Suqqu Frame Fix Liquid Foundation

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.