is more matte than Kisui and the terracotta red is a little reminiscent of the palettes from last Fall… but I promise you it is so much more than that.

Natsusango swatches exactly the way it appears in the palette… I love it when that happens.

Swatched in clockwise direction starting from the top left shade on the palette:

1. Pale peach with a matte finish
2. Light peachy pink with filled with baby pink shimmers.  This shade has greater opacity than the shimmer shade in Kisui.
3. Very dark, very intense matte black that sheers out with just the barest hint of plum
4. Medium terracotta that is not so warm-toned as to pull orange, and sits nicely on my cool-toned skin

The magic truly happens when you layer the shades together…

I was blown away by how the combination of 2+3+4 produced a gorgeous sexy burgundy, and obviously you are free to calibrate it according to your needs.  Even 2+3 turned out to be a very cool and edgy pewter, and I would wear it anytime.

For this eye look, I started with the black as a base, once again working from the lash line blending upwards.  Next, I layered the terracotta on the inner half of my lid, keeping close to the middle, and adding a pop of the pink shimmer to the center.  I used the pale peach to blend out the crease and under the brow bone as a soft highlight.  Lined the lower lash line with black and finished with a pop of peachy pink shimmer in the inner corner.

I will show you completed looks in a moment, but first, let me show this unique blush…

SUQQU Pure Color Blush 102 Tsuyakagerou is the most orange blush I had owned in over a decade, and I was quite apprehensive at first.  It is composed on the right of a brightened orange with a generous sprinkling of golden micro-shimmers to give it a cooler almost-metallic sheen.  On the left is a darker, muted bronze that also has a slight sheen.  The combination of the 2 results in an interesting muted copper.

I love wearing Tsuyakagerou mixed high on my cheek bones and a little on the high points of my face for a bit of that sun-kissed glow.  The right shade is too bright and orange for a blush on me, but I was able to mix it with another blush and just pop this on the apples.  The left shade works as a very soft contour shade, and possibly as a bronzer if I get some tan.

Even if you don’t manage to snag any of the palettes, you should try to get hold of these SUQQU Extra Glow Lipsticks!  The 2 new limited edition shades are 104 Tsuyazakuro& 105 Hamadaidai.  Both are creamy as a dream, and much more pigmented than others from the same range that I’ve tried before.  I was also surprised by their longevity, as they left a beautiful tint behind even after a huge meal.  I have also worn the 2 of them together in an ombre, and it is gorgeous!

And as promised, here are a couple of full makeup looks to put everything into context…

This first look features SUQQU Designing Color Eyes 103 Kisui worn in the manner shown above, Pure Color Blush 102 Tsuyakagerou on the cheeks (brighter orange along the cheek bones and darker bronze just underneath to sculpt), and Extra Glow Lipstick 105 Hamadaidai on the lips.  I don’t often wear orange lipsticks, they just clash horribly with my skin tone, but the white-base in Hamadaidai actually made it work somehow.

For this next look, I wore SUQQU Designing Color Eyes 104 Natsusango with a bit more pink than the eye look shown above.  I switched out the blush because I wanted a cooler look, and wore Extra Glow Lipstick 104 Tsuyazakuro on the lips.

If you are curious about how these pieces swatch and look on different skin tones, I highly recommend you check out Sara’s post here, Emily’s review here, and Belly’s here.

This SUQQU Summer 2017 UK Exclusive Collection will be released on 27th April in Selfridges, and 11th May in Harrods and Fenwick.  Overseas fans, try your best to get an early reservation via phone or email, or try your luck on Selfridges’ website.  It will be worth your while, because these pieces are just too good to let slip!

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