REVIEW: Wow Brown Ready to Glo Dark Tanning Liquid

I have had the a bottle of Ready to Glo Dark Tanning liquid from Irish brand Wow Brown in my "to try drawer" for some time now but with one thing and another I didn't get time to check it out but I finally did it and Boy have I been missing out!!!!

This is the newest addition to Wow Brown's ever growing D.I.Y tanning range.

It really is a special little bottle of tan. Instead of making a sticky cream type consistency the lovely girls Fran and Don of Wow Brown decided to concentrate on giving us a product that contains really high level of direct DHA (what makes us darker quicker!!). The result is a liquid tan that resembles spray tan in a bottle.

On first use I fell in love with this tan. It is very easy to apply. All you do is spray it directly onto a tanning mitt and rub in circular motions from feet all the way to your face(yep it's safe to use on your face too!). Simple. It goes on effortlessly and isn't sticky at all. It really does remind me of a salon spray tan in a self tan version! And best of all it dries instantly which is my favourite thing in a tan because I hate to wait around for ages while it dries in.

Alot of tans claim not to have that dreaded fake tan smell but this one actually doesn't have a strong smell at all (slight fake tan smell towards end of development time but far less than other tans I have tried). Everything this tan claims to do it does well!! 

This tanning range was created by Fran and Don who are salon owners after they couldn't find a tanning product that ticked all their boxes as professionals and so they decided to create their own and you can really tell by this tan that they have dedicated alot of time and effort into it as there is very little negative things to say about the formulation of this tan!!

I love the bottle it comes in too. It looks tiny but infact it has 100ml's inside which means you can bring it in your hand luggage for a weekend away. You will get 7 to 10 full body applications from the 100ml bottle. The spray nozel that dispenses the product sprays just the right amount onto the mitt to ensure you don't overload the skin with too much liquid.

This tan can be washed off after 5 hours or left on for a deeper tan. I HATE leaving tan on for too long and especially overnight so I put this on in the morning and rinsed it after 5 hours. Before I rinsed it I looked extremely dark but once I rinsed off the colour guide I was very happy with the colour it gave me. Not overly dark but a really gorgeous golden, natural looking tan. I do think if I was going out on a night I would either apply a second layer after rinsing the first or leave it on longer because the colour I got after 5 hours wouldn't be enough for me for a night out! The reason I hate to leave tan on over night is because it gets so sticky and smelly during the night but this tan wouldn't do that as you don't even feel it on your skin and it has a minimal scent, Wow Brown refers to this as the "boyfriend friendly scent" which is very cute!!

Before Application                 After rinsing 

Ready to Glo Dark Tanning Liquid can be purchased directly from Wow Brown's website or from any stockists nationwide. It costs €21.99 for 100ml bottle.

I have read other reviews on this product and some people really didn't like it but I am just being honest when I say I had no problems at all with this. I always make sure I exfoliate thoroughly before application and also moisturise my dry areas. 

I hope you found this review helpful and please feel free to comment below telling me your experience of this fantastic tan!!!

Have a great day
Anita xxx


***This product was sent to me as a PR sample for review. However this has in no way affected my review. The opinions above are 100% my own opinion and I would not recommend a product if I wouldn't buy it with my own money. 

My skin saviour serum- Pepta-bright

For those of you who have been following me for a while now will know that in the past I have suffered from acne which has left me with some scaring (see picture below). Thankfully I have not been left with indentations but instead with pigmentation marks on my cheeks, jaw and chin area.

I had heard good things from other blogs and from YouTube about the Indeed Labs Pepta-bright serum so I decided to give it a go. To be honest I didn't expect too much because I didn't think anything would cure my skin but oh my was I wrong...this little tube is nothing short of a miracle product!!!!

Credited to Indeed Labs

This serum claims to (from indeed labs website):

• even skin tone
• reduce and lighten hyper-pigmentation
• prevent, treat and diminish dark spots
• restore luminosity and radiance to the skin
• prevent the formation of dark spots
• stimulate cell turnover
• maintain skin hydration

So....does it stand up to the claims? Simply the answer is YES!! My skin has transformed drastically since using this and it didn't take long for it to change either. Usually products like this take months but I seen the difference after 3 weeks. My skin is definitely clearer, more radiant and my pigmentation has lightened a fair bit.  The below picture shows a before picture and a picture after 3 weeks use. I took these pictures in different lighting so don't be alarmed by the change in skin colour, it didn't bleach my skin a lighter colour (eekkk)! I was scared of the idea of a lightening product as I felt it would bleach my skin but I have not seen any change in colour of my overall skin, just my skin is brighter and my pigmentation is faded!!

