Get that dewy-Asian-skincare-ad look with Tony Moly Luminous Goddess Aura Beam!

I got this product when I had reaaaally dry skin, to the point that BB Cream would just do more harm than good! Because for me, dry skin + BB cream = leathery and old ㅠㅠ I sought out this product as a way to improve my base finish. My skin is not nearly as dry anymore (not because of this, though), but let’s see how this product fares!





Basically, you mix this with your BB cream to give it some extra moisture and shine. You mix it in a 1:2 Aura Beam: BB cream ratio. You can also use it alone as a highlighter.

(Until now, I totally forgot that it was 1:2 ratio...so I've actually been using a 1:1 ratio! Please keep that in mind when you see my swatches~ ^^;;)

Price in Korea: 13,000KRW
Price on Koreadepart: $12.18 (click here)
Weight: 67g
Expiry: 12 months

[ Dimensions: H=10.5cm | W=5.3cm | T=3cm]

When I first picked this up, I was quite surprised at how light the tube was! I’d say it was only a bit more than half full when I got it…? But I only use a small bit each time, so it’ll still last a good while!

It’s a light, semi-transparent pink with some shimmer scattered within it:



A closeup of the shimmer:


I’m sorry…I will wax my hands next time!! >.<

Spread out:



When mixed, it makes my BB cream a tid bit lighter:

(natural lighting)





On its own, it’s thick and sticky. See how it’s able to stand up in a poo-shape on its own? It’s even stickier when you spread it out.





It mixes very easily and smoothly with BB cream. (However, I will say that the first 8 or so times that I used it, it was veeeeerrry sticky, lumpy, and super hard to mix with the BB cream! Thankfully that was only the first bit out of the tube; it has since then improved a lot. So if it happens to you, don’t fret!)


When I mix it with my BB cream, my BB cream becomes thinner and more…liquidy, shall we say? For example, do you see how the unmixed BB cream has a lumpy shape to it, but the mixed BB cream has flattened out into a smooth little blob?



(natural lighting)

Here I’ve swiped the two blobs, and you can see that the mixed BB cream is slightly thinner and more runny than the unmixed version:


(natural lighting)
It may not be super noticeable now, but the difference is there once you apply it to your face!





This product definitely makes the BB cream streak more. I normally apply my BB cream with a brush, but I now use a sponge to blend it in afterwards.

Because this made my BB cream more liquidy, the moisture in my BB cream did not get soaked up immediately by my dry skin like it normally does! In fact, it didn’t soak up at all! :D In other words, the BB cream was easier to spread, and a little went a longer way! Not to mention, I can also feel the moisture difference on my skin.

Another consequence of this product is that if I don’t set my BB cream, it scratches off more easily than unmixed BB cream (especially on my T-zone).





It gives my entire face a noticeable dewy/liquidy shine, like I got sprayed by some mist. It's not subtle, but it's not to the point where you look greasy either! Some lighting accentuates it more than others. For example~!


More obvious: dim, uneven lighting. Here I'm standing far away from the natural lighting that's coming through the window. It looks like I sprayed myself with a mist:




Less obvious: brighter, even lighting. If I stand closer to the window, it's a much more subtle dewiness:



But even when it's subtle, you can still see a difference in the base application:


See how it's a liiiittle flaky without the Aura Beam?

Now back when I had reaaaally dry and flakey skin, this product wouldn't COMPLETELY fix my base makeup, but it did help a bit! Also note that if you proceed to apply a powder over it, the shine and dewiness will of course be stripped right away!






All in all, I like it! I don’t think I can go back to just applying BB cream directly onto my skin anymore. It improves my base makeup by making my BB cream easier to apply evenly and blend. This also prevents me from applying way too much BB cream and looking cakey! If I was into the dewy look, I’d like it even more. ^^ I will repurchase this with my own money!

Holika Holika Moisture Petit BB SPF30 PA++

I’m sure you’ve seen or heard of this BB Cream by now, so let’s cut to the chase: This is one of a five Petit BB Creams from Holika Holika that are characterized by their portable size. This particular one seeks to provide moisture to dry skin, with hyaluronic acid being the main ingredient. Okie, moving on!



The packaging is your basic BB Cream tube; nothing special.

Minor detail: Because the hole is slightly wide ► and the BB Cream is runny, the inside of the cap gets quite messy. It’s also easy to accidentally squeeze out too much!




It’s got a noticeable perfume scent, but I can only smell it out of the bottle and while I’m applying. I personally find the scent pleasant~



I’ve swatched this BB Cream with some others for you to compare. 'Tis in the center!

Taken outdoors in the shade at 5:30pm:


Smeared, partially blended:


Fully blended, direct sunlight, 5 minutes after application:


Another shady area, 5 minutes after application:


Yellowy, indoor lighting, 6 minutes after application:

Overall, I’d say it’s your typical light brown BB Cream. It’s not particularly pale like the Missha and Peach Girl, but it does have more of a peach tone to it, compared to the Etude and Tony Moly one. It gives me a healthy, peachy glow! It also darkens over time, but not whilst I was taking pictures.

