Makeup, Skincare, Fragrance and a Bit of Fashion
On September 3rd, SUQQU went through a major brand renewal in Japan and its fall 2010 makeup collection includes many new point and base makeup products. (There are also new skincare items.) Blend Color Eyeshadow, available in 6 variations, is one of the new products, and today I am reviewing 01 Kakitsubata.
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(images/info from www.joseishi.net/voce)
SUQQU will release its holiday 2010 makeup/skincare collection in Japan on November 5th. The collection includes:
2010 Christmas Makeup Kit A (above):
– Blend Color Eyeshadow in EX-01 (limited-edition variation)
– Mascara Volume Long N in 01 Black (charm size)
– Eye Cream R (charm size (4g))
– original pouch
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(image from www.suqqu.com)
I stopped by the SUQQU counter in London’s Selfridges a couple of days ago and tested items from the brand’s fall 2010 makeup collection. All the colors in the new Blend Color Eyeshadow palettes are very smooth and silky. (The top two shades are shimmery, and the bottom two shades are softly matte.) Even the eyelining shades are more or less as smooth and silky as the other shades and they have a soft and airy quality. (The eyelining shades in the previous Blend Eyeshadow palettes were slightly drier than the other shades in the palettes.)
(image from www.suqqu.com)
My favorite one is 01 Kakitsubata (pictured above and below). As pointed out by Hiroko (see the link for swatches), Kanebo-owned brands/ lines often bring out eye palettes with medium gold and dark blue. Intriguingly, I was never interested in this color combination until I saw this palette.
(image from www.biteki.com)
Also, according to one of SUQQU’s sales assistants:
– Creamy Glow Lipstick (which is part of SUQQU’s fall 2010 makeup collection in Japan and whose information is already up on SUQQU’s global website) won’t be launched in the UK until March 2010.
– Powder Eyeshadow and Powdery Cheeks, which have been discontinued in Japan, will still be available in the UK for the foreseeable future. (See my review of Powdery Cheeks in Ashibi and Oshiroibana here.)
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When I had a chance to stop by SUQQU in Selfridges in London for the first time in 2006, I was very impressed by how soft and smooth the blushers were. Among the shades available, the wearable 11 Ashibi really caught my eye at the time.
When I heard about SUQQU’s planned revamp a few months ago, my instant reaction was that I really wanted to get Ashibi as soon as I could. (SUQQU’s fall 2010 makeup collection, which marks the start of the brand’s renewal, is out in Selfridges now.)
11 Ashibi is a moderately pigmented muted warm dusty pink. It has a softly matte finish and does not have any shimmer. It goes on a little more vibrant than it looks in the pan. Color-wise, it really suits my slightly warm-toned complexion, and, texture-wise, the soft and silky powder melts into the skin effortlessly.
It goes on quite sheer initially, but the color is buildable. It is an exceptionally natural color for my complexion, and I love the understated and elegant look it creates.
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(image from www.rmkrmk.com)
Color-wise, the fall 2010 makeup trends seem to be a natural progression from the last few seasons. Beiges and browns dominated spring 2010, and they are still a key trend in fall 2010, (Gone are the grays, which were prominent in fall 2009, as a major color trend.) Meanwhile, purples shone last fall and they have taken on a few varied hues this season.
Beiges & Browns
RMK puts browns firmly on center stage with the Autumn Brown collection. The limited-edition Brown Eyes palettes feature various brown tones. (The palettes are called Deep Brown, Dark Brown, Red Brown, Yellow Brown and Beige Brown.) Guerlain‘s new Écrin 6 Couleurs palettes are also based on a variety of neutral tones, while SUQQU‘s revamped makeup line lays the groundwork with six Blend Color Eyeshadow palettes, all with neutral hues.
(image from www.iswii.net)
(image from www.guerlain.co.jp)
(image from www.biteki.com)
Pinks, Mauves, Purples & Plums
Biteki (September 2010) calls them the berry tones, and those who are not enticed by the skin-tonal colors and who are interested in more vibrant shades might want to look into these mouth-watering colors.
Dior‘s 5 Color Design palette in Pink Design includes a dusty pink and a sophisticated muted purple. Estée Lauder‘s Pure Color 5 Color Eyeshadow Palette in Surreal Violet offers some delicious berry shades. Addiction‘s fall 2010 makeup collection includes berry-toned items for eyes as well as lips. (Refer to the link for the new items for lips.)
(image from www.dior.com)
(image from www.sephora.com)
(image from www.esteelauder.com)
(image from www.joseishi.net/voce)
Mix & Match
What is interesting is that many brands feature both color trends in their fall 2010 makeup collections (either in one single item or in various items in the collection). Here are some of the highlights:
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(image from www.iswii.net)
Some thoughts after the visit to Harrods and Selfridges a few days ago:
Paul & Joe
I tested some of the items from the fall 2010 Clair de Lune collection. The colors in the limited-edition Face & Eye Color CS palettes look as pretty as they do in the promotional images. However, even for me, many of the colors are too sheer. The three lighter shades in Paper Moon (the neutral palette) are mainly shimmer and don’t have much pigment.
