Budget Beauty: GOSH AW17 Collection - Review & Swatches

If you're suffering from the Back-To-Life blues this week, why not treat yourself to some new makeup? And don't worry, this new range from GOSH is (mostly) friendly on the purse strings!

GOSH are one of my favourite budget-friendly makeup brands and you can find them easily in your local Superdrug with lots of great offers on throughout the range. As well as being gentle on your bank balance, their products are also cruelty-free and suitable for vegans - win win! I was kindly sent some products from their latest AW17 collection to share with you all and I've been testing them out for the past few weeks. 

Here's what's new from GOSH:-

 GOSH Primer Plus Skin Adaptor Anti-Pollution Primer in Chameleon* (30ml, £14.99, link)

Anti-pollution formulas have been a big thing in many new skincare products, so it's great to see a brand like GOSH developing an affordable makeup primer which has this element in it. This Primer Plus Skin Adaptor features their Cityguard+ complex which is based on marine origin ingredients to help protect the skin from everyday pollution such as car exhausts and cigarette smoke. In addition to these properties, it also has a tint to it to even out your skin tone and gives you a healthy looking glow, plus it creates a lovely smooth surface for applying makeup. If you're in the market for a new multi-benefits primer, this is well worth checking out.

GOSH Mix & Fix Blender Brush* (£9.99, link)

GOSH's makeup brushes are seriously underrated IMO, so if you're new to them, I'd recommend trying out their Mix & Fix Blender Brush if you're after a new base brush to play with. The sleek matte black handle makes this brush easy to hold and control, and the flat kabuki style head has a circular indent which is similar to the bareMinerals Perfecting Face Brush, but smaller, and I think it actually works better as you end up using a lot less product and get a much smoother and even finish! Great for buffing any liquid foundation into the skin and the bristles are nice and soft (synthetic and vegan-friendly too!).  

GOSH My Favourite Mascara* (10ml, £9.99, link)

Calling your mascara 'My Favourite Mascara' is a pretty bold claim, and unfortunately, GOSH hasn't won me over with this one. Specially formulated to be the perfect 'everyday mascara' it gives you natural looking lashes without the drama, which is perhaps why I'm not so keen on it as I generally prefer a more volumised lash look. But let's look at the positives; the rubberised bristle brush separates lashes like a dream, it's perfume and paraben free, and it can be removed with just warm water. Personally, though, I like more drama and volume from my mascaras, but it's certainly not a bad choice if you prefer a very natural looking mascara for every day.

GOSH Prime 'N' Set Primer & Mattifying Banana Setting Powder* (7g, £9.99, link) 

Banana powders have moved from the hands of makeup artists to the experimental beauty consumer, so I wasn't surprised to see GOSH bringing out their own version of this now-cult classic. If you haven't used a banana powder before, it's basically a yellow-toned setting powder which helps to colour correct any redness and also helps to neutralise and banish dark under eye circles. The best thing about them is that they're easy to use - just swap your regular setting powder for a banana powder and say hello to brighter skin! I like using this mainly underneath my eyes to set my concealer with as it definitely helps to brighten things up under there, but it's also great as an all over setting powder when I want a more matte finish; just use less of it than you might think.

GOSH 9 Shades Eyeshadow Palette - To Party In London* (£11.99, link)

I love a new eyeshadow palette (who doesn't?!) and this one is such a beauty! The new 'To Party In London' palette contains nine gorgeous shimmery metallic eye shadows, ranging from softer neutral pinks and browns, to more intense darker bronzes, midnight blues and coppers. Each shade is buttery soft, easy to blend and work with, and highly pigmented to boot. The packaging is glossy black, nice and compact, and features a large mirror which makes this palette great for travelling with. I really love the mix of shades and I think it's fantastic value for money!

GOSH 9 Shades Eyeshadow Palette - To Party In London swatches!

GOSH Eye Shadow Primer* (1.4g, £8.99, link), GOSH Growth Serum Brows (6ml, £16.99, link) and GOSH Brow Shape & Fill* (0.5g, £8.99, link)

I was excited to try the new GOSH Eye Shadow Primer as I've been on the hunt for a budget-friendly alternative to replace my beloved Urban Decay Primer Potion. This one comes packaged in a chunky stick format and features a sponge tip applicator at the other end. The sponge tip is much too hard and stiff to work with, but the primer stick itself is really not bad at all and it's easy to blend it over the lids with just the warmth of your finger. It's great for creating a base for eyeshadow and helps to even out any discolouration, but I found that my eyeshadow began to crease after 5-6 hours, so it's OK for a night out, but not ideal for all day wear if you have oily lids like I do.

For brows, GOSH has a new Growth Serum which aims to give you thicker and fuller brows with daily use. It's not the kind of product that I need for my own brows, but if want yours to be thicker, this might be worth a try.

What I have been impressed with though is GOSH's Brow Shape & Fill which is an incredibly useful 2-in-1 pencil and powder product. One end has a brilliant skinny brow pencil for defining and drawing in tiny hairs, and the other end has a soft powder for filling in any gaps. I have the shade Grey Brown which is a perfect match for my brows and it gives a really natural looking finish. Love it!

GOSH Brow Shape & Fill in Grey Brown 002

GOSH Lumi Drops in 012 Rosegold* (15ml, £7.99, link) 

I've sung the praises of GOSH's Lumi Drops in the past, so I was pleased to see that they've released two brand new shades in this popular range. Lumi Drops are basically liquid highlighters, blushers and bronzers, depending on what shade you pick up. I have one of the new ones in Rosegold which is a beautiful peachy-rose liquid blusher with a gold shimmer which is very pretty and glowy on the cheeks - a drop or two is all you need to use!

GOSH Lift & Highlight in 001 Nude* (2.9g, £9.99, link)

This clever Lift & Highlight duo-pencil is a makeup bag must-have and can be used in various ways to lift, define and highlight different areas of the face. It features a matte nude coloured pencil on one end, and a shimmery light-reflective pencil on the other. Use the matte end under the brow bones to lift, or if it matches your skin-tone, it can also double up as a concealer. The shimmery end can then be used to highlight and brighten the inner eye corner and the cupid's bow for a quick and easy finishing touch.

GOSH Strobe 'N' Glow Kit in 001 Highlight* (20g, £12.99, link)

As far as highlighting palettes go, this newbie from GOSH is one of the best budget makeup buys that I've come across all year. In the Strobe 'N' Glow Kit you get four huge pans of different highlighter shades (a whopping 20g of product in total!), and the quality is amazing. Featuring three gorgeous golden light-to-bronze shades, the kit also has an interesting pink based holographic highlighter colour for something different to play with. Each shade feels silky soft with a light creamy texture, and they all blend beautifully. This kit is a fantastic way to try out a bunch of new highlighters, all in one handy palette, and these really do pop on the skin!

GOSH Strobe 'N' Glow Kit in 001 Highlight and GOSH Lift & Highlight in 001 Nude - swatches!

GOSH AW17 Collection now available exclusively at Superdrug, in stores nationwide and online at superdrug.com.

Have you tried any of the new GOSH A/W Collection?

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