SUQQU Blend Color Eyeshadow 04 Keshizumi

This is a much delayed post since the release of Keshizumi last fall, but I would like to blog about it anyways because I would like to share my thoughts and feelings about how this palette works on me.

SUQQU Keshizumi was realeased in part of the Fall 2011 release and it is basically a cool gray wash color kind of palette. Reika has review this palette throughly in her blog Front Row Beauty here. Drivel about Frivol also has a detailed post with swatches here.

As with most SUQQU palettes, the naming has poetic reference and Keshizumi 滅墨(Kanji) means faded ink, which is well reflected with the choice of its 4 taupe/gray toned colors in the palette.

However I was wrong. When I looked at swatches, this palette offers a very lovely cool taupe color that has sparkled my interests. For a short time this palette was pulled off from Selfridge's website, so when I saw it back for purchase, I immediately asked my friend in UK to snatch it up for me. I am happy that I did. Let me explain why here in my blog :)

Interestingly I wasn't too interested in this palette from the beginning because I thought they look more grayish on its web photo, and thinking it will be more suitable for those with fairer skin.  In terms of the total weight of the Blend Color Eyeshadow series, it has 6.5 worth of products. Compared to the newer Blend Color Eyeshadow 09, 10, and 11 from this Spring 2012's collection which has only 5.5g of product, you are getting more bang for your buck.

Moving on to a closer look of this awesome eyeshadow quad 04 Keshizumi:

The colors that this palette offer is actually a cool taupe with a slight hint of shimmer on the top two shades in the quad. But compare to the newer SUQQU eyeshadows, this palette is is not as shimmery and the colors are more subtle, hence more work appropriate.

A closer look at 04 Keshizumi:

under sun

under shade

A: Moderately shimmery silver that is perfect for highlighting. This cool silver is slighlty cloudy when swatch and the colors looks more metallic in the pan than when it is swatched. Texture of this is extremely smooth, and no fall-outs during application.

B: A pigmented, slightly warm taupe color, slightly satin in my opinion, which is packed with fine micro refined shimmer, with a slight hint of silver. This is quite a lovely shade and I find it very appealing with my NC-25 skintone.

C: A very pigmented brownish-plum  this color is the darkest in quad, which is use for the outer V or tightlining

D: A matte white base color (a true white photo quality copy paper kind of white) which is very typical of SUQQU's powder primer in every bottom right in each quad palette.

Texture of this is extremely smooth, and no fall-outs during application. The the level of shimmers is very subtle when compared to the most recent collection I know (Himesango) and I find it very work appropriate with the right balance of pigmentation.

Swatches:

In terms of texture, this palette again meets my expectations with SUQQU, which is smooth and silky, and application is very easy without any fall outs. I truly think this palette is very appropriate for work with a subtle balance of pigmentation and shimmer. 

EOTD with 04 Keshizumi:

The color combination turns out to be on the cool gray side for me and it does remind me of Lunasol's Ocean Scene Eyes in Smoky Ocean to me. I did not create a dramatic smokey look with this palette, but I know this palette is fully capable of creating that... I may try on a smokey eye look later at some point when I have a chance :)

Finally, ending with a FOTD:

(excuse me for my red eyes, I was allergic to something the entire morning when I was taking photos!! grrrhhh!)

Eyes: SUQQU Blend Color Eyeshadow 04 Keshizumi

Brows: B&C Labo Browlash EX Eyebrow pencil and liquid (grayish brown)

Face: base-Sonia Rykiel Smoothing Gel Base, foundation-SUQQU Frame Fix Foundation

Lips: Tarte LipSugence lip luster in Achiote and Esprique Precious Dress On Glossy Rouge in BE 280

Overall I am very happy that I add this purchase of Keshizumi palette with my SUQQU Spring 2012 collection haul, as they are very high quality and never fail me.... I particularly enjoy the the warm taupe shade "B" and the over grayish tone is a nice departure from my usual warm tone neutrals. It's nice to try something out of your comfort zone once in a while!

SUQQU Blend Color Eyeshadow 03 Matsukasa

Matsukasa is actually my very first SUQQU palette given to me as a present last year from another Japanese friend of mine who lives in Himeiji in the Kansai region of Japan. When asked for which SUQQU palette I would like, I had a hard time deciding between this 03 Matsukasa or 05 Sakurakaba, but as my very first SUQQU palette, I opt in for a safer choice, which is a fool-proof neutral brown palette. 

SUQQU Matsukasa (松球) was realeased in part of the Fall 2011 release and it is basically a warm brown color kind of neutral palette. In fact, the kanki characters 松球 actually means pine cones (with matsu=松=pine, and kasa=球=ball). Look at this image full of pine cones and you will see how the color of Matsukasa can be related to a gorgeous range of warm toned browns:

Drivel about Frivol also has a detailed post with swatches here and Reika of Front Row Beauty has her full review here.

When I first receive this quad and see it in person, I was thinking the browns are a little more "reddish" and warmer than what I saw from the official pictures from SUQQU site. I am particular worry about the upper right color "B" that the red tones of it will make me look like a set of punched eyes in the face.

