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Pampered Wolf
Skincare expert

Pampered Wolf.

Gemma built Pampered Wolf around honest skincare and makeup for the over-40 crowd, from drugstore picks to high-end foundations, all tested on mature skin. She posts twice a week, mixing product reviews, tutorials, and perimenopause-aware content most beauty channels overlook.

Why Is She A Guru?
A beauty-over-40 specialist with 237,000 subscribers and a consistent publishing record in age-focused skincare and makeup.
26Products
23 yay88% approval rate
3 nayA few she would skip
3 hot takesWhere she breaks from the pack

Pampered Wolf, in short.

What does Pampered Wolf recommend?

Pampered Wolf has reviewed 26 products. Of the ones she gives a clear yes or no to,she approves 88%. The products she rates highest and brings up most are NYX HD Studio Photogenic Concealer, Huda Beauty Lip Contour Stain in Soft Nude and Dr Sam's Flawless Moisturiser Intense.

Which eye makeup does Pampered Wolf recommend?

She has reviewed 4 eye makeup and approved 3 of them. The ones she rates highest are L'Oreal Paradise Big Deal Waterproof Mascara, Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Universal Volumizing Mascara and Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner.

What does Pampered Wolf say no to?

She has skipped 3 of the 26 products she has reviewed. The ones she is clearest about are Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, NARS Notorious Mascara and The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG.

What they review most.

Pampered Wolf's hot takes.

Products where their take diverges from the rest of the gurus.

Pampered Wolf: Nay vs gurus 75% Yay
The temperamental foundation that you just can't rely on is a fail to me. It's definitely not a reformulation of the original Pro Filt'r foundation, which was incredibly matte and really long-lasting. [...] You have to be very careful when first applying this to get any wear out of it, which I think is a real shame. This should not have been called the Pro Filt'r reformulation. It should have just been called something entirely different.
Pampered Wolf: Nay vs gurus Not verified
Unfortunately it's not volumizing, though it doesn't claim to be. [...] The main issue for me was the crunch and the feeling of brittleness. My lashes didn't break, [...] but they felt like if I touched them they would snap off. I still like my lashes to be movable, and I don't want them to feel like they have a coating of plastic on the exterior. [...] There's nothing actually wrong with the formula, it's just my personal preference. It's just not for me.
Pampered Wolf: Nay vs gurus 73% Yay
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution [...] can help to reduce the appearance of dark circles if it works for you, but it definitely doesn't work for me. I get real irritation with caffeine, so that's one that I'm definitely going to give a miss.

Every review.

