Of Toys and Co: Suqqu Designing Color Eyes Part VII

Happy 4th!

Finally getting to my Suqqu goodies I've been sitting on since last summer: 115 輝瑠璃 (Kiruri), a Shinjuku Isetan Spring 2018 exclusive, 119 向陽葵 (Himawari), a summer 2018 LE, and 123 晄織 (Hikariori), a fall 2018 UK LE.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

For the summer 2018 collection, Suqqu did something different with the packaging for the two LE quads 118 朱夏 (Akenatsu) and 119 向陽葵 (Himawari). These have bronze-brown compacts with pale gold trimming, which I like much better than the black with yellow gold compacts in the regular lineup.

Funny enough, just looking at these three palettes, I'd pick 119 Himawari as my favorite. I mean, just look at that yellow! But once I actually wore the colors, there was a clear difference between what I liked to look at versus what I liked on myself, as in wishful thinking versus real life preference. You know where this is going, right? Yup, 115 Kiruri ended up being the actual daytime favorite I reached for when I did have the time to put some color on my face ^.^

- 115 輝瑠璃 (Kiruri): When I first saw this quad, I didn't think much of it. In fact, I summarily ignored it. Sure, from the promo pictures the color combo appeared different enough: soft white, lavender-pink, denim blue, and brown. However, the palette was so plain and boring at a glance, and it was only available during the Shinjuku Isetan Makeup Party event, which meant it was a pain to get a hold of. Thankfully, the palette made its way to Selfridges UK, and with more online swatches available I gave the palette a closer look. I decided I liked the blue enough to pick up the whole thing, and what do you know, that was one of the best purchase decisions I made recently.

Turned out these colors were more than meet the eyes, folks! In the pan, they were muted and quiet, if not boring (like me, ha!). How they swatched totally surprised me, and once I tried them on, it was pure love. These colors just worked together like a dream, and they were so easy to wear, period. They just brightened up my face and made me look put-together even when I was barely awake and functioning. Couldn't ask for a better everyday palette.

Clockwise from top left:

- Highlighter: metallic pearl, medium intensity. In the promotional photos, this color appears an off-white when in fact it's a pale champagne, and with a prominent pearly gold sheen to boot (which the swatch photos failed to capture, sorry!). Among the several similar colors I own, this one works really well to highlight the inner corners of the eyes as it's pigmented but is translucent, as in no white base and isn't opaque, and therefore isn't frosty.

- Sparkling top wash: high shimmer, low intensity. A transparent(!) lavender-pink with a sparkling, wet sheen. I have worn this both as a top wash as well as a lid wash. I thought the lavender tinge wouldn't work with my yellow skin tone but nope, it's lovely on!

- Dark/liner: shimmer, high intensity. Appears a brown in the promotional photos, and in the swatch photos below too actually, thanks to the sun's yellow-cast, but it's actually an olive-brown. The olive is most apparent in the zoomed out picture above. Makes an awesome liner.

- Medium/crease: semi-metallic, high intensity. A shimmery denim blue. Very pretty.

- 119 向陽葵 (Himawari): I love yellows, especially a bright and shimmery one. I love looking at and admiring it, that is. As for actually wearing it, I actually don't know how. Yet. Someday I will learn how to. May be. Until then, I'll keep admiring it. At least the other three colors in this palette are super wearable xD

Clockwise from top left:

- Highlighter: metallic pearl, medium intensity. Ivory with a pearly champagne sheen.

- Lid: metallic pearl, medium intensity. A beautiful peach-gold with a pearly gold sheen. Makes a gorgeous lid wash.

- Dark/liner: shimmer, high intensity. Chocolate brown with bronze shimmers.

- Medium/crease: Metallic, high intensity. A scorching bright yellow. Just looking at this color makes me happy. Now I just have to work up the nerve to wear it somehow.

- 123 晄織 (Hikariori) Cosmos Dust(?): of the three palettes released for the UK Christmas 2018 Interstellar Collection, I only liked this one. Even then, I had to apply each color gingerly, because they were super pigmented. There wasn't really a highlighter in this palette. Instead, there were three medium colors that could be used as allover lid wash and on the crease. Together, they were a little dramatic. On an individual level though, each color was gorgeous and could stand on its own, which was what I really appreciate about the whole palette.

To be honest, the UK LE releases had always been very different from both the JP regular lineup and LE's. The UK LE lippies were more pigmented and opaque, versus the JP counterparts with translucent finish and LE's that were more like clear balms. The UK LE eye colors were frequently bright and, more often than not, totally neon! Versus the JP counterparts that were sometimes down right uninspiring, and ironically more suitable for everyday folks like me. Over the years, I've only picked up a few UK LE items because most of them just too loud and wouldn't work for me. I think I'm not really a part of the intended demographic anyway.

Clockwise from top left:

- Medium lid/crease: metallic, high intensity. A jaw-dropping yellow gold. This is gorgeous when sheered out to a wash allover the lid.

- Medium lid/crease: metallic, high intensity. A burnish gold with beige-y undertone. Another beautiful lid wash but I've also worn it on the crease and it's pretty there too.

- Medium lid/crease: shimmer, high intensity. Lovely coral with a gold sheen. Same as above. See what I mean with these colors being strong enough to stand on their own?

- Dark/liner: shimmer, high intensity. A breathtaking cosmic night-sky blue.