Thursday, November 19, 2015

Beautylish Haul

Not so much a haul as 3 things I bought recently from Beautylish in the one order. Beautylish were holding a $20 gift card for every $100 USD spent, so my mind justified it as basically 20% off. Not quite, since they have to mail you the gift card which you'll have to spend on a second order, so return business is guaranteed to make use of the promotion. Still, it's not a struggle to spend too much money on Beautylish. My order came to just over $100, comprising a good mix of eye/face/lip/brush products, some of which I've been curious about for a long time, some newly released that I immediately wanted.



After trawling through the site, carefully considering what to put in my cart, I ordered the Anastasia Beverly Hills Self-Made eyeshadow palette ($35 USD), Too Faced Melted Kisses and Sweet Cheeks ($36 USD) and Wayne Goss Brush 14 ($33 USD).

The Anastasia palette was a bit of an impulse buy since it launched only last month and I told myself I'd hold out if/until it popped up at a physical Sephora store near me to swatch. I recently bought the Shadow Couture World Traveler Palette but wasn't overly enthused with it, but something told me I'd get along better with Self-Made. I'm glad I took the chance as first impressions are overwhelming positive and I definitely prefer it to the World Traveler palette. I'll get a full post up about it soon, so I won't go into too much detail here, except to include some preliminary swatches.

The Too Faced lip and cheek set has been released in Australia and is priced at $53, roughly the same as what I paid on Beautylish after currency conversion. I have one Love Flush Long-Lasting Blush in Baby Love but no Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipsticks, so this set seemed excellent value and the ideal way to sample 3 blushes and 3 liquid lipsticks without having to purchase the full size. I will also shortly dedicate an entire post to the set with comparison swatches of the blushes next to other pink, coral and plum shades, so I'll only include swatches of the individual products for now.



I've never tried any of the Wayne Goss brushes, though they have been on my radar for a couple of years. When I bought the Flat Contour Brush from the Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection, I lamented not having bought a Wayne Goss brush instead. It was around the same price (the Flat Contour Brush is $26 USD before tax, while Brush 14 is $33 USD but I didn't have to pay tax), but the quality cannot be compared. Brush 14 has been an utter revelation. It's my new obsession. I did have to wash it when I first received it to bring out its shape and fluff it up, but after it dried, I've been reaching for it nearly every day. Up front I do have to say my only issue with it is that it does have a faint smell of wet hair, but it's nothing overwhelming or significant enough to meaningfully detract from my enjoyment and use of the brush.

The bristles are made out of goat hair, and while not quite as delicately soft as my SUQQU Cheek Brush (made of grey squirrel hair), in a way that's an advantage. On the cheeks, it's still beautifully soft feeling, but the slightly firmer bristles I find pick up product better. One gripe I had with the Suqqu was that it was almost too soft and floppy. There wasn't a problem for really pigmented blushes as the brush provided a soft, well-blended wash of colour, but for blushes with not as strong colour payoff, you'd need to layer the product for any result. Using it also wasn't as efficient or immediately effective as a firmer, denser brush like the Ecotools by Alicia Silverstone Blush Brush for a more defined, sculpted look, patting the product up and down the cheekbones and a little onto the apples of the cheeks.

Brush 14 gives me more control and performs well with a wider variety of cheek products, while still being supremely soft and blending colour out seamlessly. I love the elongated shape and bulbous tip, which nestles perfectly into one of the mini Too Faced Love Flush Long-Lasting Blushes as if the two were made for each other. It's pretty close to perfection in a cheek brush. With this experience, I'm more impressed with Wayne Goss brushes than I anticipated and have my eye on acquiring more in the future. Though it wasn't cheap, Brush 14 was a third of the price of my Suqqu, but the quality and function is absolutely up there. I'm not sure I would have bought the Suqqu if I'd been able to touch and buy the Wayne Goss brushes in person, except to satiate my curiosity and desire to own such a coveted brush in the makeup world. I'd always been on the fence about whether the Suqqu Cheek Brush was worth my $160, despite it being indisputably the softest brush in my collection.

l-r: Melted Nude, Melted Peony, Melted Fig

l-r: Love Hangover, Justify My Love, Your Love Is King

l-r: Pink Champagne, Metallic Plum, Self-Made, Witchy, Blush, Blossom, Buttery

l-r: Deep Purple, Treasure, Hot and Cold, Sherbert, Isla, Spirit Rock, Hot Chocolate

This has to be one of the most successful makeup shopping orders I've made in recent memory. I genuinely like or love everything I've bought and feel they were savvy selections and worthwhile purchases. I've been using all my new things nonstop since they arrived. It has barely been 2 months since my last major Sephora haul in the US, so I now need to be really restrictive and discerning with my purchases. That always goes to plan...