All 26 products Pampered Wolf has reviewed, grouped by product type. Click a product to see the full guru consensus.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Against the gurus
Eye Makeup4 reviews
"It will also look beautiful on those lower lashes and look like they are exaggerated a little bit but they don't look like they've got mascara on and it's also waterproof. I really, really like the applicator. I think this is one of those applicators that I can really get behind because I never get the mascara all over the place. I love this and I will be repurchasing it. If you haven't tried this already and you only want to have one mascara in your collection, try it out."
✓Yay
83%Guru Score
"Grabs every single lash. And although this isn't waterproof, it sticks to your lashes, it doesn't smudge, it doesn't ball up or flake. It's just everything I want in a mascara. The volume that you get from this is amazing. I love a voluminous mascara. I cannot stand those mascaras that say they're going to deliver and then my lashes just look nonexistent. I like a hefty, heavy, voluminous lash look. And that is exactly what this gives me in abundance. I love it. Absolutely love it."
✓Yay
76%Guru Score
"It's also got a very fine point on this so you can be very very precise. I bought this in the shade brown so it was a little bit softer on my 46 year old eye soon to be 47. This is [...] the perfect strokes matte liquid liner and I love this. I've just applied it just on that outer edge. Very easy to apply and then connect to the dots. Nothing fussy, nothing too difficult. Very easy to do. Absolutely love it."
✓Yay
77%Guru Score
"Unfortunately it's not volumizing, though it doesn't claim to be. [...] The main issue for me was the crunch and the feeling of brittleness. My lashes didn't break, [...] but they felt like if I touched them they would snap off. I still like my lashes to be movable, and I don't want them to feel like they have a coating of plastic on the exterior. [...] There's nothing actually wrong with the formula, it's just my personal preference. It's just not for me."
✕Nay
Notverified
Eye Care2 reviews
"The Ordinary Caffeine Solution [...] can help to reduce the appearance of dark circles if it works for you, but it definitely doesn't work for me. I get real irritation with caffeine, so that's one that I'm definitely going to give a miss."
✕Nay
73%Guru Score
"I think the Lacto PDRN 4% plus B9 Eye Cream [...] is absolutely superb. The tightening effect happens within 30 minutes, and I've seen the most improvement where the eyelid folds meet the crease. Before application I've got a couple of folds there and a little bit of loose skin, and then 30 minutes after application, that loose skin has tightened and those folds no longer exist. For long-term benefits, around 8 to 12 weeks of continued use, your skin is naturally plumper and smoother."
✓Yay
84%Guru Score
Foundation2 reviews
"This foundation [...] will give you anything from sheer coverage all the way up to full coverage and it doesn't budge throughout the day. It wears so flatteringly well. [...] It's just beautiful on my skin. It doesn't go cakey. It doesn't crease. It's just gorgeous and you can apply the smallest amount to make the biggest difference."
✓Yay
90%Guru Score
"The temperamental foundation that you just can't rely on is a fail to me. It's definitely not a reformulation of the original Pro Filt'r foundation, which was incredibly matte and really long-lasting. [...] You have to be very careful when first applying this to get any wear out of it, which I think is a real shame. This should not have been called the Pro Filt'r reformulation. It should have just been called something entirely different."
✕Nay
75%Guru Score
Haircare2 reviews
"I absolutely adore my Dyson Supersonic. I tend not to use it to style my hair. I do use it to blow dry my hair. Dyson products are absolutely fantastic."
✓Yay
89%Guru Score
"I love IPL and laser. [...] You can invest in the Tria laser hair removal system at home if you want to do it in the comfort of your own house."
✓Yay
76%Guru Score
Moisturizers2 reviews
"If your skin on your face has got drier, the one product that I would recommend to everybody, in fact, it's my favorite moisturizer of all time, although I don't reach for it as often anymore because my skin has got a lot oilier, is the Dr. Sam's Flawless Moisturizer Intense. Honestly, if you haven't tried that already and you have seriously dry skin, you can thank me later."
✓Yay
87%Guru Score
"This is brand new from Dr. Sam's and it gives you an abundance of hydration, but everything in the right level. So it's not too much, but it's not too little. It's somewhere in between and there are beautiful science-backed ingredients in here that are very interesting. The main ingredient I want to touch on is [...] sunflower shoot extract. Sunflower shoot extract has the ability to increase the levels of NAD+ within the skin. NAD+ is the skin cells' battery."
✓Yay
79%Guru Score
Other2 reviews
"The Lumi Glotion from L'Oreal, I have this in two shades, the shade light glow 902 and I also have medium glow 903. Medium glow is the one that I have on today. I just find this so versatile because if you want more glow you can actually build this up, but if you want something very soft and very subtle then one layer of this very finely applied is beautiful. The Lumi Glotions are also superb because you can add them to a tinted moisturizer or a foundation to make that product slightly glowier."
✓Yay
81%Guru Score
