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

Sarah G Cosmetic Product Review

Sarah Mc Gough is the creator and owner of Sarah G Cosmetics. She is Irish born, living in the UK. I have been a fan of Sarah as a makeup artist for awhile now and have lusted after her products for ages.  So I decided to treat myself after my exams to some of her products. I emailed Sarah and asked which she thought was the most popular products and she very promptly replied to say that "The Face Kit" was by far the most popular and also her mascara and lipsticks were great sellers. So I decided to give them all a go.
Shipping was very fast so I got my products in no time and was dying to try them out. I have them several weeks now but really wanted to give them a thorough testing before I let you all know my thoughts on them. 

Let me start with my favourite, "The Face Kit". It is a really cute little black compact that contains four eyeshadows, a bronzer and a blush. The four shadows are all shimmery and come in the following colours, a champagne colour, a yellow gold, a dark brown with a goldish shimmer and a beautiful charcoal grey. The bronzer is matte which to me is an essential for contouring and the blush is the most amazing shimmery pinkish coral colour. The compact also consists of a large mirror (the full size of the compact) and some brushes which if I am honest I threw away because I don't like the little brushes that come with compacts, I would much rather more product than brushes because I could sell brushes at this stage, but I am sure others would definitely find them useful.

I used "The Face Kit" on the eyes here and also the bronzer and a very small amount of the blush on the cheeks!

I love the choice of colours in this palette. I feel they would be perfect for a simple day look or for a more sophisticated night time smoky eye look. The only thing I did find missing from the palette was a matte brown shade for the crease but me being one for experimenting I used the matte bronzer in the crease as a blending matte shade and it works so well. I actually love the colour as it has a slight reddish tone off it with really compliments my eye colour (you can see this colour in the picture above, just slightly blended over the dark brown shade to add transition from dark to light). The pigmentation of the eyeshadows is amazing. They have fantastic colour pay off and are so creamy to touch and blend effortlessly. The shade I love most is the champagne shade which I love for highlighting under the brow bone and in the inner corner of my eyes. I also adore this for highlighting my cheek bones. These eyeshadows definitely give the more expensive, overpriced brands a run for their money. The bronzer is the perfect shade, its great for contouring but is equally as nice for adding a bronzed glow to the face without looking in any way orange! I am definitely going to have to see if this comes in a full size because I am mad about this product and would love it as a separate compact. And the blush.....what can I say, its just a really pretty, just pinched colour that adds a luminosity to the cheeks. 

TOP left bronzer, right blush. MIDDLE all shadows in order as above and BOTTOM is the charcoal used with damp brush as liner.

I would suggest using an eye shadow primer with these shadows to ensure that they last all day. I have had no issues with them not lasting but I always recommend using a primer with shadows that are very soft in texture as they tend to crease easier on the eyes. The charcoal colour tends to be a little more chalky than the others so a primer will sort this out, also I found wetting this colour works very well as an eyeliner. This "Face Kit" can be purchased for £25 or €29.72 which is amazing value for what you get in this kit.

In my eyes this palette is perfect for travel or for putting in your handbag as you have everything you need for a daytime or evening eye look. You have a bronzer, a blush and a  facial highlighter (the lightest of the eyeshadows)....if you took this on your holidays you would have your eyes, and face completely sorted. All you would need is foundation, powder, lipstick and mascara and any other little extras you might want to bring along with you. 

My next purchase was one of the lipsticks in the shade "107 Pink Lady". This is in my eyes the perfect pink shade of lipstick. I adore Mac's Creme Cup and Chatter Box lipsticks but I find one too light and one too deep sometimes for everyday wear. Pink Lady by Sarah G Cosmetics is a mix of both of these shades. Its not too pale and not too bright, its a very wearable and pretty pink shade. The formulation is creamy and has a lovely sheen to it again making it very easy to wear. Its a very opaque colour which is great because the colour that's in the tube is what you will get on your lips, nothing worse than a lipstick that looks good in the packaging but not as nice on the lips. I would recommend to use a very light coat of balm before applying this as it tends to dry my lips ever so slightly but on the plus side the dryness allows the product to last much longer on your lips than non drying formulations. Sarah G lipsticks are £8 or €9.51.

Sarah G Cosmetics Lipstick Shade 107 "Pink Lady"

I also purchased the "Superlash" Macara in black. I love big wands on mascara as I think they give great volume and this wand is right up my alley. The only problem with this is that its very hard to get in the inner corners of the lashes and also the bottom lashes but I have mastered a technique. When I first got this mascara I found it was very wet and kind of hard to work with because it seemed to clump on the second coat because it was so wet. So I decided to leave it for a few days and go back to it and when I went back to it I was very happy to find that it dried out slightly and now it is much easier to use and I love using it now. The wand really helps add volume to the lashes and it gives great length too when you build it up. It clumps a very small bit but nothing that cannot be sorted by brushing the lashes through with a lash comb. I really like that this mascara is black black and so adds depth and drama to your lashes. A great buy in my eyes! This mascara is £12 or €14.27. 

