Review: Holika Holika + SkinFood + Etude House

Sometimes I wonder if I'm trying to cram too much into one video....  This was a long one :P  But I only had three Holika Holika products and one thing led to another so yeah~ This is mostly a Holika Holika vid, which I think needs to be talked about more anyway because it's such a new brand :)

Holika Holika Apple Shine Peeling Sheet

You can actually buy these online but the website is in Korean ^_^. They are 1000won each = ~.85 - $1 USD.  But you really needn't be troubled by this...cuz this is a crap product :\ It really is.

Basically, you scrub the hell out of you face with a rough piece of cloth :\ Of course there will be some exfoliation going on like that but not only was it annoying to use, I don't think it worked very well either.  Forgot to mention this leaves a white residue on your face (and fingers).   Wouldn't recommend this useless product to anyone.

Holika Holika Juicy Hawaii Kiwiade Cleansing Tissue
Smells fresh n' fruity...a strong, tart granny smith apple scent.  It works pretty well and is very portable but I don't particularly recommend it for US-buyers because I don't think it's "amazing" enough to import. I'm sure you can find comparable items but if you do come across it, it's a great, convenient product to have.

Holika Holika Aqua Muse Watery Lipstick

I really like this product personally but I feel like it may not be everyone's cup of tea, even if I do love the unique watery finish and have never come across anything else like it. This is why I said you're not missing too much if you don't try it in the video.

Full review here.

Skinfood Facial Water Vita-A Gel Mask

I really love this product.  This is currently my favorite face mask and by far the most unique mask I've ever tried.    The gel and Alaskan water perhaps? really cools down and de-puffs your face.  It's so weird how it actually gets colder the longer it sits on your face O_O I don't know it works but I love it.  Takes down redness, soothes irritated skin....can't say enough.

In fact, I think it cut the recovery period the second time I had hives down in half.  I didn't use this mask the first time I got hives and it took about 5-6 days to go away completely.  The second time I got hives, I used this mask exclusively - my hives were gone in 3-4 days.  This kind of result could be particular to me but I think everyone should give this mask a try, especially those with sensitive, irritated skin.

The top layer is clear plastic, the middle is the gel mask, then there's white plastic on the bottom.

The only downside is that this mask is not adjustable. At all.  And if you tear this very fragile mask at you won't be able to "stick" it back together.  It doesn't help that you need to gently peel two layers of plastic off the gel to use it.  Also, the gel is pretty thick so if the pre-cut shape of this mask doesn't sit on your face right....it's just not going to sit on your face right.  Quite simply, this gel mask is not adjustable to many face shapes.

Nonetheless, I think everyone ought to give this a try.  I really want to try the Facial Water Vita-B and Vita-C gel masks as well, maybe someday~

Skinfood Pineapple Peeling Gel

Doesn't work very well on me but works quite well on my brother. Like all skincare/makeup, results varies by individual but this is one case where I actually witnessed a product working significantly better on another person versus me.  So I'd say, give this a try if you feel like it ^_^

Full review here.

Etude House Aqua Cure Gel Cream

I only used two of the sample packets but the samples were pretty big so I think I can make a somewhat-informed review.  I pretty much covered everything I want to say in the video. Basically, the product feels nice on your face, doesn't break me out, and is pretty unique at least to me (I've never tried gel creams before).  Super light, absorbs fast, but I swear it leaves a bit of residue.  Also it smells odd and it's not that moisturizing all things considered. Overall, it's just nothing amazing.  I personally would never buy a full size of this product, especially if I had to import it, but others might find it worth trying if they are not looking for a lot of hydration and a slightly matte finish. 

Overall
Love:
- Skinfood Facial Water Vita-A Gel Mask
- Holika Holika Watery Muse Lipstick

Passable:
- Holika Holika Juicy Hawaii Kiwiaide Cleaning Tissue
- Skinfood Pineapple Peeling Gel
- Etude House Aqua Cure Gel Cream

Reject:
- Holika Holika Apple Shine Peeling Sheet

Review: Holika Holika Aqua Muse Watery Lipstick

Holika Holika (KR website, no English) is a Korean makeup brand that just debuted this year.  HH is a sister brand of Enprani but it is much cheaper since it is geared towards younger folks.  They are very new and I know there are 3 stores in Myeongdong, Seoul, Korea but the one I went to was in Busan near the Busan University.