Burberry Beauty
The line was launched on July 12th in Harrods, which is the line’s only retail point in the UK at the moment. All the powder-based items (powder foundations, blushers, bronzers, and eyeshadows) have a beautifully silky texture and a velvety matte finish. (None of the eyeshadows has visible shimmer.) I also like the classy packaging. (I will post a more detailed review of the line later on.)
SUQQU
One of the sales assistants confirmed that the fall 2010 collection would be launched in the UK in September. Since Powdery Cheeks is one of the products to be discontinued next month, I decided that it was time to pick up 11 Ashibi, which caught my eye during my first encounter with SUQQU in 2006 . I have a feeling that it will soon be among my favorite blushers. I also went for 14 Oshiroibana, which is more vibrant. Even though they will be discontinued soon, I am still planning to post my thoughts on them for those who are interested in this exquisite Japanese beauty brand.
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(images/info from www.joseishi.net/voce)
It is not rare for Japanese beauty brands to go through a thorough overhaul every few years (either all in one season or in several seasons over a year or so). Last year, both RMK and Elégance revamped their makeup lines. (See the links for the relevant posts.) For fall 2010, SUQQU will renew its makeup and skincare lineups as well. All the items featured here are brand new items, not new shades/variations of existing items. They will be released in Japan on September 3rd, and I assume they will arrive in the UK soon after that.
The new items include:
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SUQQU is more renowned for its makeup range than for its skincare lineup, as the brand has a variety of sublime color and base makeup items. But today I am featuring one of SUQQU’s key skincare products, Musculate Massage Cream.
Those who are familiar with SUQQU might know about the brand’s signature Gankin Massage, which is claimed to help ease the tension of facial muscles, stimulate blood flow, and re-define facial contours. The massage can be administered by staff members at the SUQQU counter or at home, with the help of Musculate Massage Cream.
The massage is performed after cleansing and before toning and moisturizing. Ideally, it is performed daily both in the morning and in the evening. There are specific steps in the Gankin Massage routine, which are available on the “How to Massage” page on SUQQU’s Japanese website. (These steps are not presented on SUQQU’s global website.)
After the massage, the massage cream is wiped off with a sponge cloth, which comes with the massage cream. (The sponge cloth can be purchased separately, and so can a fiber cloth (as an alternative for the same purpose).) SUQQU also recommends using Face Refresher to remove any residue of the massage cream. As far as I can remember, it contains quite a lot of alcohol and might cause skin irritation for some people.
The massage cream has a very emollient texture. It is designed not to sink into the skin entirely so that the emolliency stays on the skin to facilitate the massage. It contains rich emollients such as mineral oil, beeswax, petrolatum, and squalane. It also contains moisturizing ingredients such as dipropylene glycol, stearic acid, cetearyl alcohol, methylserine, xylobiose, and sodium hyaluronate. (I have noticed that methylserine and xylobiose don’t seem to be commonly used in skincare products from western brands.)
Because of all the occlusive emollients in this product, it is a lot more suitable for those with dry or very dry skin and I would not recommend this product for those with oily skin. If you have combination skin, do avoid using this product on the oilier parts of your skin. (Otherwise you are simply pushing mineral oil and petrolatum into the skin which is already very sebaceous and this might create more problems than benefits.)
The Musculate Massage Cream pictured above is the limited-edition jasmine-scented Matsukasoukou version (available in the UK from January), while the original version (without the leaf details on the jar) has the brand’s signature eastern orchid scent. From June 4th, a limited-edition 300ml version (of the original (eastern orchid) version (200ml)) will be available in Japan.
(The product featured in this article is provided by SUQQU.)
Related posts on SUQQU:
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(SUQQU Noble Nuance Face Color)
Paul & Joe: As I mentioned earlier, Select Eye Colors are now available in the UK. None of the shades has grabbed me. At the moment, I am looking forward to the new Lip Gloss G from the summer 2010 collection.
RMK: Spring Modern Eyes in 04 Rosy Purple from the spring 2010 collection has been sold out.
SUQQU: I finally had a chance to see SUQQU’s spring 2010 collection in person. Noble Nuance Face Color has a subtle luminous glow that should be appealing for many people. Among other items in the collection, I like Noble Nuance Eyeshadow in EX-01, Noble Nuance Cheeks in EX-01, and Noble Nuance Lipstick in EX-02.
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Here we go, in reverse order:
10. Kate
(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)
(Diamond Cut Eyes in BR-3)
9. SUQQU
(image fromwww.suqqu.com )
8. YSL
(image from www.ysl.com)
(image from www.ysl.com)
7. Elégance
(image from www.elegance-cosmetics.com)
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