37 comments:

  1. I have been really wanting that palette! I love everything you have chosen x

    Zoe Mountford x

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  2. Good job on this haul! I was tossing up getting the Too Faced set as I really wanted to try both the Melteds and the blushes but none of the shades really called out to me. The shades in the Self-made palette are quite unique and super beautiful!

    Tasha // shiwashiful.

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    1. Yeah, the shades are kind of generic but more than anything I just wanted to try the formulas. It's good value for a high end set :)

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  3. I have been lusting over Wayne Goss brushes from a distance! I don't think too many talk about them but whoever does has only good things to say!

    TheConscienceFund

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    1. They are exclusive to Beautylish I think ... so accessibility is kind of an issue. But I had to try at least one to see what they were like - suffice it to say I'm not disappointed!

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  4. The Anastasia Self Made palette has been on radar for quite a while now. Especially since I'm an avid watcher of EasyNeon's videos and she always uses the Buttery shade for all over base shade. And I want that too hahaha. I'm thinking about purchasing this palette from BeautyBay.com. Have you ever placed an order from BeautyBay? If so, do you recommend their service? And I'm also torn between either getting this or the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette. Which one should I go for do you think? Thank you :)

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    1. I've ordered from BeautyBay many times, though nothing recently. They're pretty decent, though shipping can be slow. One order I made, it took them several days to send out my order (though it was around Christmas, so I guess volumes were high). It's not uncommon for orders to take 3 weeks to get to you, but I've never lost an order (unlike HQ Hair). They don't provide tracking so I guess you just have to wait and hope everything arrives as planned!

      That's a hard decision! I'm assuming we are talking about the original Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette and not Semi-Sweet. I honestly don't think you will be disappointed in either, no matter which you pick. There are more neutrals (golds, bronzes, burgundy shades, browns, beige, champagne) in the Too Faced, with more mid-tone mattes and fewer "colourful" shades. The darker shades tend to have a lot of fall out, which I always find problematic. The texture of the shadows in general are a bit more loosely packed and powdery, though some of the metallic shades are exceptional. The Anastasia palette has less fall out and the shadows are uniformly pigmented and easy to blend (I can't say the same for the World Traveler palette, which I found had some issues). There's more colourful shades which you may not reach for if you're more into neutrals. The darker brown matte Hot Chocolate is exceptional, but there aren't any mid-tone mattes unlike in the Chocolate Bar. I think ultimately it should come down to the colours and which shade selection you'd get more use out of and enjoy :)

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  5. Those shadow swatches look SOOOO good! Too bad about that Suqqu brush I can relate :'))

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    1. They're terrific eyeshadows! Haha I'm glad you can relate to my Suqqu dilemmas...

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  6. Love Too Faced makeup. I've been wanting to try Love Hangover for a while now - it looks like such a gorgeous colour (and the packaging is super cute)! You got some really great products!
    Laura x FloraLooTwo

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    1. I thought Love Hangover would be too similar to blushes I already had but it's quite a bit pinker compared with other coral-toned blushes. It's a nice summery shade that would be flattering on many skin tones :)

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  7. Lovely haul! The mini Too Faced blushes are adorable!

    xx, A Little Dose of Makeup

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    1. They are, they remind me of mini Polly Pockets or something!

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  8. The Too Faced set looks amazingly pigmented. I already have Melted Peony but I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the full set.

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    1. Pigmentation is definitely not an issue with this set! The lip products give you so much pigment in so little product!

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  9. I ordered the Too Faced set two weeks ago (different site) and it still hasn't come, this is making me want it even more!

    Danielle's Beauty Blog

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    1. Awww, I hate when that happens! Waiting for orders is so annoying (I am doing the same right now for a little cheeky purchase made shortly after this one, haha). Hope your stuff arrives soon :)

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  10. Great haul!! I was tempted to make a Beautylish haul when they offered the 20$ voucher. But, I was saving for my London trip at that moment and splurged my saving very well in London haha.

    The ABH Self made palette is on my list too! It's also available from net-a-porter which would be cheaper for me in Europe since I don't have to worry about tax etc. But I need to ensure myself to justify getting another eye shadow palette since I have more than enough in my collection :/

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    1. Haha good work on exercising self-restraint!

      I know what you mean ... too many palettes is pointless. Every new one you buy needs to be worth your money and the extra space it will take up in your collection! But I genuinely like Self-Made. At least 3 times more than World Traveler, lol.

