I recently tried out the Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly BB, and I've got some mixed feelings about it. Holika Holika is a Korean brand, and if you don't know, the Korean beauty creators are the OGs of the BB (Beauty Balm) craze. Typically Korean BBs and beauty philosophy in general, differ from the Western creation of the BB. Korean BBs tend to have more coverage and offer more skin benefits compared to Western BBs.
The Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly BB has gathered a good amount of hype from both Korean beauty gurus and Western beauty gurus. Naturally I was excited to test it out.
First things first, the packaging is obviously adorable. The BB is housed in a glass bottle, which is great quality. Once you unscrew the top you'll notice there is a wand attached. This is meant to be the applicator, it looks kind of like a spatula. I'm not the biggest fan of these types of applicators because they can be unhygienic, but at least it's plastic instead of a sponge "doe foot" applicator.
There are unfortunately only two shades to pick from for this BB. I chose shade #1 and luckily it matched me perfectly.The consistency of the BB is creamy but also a bit watery, which I found odd. When I first applied it, the formula seemed as though it was having a hard time blending in. Almost like it was separating on my skin. But after a bit of working it in, it did blend evenly. There is also a really nice cooling sensation as your're applying, which is great if you have irritated skin. The coverage is sheer but buildable to medium and the finish is a demi-matte, so it's ideal for combo to oily skin types.
I tried this formula with and without a primer, honestly I prefer to wear it without a primer. I found it was more difficult to blend in with a primer and I also found it separated on my skin more throughout the day.
With that said, this is not a long wearing BB. I'd say it looks good for about 4-5 hours. By the end of the day (9 hour wear) most of the coverage around my nose, chin and jaw had disappeared. My skin was also pretty dewy by the end of the day, which I didn't mind, it actually added a really nice looking glow!
Overall I would rate this BB 6 out of 10. The color is perfect for me, but if you are a medium to medium deep skin tone, I would not recommend getting even shade #2. The coverage is nice, it just evens out the skin tone but allows your natural skin to show through. The consistency throws me off and it's a bit hard to work with. I've found the BB applies best with either a synthetic brush or a cushion poof. Both fingers and a classic sponge leave my skin looking patchy. The finish is exactly what I was looking for, it's beautiful and super natural. The longevity of this BB was disappointing. I was hoping it would last longer than 4-5 hours, but if you're looking for something for casual everyday wear I'd say it's worth trying.
Thanks for reading!
