Review: Holika Holika Moisture Petit BB Cream

I've mentioned Holika Holika's Moisture Petit BB Cream in several posts lately but I felt like it really deserved it's own review. Keep in mind, this product was my first experience with an Asian BB cream but I'm blown away by how awesome it is!

The good:
The coverage on this is phenomenal. I'd say this is one of the most full coverage base products I own. I usually apply one thin layer and then if I can still see any redness or spots, I'll pat it on like concealer as well. It even covers my under-eye circles better than most traditional concealers! It's super moisturizing, so much so that it wouldn't even matter if I didn't put moisturizer on before hand. It dries down to a natural satin finish. Moisture Petit also has a great SPF, which is good for me because skin cancer is common in my family and for redheads in general. This is a great low maintenance routine product, as it cuts out a ton of steps. I don't use primer, concealer or powder when I wear this.

The bad:
I only have two problems with Holika Holika Moisture Petit. One is the color range. This comes in one shade. It seems to adjust a bit so there's a little wiggle room but mostly if you are anything darker than maybe a NC/NW 20, this just isn't going to work for you. Another small issue is the scent. It's got a strong perfumey scent to it. It bothered me the first couple of times but I don't even notice it any more.

Where in the heck do I buy this?!
I purchased mine for $5.88 plus $2.50 shipping from a GREAT ebay seller, cosmeticmarket2012. I'm very certain that this and the other products I have purchased from them are 100% legit. They get everything shipped out quickly and even included samples in my orders. Shipping did take about two weeks from the time they sent it out, but that's understandable coming from overseas. If you are impatient like I am, the $2.50 upgrade in shipping is totally worth not waiting another 1-2 weeks. Holika Holika does have a US website now but I haven't ordered from it. If you are nervous about legitimacy, that's the way to go.

Final verdict?
I'm thrilled with pretty much everything about this product. If you think it would match you, I definitely recommend picking it up! It's a million times better than the American BB creams that I have tried.

Anyone have a favorite Asian BB cream I should try? This was the first I tried, I've picked up two more since and I'm definitely open to other suggestions!

The Five Product Challenge

Quite a while ago, I read a post on the share bear about how she challenged herself to pare down to just the essentials. Just five things. And it stuck with me. I use a TON of products when I do my makeup. So I decided to try it, just to see if I could.
And obviously, I couldn't. I got down to six and I was like NO, there isn't anything I can cut out. Overall, I'm still happy I managed to get down to six.

It came out as a really nice, "no makeup" type of look! As a bonus, I only used one brush as well, my Real Techniques Blush brush.
Do you think you could do it? Even if you think you might only get down to six, I challenge you to give it a go!

Collective Haul: March 2013

So when I said at the end of February I wasn't going to get too crazy...yeah, that went out the window! March was a month of retail therapy for me and I don't regret it one bit. So let's just dive right in.

Color Club Halo-Graphic and Angel Kiss, Studio M Spring Fling, Illamasqua Fragile and Mottle

So I randomly found the Color Club halos at Meijer and of course Studio M is a Meijer brand so Meijer was an all around win this month! I broke down and ordered Mottle from Sephora but found Fragile in store and got that one too! Both of those will be up next week (and I'm so proud of myself for not letting all of these languish in my untrieds for months on end!)

Skin79 VIP Gold Super Plus BB, Skinfood Good Afternoon Rose Lemon Tea BB, Holika Holika Moisture Petit BB, Mac Mineralize Moisture foundation

YAY for Asian BBs! I ordered the Holika Holika on Ebay at the very beginning and loved it so much I ordered the Skin79 and Skinfood. They just arrived yesterday so I haven't been able to do anything other than swatch but I'm so excited to test them out. I'm hoping to get a review of the Holika Holika up some time this month. MAC's Mineralize Moisture foundation was something I was so interested in as soon as I saw the PR so after some adventures at the counter trying to find the best shade for me, I got a bottle in NC15. And it's perfect!

Nars Amour blush, MAC Melba blush

So I noticed during March that I don't actually own any matte finish blushes and only a couple satins. MAC Melba (which I keep wanting to call Peaches for some reason) was recommended to me at the counter but I'd had my eye on it for a while. Nars Amour was a complete impulse purchase at Sephora. When the mua put it on me, it was pure love at first sight. 

