Japanese Iris: SUQQU Blend Color Eyeshadow in no.16 Hanashoubu

I've been lemming after SUQQU eyeshadow quads for about two years now, thanks to all the enticing posts by Kate at Drivel About Frivol, Bellyhead at Wondegondigo, Sara at Color Me Loud and Liz at So Lonely in Gorgeous. Alas, they're not easy to come by in the US: you either have to pay extortionate shipping fees to have them delivered from Selfridges in the UK, or swallow the mark-up and order from Ichibankao.

I was pretty reluctant to part with around $70 (¥8800 for a 0.14 oz/ 4.2 g quad on Ichibankao, £45 at Selfridges) and then worry about my parcel being held in customs on top of that, as per Claire's DHL horror story, so when Mr travelled to London recently for a work trip, I had him trek to the Oxford Street Selfridges himself to purchase a quad for me in person. I doubt he was very happy about it, but he was a trooper.

You can tell right from the packaging that Suqqu is a very luxurious brand: the minimalist matte black box, the velvet pouch, the impressive weight of a reflective black compact, opened by pushing a button. There's also a reasonable size mirror inside, and the four eyeshadows are accompanied by a sponge tip and a brush tip applicators.

For my virginal Suqqu purchase, I opted for Blend Color Eyeshadow no. 16 Hanashoubu - my rudimentary research reveals that this means (Japanese) iris, the quad being undoubtedly named after the beautiful neutral purple shade in the bottom left corner (this is called a 'deep color' in Suqqu terminology). From online swatches, Hanashoubu quad seemed like the most cool-toned in the permanent line, and that's my preference for my fair complexion with cool undertones.

However, when I opened the compact and had a little swatchfest with the shadows, it turned out that Hanashoubu isn't all that cool-toned, at least on my skin. The 'Light Color' in the upper left corner is a very pale yellow ivory shimmer, the 'Arrange Color' on the upper right is a satin warm tan shade, the 'Deep Color', a very subtle iris purple shimmer pulls a bit plummy on me, and truly, only the 'Veil Color' on the bottom right is a very pale silvery pink shimmer.

I'll be honest with you: after swatching these shadows and playing with them on my eyes for a couple days, I don't get the 'Suqqu magic'. Sure, they're nice shadows - while both of the lighter shades aren't terribly pigmented (which is expected at least from the pale pink veil shade), the tan and the purple have a bit of punch to them. Yes, the texture is smooth and buttery, although I did experience some issues when blending out the purple shade over NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base.

I was however under the impression that Suqqu shadows are supposed to be packed full of beautifully understated but complex shimmer. Except... Hanashoubu is not. The darker shades (tan & purple) are more of a satin finish, and the two lighter shades are shimmery, but in a very straightforward way - I can't see any rainbows or multicolor opalescence in them.

For my first look, I applied the pale yellow on the lid (this took several layers to build up the intensity), pale pink in the inner corners, tan brown in the crease and the iris purple on the lower lashline and the very outer corner. I mean... pretty, but not exactly magical.

For the second look, I attempted to use a layering technique championed by the Belly. I applied purple all over the lid and along the lower lashline, and topped it with the pale pink veil shimmer. That gave it some shimmery oomph but also slightly desaturated the depth of that purple - which I guess is not a bad thing for daytime. I blended the purple out with the tan brown shade in the crease, and used the light ivory in my inner corners - that turned out to be more brightening that using the veil shade alone around the tearduct. I liked this look more than the first one, but it still failed to absolutely wow me - for a similar but more dimensional purpley/ plummy eye, I much prefer the look of Rouge Bunny Rouge Delicate Hummingbird on my eyelids.

So yeah, I don't know - Suqqu veterans, what am I missing here? Where's my subtle but mesmerizing shimmer? Is it just a fluke that Hanashoubu isn't terribly complex? Please tell me. Because as of right now, I'm not in love - and I so wished to be :(

PS. Dear US-based readers who shop on Amazon (uhm, everyone, then?), I have an exciting opportunity to share with you: one of my PR contacts is currently looking for anyone interested in trying two best-selling facial serums from InstaNatural: the Age-Defying Skin Clearing Serum with Vit. C and the Hyaluronic Acid Serum. In exchange, you have to be willing to leave an honest review for these serums on Amazon, disclosing you received the product for free. These products already have nearly a 5-star rating, and I thought it'd be cool if we all tried them together and then shared our experiences. It's not a scam - just a cool opportunity requiring minimal effort. If you're interested, please email sylvie@fuelmyblog.com.