HH's theme is witches, black cats and magic.  The workers all dress in purple witch costumes ^_^  The shop has a vaguely "cosplay" air to it and all the makeup, all designed to look like potions and other magical things, makes the shop very fun to browse.  Since I went into the shop on whim, the things I bought are pretty random :}

I forgot to take a picture of the receipt but the prices were comparable to other brands like Missha and Skinfood.  I only bought the 3 Apple Shine Peel Sheets, the lipstick, and Juicy Hawaii Kiwiade Face wipes, everything else. were free promotional items and samples.  Fyi, all the makeup & skincare stores in Korea give out tons of samples~

Small tangent: my mom has been using the shower cap for about a month and she loves it.  She remarked that she likes how the shower cap has no elastic, the entire thing is 100% stretchy plastic? so it's still as good as new despite getting soaked everyday.  She had a lot of problems with all the shower caps she's bought here in America b/c they have elastic bands that mold after awhile.  I'm not sure if all Korean or Asian shower caps are made this way but just a heads up to those who might be heading to Korea ^_^

Anyway, I will be reviewing all of these eventually but for today I'll just be doing the Aqua Muse Watery Lipstick (link to product page, KRN). 

They come in 8 different colors~ I'm actually most curious about the blue (BL601) lipstick, apparently it's supposed to lighten your lip color!

Cool huh :D?  The packaging is pretty cute, I love the hexagon shape of the tube so it doesn't roll around if it falls.  The plastic has a nice heft and it doesn't feel cheap. The "diamond" on the cap looks a little cheap though, it would've been prettier if was a more opaque color I think.  Love the little witch logo :)  It's hard to see but the plastic tube has a slight shimmer to it, a delicate purple glitter.

This is not a very accurate picture of the tube color. The pic quality is bad b/c I had to enlarge this.

I got color RD805, a reddish color with a coral undertint.   The lipstick truly has a beautiful "watery" sheen to it (most apparent in the pictures above).

RD805 Pale Red

LT: Nude lips. RT: Two coats of HH Aqua Muse Watery Lipstick.

My lips are little chapped ^^ but even so when I apply this lipstick w/o chapstick.  It does sink into fine lines and chapped skin a bit but not terribly so. The application is very slick - watery (hence the name) - and goes on smoothly.  However, the slickness makes this a little difficult to apply evenly. You have to press your lips together to spread it evenly.  Despite this, this lipstick is build-able and and 2-3 swipes are just perfect for me.  Surprisingly, this lipstick is very pigmented.  When you first apply it the color seems almost a little tacky but after it settles in it makes your lips look naturally red, "just bitten."   The staying power is also pretty remarkable considering how slick this lipstick is.  After you eat and such the "glossiness" goes away but the color itself stays - almost like a lip stain.  The lipstick is very moisturizing as well!  My lips actually become less chapped after wearing this.

This lipstick has no glitter, just color.  It's a pretty rich color and the pigmentation for a "watery" and moisturizing lipstick is excellent. It's not quite opaque, but the color is definitely there.

This is the lipstick angled towards the sun after a few hours.  The color stay is quite impressive and see how natural the color is?  And how the chapped look went away?  The glossiness is still there but my lips are just tinted a red tone now.  In real life, the red tint is actually a tad deeper but I wanted to put this pic up to show the lovely watery sheen this lipstick has.  This is my go-to lipstick if I just want to perk up my face with a bit of color without gloss.  Just 2-3 swipes, press lips together, DONE.

Another reason I love this lipstick: it does not have that typical lipstick smell.  It's very lightly scented but I can't quite put my finger on what it is.  It just smells very clean with a light floral hint.  Soap and flowers?  Something like that ^_^ In any case, you can't smell it unless your nose is almost touching the tube.  The lipstick itself doesn't come off with just water, you will need a bit of makeup remover or scrub a bit to get it off.

There is one bad thing about this lipstick though - it tastes like soap.  Exactly like soap. It's not really a good taste but it's not terrible either.  I dunno, I just thought I'd throw that out there :D  Despite that I really like this lipstick. I always get compliments when I wear this and it's long-lasting and easy to apply. 

I've tried several Revlon, Merle Norman, Maybelline lipsticks and this lipstick is much better. I totally regret not snagging a few more tubes.  Currently, it is my 2nd favorite lipstick, my favorite right now is Etude House Orgel Light Lipstick in 07 (Corel Shine). Nonetheless, I wear this color pretty often so I'll prolly do a FOTD with it eventually so you can see what it looks like on a whole face.

More reviews on Holika Holika products:
Mischievous Mack