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