Suqqu EX-14 Ruridama palette (summer 2013 collection)

I know, I know.... summer is almost over for most of you but I had to share some of the stuff that was released with some summer collections.

Although Suqqu hasn't been on my radar lately when it comes to eyeshadow palette, they have released another limited edition quad called EX-14 Ruridama.



The first thing that crossed my mind was that it looked simular to the Mizuaoi palette from their permanent range.

Unfortunately I don't own Mizuaoi (yet) so I can't compare them side by side for now.

The colours do indeed look very summery and as you can see Suqqu has put some pretty pastel shades in this palette, esp. the lilac colour drew my attention.

Normally I don't tend to gravitate towards pastel colours because personally I don't feel they suit my skin tone very well most of the time.

But of course curiosity got the better of me so I did order the palette anyway to see if this quad will be a winner or not (and to make up for the fact that I don't own Mizuaoi but let's keep that between us shall we?).

For those who are not familiar with Suqqu eyeshadow palettes, each quad consist of 2 matte shades (in this case the navy and the pink colours) and 2 shimmery shades (here the yellow/gold and the lilac shades).

The right bottem shade is usually the 'base' shade or a primer and in most of their quads that would be a matte white shade. In limited editions palettes Suqqu usually chooses other colours than white.

Texture is like most Suqqu quads excellent, buttery smooth and the shimmery shades are quite unique and nothing quite like anything I have seen before. Like most Asian eyeshadows, they may not be the most pigmented eyeshadows out there but the complexity and texture definitely make up for that.

At first glance the difference with Mizuaoi would be the following: 

- there are no dark purple & baby blue shades in this quad

- the pink shade in Ruridama is more cool

- the yellowish gold colour is very sheer, barely noticable on the skin (unless you're very pale)

To be quite honest I had high expectations of this quad and maybe that's the reason why I was a little disappointed.

The main raison for this are not the 2 darker shades in this palette (which are very pigmented and easy to work with) but the problem lays with the 2 lighter shades.

Although they are buildable the yellow gold and the pink shades are very sheer and hardly show up on my NC25/30 skin. Applying them in layers to build up the intensity of the colour did work to a certain point but after that it can look very uneven (even a bit chalky as I noticed with the pink shade) on the skin.

I don't know if my skin tone is to blame here but personally I don't think it's worth getting this quad just for the 2 darker shades, the navy and the lilac colours.

I highly suggest to check out this palette in person if you happen to be near a Suqqu counter to see if this quad will work for you.

As usual I will also leave you these swatches of Ruridama. 

Suqqu EX-14 Ruridama swatches- indoor

Same swatches- outdoor lighting

Surprisingly all the colours in the quad do work well together and I manage to use all these colours in 1 eye look.

Suqqu EX-14 Ruridama is a limited edition palette and retails for £45 GBP in the UK and can be purchased at any Suqqu counter (in Japan, Thailand or the UK) or Selfridges (in store and online).

Laduree #05 Eye Color palette

After some much needed break from blogging, yours truly has some finds that she would like to share with you.

Although Laduree cosmetics has had some attention in the blogosphere, I find their eyeshadow palettes don't get the attention they deserve.

I managed to get my hands on one of the palette which is just labelled #05. 

This time I only opted for the refill and didn't purchase the packaging as I'm personally not a big fan of the plastic white and gold case.

Other reason being that this way it's much easier for me to put it in an empty palette or to take with me for travelling.

What caught my eye about this particular palette is the combination of the yellow and the purple shade along with some interesting neutral colours.

For me this palette is quite versitale in terms of different eye looks you can create with it. The gorgeous purple shade can be used for a smokey night look with the pop of yellow for some colour while the brown/beige shades can be used for a minimal daytime look.

The texture was surprisinly very smooth, almost buttery but not powdery and very very pigmented. I hardly had to swirl with my brush to get some product so very little is needed.

It wore pretty well during the day but at the end of the day I did see some fading but nothing dramatic or noticable.

Here are some swatches I took of the palette for some indication of the colours.
Notice that the purple shade has a hint of brown in it that makes it more complex than it looks in the pan, isn't it just gorgeous?

Swatches of the Laduree #05 palette- indoors

Same swatches - Outdoor lighting

I tried to incorporate most of the colours from the palette in 1 look and here is the result.

The Laduree Eye Color palette cost 4200 Yen just for the refill (the additional case cost another 1575 Yen) and can be found at the Laduree stores in Japan or at sites like Ichibankao if you are willing to pay the marked up prices.