Sponsored: Beautylish Gift Card Event - Temptalia's Top Picks!
I’ve partnered with Beautylish to highlight some of my favorite products to kick off the start of their Annual Gift Card Event. The brands and products below I’ve reviewed or talked about previously as being favorites and go-tos. I like to include a mix of old favorites and newer picks from recent fall and holiday releases.
One of the best areas to shop during the event is actually on tools for anyone who wants to try (or already loves) Japanese brushes because Beautylish has become known as a one-stop shop for several of my favorite brands: Sonia G., Chikuhodo, Surratt, and Wayne Goss. These are all brands that don’t really go on sale at any point, which makes the event one of the rare opportunities to stretch one’s budget.
Check out my updated brush guides: Best Blush Brushes | Best Highlighter Brushes | Best Eyeshadow Brushes
Another exclusive brand is Good Molecules, which is a good place to start for anyone on a skincare budget or wants to strip away some of the marketing bruhaha found in skincare; I’ve gone through half a dozen bottles of the Hyaluronic Serum since they launched. The Niacinamide Serum also did wonders for my skin in the last six months, too, after dealing with painful, cystic acne (likely related to stress) that came out of nowhere and the marks it left behind.
It’s the end of Beautylish’s Annual Gift Card Event! Earn a complimentary $20 gift card for every $100 you spend at Beautylish. It ends at 11:59pm PT on October 25th, 2019!
Natasha Denona Darya
Natasha Denona Darya Diamond & Blush Palette ($89.00 for 1.50 oz.) contains six shades--two cream formulas, four powder formulas--in an assortment of... Read full review.
Natasha Denona Biba
Natasha Denona Biba 15-Pan Eyeshadow Palette ($129.00 for 1.2 oz.) is a new, permanent palette that features three Metallic eyeshadows, four... Read full review.
Cover FX Monochromatic Blush Duo
The duo includes both a "monochromatic matte and shimmer shade" that can be used "individually or layer[ed] together." The blushes are described as having "high-impact payoff" with no other specifics. The consistency of the matte shades was incredibly silky, finely-milled, and smooth without being powdery--they were thinner but not difficult to apply and sat well on bare skin as well as over foundation. The pigmentation ranged from semi-opaque to opaque and was definitely buildable. Read more...
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed
The Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed formula is described as having an "ultra-reflective shine" with a "creamy" texture that "applies seamlessly." In general, the texture of the highlighters is incredibly smooth, silky, and finely-milled with frosted to metallic finishes and the occasional more sparkly finish. Read more...
Hourglass Ghost
Hourglass Ghost (Holiday 2019) Ambient Lighting Blush Quad ($58.00 for 0.16 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette that features two brand-new shades,... Read full review.
Natasha Denona Metropolis
Natasha Denona Metropolis 28-Pan Midi Eyeshadow Palette ($129.00 for 1.35 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette with an assortment of shimmers and... Read full review.
Sonia G Designer Pro
The Designer Pro is the newest addition to the Sonia G. brush range, and it’s a lovely, smaller cheek/face brush–it’s denser than something like Wayne Goss’ Air Brush but has a similar “paddle” shape and function to me. Because it’s denser, I like it for applying highlighter and blush the most, and the smaller shape makes it easy to get precision while the more rounded edge diffuses and blends those products out well.
Sonia G Face Two
Face Two is a smaller-sized face brush that flares from the base and has a domed edge with very soft, smooth bristles. It was designed for “contouring and sculpting the face” to be used with “blushes, bronzers, and contour powders.” I liked it most for blending and diffusing powder products on my skin, particularly using buffing motions. Read more...
Natasha Denona Sunrise
Natasha Denona Sunrise 15-Pan Small Eyeshadow Palette ($65.00 for 0.67 oz.) is a new, permanent palette designed to complement the original Sunset... Read full review.