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  11. The Self Made palette is a mystery to me... How can it seem so boring in the pans, yet completely pique my interest every time I see swatches? That has never happened to me before. I think I might skip it though, I just treated myself to both Chocolate Bar palettes for Christmas and because I'm so pale and need a tiny amount of eyeshadow, makeup lasts forever in my stash. What a first world complaint lol "my makeup just doesn't end!"

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    1. It was how it looked in the pans that attracted me initially! I'm just glad the shades swatched well too :) Wow, both Chocolate Bar palettes in one go would definitely be a Christmas treat! Which one do you find yourself preferring? I think I'm edging towards Semi-Sweet. I have more makeup than probably would last in my lifetime but that hasn't stopped me from continuing to buy more, lol :p

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  12. I seriously need to get my hands on those blushes and melted shades! They are no doubt gorgeous and perfect for every occasion *-* And Melted fig is one of those shades that will look amazing with my complexion for sure.

    I have yet to try out wayne's brushes, although I have to admit that so far I am quite happy with the ones I currently own - although I'm thinking about getting another two from Sephora's collection.

    The palette also looks really pretty :3
    Take carE*

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    1. I can imagine Melted Fig looking lovely on you :) I don't think luxury brushes are a necessity as cheaper synthetic brushes do the trick just as well sometimes ... but if you're into makeup brushes, splurging on one or two doesn't hurt. Makeup brushes to me are an investment, so long as you take care of them then they should last a long time and can be used over and over. I haven't tried anything from Sephora in terms of makeup brushes (or makeup for that matter), but I've heard good things! And yes, the palette *is* really pretty :)

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  13. Ooh you did a great haul! I'm obsessed with the Wayne Goss brushes. They are stunning x
    The Beauty Bloss

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    1. Oooh, which ones do you have? I would love to try more :) I'm super happy with the one brush I ordered!

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  14. What a good selection and variety of items you picked up!! I've never shopped on Beautylish, mostly because I'm terrified as to how much money I would end up spending once I put in my first order!! Not good!

    I've heard only good things about their customer service though - at some point, if I feel justified enough, I think I would make a nice little order of Charlotte Tiburry from there! How long did it take to ship to Australia?

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    1. Haha yeah, browsing Beautylish is dangerous! Sometimes prevention is the best cure :p

      Their customer service is exceptional. In my first order, one of the Charlotte Tilbury brushes I ordered had some issue with the brush handle (there was a bit of the plastic wrap that had sort of fused onto the handle and no matter what I tried, I couldn't get it off). I emailed them, anticipating they would ask for me to return it to them for a replacement, but they sent me a new brush almost immediately via express post.

      Beautylish has 2 modes of shipping depending on your total spend - Landmark Global and FedEx. The latter is the international express service. If I use that, they usually get my order from California to Sydney in 3 days (weekends included). Absolutely the fastest express shipping available - the same thing as when I order over $100 from ShopBop or I imagine Net-a-Porter (never ordered from that site before, minimum spend for express shipping is $300). I think Landmark Global takes 8-11 days. Both orders are tracked.

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  15. Gorgeous stuff! I really love the swatches from that Too Face blush set! It's just that I'm not really a cream blush girl so I wouldn't normally consider it. I'm planning to save up to purchase a set of brushes from WG. I want "the collection" set mainly for the gorgeous eye brushes! I've been thinking about buying myself one fancy hakuhodo cheek brush but it's steep and I don't want to put my money into a piece like that now, holidays and food is more important! :p

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    1. I tend to mentally accept splurging on a face brush more readily than eye brushes, though I need more high quality eye brushes! My favourite is my lone MAC 217 which I use religiously. Where are you thinking of buying your Hakuhudo brush?

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  16. I just got the Self Made palette recently I really love her last palette as well :)

    Kayla
    Sheer Beauty Blog

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  17. The Self Made palette looks amazing! I really love the melted lipsticks but I'm not sure whether I'd get good use out of them just because the formula feels a little dry for me. Loving this haul! :)

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  18. The Two Face Blushes looks so cute! I watched the review video on youtube and it's actually really small. I mentioned you on my latest post, you can check it out if you like to:)

    Amanda | www.thepaleandrosy.blogspot.com

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  20. That blush looks great! The wee blushes are super cute too :)

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  21. You have such great taste in makeup. And I think you got some great items for around $100, seems like a bang for your buck specially the Too Faced blushes & lippies x

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  22. Amazing haul! I especially liked the Too Faced set!

    http://themeticulousperfections.blogspot.com/

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