Before use                         After three weeks use

This product is marketed as a cream but I tend to use it as a serum under my moisturiser day and night. One word of warning though it is strongly advised that if you are using this serum during the day (no matter what time of the year) that you wear an SPF on your face to avoid any sun damage to the skin.

I literally love almost everything about this product. The only negative I would say is that it claims to maintain skin hydration whereas I have found that my skin is tighter and drier when using this but I really don't mind as the results are amazing otherwise and the dryness is nothing that a good moisturiser won't fix.

This product isn't for everyone I must add. If your skin is perfect, bright and has no pigmentation then you won't see a drastic change from using this but if you are someone who has suffered from acne in the past and is scarred or has worshiped the sun for far too long and can see the impact on your skin then this will be your new best friend!!!!

I didn't expect this product to work on anyone with active acne but recently my cousin came to visit and I had told her about this product and she used it and the difference in her skin was amazing and she did have active acne. So this product actually seems to do even more than it claims to which is always a nice extra!!

I am massively impressed by the fact that Indeed Labs have actually left out some ingredients which are harmful and damaging to the skin such as mercury, parabens, kojic acid (a skin bleach) and hydroquinone (which is actually banned in the EU!!!).

Pepta-bright can be purchased online at www.boots.ie or in some boots stores for €40.69 for 30ml. Yes it is expensive but worth every cent and as you know boots always has amazing offers on skincare so keep your eyes peeled for these! 

If you have fretted over your skin like I have for far too long then I honestly think this baby is your answer. I am no longer embarrassed to leave the house without makeup. My skin is not 100% perfect by any means but finally I can see results and feel more confident as a result.

Have a wonderful day everyone and here's to a brighter, happier face for the future!!!

Love Anita xxxx

REVIEW: Gosh's Growth Mascara

I recently subscribed to Glossybox which for those of you who are not familiar with this service it is basically a beauty subscription service which you sign up to and receive a parcel each month with 5 sample products in it to try. Some months they can be amazing and other months a little disappointing but for the love of my blog I think it is worth it because I can get samples of things that I can use and review for you all. Often I come across stuff that I didn't know existed. Sound like something you would be interested in??? Take a look at all the details here. 

Anyway my September Glossybox (I always giggle when I say that word) was late and so as an apology they sent me on three deluxe/full size products for my inconvenience. The one which really caught my eye was the Gosh Growth Mascara. There are two sides to this mascara, the claim that it will give you naturally longer and fuller lashes in two weeks and then the mascara itself. 

Let's look at them both individually:

How does a mascara help your lashes grow I hear you say? Well Gosh have added in a very powerful little ingredient called SymPeptide® XLash which is proven to visibly length and thicken your lashes in as little as two weeks. I really didn't expect this to work so silly me didn't take a picture of my lashes beforehand but trust me on this one it actually works. My lashes are not incredibly longer but they definitely look healthier, shinier, thicker and slightly longer after using this mascara. 

The mascara itself is absolutely great. The wand is rubber which usually I am not a fan of but this one really works wonders. The little bristles really get down to the root of your lashes which ensures every tiny lash is coated in mascara which instantly adds length and volume.

This wand also coats your lashes with just the right amount of product. The consistency of the mascara itself is PERFECT, it is thick enough to add volume but doesn't clump or smudge at all while applying. This mascara also lasts throughout the day and night without smudging or flaking. It isn't waterproof which I usually need to hold a curl in my lashes but this mascara seems to hold it fine all day.

I love this mascara so much that I have opted not to wear fake lashes on two nights out which is for me is a first. I just felt my lashes looked good enough with just this mascara. Gosh's Growth Mascara is €9.99 to purchase from anywhere that sells Gosh products or from the Gosh website. There is also a growth serum in this range which is supposed to be used at night in conjunction with this mascara to get the full benefit but I have not tried this and I did definitely see a nice improvement in the health of my lashes. However, if you want to get the full benefits I would suggest giving both a go. I am definitely going to try the serum in the future and will update you all.

