Suqqu EX-07 Tsukiakari Forwards, Backwards and Sideways

Hullo sky! Hullo birds! &c. Oh yes, I am on holiday at last :D Which hopefully means I'll be spamming you all more regularly with the enormous hoard of pics on my hard-drive.

First up, a new thing which-I-am-not-sure-is-a-great-idea-but-people-asked-people-as-in-more-than-one-person-even: a pictorial step-by-step of one of my typical vertical-gradation eye looks using Suqqu's new, limited edition EX-07 Tsukiakari quad for autumn (previously swatched). Srsly, it is actually embarrassing how basic this is / how unskilled I am; you can probably extrapolate from this to unlock the sekrits of all my other makeup :P

The Quad In Question

The Look

1. Swept the white powder primer (bottom right pan) all over up to brow

2. With a dense flat brush (I used Shu Uemura Synthetic 10), patted the navy cream (bottom left) over the mobile lid, feathering outwards at the very edges. [Don't worry about making it perfectly neat; it is just fine if it looks a patchy mess in close-up :P] Took it under the lower lashline with the edge of the same brush, from outer corner fading inwards.

3. With a dense-but-fluffy brush (I used Suqqu Eyeshadow M, but a flatter brush like MAC 239, Shu Natural 10 etc. works too), patted the plum taupe (top right pan) over and slightly beyond the navy base and swept to blend lightly at edges. Layered it over the navy cream on the lower lashline.

4. With a fluffy blender (I used Suqqu Eyeshadow L, other possibilities: MAC 217 or 224, Stila 9, Nars 14 etc.), lightly blended the peachy pink (top left) over and beyond the edges of the plum taupe into the socket and inner corner.

5. With the remains of the peachy pink on the same fluffy brush, blended out any harsh lines separating the shades [I wanted a very soft, hazy look]. Dusted off brush, then used it to pick up more of the powder primer to help adjust/clean up the shape -- I changed my mind at this point from the elongated shape I'd laid down to wanting a more rounded one, so pulled the outer corner in and up.

6. Used a liner brush (I used Chikuhodo Artist 6-1 cf. MAC 231, Hakuhodo 005 etc.) and the navy cream again to make a thickish line following and extending straight out from the natural shape of my eye. Also to rim lower waterline and line outer 1/3 of lower lashline.

7. Mascara (Lancome Hypnôse Drama WP) and done.

With the left side of Suqqu EX-02 Mizumomo blush and Beauté Fever stain on lips, topped with balm.
Base: Rouge Bunny Rouge Sea of Clouds to highlight, Becca compact concealer Meringue on blemishes and Burberry pen concealer 01 under eyes. BCL Browlash EX Water Strong W Eyebrow Pencil Natural Brown on brows.

Better angle for the blush

The Look, Backwards

I think of looks like this as a smokey-eye-with-colours: it smokes outwards from the lashline. The more traditional way of doing this kind of vertical gradation of eyeshadow goes from light to dark, towards the lashline but creates a similarly flattering smokey effect. I really don't have a preference for either method (sometimes I will start with the midtone shade), so it depends more on the kind of effect you want to achieve with the particular shades you're working with.

Going from light to dark with this particular Suqqu palette creates a lighter and warmer pink/red look without the navy sludging things up as a base. I kept the brushes and overal shape consistent with the first look. For Science.

1. Again I applied the white primer base all over my eye. Then the peachy pink all over the mobile lid into the socket with Suqqu Eyeshadow L brush.

2. The plum taupe on a denser brush (Suqqu Eyeshadow M) over lid and crease, leaving a halo of the peachy-pink untouched.

3. Navy to line (Chikuhodo Artist 6-1). Turned out a little more winged out than the day before. oops. 

4. Lower lashline is pretty much the same as the day before's but with the addition of the pinky peach layered over the two darker shades.

Blush is Suqqu EX-02 Mizumomo again (this time I mixed both shades for a lighter and softer pink) but to echo the eye I went with Addiction Lady of the Lake on the lips, a deeper, richer wine than the red before.
Same base, but RBR Sea of Tranquility (opal pink) replacing Clouds (white).

The Palette, Sideways

or, y'know, comparison swatches.

The peachy pink from EX-07 Tsukiakari is very close to (maybe a hair lighter than) the pink in Suqqu's 08 Mizuaoi quad: both are pinker and cooler (and less sparkly) than Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Abstraction. What my swatch doesn't show is that the Tsukiakari shade is much more pigmented and less delicately sparkly than the Mizuaoi one (which is layered here twice).

Tsukiakari's plum taupe is most similar to ME Medium Plum 761 from Shu Uemura, but it is sheerer and has a much more melty-buttery texture and less of a metallic sheen. The darker side of Paul&Joe Eye Gloss Duo 4 Bourgeoisie is more metallic yet, and is much cooler -- more of a straight taupe with only a hint of mauve reflect. Rouge Bunny Rouge Delicate Hummingbird looks extremely grurple alongside these, but reads as a dusty taupe against proper jewelled purples [I had a reason to swatch it, honest]. 

The navy cream turned out to be quite tricky to 'dupe' exactly, considering my fondness for this shade. Its grey-blue base makes it look brighter and clearer than both Rouge Bunny Rouge Vera kohl (with which it shares a little violetiness) and KATE BU-1 gel liner (which looks almost tealish in consequence). The micro-sparkle in the Suqqu lighten it further -- making it both brightening and defining as a liner.