When I was in Japan, the only luxury brand I was interested in checking out was SUQQU. The sales assistants at the SUQQU counter were lovely and helped me out with my selection of items to purchase. Since I picked up a couple of items, one of the sales assistants asked if I wanted a makeover just so I could try out some of the products they had. I quickly said yes. I reckon she probably couldn’t stand how grubby I looked from the heat and humidity. Fair enough, I couldn’t stand myself either!
She did such a good job in enticing me with the products she used on me because right after the makeover, I picked up the blush she used on me as well. It was really hard to say no, especially after the fantastic service I received. You could say I got suckered into it, which I gladly was. 😛
The Balancing Cheek Blush is a blush duo that consists of a blush and a highlighter. The one she used on me, which also turned out to be the one I picked up, was the 02 Usuzakura. The blush and highlighter are incredibly buttery. They’re very smooth to touch and the blush is especially creamy. I couldn’t fault the quality of both powders at all.
The blush compact comes with a small brush. It’s nowhere near the quality of the famous Cheek Brush but it’s not bad either. The bristles are still very soft and definitely surpasses the quality of enclosed brushes from the likes of Chanel, Tom Ford, Dior, etc.
The only thing I’m not keen on is how very sheer the blush is. You see, I bought the blush solely from how it looked on my cheeks when the SUQQU sales assistant applied it on me. She must have used a butt-load of product because it was absolutely gorgeous on my cheeks then in a beautiful pale pink flush. I could see it on my face and it showed clearly even in the photos Tim took of me right after we left the beauty counter. However, when I was back in Melbourne, I finally tried it out on myself and was disappointed at how sheer it actually is.
The SUQQU Cheek Brush would be quite useless to apply this blush on the cheeks because it’s too light and sparse at the ends. You’ll need a heavier, firmly packed brush to get more colour on the cheeks. I had to use a lot of product for the purpose of this blog post just to get the blush to show in the photos and even then, you can barely see anything on my cheeks.
Having said that, it’s a beautiful blush. The quality is excellent. Even the highlighter is not overly shimmery, which is definitely to my liking. This blush will suit fair skin very well.
Where did the blush go??
Thankfully, SUQQU is not only available in Japan. You can get them at Selfridges in the UK and Isetan in Bangkok. You can also get SUQQU from the Selfridges online store (£38 for the Balancing Cheek Blush). The Balancing Cheek Blush retails at 7020 yen in Japan (approximately AU$73) .
What I like about it: Amazing quality blush and highlighter. Buttery smooth and creamy. Even the enclosed brush is good.
What I do not like about it: Too sheer for my liking. It’s also expensive and it’s not available in Australia.
A sheer pale pink blush is right up my alley. I’m going to have to check this out 🙂 🙂 🙂 I’ve already put the SUQQU blush as one of the items to pick up when I’m there. And maybe another brush 😉
Get a makeover from them! You’ll love the service. They’re really, REALLY good. 😛
I think it looks really pretty on you – I’m not a fan of overly obvious blush, and it looks like a pretty pale pink fairy has brushed against you here, rather than ‘you are wearing blush’. It really lightens and brightens your face and just looks like you, but even prettier – the whole point of make up 😀
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Thanks Hilary. I used to not like overly obvious blush and I couldn’t even be able to tell that I was wearing blush! I blame my first trip to NARS and the introduction to their crazy bright blush, Exhibit A. I’m now hooked to bright blushes. 😛 Having said that, a lovely pale pink fairy look is gorgeous too. 😉
I can see a bit of blush on the second photo. But yeah, the difference is amazing. Did they use wet blush/brush on you during the makeover? ps. I’ve never heard about SUQQU before. Maybe something to try when I’m in Japan? x
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SUQQU is big in Japan. Having said that, not all major departmental stores have SUQQU. It’s crazy expensive and the brushes are like, woooaaaahh! But yeah, most definitely a recommended to-check-out! 😀
What a shame it didn’t do much for you. I’m a sucker for sheer pink blushes. With my pale skin, anything a bit too pigmented risks to make me look like a clown!
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This blush would look absolutely gorgeous on your lovely pale skin Gio!
Urgh a pet peeve of mine is a really sheer (but expensive!) blush! On the upside, you can pack it on all the time and work your way to a nice makeup empty for us all to swoon over?
;P
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Hahahaha there will be A LOT to pile on. For this photo, I kid you not, I had well over 10 layers of blush on. TEN LAYERS! And can you see anything? Nope. 😛