I really like the fact that this mascara is perfume free and paraben free so is safe to use even on the most sensitive eyes. 

Overall, I love this mascara. Even if it wasn't a treatment mascara I would still repurchase as I was very impressed with how it made my lashes look. It gives great length, amazing volume and at the same times is good for your lashes. What more could you want?????

Would you try this mascara? Or have you ever tried it? Please feel free to leave your comments below. I would love to hear your views.

Have a wonderful day my lovelies.
Anita xxxxxxx

Products I Regret Buying Part One!!

I often find blogs can concentrate on reviewing products that they love. I have to admit this has been the same for me so far on my blog. I tend to pick things that I like to write about because I find it easier to review them. However, I think that often we get more information from reviews of products that people don't like simply because it will give us an insight into why the product didn't work for that person and maybe make us more cautious of buying the product in the future.

Just a little disclaimer before I begin. This blog post is my honest opinion and the products mentioned are ones which I found didn't work for me or ones that I found a better alternative product for. This doesn't mean that they won't work for you and if you have tried them and loved them please comment below this post as this will also be helpful for other readers to see who the products do work for. This post is not being in any way offensive to the brands, its simply me telling my readers what I would not buy again.

So lets begin....

I am a big fan of the Macadamia Deep Repair Mask. This leaves my hair super soft. However, the same cannot be said about their Rejuvenating Shampoo and Moistuirizing Rinse Conditioner. These products did nothing at all for my hair. They made my hair greasy and I felt like no matter how much I rinsed my hair it always felt like there was still product left on my hair. I couldn't style my hair properly afterwards either. Definitely didn't like these products.

I bought a Mally set from QVC over a year ago and the kit contained a face primer, eye gel and eye primer. I liked the face primer and I used up all the eye gel but I really didn't like the eye primer. It says to apply this under your concealer to make it last longer and keep the skin hydrated. All this did for me was make my concealer crease and eventually disappear from my under-eye. Mally in general is a great brand but this product just did nothing for me.

Another eye product which I bought and didn't feel stood up to the claims was Boots Botanics Hydrating eye cream. As the name suggests this is supposed to hydrate the eyes but it didn't do this for me. I didnt see any difference in my eye area after using this product and I used almost the full tube.

It's all about eyes for me in this post so far and another one to add to the list is Clinique's all about eyes (rich formulation). This claims to help diminish the look of dark circles, fine lines, shadows and puffiness. I have used this for a long time now and really have not seen any of the above improvements.

Now on to some makeup....

Everyone and their mother seems to love the Collection 16 Hour Wear concealer and I did love this for awhile last year but for some reason this year it just isn't doing anything for me. If I apply it under my eyes it makes me look like I have 90 year old wrinked eyes and if I apply it to a spot I feel it just cakes over the spot and makes it look more obvious. For me their are much better products on the market than this one.

For a while everyone in the blogging world raved about the Chanel Soleil tan de Chanel Bronzing Makeup base so of course being the addict that I am off I went to Chanel and spent a ridiculous €40+ on this bronzer. When I got it home I was happy enough with it and did use it. I would have a relatively sallow complexion but this is a little too orangey on me. I also don't like the way it is such a hard consistency. This means you have to really work your brush into it to get some product out and then your brush bristles end up getting stuck in the product.....not a good thing at all. To be honest its not the worst product but for the price I would have expected something amazing. I have found a much cheaper and in my eyes a much better product in the Boujour bronzing primer. You can read my review on this beauty HERE.

I trained as a makeup artist with Makeup Forever and am a massive fan of their products. Their foundations for me are second to none. So on a trip to top up on some kit essentials I decided to try one of their liquid highlighters. I bought the Uplight Face Luminizer Gel in Shade 22. The girl in the shop said it looked great on skin over foundation or mixed in with a foundation. I tried it both ways and when I layered it on top of foundation it was very intense looking and almost glittery looking and when I mixed it with foundation it just made my skin look oily and way too shiny. Also this product seemed to go off very quickly. After awhile it began to smell funny and broke my skin out very bad. This was over €30 so I definitely regret buying it because I didn't get much use out of it.