Sarah G Cosmetics Superlash Mascara in Black

I did also get some glitters and glitter fix but I haven't really used this much but plan to use them alot in the Autumn/Winter so I will be sure to let you all know what I think of them. 

Overall I am very happy with my purchases and I even included "The Face Kit" in my August Favourites as really thats the only thing I reached for when doing my eyes, contouring and cheeks for the month of August...that must say something in itself. All products can be purchased from Sarah's online store or you can visit Sarah G Cosmetics on Facebook. Sarah is so professional and so helpful so if you have any questions for her be sure to ask. She is also a makeup artist in the UK so if you are following my blog from there be sure to check her out the next time you need your makeup done professionally.

I am really excited to see what else Sarah has to offer and will definitely let you all know of any future purchases. 

Have a wonderful day and Love to you all xxxx

April 2013 Beauty Favourites

I was loving a heck of alot of things for the month of April but alot of them were towards the end of the month so I think I will leave some of them until May favourites as I have no doubt I will be loving them this month too. Although my April favourites do consist of some fanatastic products that I am obsessed with at the moment

I have to start off with my favourite product of April. Thebalm's Mary Lou Manizer is the best highlighter I have ever tried...period. This gives the most amazing champagney golden highlight to the skin without looking overly sparkly or glittery. Its stunning for skintone and for any occassion. This cost me €18.75 from FeelUnique and I have to say its the best money I have ever spent. I love to apply this to the top of my cheekbones and under my browbone for a real natural but noticable glow to the skin. Let me know if you would like a more indepth review on this.

Dr. Jart+ Waterfuse Beauty Balm is an absolute favourite of mine. This will remain a staple in my makeup collection for a very long time. Check out my full review on this little beauty. 

Oh what can I say about MAC Studio Fix Fluid. This has saved my life (well not literally) in April. I rediscovered this recently and cannot believe how much coverage it gives me and how long it lasts on my skin. I think this is around €31 from any MAC counter. I am shade NC20 without tan or with a light tan. I am having acne breakouts at the moment and people keep telling me how well my skin looks. If only they could see whats under my layer of MAC studio fix fluid!!! I love to pair this with the DR Jart BB Cream for a beautiful fresh face that covers well but doesn't look cakey. 

To set my face of makeup and keep it in place all day I love to use Urban Decay's all nighter spray. A few light sprays gets rid of that powdery look to your skin but yet keeps your foundation locked in all day. I also love to use this during the day to freshen up my makeup. I have definitely noticed a considerable difference in the length my makeup lasted after using this. This product is between €23-€28 depending on where you purchase it from. I find Beautybay is the most reasonable and they offer free shipping. Urban Decay also offer other setting sprays for different skin types including one called De slick which is for oily skin. The all nighter tends to work for my normal/combination skin but I know people who have oily skin and swear by the De slick version so be sure to check out the full range before purchasing.

Daniel Sandler is a well renouned makeup artist with lots of celebrity clients under his belt. I have been a fan of his makeup for many years and his watercolour blushes have to be my favourite. They are a water type blush that is applied to the apples of your cheeks to give a beautiful flushed look to the skin. These blushes are very natural looking but really add that wow factor to any makeup look. I have four of these blushes and plan to buy more soon. If you would like to see a more indepth review on these let me know. You can purchase them from Beautyemporium.

In April I found my favourite mascara of all time (well so far anyway). I was and still am in love with Clinique's High Impact Mascara in Black. This gives my lashes so much volume without clumping or looking spidery. A great mascara that doesn't flake and adds depth and intensity to your eyes, what more can I say!! Oh yes the price, this mascara will set you back €19.50 and is available at any Clinique counter. 

Another Clinique product I am loving is the Chubby Sticks Moisturising Lip colour Balm especially in shade Whoppin' Watermelon. This is a great little lip product that is easy to use and adds a really lovely sheer but noticeable shine to the lips. I love this for everyday use. They are also very moisturising on the lips. This product is €19 from any Clinique counter.

I am still loving the Karora self tan mist. This gives me such a beautiful tan without any streaks and is effortless to use. Check out my review for more details. 

And last up is my favourite haircare product of the moment. Its the cult Moroccanoil Original. I am obsessed with this stuff and start to panic when I forget to put it into my hair as I know my hair just won't be quiet right without it. I apply this to damp hair after I wash my hair or sometimes I use this to defrizz my hair after blowdrying it. It takes the frizz away very easily and doesn't weigh your hair down at all. There are many oils on the market that are trying to outdo this but in my opinion there is nothing that can beat this little beauty. This is an expensive product (around €40 for a 100ml bottle) but its an investment as your hair will definitely be less dry and much healthier looking with this. 

Well that's what I have been loving in April and am still loving today. If you have any favourites that you are loving please let me know as I am always in the market for trying new products.  Also if you want an indepth review on any of the products above please let me know. I hope you found this useful and thank you for taking time out to read this. Big Kisses and have a fantastic LONG weekend.  XXXX