Moving on to a closer look of this eyeshadow quad 03 Matsukasa:

A closer look at 03 Matsukasa:

under sun

under shade

A: The most shimmery shade in the pan, but shimmer particles are very fine and barely noticeable. I call it a borderline shimmer/satin sheen. This is a neutral toned sandy silver kind of color. I actually quite like this color as it will pair up nicely with a deep taupe from other SUQQU quad beautifully. Texture of this is extremely smooth, and no fall-outs during application.

B: A pigmented warm coppery color, with slight shimmers in it (barely noticeable). The actual swatch itself looks more reddish in the pan. This is a very lovely color, but caution is needed to apply on my NC-25 skintone, as too much of an application will result with a punched eye look.

C: A very pigmented and rich chocolate brown, and it's not as red toned as color "B", leaning towards a dark chocolate (the kind you can eat) color.

D: A matte ivory white primer/base color, typical of SUQQU quad palette.

Texture of this is extremely smooth, and no fall-outs during application. The the level of shimmers is very subtle when compared to the most recent collection I know (Himesango) and I find it very work appropriate with the right balance of pigmentation.

Swatches:

photo taken by the window with diffused sunlight

under shade

In terms of texture, this palette again meets my expectations with SUQQU, which is smooth and silky, and application is very easy without any fall outs. I truly think this palette is very appropriate for work with a subtle balance of pigmentation and shimmer. 

EOTD with 03 Matsukasa:

The color combination is a fool-proof warm neutral that is very appropriate for office lady. I did not attempt to try a tonal smokey look with this palette as I am afraid the coppery reddish brown color "B" will look too muddy on me. However, Drivel about Frivol has a beautifully done EOTD tonal brown smoky gradation on her eyes:

[Photo credits to Drivel about Frivol]

Finally, ending with a FOTD:

Eyes: SUQQU Blend Color Eyeshadow 03 Matsukasa

Brows: B&C Labo Browlash EX Eyebrow pencil and liquid (grayish brown)

Face: base-Sonia Rykiel Smoothing Gel Base, foundation-SUQQU Frame Fix Foundation
Cheeks: SUQQU Face Color Palette EX-01

Lips: Maquillage Essence Glamour Rouge BE 790

As my very first SUQQU palette, I am very happy that I got Matsukasa. I need to move out of my comfort zone and try on a smoky gradation that Drivel about Frivol did with her EOTD look. Though I have a hard time to decide between this 03 Matsukasa and 05 Sakurakaba at that point, I ended up finding a way to lay my hands on 05 Sakurakaba in the end because these SUQQU palettes are so good in quality that they will never fail you! Stay tuned!

An encounter with Beauty Box^^

About 2 weekends ago, I met up with Beauty Box, the awesome beauty blogger at Radiance Tea House. 


It was a muggy and hot Saturday afternoon (yes, we are being struck by countless heatwave here on the East Coast!!) and we met at Radiance Tea House, a small place tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan.

This is a perfect way to stay cool and calm our senses down!

Silver Needle tea, quite refreshing!

Chicken dumplings, with a kick of some heat!

She has document our first counter fully here. 


Here's how it all get started:


So, I have been following Yu Ming's blog Beauty Box for about a few months when Nic Nic of Bang Bang She Shoots recommended me over to check out Yu Ming's awesome reviews on Japanese BB creams (for those BB cream fanatics please go over to Beauty Box to check it out!)


My first impression of her picture from her blog was, will it be possible I found someone with a slightly "healthier" skintone, or a tad tanner than the normal snow white Asian lady, as Yu Ming mentioned she is a NC-25 as well...


After reading her posts, she indeed sparkled my fire on getting varies Japanese BB creams that matches her skintone and to my surprise, it matches me pretty darn well. And it just happened I just learnt that she will be visiting NYC shortly so about 3 days prior to her trip, I suggested to meet up with her.


To be clear, I don't normally ask for meeting up people especially I have not really know "her" for that long, but when I think about how I met my husband (from craigslist) I told myself to trust my instincts that Yu Ming gotta be an awesome blogger to meet. 


And I was correct!! Yu Ming is such a soft spoken and elegant lady!


I had great time chatting with her (and my hubby too) and time really passed by quickly and we gotta go to my hubby's appointment. I felt I have a lot of connections with her, and interestingly makeup and skincare wasn't the only thing we chat about.... Cultural issues like how we were originally born and raised in another country now building a place we call home now are the common thing I felt I am bonded with her in a special way...


I hope to make way down to visit NYC again once our schedule opens up and I hope I can spend more time with her chatting more beauty related issues while she is still in NYC! (or I will have to fly to Tokyo to see her?! Not a bad idea after all for my JP makeup haulage??)


Though we agree before meeting that we won't be doing any kind of swap (due to lack of time prior to meeting) but she kindly gifted me a sample gift bag with some paper masks for me to try:

Deluxe samples from the 美思 line from Missha (their deluxe anti-aging line), a lipstick sampler by Shiseido, various sample sachets (dying to try Dr. Ci:Labo, heard great things about them) and various masks (how did she know I know MBD's Earl Grey Tea mask? I have stocked them up recently!!)


