Face Masks & Festivities | GlamGlow Review

On Friday, the most recent addition to our village - The Mill Pharmacy in Coolaney - had its official opening day. The Mill is a newly opened pharmacy. Hilary, its proprietor, has worked hard to stock her chemist with popular makeup and skincare brands that can be hard to find in other bigger chemists, so I was really excited to head along to the open day and have a proper browse.

As well as the usual pharmacy items, The Mill stocks makeup brands Catrice and MeMeMe (which is actually quite hard to find here in the West of Ireland), Ciaté nail polish (again, hard to find in pharmacies), Cocoa Brown tan - my favourite tan - Avené, MooGoo, Crabtree & Evelyn and Caudalié skincare and the most recent and most exciting addition - GlamGlow.

After hanging around the tantalising food table for longer than is socially acceptable I purchased a few bits and enjoyed the live music. Mum had far too many glasses of wine and was falling about the place and I just ate nearly all the grapes from the cheese boards (which I'm pretty sure were just meant to be a garnish but I don't live by the rules!) and managed to spit one halfway across the room like the classy, articulate lady I am.

There was a great crowd for the opening and not too much complaining when we went out in the baltic weather to watch the cutting of the ribbon! I wish Hilary and all the staff the best of luck and sorry for eating all the grapes.

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I managed to bag a sample of each GlamGlow mask and also the undereye treatment, so I thought I'd tie a review of each into this blog.

I tried out each mask seperately. I applied them to a clean, dry face just before getting into the shower and left them on for 5 minutes each before washing them off in the shower.

I'm gonna be honest, I had very high expecations as the face masks are very pricey and I've heard rave reviews about them. Here's my honest review on each one.

1. Supermud 

This mask claims to fight common skin concerns - spots, blackheads, discoloration and uneven skin. It's a mud mask that draws out dirt and gets all the gunk out of your pores leaving it clear and smooth.

This was my favourite of the bunch. As soon as I washed it off my skin felt (to quote my mum) 'like a baby's arse' and I also noticed my pores were cleaner. I had a few blackheads on my nose that I noticed were gone after using this. There's nothing more satisfying than feeling like all the gunk has been sucked out of your pores. Mmm.

 The smell of the masks are quite pleasant - mostly earthy and minty. Because of this I think the masks would suit those with sensitive skin - apart from Thirstymud, which I'll get to in a bit.

2. Youthmud

This one claims to be full of tingly goodness. While the first mask claimed to clear out pores this one seems to mostly just smooth out skin and make it softer and brighter. I did find this one made my skin look healthier but it also made my skin feel a bit tight. I'd imagine this would be good for those with mature or oily skin, but for my very dry skin it wasn't quite perfect. I did enjoy how it made my skin look - just not how it made it feel.

The tingling sensation is a bit strange and for the first minute or so you start wondering if it's meant to tingle quite so much, but this is normal. I do wonder if the tingling addition is a bit gimmicky, however.

3. Thirstymud 

This was the most disappointing of the bunch. I'm sorry to say this did not agree with my skin. This one smelt lovely, like apples, but whatever different ingredients were in it didn't like my face. Thirstymud claims to boost and lock in moisture to give a healthy, dewy appearance.

Shortly after applying this, I felt my skin itching and burning - not tingling, burning. I knew straight away this was not the intended reaction so I quickly rinsed it off. My skin looked red and blotchy and felt very hot and tight after using this.

By all means, try this out - it might have just been my skin that didn't agree with it, but for me this one was a no-go. It is a shame as it's a lovely consistency and smells gorgeous. 

4. Powermud

This was my second favourite mask. This mask is fun to apply as it goes from mud to oil. I didn't see much difference between this one and the first one, purpose wise. In terms of how my skin looked and felt after, the first one won, but this is still a lovely mask for that lovely clean feeling after a long week.

Most of the masks contain little black specks which I think are eucalyptus leaves or tea leaves to detoxify. These are really fun to smear around your face and pretend you have a weird skin condition. Or, you know. Because they're good for your pores.

Overall if I had the money or as a present I'd love to fully try out Powermud or Supermud. They are steep at €56 considering you're meant to use them a few times a week. Still, I guess I'll have to keep dreaming!

Bonus - Brightmud Eye Treatment

This was amazing. I suffer from a bad case of the puffies and darkness under my eyes which I hate. I patted this on before getting ready to go out, left it for a few minutes and then wiped it off. Instantly my undereyes felt refreshed and rejuvinated. Even in pictures I noticed a difference - the puffiness was definitely reduced and my eyes didn't look so tired. I'd definitely buy this but I read on the box you only get 12 in a box for €51 and I just can't bring myself to pay that much for that little! Still, if you have the money I definitely recommend going for this one - it's lovely before a night out or special event. A true Hollywood glam treat!

Thanks to The Mill Pharmacy for the GlamGlow samples. 

Have you joined the GlamGlow craze yet?

Check out The Mill Pharmacy here!