"It helps aid absorption of all of the other products. Plus, it also helps to even out the skin tone. The rest of the ingredients in here, including peptides, beautiful oils, just gorgeous gorgeous things help to plump, hydrate, nourish, and just make my skin a better version of itself. I also use a few other Emma Lewisham products, but this is the one that if push came to shove, I would probably repurchase over the rest. If I could only pick one product, this would be it."
✓Yay
89%Guru Score
Powder & Setting2 reviews
"The Morphe Life Proof Continuous Setting Mist is a really nice aerosol mist that is very very light. It doesn't feel like your skin is overly wet or damp. You can use this on the go. I bought the mini version and the mini version only has 1.3 oz worth of product in so I wasn't expecting to last as long as it actually has done and I don't feel like I'm getting to the end of it anytime soon either. It's a lovely lovely product. Again you can carry it around with you in your handbag."
✓Yay
79%Guru Score
"The Wet n Wild Photo Focus Loose Setting Powder is pink but I can get away with it for my entire face. [...] Look how soft and diffused that is without looking powdery or heavy or dry. I do love a bit of a sheen so I tend not to apply this everywhere but there's no denying that this works. And unlike some other powders there is a lasting airbrushing effect with this. It will last you a few hours. It's not like this is gone in ten minutes as soon as I go off camera. [...] It's not one of those."
✓Yay
86%Guru Score
Serums2 reviews
"The Ordinary's GF 15% Solution is compatible with the PDRN eye cream. GF is such a beautiful formula and it will work in harmony with the PDRN eye cream."
✓Yay
66%Guru Score
"The consistency is much thicker than other copper peptide solutions I've tried, and it sinks [...] into the skin so effortlessly. It really hydrates, nourishes, and plumps the skin, and [...] I absolutely love it. For the price, you get far more than The Ordinary's copper peptide solution. [...] If all you're worried about is copper peptides, both are fantastic, but [...] for me this one is more versatile and it delivers."
✓Yay
78%Guru Score
Blush & Bronzer1 review
"It does have a little bit of a sheen on this but it's a subtle soft sheen. It's not massively highlighty so people aren't going to see you from the other side of the street but it's also not glittery either. So it's not got anything chunky in there. It is very elegant and very very soft. I really really recommend that one if you want something extra or you're just not into a liquid blush."
✓Yay
77%Guru Score
Body & Tan1 review
"For me personally, I swear by this. I've mentioned it in so many videos recently. This is the [Aveeno] Daily Moisturizing After Shower Mist. It's for normal to dry skin. I find that this also works on an oilier skin as well because it is so lightweight. This will moisturize the skin, hydrate the skin, and then seal in all that moisture. And it is so quick and easy to apply."
✓Yay
85%Guru Score
Cleansers1 review
"The Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm [...] is completely undupable. Brand after brand has tried to duplicate this product and failed every single time. There is nothing with this consistency and texture out on the market. It is absolutely beautiful. If this is one of your staple products or you've always wanted to try it, usually it is in the Amazon Prime Day sale."
✓Yay
75%Guru Score
Concealer1 review
"The reason I love this so much is because it does not look heavy underneath the eyes and as far as I'm concerned it's not drying underneath the eyes either. I get a very smooth application, very easy to blend out, very easy to blend into the skin. It doesn't sit on the surface and look makeup-y. I would like to mention, however, that Stephanie Marie has a completely different opinion to me. [...] As far as Stephanie is concerned this sits in the dryness underneath her eyes."
✓Yay
71%Guru Score
Lip1 review
"I love this. This is that one product that is better than all of the other lip stains as far as I am concerned. It's very easy to apply. You don't have to do any sort of peeling or sticking. You just apply it. It sticks. It stains. It's going nowhere all day and you don't have to reapply. [...] Soft nude is the most natural on me, and on those natural days, soft nude it is."
✓Yay
87%Guru Score
Mists & Essences1 review
"I really like the COSRX Snail Mucin Serum because it is so hydrating and a little nourishing without giving you that heavy, suffocating feel. It is very, very lightweight on the skin. However, I do not need to pick any more of this up because I already have a spare in the cupboard and at the moment it's not in my skincare routine because my skin doesn't need it."
✓Yay
77%Guru Score
Tech1 review
"LED is absolutely fantastic for regeneration and this includes 120 LED lights in here which are going to seriously help to increase hair growth. They did an independent study at Current Body and those tests showed a 123% increase in hair growth after just 12 weeks and 10 minutes a day just absolutely phenomenal. My hairdresser has noticed, my mom has noticed, everybody gets a lot of comments on here saying how thick and full my hair looks."
✓Yay
84%Guru Score
Tools1 review
"I use the BK Beauty brushes daily, even when I'm not on camera. I have these in my hands. The A506 brush is absolutely fantastic. I use these all the time. [...] These are luxury brushes at mid-range prices and now you can get them even more affordably."
✓Yay
85%Guru Score

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Pampered Wolf is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, The Guru Index. Every quote on this page comes from her public YouTube videos, linked at the timestamp. Verdicts and approval stats are our editorial read of what she said. "Guru" is a title we award, not a sign of any affiliation.