If I’m honest, No7 isn’t a brand that I usually gravitate to. It reminds me of being a teenager; receiving no7 makeup gift sets on the annual Boots 3 for 2 Christmas offer. Some of which I would use, but a lot of the makeup would be far too dark & bold for me.
I think deep down, I’ve associated the brand with being an older ladies makeup brand – I don’t even know why! Maybe this belief was rooted back when I was a sales adviser for Boots. I would generally see older women purchasing from the No7 stand. Mind you, I’m no spring chicken myself anymore, and probably now fall into the “older lady” category that I naively created up in my head! Sad, sad times.
In this article...
The type of foundation I like to use
I’m a makeup-but-no-makeup type of girl, and opt for things that are more natural and subtle. My daily foundation criteria is something that evens out my skin tone, yet sheer enough my freckles can still peep through. It also has to be a satin, sheer or dewy finish, as I really dislike matte, super full coverage foundations. They just feel so heavy, and generally don’t seem compatible with my skin type – well, i’ve never found one yet anyway!
So when I heard about No7’s new Restore & Renew foundation, it sparked a little curiosity.
It promised a lightweight, buildable; light to medium coverage that looks and feels natural. Noted to be flexible enough to move in harmony with your facial expressions, and avoid sinking into fine lines.
The foundation is also packed with goodies for your skin as it’s formulated and powered by No7’s restore and renew serum. Including Collagen Peptide Technology, Pro-Retinol, Ceramide complex and Vitamin C. Creating a smoother, lifted and even skin tone.
Shade selection
Unfortunately it’s not the most inclusive selection, especially in the deeper shades which sadly only has one option! There is a total of 18 shades on offer in this range, but not all colours offer a cool, neutral or warm undertone. It’s real slim pickings in the deep and fair categories.
I couldn’t make it to Boots, so I took a gamble and ordered ‘Warm Ivory’ online. In the summer I usually match well with light foundations that have a warm undertone. In the winter, I’d probably match better with ‘Calico’ which is in the fair category. They do have photo’s of swatches on their website to help you decide which is pretty handy. Here’s a swatch of warm ivory without any editing – hope it helps!
Packaging & price
The foundation arrives packaged in an outer box which houses all the deets. The foundation itself is encased in a weighty frosted glass bottle, with a white pump dispenser. It’s a decent one which doesn’t splurt out too much foundation. Good for helping control wastage, which is never a bad thing.
It’s a standard 30ml bottle and at the time of writing this costs £19.95 at Boots. It happened to be on offer when I bought it, bagging it for £17.95.
Even at full price though, it’s a fair bit cheaper than my Bobbi-Brown, NARS or Bare Minerals foundations.
Application on my dry skin
The formula is pretty thin – think Nando’s hot sauce consistency if you will, only a lot more velvety. If pumped onto the back of your hand it will easily run off.
I’ve applied the foundation with a brush and a sponge, simply to see which I preferred. A lighter coverage is achieved by using a sponge; pretty standard across the board. I love the end result of both tools, but tend to reach for a brush. Mainly because it’s quicker, #mumlife. It feels so velvety soft and blends like an absolute dream.
The foundation didn’t cling to any dry patches, and miraculously doesn’t sink into my fine lines. It also sits beautifully under my eyes which is a very rare occurrence for me!
I have found that it can sometimes accentuate the pores on my nostrils though. Some days it glides over them like a dream, and other times it doesn’t go so smoothly. I haven’t worked out why this is, as I’ve not changed moisturiser products.
Overall, I was impressed with how the foundation looked. It was so natural and made my skin look really smooth & beautiful. Just the odd occasion it would go a bit strange on my nostrils as you can see in the photo below!
Wear & finish
As this is a light to medium foundation, it obviously wont completely cover up blemishes. It does an amazing job at evening out your skin and making it look fresh and radiant though.
If I have any acne marks, redness, or good ‘ol dark circles that need some extra magic, I just use my bare minerals concealer stick over the top of these areas.
The foundation is buildable too. You can build it up to a medium coverage without it turning into a cakey mess. It still won’t fully cover blemishes though. So if you want that – this foundation won’t be for you.
I apply my makeup about 7am for work, by 3pm when i’m off on the school run it’s definitely faded and worn off a lot. I don’t think No7 make any claims on how long the wear should last.
As my skin is acne prone – although now under control thanks to my Pore Favor skin supplements. I was worried that the foundation didn’t say it was non comedogenic. Thankfully though, I’ve been using it for over a month now, and I’ve not had any major issues with it breaking me out. Maybe a tiny bit of congestion on my chin, where you get the little bumps under your skin.
Overall, I think it’s a very pretty, natural foundation, that can look flawless (some days) and at a reasonable price too. It’s such a shame that it sometimes accentuates the pores on my nose. Because of that I don’t think i’d purchase it again.
Perhaps it’s better suited to a different skin type?
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