During my trip to London earlier this year, I picked up Suqqu's new Frame Fix Foundation SPF25 PA++. Retailing at the astronomical price of £65 for 25ml (or 10,500yen in Japan), this was my most expensive foundation purchase ever. But I was transfixed by how seamless and natural it appeared when smoothed over the back of my hand in Selfridges. Suqqu had a few other more affordably priced foundations on display but I decided to splurge on Frame Fix. (These other foundations are no longer listed on the Suqqu website so they probably have been discontinued.)
The foundation is named "Frame Fix" as it is supposed to spread smoothly to fit one's skin perfectly and bring out the beauty of one's face line. It is also supposed to help cover pores and skin unevenness while controlling the sebum level and giving your skin a natural lustre and a long-lasting finish. It comes in 9 shades (which can be viewed here). I am using shade #101. Aside from the liquid version that comes in a pump glass bottle, it is also available in a richer cream version that comes in a pot and a compact version.
For me, coverage of the redness in my skin and my pores, and the ability to last well through a normal work day without the need for frequent blotting are the key things that I look for in a foundation. On those measures, Frame Fix performed very well. It applied and blended smoothly for a natural finish and helped to even out my skintone and minimise the appearance of my pores. The finish is not overly matte but there's also no glowy sheen.
The oil control was good too. After a couple of hours, only my nose was showing some shine, whereas with many other foundations, my T-zone and cheeks would also be shiny after two hours. It lasted quite well with some blotting required every couple of hours. One minor flaw is that one pump always produces too much product, and yet the website advises using 1-2 pumps. Even when applied with a foundation brush (which eats up some of the foundation), I was still left with a bit of excess foundation in my palm.
Overall, I'm still not sure that I'd want to pay another £65 for it after this bottle runs out, but it is one of the better prestige foundations that I've tried so far. If you can, do try to get a sample of it before investing in it as £65/10,500yen is an awful lot of money to pay for a foundation. In Southeast Asia, Suqqu is available only in Bangkok. The ingredients do include mineral oil, alcohol and parabens though, which I know will disappoint some ladies.
For the record, none of these face photos have been color-corrected or airbrushed. Not even the lighting has been adjusted. Recently, I was reading a foundation review by another blogger but her face photos were so excessively and blatantly Photoshopped that she might as well not have been wearing any foundation! In a small island country like Singapore, it's all too easy to know who are the bloggers who look very different in real life.
On the eyes, I'm using the Guerlain Écrin 6 Couleurs 93 Rue de Passy today. A reader had asked some time ago if I could show a more neutral look for the day/office so this is my version of a neutral look. As I've mentioned a couple of times, I'm not that into brown and beige eyeshadows as I prefer more colourful shades that add life and are more fun to play with. This is really just a matter of personal preference and everyone has their own favourites and what they are comfortable with. But since makeup is supposed to be fun and expressing your own creativity and individuality, do try to step out of your own comfort zone once in awhile and experiment with different shades, rather than just think that you can never pull off purple/blue/green etc.
Another reader asked if I could do a post comparing the foundations in my collection so I went through my stash to pull together my current liquid and cream foundations. And yes, I definitely have enough foundations to last me well into 2012! Furthermore, I also have a few powder foundations, plus several BB Creams and tinted moisturisers. Anyway, I wanted to test out a few of them more fully before I try to do a comparison post.
I've written quite a number of reviews on several of these, which you can find by either clicking the "foundation" tag or the brand tag at the right hand column. If there's a foundation in particular that you would like to hear about but I haven't reviewed it, do let me know in the comments. In a nutshell, my favourites at the moment are as follows:
Most natural finish: Lancome Teint Miracle and Maybelline Fit Me
Best coverage: Maquillage Lasting Stick Foundation UV
Best oil control: Skin79 VIP Gold BB Cream
Favourite powder foundation: Lancome Maqui Miracle
Did not like: Stila One Step Makeup, Cover Girl Nature Luxe Silk Foundation, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation
I don't actually have a single favourite or Holy Grail as each foundation has its own strengths and flaws. Plus I vary the foundation that I use depending on my skin concerns on a particular day. When my skin looks particularly blotchy, I tend to reach for the Maquillage Stick Foundation. When I'm very short of time, I always go for the Lancome Maqui Miracle powder foundation.
The foundation is named "Frame Fix" as it is supposed to spread smoothly to fit one's skin perfectly and bring out the beauty of one's face line. It is also supposed to help cover pores and skin unevenness while controlling the sebum level and giving your skin a natural lustre and a long-lasting finish. It comes in 9 shades (which can be viewed here). I am using shade #101. Aside from the liquid version that comes in a pump glass bottle, it is also available in a richer cream version that comes in a pot and a compact version.