Bobbi Brown bronzers have been a favourite of mine for over a decade and on my trip to IMATS in June I decided to pick up one. The makeup artist there recommended I bought shade Medium 2. I thought this was fine because I used this shade previously but when I got it home and tried it it was completely the wrong colour for me. It was very dark and had a red tonne of it which is not suitable for my skin tone at all. I was watching a Youtube video and one of the girl I am subscribed to who is much darker than me had the exact same problem as me. So I included this bronzer in this blog, not because the product isn't good but because the shade they recommended for me was totally wrong. I would recommend the bronzers in general but just be very careful what shade they give you.

I love the look of bright undereyes and so was very excited to try the Bare Minerals well-rested eye brightener. The idea of this is that you can use it alone or over concealer under the eyes to make your eyes appear brighter. This really did not work for me and I tried it every way possible. It dried out my under eyes and made my fine lines much more visable. I have heard other people rave about this so it may be worth a  go but I just didn't like it at all.

MUA (Makeup academy) do some really great product at very reasonable prices but one product I have tried that really didn't work for me is the Brush-On Concealer pen. This claims to hide under eye discoloration and blemishes on the face. I tried it for both and it did neither. It is too watery and thin to give any amount of coverage.

Another Makeup Forever product that I wasn't too happy with is the Aqua Eyes pencil in 0L Black. This is a waterproof eyeliner and I have to say it does last all day. My main problem with this eyeliner is the colour, it is almost like a dark grey colour rather than a carbon black colour. Really not what I was expecting from this pencil. I wouldn't purchase this again because I believe there are alot of other much cheaper and much better products on the market.

Another eyeliner that I bought which I was let down on was the infamous Mac Blacktrack Fluidline. Don't get me wrong its not a bad eyeliner but when compared to the likes of Inglot's gel liner in No 77 it really doesn't stand up to the challenge. It is not as long wearing or as dark as the Inglot or other liners on the market. I definitely will use this on myself for everyday use but wouldn't repurchase it because I know there are better alternatives.

I also do not like the e.l.f Cream eyeliners. They are not very strongly pigmented and they dry out super fast. Not my favourite e.l.f product at all.

I always loved Hypnose mascara by Lancome and purcahsed this a few months back. It just didnt give me the same wow factor as before. With this mascara you can build up layers to create more impact. I found with one coat my lashes just looked darker and when I began to build it up it would add slightly more volume but the mascara would clump. Again this won't be a repurchase for me and I have tried many other mascaras which for me work much better.

Another mascara I am just not pushed on is Maybelline's the Falsies. It did nothing for my lashes and really didn't make them look like I was wearing fake lashes. In general I like Maybelline mascara's but this one was not for me.

Some lip glosses which I really do not rate are e.l.f's minty lip gloss or their Luscious Liquid Lipstick. I do love alot of e.l.f products which you can check out in this older blog post.

I adore some of the Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker lip glosses but the shade pink apricot is not for me. It went off very quickly and the shade was in my opinion not the nicest. It isn't a peach nor a nude shade so I didn't think it looked great on the lips.

Last but not least is Stila's Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer. This is supposed to add luminosity to the skin and make it looks fresh but it just made me look overly shiny, greasy and just down right unattractive. This didn't come cheap so I was very disappointed with this purchase.

I think that is enough for now. I have rambled on long enough. I hope you found this useful and I will continue to take note of the products I don't like because I think this would be so useful to my readers as it will save them wasting time on money on buying products that really don't live up to the hype.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and let me know if you found this helpful.

What products do you regret buying? Do you love any of the products I mentioned above, as ever you are welcome to comment below and tell me what you think.

Have a wonderful day xxx

Update Ur makeup wardrobe for A/W '13

Alot of people I talk to get very frustrated trying to decide how they should update their makeup for changes in seasons. Just when you got it right for last season suddenly there is a new trend in fashion!!! Very annoying. We see so many makeup trends gracing the catwalks and the problem is most of the time they are too exaggerated for everyday wear so in this post I will give you some great advice and inspiration on how to change up your makeup look for Autumn/Winter '13 aswell as how to make some of those crazy catwalk looks much easier to pull off.

I would like to firstly say that not all of the looks below will suit everyone, but you sure can have fun experimenting to find the perfect one for you. Also, not all of these looks should be worn together. Just because the nights are getting darker doesn't mean we have to go crazy on the makeup to make us stand out that bit  more!!