Surratt Beauty Artistique Blush
The Artistique Blush formula is supposed to have a “naturally glowing finish.” The formula is consistent: the blushes have a very soft, almost cream-like powder texture that blends out effortlessly to a luminous sheen with semi-opaque to opaque coverage (but is soft and blendable enough to be applied sheer if preferred). Most shades lasted between eight and nine hours on me. Read more...
Mahalo Skin Care The Rare Indigo Beauty Balm
I’ve gone through almost two jars of this one! It’s a deeply hydrating balm that I like to use at night (usually a few hours before I go to bed) as it really calms my skin down and improves the hydration by the morning. It does take awhile to absorb and sink in, though!
Sonia G Builder Pro
The Builder Pro works well for applying more sparkly and metallic shades (without having to use them damp), especially for the inner tearduct and lid space!
Charlotte Tilbury Starry Eyes to Hypnotise
Charlotte Tilbury Starry Eyes to Hypnotise 12-Pan Eye Palette ($75.00 for 0.31 oz.) is a new, limited edition eyeshadow palette for the holiday season... Read full review.
Sonia G Worker Three
Sonia G Worker Three Brush ($32.00) is designed to "pack, transition, and blend" eye products and is a "smaller version of the Worker Two." It looks... Read full review.
Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm
Green Clean has become a go-to–replacing my shu uemura cleansing oil!–for removing makeup thoroughly and efficiently. I love how well it rinses off and doesn’t leave any residue behind.
Hourglass Ghost
Hourglass Ghost Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow Collection ($46.00 for 0.21 oz.) is a new, limited edition trio of copper, bronze, and plum shimmery... Read full review.
Wayne Goss Brush 19 Eye Shadow Precision Blending Brush
I love the Brush 19 for precise application of crease colors; I find these smaller crease-style brushes to work well for depositing color into the deep crease, crease, and transition spaces. These are key for allowing me to get a nice gradient of color that doesn’t get over-blended.
Anastasia Jackie Aina
Anastasia Jackie Aina Eyeshadow Palette ($45.00 for 0.392 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette that features 14 shades across three Pressed Pigments... Read full review.
Looks fabulous, except for the timing. If this had been the beginning of November, I’d have jumped on it and gotten either ND Biba or the palette I said I didn’t want… Metropolis. It’s seriously beginning to win me over, and I’m not sure why!
I had a selection of items that took me to $206, earning me $40 of gift cards and then I realized at checkout that the total was closer to $300 because they chucked on nearly $80 in tax, so I binned it. 🙁
Oh no! 🙁
Yeah, it’s my own fault for not realising the duty would go on over a certain amount of NZD equivalent though – I’ve never had to pay tax on a Beautylish order before because it’s usually around the $100 – 150USD mark, so I don’t know exactly what the duty limit is in either currency dollar value is but it did not work in my favour, LOL.
I got over myself in about ten minutes 😉
I could have gone back and made two separate orders but that seemed like a lot of effort and I didn’t need or want anything that much 😛
Well, good to hear it wasn’t something Beautylish did that wasn’t… warranted? expected? at some point. I know for US we have stated limits for USD value, so I bet it’s written somewhere for NZ!
No, definitely not Beautylish’s fault, it’s on me. I did go back today and order exactly $100 of stuff and then on a whim, chucked some more stuff in a new cart to see how that added up and got blocked before I even thought about making another order because apparently Customs will only allow one order per person per day, which is also news to me but oh well. 40% extra on top in duties and tax is painful enough on top of the ridiculous exchange rate and new tax rules are going to apply for all NZ import sales from Dec 1st so maybe, just maybe that will curb my online beauty purchasing somewhat…
(it probably won’t 😉 )
Wow, that’s VERY interesting that it actually blocked you – I don’t know that I’ve actually tried to place two int’l orders in the same day at the same retailer, but I didn’t even know that was a thing!
It is said that there’s no such thing as a dumb question. Well, here’s one. What are the timelines again? I have a wee balance from last year’s GCs. Do I have to spend it before doing the next GCs, or do I have until the end of the year, and the new ones run from Jan 1 to Dec 31? Ah, makeup dementia. What a first world problem.