For me, coverage of the redness in my skin and my pores, and the ability to last well through a normal work day without the need for frequent blotting are the key things that I look for in a foundation. On those measures, Frame Fix performed very well. It applied and blended smoothly for a natural finish and helped to even out my skintone and minimise the appearance of my pores. The finish is not overly matte but there's also no glowy sheen.
The oil control was good too. After a couple of hours, only my nose was showing some shine, whereas with many other foundations, my T-zone and cheeks would also be shiny after two hours. It lasted quite well with some blotting required every couple of hours. One minor flaw is that one pump always produces too much product, and yet the website advises using 1-2 pumps. Even when applied with a foundation brush (which eats up some of the foundation), I was still left with a bit of excess foundation in my palm.
Overall, I'm still not sure that I'd want to pay another £65 for it after this bottle runs out, but it is one of the better prestige foundations that I've tried so far. If you can, do try to get a sample of it before investing in it as £65/10,500yen is an awful lot of money to pay for a foundation. In Southeast Asia, Suqqu is available only in Bangkok. The ingredients do include mineral oil, alcohol and parabens though, which I know will disappoint some ladies.
For the record, none of these face photos have been color-corrected or airbrushed. Not even the lighting has been adjusted. Recently, I was reading a foundation review by another blogger but her face photos were so excessively and blatantly Photoshopped that she might as well not have been wearing any foundation! In a small island country like Singapore, it's all too easy to know who are the bloggers who look very different in real life.
On the eyes, I'm using the Guerlain Écrin 6 Couleurs 93 Rue de Passy today. A reader had asked some time ago if I could show a more neutral look for the day/office so this is my version of a neutral look. As I've mentioned a couple of times, I'm not that into brown and beige eyeshadows as I prefer more colourful shades that add life and are more fun to play with. This is really just a matter of personal preference and everyone has their own favourites and what they are comfortable with. But since makeup is supposed to be fun and expressing your own creativity and individuality, do try to step out of your own comfort zone once in awhile and experiment with different shades, rather than just think that you can never pull off purple/blue/green etc.
Another reader asked if I could do a post comparing the foundations in my collection so I went through my stash to pull together my current liquid and cream foundations. And yes, I definitely have enough foundations to last me well into 2012! Furthermore, I also have a few powder foundations, plus several BB Creams and tinted moisturisers. Anyway, I wanted to test out a few of them more fully before I try to do a comparison post.
I've written quite a number of reviews on several of these, which you can find by either clicking the "foundation" tag or the brand tag at the right hand column. If there's a foundation in particular that you would like to hear about but I haven't reviewed it, do let me know in the comments. In a nutshell, my favourites at the moment are as follows:
Most natural finish: Lancome Teint Miracle and Maybelline Fit Me
Best coverage: Maquillage Lasting Stick Foundation UV
Best oil control: Skin79 VIP Gold BB Cream
Favourite powder foundation: Lancome Maqui Miracle
Did not like: Stila One Step Makeup, Cover Girl Nature Luxe Silk Foundation, Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation
I don't actually have a single favourite or Holy Grail as each foundation has its own strengths and flaws. Plus I vary the foundation that I use depending on my skin concerns on a particular day. When my skin looks particularly blotchy, I tend to reach for the Maquillage Stick Foundation. When I'm very short of time, I always go for the Lancome Maqui Miracle powder foundation.
30 comments:
You should consider using this foundation for life. I find that makes your skin look dewy and young. Nice!
Hi Haru, thanks for the post. Although I don't have easy access to SUQQU, I appreciate your effort of making this post! btw I really love your style of blogging. It just appears really genuine to me compared to some other bloggers who would recommend just about EVERYTHING they reviewed, regardless if they got the products themselves or for free. I just want to say keep it up :D
Wow! This LF sounds great. (I have the same concerns as you.) And I was just wondering this afternoon if if I should splurge on Suqqu e/s and blusher when I came across this LF. I didn't know Suqqu is so difficult (and price so marked up) to get outside Japan. Now I really regret not checking out Suqqu when I was in Japan last Dec.
Haha forgot to compliment your look here! The LF looks very natural on you, almost like you're not wearing one, yet giving your face a very fresh, clean, youthful finish. E/s-wise, neat and clean look, but I still think you look best in purples and greens. ;)
I agree wholeheartedly with anon! It makes you look outstanding with this foundation! Worth every cent! ^_^
Ummm....to tell the truth, this foundation doesn't make you look natural. However, I imagine it would be awesome for an event which requires the red carpet look!
Btw, can you do an update on your experience with the Clarisonic Mia?? Thinking of investing in it.
hi Shay,
I wrote a review on Mia last year and my views haven't changed:
http://rougedeluxe.blogspot.com/2010/06/clarisonic-mia.html
I still use it regularly and it's great for exfoliation and keeping the skin soft and smooth but I still get occasional breakouts.