Some of you will be happy to know that perfected skin never goes out of fashion. This is as beautiful in the summer as it is in the colder months. I personally love a matte foundation for winter but alot of people opt for a more hydrating glowy skin in the winter. Find what suits you best and work with it. Whatever foundation finish you choose be sure to use a good concealer to hide any imperfections to create that perfected canvas. My product recommendations would be Rimmel's Stay Matte Liquid Mousse foundation (review here) or Estee Lauder's Double Wear for the perfect matte look, Revlon's Colour stay foundation or Laura Mercier's silk creme foundation for medium to full coverage but with a natural finish and Revlon's nearly naked foundation for a natural light coverage finish. Makeup Forever's full coverage concealer is amazing at hiding facial imperfections and discolouration or for a cheaper alternative I would recommend Revlon's Photo Finish concealer.

On trend this season is to wear no blush. Personally I would not wear this trend as for me blush is the finishing touch to any makeup look, even if it is only a slight wash of colour.

Your perfected skin will look amazing with a just pinched look to the cheeks. Peaches, pinks and plum tones are stunning on the cheeks. Opting for a cream blush is great for this time of the year aswell as summer to ensure makeup last longer while keeping skin hydrated. Absolutely loving Max Factors cream blush in soft pink aswell as boujours cream blushes. Benefits cheek and lip stains are great for adding a wash of colour and their original Benetint cheek stain would be perfect for this time of year. If you love the reddish, plum tones on cheeks but prefer powder blush Mac's Frankly Scarlet is to die for.

Vampy lips are HUGE this season. Hues of wine, pink, purples, plum and beautiful berry's graced the catwalks. But don't be scared if you are not brave enough to wear a full on lip then a nice berry tint on the lips is also spot on trend. A great tip is to buy cheaper lipsticks if you are not sure if a shade will suit you so that you don't waste your money on an expensive lipstick that you will never wear. Great A/W lipsticks are Urban Decay Venom, Mac's just a bite matte lipstick, Mac Rebel, Mac Up the Amp, and a lovely reddish orange is Mac's Ruby Woo Lipstick.

If you are not a fan of deep lips then how about dark eyes??? Deep colours on the lid are a fab way to update your look. I love navy blues, golds, greens and purples in Autumn/Winter time. Smoking this up with a grey, chocolate brown or black is a great way to add definition and drama to the eyes. My favourite smoky shades are :Inglot Shadow Pearl 428 (navy blue) or 426 (cobalt blue), Matte 348 (grey), Pearl 414 (dark green), Pearl 439 (deep purple) and Pearl 404 (Gold). I also love Mac's espresso which is a deep brown matte shade, perfect for smoking the eye.
If you don't want to do a full on smoky eye, dusting a matte grey eye shadow across the eyelid will give a really nice smoked up effect without looking overdone. This is great for wearing during the day or pairing with those deeper lips.

Deep dark eyes are best paired with nude lips. I love Revlon's lip butter in Creme Brulee or Inglot's lipgloss cube in shade 14. These are my go to nude lip products for this season.

Bold brows are never going out of fashion and autumn/winter is a great time to wear them. Deep lips, big brows and minimal eyes are amazing for this season but bold brows are equally as nice with smoky eyes. Just be sure not to bring the eyeshadow too high on the eye as this begins to look messy if you have big thick brows.

Winged cat eyeliner is also another trend that is great this A/W. It looks super sophisticated with any look and adds so much definition to the eyes. Don't be afraid to pair this with a nice set of flirty eyelashes to add some glam. My favorite eyeliners of all time are Catrice's Liquid Liner or Inglot's gel liner in shade 77 Black. Both do amazing jobs and last ALL day.

So that's all I have to say about makeup, just remember not to wear all of these looks together and have fun experimenting.

A small note before I finish up. During the colder months our skin tends to get dehydrated as we are fighting colder weather and central heating alot of the time. To ensure your skin looks its best and stays hydrated its often a good idea to use a richer face cream if your skin needs it. If you don't want to do this during the day then use a richer cream at night and add in a hydrating serum during the day which will not make your skin greasy.
If you are going to attempt the deep bold lip be sure to use a lip scrub and lip balm on regular occasions to keep your lips plump and ready for beautiful lippy.

I hope you found this post helpful. What trends will you be trying for Autumn/Winter 2013? Let me know

Have a great day

Anita xxxx