Revlon Lip Butters in Juicy Papaya and Wild Watermelon, Cover Girl Lipperfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in Blush Twist

I happened upon the new Revlon Lip Butters in Target one day and picked up three of them. I already passed along the third, Pink Lemonade, to my sister as I just couldn't pull it off. If you're looking for them, check the permanent display. I decided I had to have another of the chubby lip pencils from the drugstore (just not a Revlon one) and went with this one from Cover Girl, Blush Twist. It's been my favorite everyday lip color lately!

Wet N Wild Nude Awakening palette, Smashbox Entice Me palette and Full Exposure mascara (deluxe sample size)

I found the WNW palette at Meijer at the very beginning of March and it was the last one in the display! See, I told you Meijer was full of win this month. It's a great palette for sure, but I don't find myself reaching for it as often as I thought I would. The Smashbox goodies were a prize from their Love Me promo! I also got my entry on their billboard in Hollywood, even if it was for like 30 seconds.

Zoya Remove+, Bath and Body Works Beautiful Day fragrance mist, First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, Batiste Dry Shampoo in Cherry scent, Beautyblender

I needed new nail polish remover and justified the cost of Remove+ because I had a gift card and I can reuse the bottle. I've used it a couple times and it's ok but not incredible. I had a coupon for BBW and decided to get Beautiful Day because I hardly ever see them have scents with green apple in them, which I LOVE. I threw the FAB cream in my Sephora order so I could get free shipping but it's so awesome! I got the Batiste with my gift card as well and I love it! It does exactly what I thought dry shampoo should do and it smells nice. Also in my Sephora order, I got a two pack of beautyblenders. Yes, they are worth all the hype they get.

So that's it. April shouldn't have even have half this amount because damn, that's a lot. I did place my first Candles By Victoria order a couple weeks ago but that shouldn't arrive until tomorrow. I also ordered during their April 1st sale so I guess I'll try to get a collective haul for you together whenever my sale order gets here. If you want a review of anything, let me know!

Disclaimer: The Smashbox things were sent to me for free from Smashbox for participating in their Love Me promo. Everything else was purchased by me with my own money.

March 2013 Favorites

I don't always do favorites posts but this month I very clearly favored certain products so I figured it was definitely worth a post!
Redken Sheer Straight Gel - I'm not much of a gel person, or even a hair product person in general. Usually I just use my Redken Slim Supreme but ever since my hair cut at the end of February, I've needed something more. This helps make my hair really straight and hold my style a lot longer. It doesn't make my hair feel sticky or stiff. An all around win in my book.
Urban Decay De Slick - This is a mini I got from Sephora back in December and I just pulled it out this month in an attempt to use up some samples and minis. I do have a full size of Dew Me but this is fantastic for days when I want a less dewy look. It really makes my makeup last. I really want to get a full size of either this or All Nighter, but it will have to wait until I use up some of my other setting sprays.
Holika Holika Moisture Petit BB cream - My first experience with an Asian BB cream was a fantastic success! It's so moisturizing, has great coverage, and looks really natural. I'll definitely include it in my haul post on Wednesday and I might even do a review!
Batiste Dry Shampoo - This was also a new purchase this month. I needed a new dry shampoo (also because of my hair cut) and I decided to get this one because I'd heard lots of good things. It does exactly what I expected of it, makes my second day hair feel less oily and look a lot nicer.
Benefit Coralista - I already wrote a whole post about it but this was the one blush I wore the very most this month. I've already got a small dip in it and the idea of using it up makes me want to run out and buy a full size.
Beauty blender - Again, another new product this month but long story short, this is worth all the hype it gets. It does take a little more time than a brush or my hands but I love it!

Wet N Wild Vanity Palette - I was reminded I had this earlier this month and I've been loving using this. I'm trying to kill my lemming for Urban Decay's Naked Basics palette and it's only sort of working. Regardless, the quality of the shadows is really top notch and I wish WNW still made these.

What were your favorites this month? Also, look out for a massive collective haul on Wednesday!