At the same time, I also know that she is "on the move" so I packed a little "beauty box" filled with samples from varies brands so she can try out certain brands and perhaps pick up full sized for the ones she really like prior to returning to Tokyo.


I gotta start planning with my second encounter with wonderful Yu Ming!!

SUQQU Blend Eyeshadow EX-06 Maiyuki

SUQQU Blend Eyeshadow EX-06 Maiyuki is part of SUQQU 2009 holiday collection makeup kit A. Maiyuki in Japanese Kanji is 舞雪 [舞=mai, 雪=yuki], roughly translate "dancing snow", just as when snowflakes start to fall, they are being drifted by the wind and appear to look like they are dancing.

For example I found a "Maiyuki" print design makeup pouch while googling:

The poetic name "Maiyuki" is reflected on the design of the snowflakes design on the SUQQU palette:

Note that because Blend Eyeshadow is from an earlier collection, SUQQU palettes were a bit different back then. The material of the palette is still the highly glossy lacquer that resembles that of a piano veneer, but the more current ones from 2010 onwards are purely black glossy veneer. This older version is a deep burgundy kind of color, shown side by side here in a comparison picture:

The older Blend eyeshadow palettes has a total of 6.7g of products while the newer Blend Color eyeshadow palettes has a total of 6.5g. While the newer ones from this Spring 2012, numbers 09, 10, and 11 have only 5.5g of total product! We are getting less and and less product while the price kept going up!

And another difference is the base color at the lower right has a slightly smaller footprint and the lower right liner color has a vertical imprint of "SUQQU" on it:

Left: 04 Keshizumi, Right: EX-06 Maiyuki

Also notice the older version of SUQQU doesn't have a "raised elevated "plateaus" pressed eyeshadow as they appear to be flat/flushed with the palette.

Since EX-06 was part of a Christmas coffret set, it doesn't come with the matte little cardboard box that comes with other quad eyeshadows. I was able to bid on this palette via Japan auction site, with the help of my friend, Momo-chan :)

Moving on to a closer look of this awesome eyeshadow quad EX-06 Maiyuki:

The colors that this palette offer is actually a cool taupe with a slight hint of shimmer on the top two shades in the quad. But compare to the newer SUQQU eyeshadows, this palette is is not as shimmery and the colors are more subtle, hence more work appropriate.

A closer look at EX-06 Maiyuki:

under shade

under sun

A quick description of the 4 colors in the pan:

A: Shimmery pale baby pink with very noticeable refined silver shimmers and very fine pink shimmers. It is the most shimmery shade out of the quad,  It looks more pink in the pan but when swatched, it appears to be more of a silvery finish. Texture of this is extremely smooth, and no fall-outs during application.

B: Cool taupe color, which is packed with fine micro gold and silver shimmer(barely noticeable, with a nice sheen, in various iridescent hues of taupe, grey, with the occasional hint of cool brown

C: Cool brown, a pigmented satin with extremely fine gold and bronze micro-shimmer occasionally scattered throughout, this color is the darkest in quad, which is for tightlining

D: Off beige white with a golden champagne/slivery sheen, that goes on chalky at all, perfectly smooth and silky

Texture of this is extremely smooth, and no fall-outs during application. Being part of a holiday collection, I would think this palette contains more shimmers and sparkles but I was proven wrong, compare to my current SUQQU collection, this is definitely a more subtler eyeshadow quad.

In terms of texture, this palette again meets my expectations with SUQQU, which is smooth and silky, and application is very easy without any fall outs. Swatches at the back of my hand:

under sun

under shade

The shimmers in colors A and B are more noticeable in the shade:

I truely think this palette is very appropriate for work with a subtle balance of pigmentation and shimmer.

EOTD with EX-06 Maiyuki:
 

Finally, ending with a FOTD:

Eyes: SUQQU Blend Shadow EX-06 Maiyuki

Brows: B&C Labo Browlash EX Eyebrow pencil and liquid (grayish brown)

Face: base-Sonia Rykiel Smoothing Gel Base, foundation-SUQQU Frame Fix Foundation

Lips: Maquillage Essence Glamour Rouge BE 790

A very soft cool taupe hues that is non powdery or chalky, and is very wearable and subtle. As always, I love how smooth and silky SUQQU eyeshadow can offer... and no issues with glitter or liner color fall out... which is very work appropriate! I can see why SUQQU is targeting professional woman as their main audience.

Overall I am very happy that I have the chance to score this discontinued SUQQU palette as they are very high quality.... but the price point has always been a turn off, but again it's hard to resist and as they are not readily available, and it makes them more precious and so collectible!

July blog sale

I hope everyone have been enjoying summer and for those who live in the US, hope you guys have a happy 4th weekend!


Follow the below and go to my blog sale here!

Click here to go to my July blog sale!

It will be until much later that I would post another blog sale, so grab this chance and my lightly used make up and they will appreciate a loving new home!