Personally I think the color is a tad off for me. Not that it’s not dark or anything, it’s just a bit too…peachy! It’s not a problem if I only apply a thin layer, though~




Do you see how instead of sticking to itself, it just flattens into a big puddle on my thumb?


That goes to show how non-sticky and non-viscous it is! But because of its runny consistency, it can streak if you’re not careful.

Surprisingly though, it’s still feels and wears like a thick/heavy BB Cream. Once my skin soaks up the moisture (that causes the runniness), what’s leftover is more or less like any other thick BB Cream. Just slightly dewier ~




(*Note: The BB Cream color doesn’t show up well in these photos, so use these as a guide for coverage only, not color! For color, scroll back up!)

As with most thick BB Creams, it has medium-to-high coverage. I wouldn't say super full, but medium high. A thin layer offers a decent amount of general coverage, although red spots are still visible irl:

(Hover over to see before/after)

Here are zoomed out swatches, with thicker layers that were applied with fingers:

Taken outdoors in the shade at 4:20pm:

Redness, Discolorations: In short, one layer covers about halfway, and would probably be fine with some concealer. 2 layers covers most everything, leaving only a few discolorations visible afterwards.

For bumps and uneven surfaces: I can’t really comment since I have dry skin, so every BB Cream clings and makes my skin look bumpy and rough...even though it’s not, I swears!  I can say that this one is actually provides me a smoother finish than others, but as you can see, it still makes my skin look rough. Not the BB Cream’s fault though!




It’s a very nice BB Cream! I really like how it combines full coverage with a thin consistency. I like heavy coverage BB Creams, but it doesn't always feel nice to spread thick goop on your face, you know?! I would definitely consider going back to this BB Cream once I cure my dry skin! I also like the smell. Yes, yes I do~   (｡˘⌣˘｡)ﾉ♡

A huge thanks to Dollydream for sending me this product to review! You can get it here for only $7~ And Melanie (the girl behind Dollydream) has big plans on expanding her store, so stay tuned for more!


(P.S. Almost caught up with reviews! Then I can finally get to other posts, included outfits and requested tutorials! ^^)

Holika Holika Peach Girl BB Cream Review

The last time I did a BB Cream review, I left off saying that I found a BB Cream that I liked much better. Well, here it is! Such an unsuspecting little steal, IMO!

Name: Peach Girl BB Cream [피치걸 비비크림]
Brand: Holika Holika [홀리카홀리카]
Shade: 01호, Light Beige [라이트 베이지]
SPF: 37 PA++
Amount, Height: 50mL, 12.5cm
Expiry: 14 months*
Price in Korea: 13,000KRW

 *I inferred this from the code ontop of the tube which read "MF6110812제조"!

Packaging is but a round tube wrapped with a sticker. Tucked inside the screw cap are a blush (which also functions a lip color) and mirror. ►

I'm not going to talk about the blush, since I'm assuming most people would buy this mainly for the BB Cream, not the blush...But feel free to ask!

It smells like regular BB Cream, except a tad more floral? (Where's the peach?!) Color-wise, it's a shade or two lighter than most Korean BB Creams, and much cooler-toned too! It’s still nowhere near as pale as Missha’s #13 Milky Beige though:

When applied and blended, it's basically a very light brown with a hint of greyness. Over time, the grey tint fades, and the color itself gets sliiiightly darker:

It's quite thick and heavy, but still very spreadable. In other words, it does streak very easily!

Coverage:

Uneven Skintone: Since it's thick, it does a good job covering *general* unevenness (like pink flushing or uneven tanning). Notice how the 2nd layer really covered all my underlying pinkness and made my skin look opaque.
Spot discolorations (moles, brown spots, red spots): I find that 2 layers covers most but not all of it. 

Pores/Uneven Surfaces: Given that this BB Cream has the texture to streak, it also settles into my pores and pock marks, making them look like little white dots on my face. Similar case for my undereye lines. It fades eventually, but ultimately, this BB Cream doesn't help smooth my complexion. And lastly, it's not flattering on dry or bumpy patches. (You can refer to my forehead picture.)

It's not 100% matte; there's a *slight* dewy shine to it. In fact, it makes my skin feel a bit sticky at first, much like the feeling you get after applying moisturizer! After wearing it for 8 hours, the coverage stays mostly intact. It fades a little, but mostly just becomes more natural-looking and less makeup-y. Please note that I don't have oily skin!

Nope! But my skin isn't sensitive.

I like this BB Cream a lot! It’s one of the few that matches my skin tone pretty well and doesn't make me look brownish. The dewiness is just right to give a powdered-doll look without looking like a cakey old lady. Above all, the coverage for my red spots is by far the best I've tried yet, albeit not perfect. (Many of you know by now that I have a hard time covering those!) I would totally buy it again!

Whew, done! Sorry it was kind of lengthy...I guess I was very excited about this BB Cream! Hopefully it was informative ^^;;

Oh! One last note, I promiseeeeee(x10000) to get the giveaway post out this weekend, I swearrr!!! There's just been a lot of uncertainty in my life lately, so the giveaway was far from my priority. >o<

Anywhos! Would you try this BB Cream?