My Kind of Nude: Suqqu Creamy Glow Moist Lipstick no.3 Fuyuzakura

Well, I couldn't have just stopped at buying one eyeshadow palette from Suqqu, could I now? I also really, really wanted to try another must-have from the line, the Creamy Glow lipstick in shade no. 3. However, I'm not sure if the counter person got confused or maybe Mr didn't read all of my carefully scribbled description I provided him with prior to his departure, but I ended up with the Creamy Glow MOIST Lipstick in, yes, shade no. 3 - Fuyuzakura (£27.00 for 0.13 oz/ 3.8g) , which I *think* may mean 'winter cherry blossom'.

The tube is made out of shiny black metal and the shape is sleek and somewhat elongated, but not so tall as not to fit in my shallow vanity drawer. The bullet itself is cut at a slanted angle, as with many lipsticks in those slimmer tubes. The Creamy Glow Moist formula claims to 'stay firmly on the lips while keeping them moist and hydrated' and touts to have 'added skincare effects of lip balm'. Due to the word 'moist' in the name, I expected it to be somewhat glossy, moisturizing and more on the sheer side.

And it turned out to be exactly that, in a shade that's luckily my kind of nude - ain't that easy to find a true flattering nude for this pale face, people. What surprised me upon initial application was that the texture of the Creamy Glow Moist is firmer than most of those sheer, balmy lipsticks, and while it glides onto the lips without trouble, the color does seem to hug the lips a bit closer; it's not as slippy as something like Revlon Lip Butters or my beloved Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatments.

No. 3 Fuyuzakura is a beautiful cool pink nude with just a hint of peach. In the bullet, it looks very similar to Maybelline Color Sensational in Warm Me Up or Red Apple Lipstick in Audrey, but in the swatches and on the lips, it's much lighter and seems to have more of a white base - placing it more in the nude rather than 'My Lips But Better' category for my fair skintone. The LE Bite High Pigment Lip Pencil in Sablé, another favorite nude shade, is a bit deeper and peachier.

It is worth mentioning that while the Creamy Glow Moist formula is quite sheer (that's about six layers on my arm), it doesn't benefit from building up too much on the lips. A heavy layer in such a light shade tends to sink into vertical lip lines too much - you can see that a tiny bit in the close-up photo. Fuyuzakura is also pretty much the exact color of my lips; in the full face shot, I kinda look like I'm wearing just clear lip balm - except that the sheer veil of color makes my unevenly pigmented lips appear more perfected. If you're medium to dark, I think this color may be too light on you (I've heard some people describe Bite Sablé as a death nude, and in the swatches, you can clearly see it's darker than Fuyuzakura).

I would say that the Creamy Glow Moist in Fuyuzakura reminds me most of the Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine in PK331. The Shu is a cooler baby pink with shimmers and the formula feels a bit softer, but the effect of that glossy whisper of color on the lips is quite similar - so if you're having trouble getting your hands on the Suqqu and you're not sure if the texture would agree with you, I'd recommend checking the Shu Supreme Shine first (even though it's admittedly not that easy to get hold of Shu in the US either).

Lasting power was slightly above average for a sheer glossy lipstick, and it was still comfortable and somewhat hydrating even after teaching a 1.5 hour class - most lipsticks get eaten/ disappear mysteriously from my lips in similar circumstances, so I'm happy about that.

All in all, I'm satisfied with this purchase - probably more so than with the Hanashoubu eyeshadow quad (btw, I'm not wearing Hanashoubu in the face shot; that's the purple shade from the Stila In The Moment eyeshadow palette on my lower lashline). I don't think the Creamy Glow Moist formula is a lipstick to end all sheer lipsticks, but it's still very good, and a joy to use - it's the definition of effortless, barely there lip. Have you tried any of the Suqqu Creamy Glow Moists? What is your favorite glossy lipstick formula?