Beautylish says that gift cards from the 2019 event will expire 12/31/2020 – so presumably any gift cards from 2018 will expire 12/31/2019.
Also, maybe this helps?
If I purchase a gift card during the Gift Card Event, will I earn a gift card?
Sorry—gift card purchases cannot be used to earn gift cards. However, if you received a gift card or store credit previously, you can use it to pay for your order (and earn gift cards) during the Gift Card Event.
ok, i get it. I can spend the rest of my 2918 GCs through the end of the year, and the 2019 ones are good for all of 2020. Thanks.
I picked up a number of smaller items for the gift card event. I grabbed a second Wayne Goss #20 for eye as it’s my favourite lower lash line smudger when I want a smoky eye. I picked up a duo of micellar water (I always have on makeup table for a third step cleanse or utensil cleanse or mistake fixer upper or nose stud cleaner… ?..etc..) the Danessa mixing medium to help with some shadows with my ‘hoodies’, and I’m going to give the Good Molecules niacinamide serum a go. For the price, it’s worth it to see if it will give a little more oompf to my skin. I’m also picking up the Niacinamide toner. I’m having issues with acids and I’m out of my Zelens PHA, the only one gentle enough for my skin and so expensive!!.
I really love the trend of more affordable skincare – I think that’s really cool because I feel like it’s making more advanced routines more accessible.
Hope they work for you!
I used your link to purchase some brushes today. Can you make more than one order and get additional gift cards? Or is this a one purchase event?
Thank you!!
You should be able to make multiple orders, Denise!
Fabulous suggestions here Christine, especially your skincare ones.
I’m so excited. I ordered the Sonia G Pro Eye Set, Worker 3, and Builder 3. And I plan to get a crease brush with my gift cards. I can hardly wait for them to get here.
Woohoo!!
Thanks for the recommendations Christine. I ordered a couple of eye brushes you recommended. I received them yesterday and they are divine! The Sonia G brushes are amazing – so glad I purchased them.
Woohoo!! Which eye brushes did you get? I’m so happy you like them so far!
I got the blender pro and worker 3. They are so beautiful. And I love the way they feel in my hand – the weight of the brushes is perfect. And they feel so good on the skin. I was convinced it was hype about how good her brushes are but I was wrong. I will definitely be purchasing more.
Great picks, Vanessa! 😀
Hi Christine,
Have you tried the Ordinary skincare? I was going to purchase the Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Serum from Sephora during their next VIB sale and saw your recommendation for the Good Molecules one instead. Do you prefer one over the other? Trying to finalize my cart for tonight hahaha. Thanks!
Sorry, I haven’t tried The Ordinary!
No worries, thanks though. I’m on the fence with the Wayne Goss 12 brush for blush for $53 (especially since the one I was eyeing, the Sonia G Designer Pro, is out of stock) XD
This last beautylish order is giving me so much anxiety hahahaha.
Is it in lieu of the Designer Pro? If that’s the case, I think the 12 is going to be a lot larger/denser, but I’m not sure what you’re hoping to use it for so who knows! I can’t recall any WG brushes really “missing” – bristle quality, how they’re made, etc. are pretty consistent.
Ok that’s helpful, thanks! My routine is fairly minimal (no foundation, some concealer + eyeshadow, lipstick, the occasional blush). I was hoping for a small brush that I can use for blush and maybe contour down the road (I currently have no bronzer or contour products in my collection).
Fav foundations? My current HG is YSL Touche Eclat Le Teint Radiance Awakening Foundation. Thoughts on something as good or better?
I rotate between Tarte Rainforest of the Sea, Too Faced Born This Way, La Mer The Soft Fluid, and Chanel Ultra Le Teint Velvet!
Thank God you and Isabella reminded me of the end-of-promo. Almost missed it. I was good (here at least) and got a few Sonias and a WG synthetic. The ‘good’ was not getting Safari or Koi, i mean Coy. Remarkably, the small credit i had on last year’s cards was deducted from my total. Win-win-win-win-win.
Glad you were able to get your order in on time, KJH! 🙂