I have only a handful left of my Japanese makeup loot to show you guys and it’s quite sad. Weirdly enough, I have these intense cravings for makeup but I don’t really go out (or go online) and buy any of that. Is this maturity?

In any case, this is one of my favorite purchases, the Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow in Ex-11 Sumiredama, or “Violet Pearl.” I got the translation from Kate’s review.

When I got home, I noticed that the name is similar to the heroine’s of my favorite Haruki Murakami novel, Sputnik Sweetheart. She is called Sumire. Obviously, this was a delightful surprise.

It seems like a pretty basic color selection, but with a couple of complex shades thrown into the mix. There’s a pearly cream, a shimmery pale peach-pink, a pretty metallic taupe-y color that has turquoise shifts, and a blue-purple duochrome that I just love to bits. The texture of the shadows is exceptional, though the application on the eyes really is quite sheerer than I’d like.

The compact is quite sizeable, with a nice, large mirror, and a lid that folds out to about 180°, if I correctly remember my angles. It comes with two double-ended applicators—a sponge one and a brush one—and the finish of the case is a pretty, pearly duochrome matte thing. I obviously don’t know what it’s called. I’m not a fan, but I like how slim it is.

Here are the swatches, L-R: cream, pink, taupe, violet. I like these a lot, though when applied to the eye they’re not as intense as the swatches would have you believe. Suqqu shadows are intended for layering, much like the Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscope Eye Kits, but the violet here is so intense that it doesn’t really have much to show for when it comes to mixing colors for depth and complexity.

For fun, I wanted to see if I could find dupes in my Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette, which I reviewed here. Here’s what I found:

Top swatches: Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette. Bottom swatches: Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow in Ex-11 Sumiredama.

From the top, the shades look barely different. I’ve numbered the shades on the hand, corresponding to those in the WnW palette. The third shade and the taupe shade are kind of a stretch, though they look very similar.

When you tilt it on the side, though, there is where the difference lies. Texturally, they are also pretty different. WnW shadows are beautiful and buttery, but they give one sort of finish. The Suqqu shadows are buildable and blendable, and theoretically can be layered. This means that this palette is perfect for everyday light washes and also smokey eyes.

This Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow retailed for ¥7,140, and can be purchased in Japan and the UK (Selfridges).

I don’t have any information as to whether or not Suqqu tests on animals. I have reached out to their team, but received no reply.

Read about my personal cruelty-free pledge here.