Wow you look great! Your skin is glowy. Too bad there is no Suqqu here in North America and I didn't bother trying any of their stuff back when I was in London because of the astronomical prices.
LOL at your photoshop comment. I think we all know who you're talking about XD
I like this foundation on you! The moment I see the word SUQQU, I hear Lisa Eldrige's English accent in my head! The shade is nice and your skin looks really nice and healthy; not over-exposed white kind of look. The neutral look is perfectly fine but I do like you with the spunky blues, teals, greens and violets.
PS: Photoshop comment is classic :D
Wow out of all the foundations you've "modelled" here haha, I think you look the best with this one! I disagree with Shay and I think it still looks natural - it's not mask-like and the finish looks like a satin one. You look fresh and well-rested without looking as if you caked your pores full of silicones.
If you're talking about who I'm thinking of (lol), to be fair, I think she has been pretty honest with ads that require skin shots in the past, but her skin these days is really pretty good and there aren't before-and-after shots for comparison.
Your skin looks beautiful. Do you know if any of the 9 shades are lighter than NC15?
hi,
I think shade #001 may be around NC15 but I don't know if it is actually lighter than NC15.
the finish is really nice on you; gives you a little glow without looking even a tad greasy... and the blogger you're referring to, to be fair, she isn't exactly known as a beauty blogger so i would cut her some slack. -h.
Ooo...SUQQU looks great on you! Shall add this to my Bangkok wishlist! And thanks for updates on foundations, i can't wait for your more comprehensive review!
P.s: I like Maqui Miracle too, but when photographed with flash, i look ghostly (such as the l'oreal event)
Hi Haru,
Have you ever tried Bourjois Healthy mix serum foundation?
I wanted to try but would like to read some review before.
thanks.
Min
hi Min,
I haven't tried that Bourjois foundation but I recall reading a review by the makeup blogette on retailtherapy.onsugar.com so you should do a search there.
hi Lynn,
It'd be interesting to know how the price in Bangkok compares. At the current exchange rates, the UK price works out to be S$132 versus S$159 in Japan. Still, that is very pricey splurge so do try it on if you can before deciding whether to purchase it. Suqqu's brand aesthetic is a bit too muted for my taste but their foundations are supposed to be pretty good.
Hi Haru
you look fair radiance with Suqqu so it's a good splurge afterall despite the hefty price tag. :) any of the foundie give you breakout so far? i really hope not but sometimes new product does give me breakout e.g. Sk2 makeup, sisley radiant mask (what a irony, radiant..urgh more like breakout! )
hi Ling,
I haven't had a bad breakout from any of these although I do notice that BB creams seem to cause my pores to become clogged faster, so I've been using liquid and powder foundations more often than BB creams.
This foundation looks great on you! Ok, pricey at first but if you end up finishing the entire bottle then I would say it money worth spent!
I love your style of blogging especially when it comes to makeup/skincare. Especially important when your photos are non-photoshopped. I appreciate your geninue feedback about products.
...and to add on, I think this foundation really makes you look very fresh and your skin very dewy. :)
I really like that foundation on you! I think it looks the best out of all the ones I've seen--maybe it just photographs best though, and others look better IRL?
Do you think you will get the June issue of More with the Agnes b. voyage 5-pocket bag? Do you think it would make a good makeup case?
hi Agmini,
I haven't seen any photos of the interior of the Agnes b voyage case so I can't say if it's any good or useful as a makeup pouch.
hi Tricia,
Thank you :-)
hi Tracy,
Yes, I'll definitely try to use up the whole bottle of this foundation!
Hi Haru. This foundation looks really really good on you. :-) Have you ever tried foundation from Koh Gen Doh? It's also a high end Japanese brand foundation.
hi milktea,
Nope, I haven't tried anything from Koh Gen Do before. I've seen it in stores before but it didn't really appeal to me. As it is, I get tempted by too many brands!
It seems to lessen the wrinkles around your eyes too
Hi Haru, may I know what do the numbering for the SUQQU foundation means? Is #101 a neutral, pink or yellow tone shade?
hi espenine,
You can check out this post by London Makeup Girl which explains the shade numbering. #101 is neutral.
http://www.londonmakeupgirl.com/2011/03/suqqu-frame-fix-cream-foundation-colour.html
I can see this Suqqu Foundation gave you a very smooth and even coverage. Nice!
I have the same shade 03 with the Lancome Teint Miracle foundation. What are you on MAC? thanks.
I should be around MAC NC25-30. I haven't used MAC foundations in years as they don't work for me.
I like this look. The foundation looks good on you!
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