Before I get to my review on some amazing new foundations I’ve been loving, let me ask you a question: How hard is it for you to find your perfect foundation shade at the drugstore? Displays filled with tons of shades and formulas from lots of different brands line the walls when you walk into the cosmetics department and often it’s a daunting task to try and pick out just the right shade, especially with those horrible fluorescent lights overhead. Great news my dear readers: Boots No7 is coming to select Walgreens and Duane Reade locations in the New York area and bringing along an awesome new service that will help you find your perfect shade AND formula with the help of their specially trained Beauty Experts and a handy little device shown below:
No7 Foundation Match Made Service from Boots
Previously, I have only ever seen such a cool service offered at Sephora where their device would match you to a specific Pantone color which correlated to the different brands and formulas of foundation found within their store. But Boots wanted to bring that same convenience to the drugstore and offer a totally affordable option without skimping on the quality. Boots started this process by measuring the exact skin tone of more than 2,600 women around the world of all different ages and ethnicities which resulted in the development of a new shade palette of skin-true foundation shades unique to No7. Head into your local Walgreens and get matched to one of 17 different shades and four different foundation lines, based on your skin needs:
- Boots No7 Lift & Luminate Foundation provides medium coverage that blends easily to target advanced signs of aging.
- Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Foundation targets the early signs of aging, helping to reduce fine lines and wrinkles with medium coverage.
- Boots No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation absorbs excess oil to create a flawless look.
I was psyched when I saw the new Boots No7 display at my local Walgreens down here at the Jersey Shore this past month. I knew I had to check out some of their products previously unavailable to me. A lot of Target locations already carry the No7 line but I think it’s going to be even more convenient having an additional display at Walgreens! One other thing I noticed immediately was that every single product and shade within the display had a tester right in front of it! How awesome is that? No more guesswork! No more returns! Take a peek:
The new No7 display at my local Walgreens
I was able to test out some wonderful products that I’m really loving at the moment. First, I’ve been using No7’s Protect & Perfect Serum ($24.99) for over a week now in the morning and at night before I put on my moisturizer and I really like the way my skin is reacting to it. It feels like it is smoothing my skin and I definitely notice it feels softer to the touch now. I also am testing out their Photo Fix Primer ($19.99) which seems to be a great dupe for Smashbox’s Photo Finish Primer but with a thinner consistency, which I enjoy. It’s also not as silcion-y as the Smashbox version so I don’t feel like it’s clogging my pores which is great.
No7 Foundations & Skincare
Sometimes during the hot summer months, I don’t want a lot of product on my face or just feel like having a no-makeup makeup type of a look going on. That being said, having perfect skin is the main goal with this look so I’m please to tell you all, No7’s Beautifully Matte Foundation ($13.99) is hands-down, my new favorite! One of my all-time loves will always be Estée Lauder’s Double Wear Foundation, but at $37, I can’t always afford to keep it in my weekly rotation. DUPE ALERT! I was sooo impressed with No7’s version! It feels very similar going on the skin, gives amazing full coverage without looking cakey or feeling heavy and it evened out my skin tone! And the best part? It lasted all day long on my typically oily and acne-pron skin! Yup! No breakdowns around my t-zone, no extra oil production and it never oxidized or turned a deeper color after being on my face for hours. I am able to get 12+ hours of wear with this foundation and it also has not broken me out once. I’ve been loving this stuff for over a week now!
Easy FOTD featuring makeup from No7
I’m currently testing out No7’s Lift & Luminate Foundation ($14.99) as well and again, I’m super impressed! It’s a lighter consistency in a pump glass bottle like the Beautifully Matte, but it gives medium coverage that I’m sure you can build up if needed. It also leaves my skin with a very subtle dewy glow, which is nice for days when I don’t need a totally matte complexion. I’ll update as time goes on with this one, but so far, I really like it and it has also lasted all day without changing color or breaking down around my oily areas, although with the Lift & Luminate, I do like to blot my face for excess oil throughout the day to help keep my skin looking fresh.
Some other fantastic products I’m loving from Boots No7’s line is their Stay Perfect Blemish Cover which is in a stick form and has a cream-to-powder consistency. It covers my acne marks so well and blends beautifully with a soft touch from your finger tips. Plus, I know I found the perfect shade that won’t clash with my foundation and call attention to my problem areas like some concealers tend to do. I’m enjoying their Stay Perfect Mascara ($8.99) too at the moment. Take a peek at that precise brush head in my photo above. It separates my lashes so well, it’s not goopy or too thick and it doesn’t clump. I found it gave me really nice, dark lashes with a lot of volume. My only wish is that it had a little more lengthening properties to it, as my lashes tend to be short and I love that long lash look. But this is great for my everyday makeup routine and I found it very easy to remove at the end of the day. And, it never gave me the dreaded raccoon eyes! Finally, if you’re a huge fan of chubby lip crayons, check out No7’s High Shine Lip Crayon ($9.99). In the photo above, I used the color called “Daydreamer” which is the perfect “my lips but better” shade on me. Loved the instant hydration, it did NOT dry my lips out like some other chubby crayons have done in the past, and the color, though very light and neutral, definitely stayed in place on me for a good 4 hours before I ate my lunch and needed to retouch afterward.
It’s great that drugstore brands are finally recognizing the need to be able to easily match our skin tone shades before we make a purchase and I have to give a lot of credit and praise to Boots No7 for bringing this amazing service, along with testers built into their displays, to our favorite locations! I wanted to share this exciting news with my readers as well as give you some quick reviews on the products I have from Boots. Please go check out your local Walgreens and Duane Reade locations if you’re in the New York area and let me know if you were able to have a Beauty Expert help you out and find your perfect skin tone match to any of the products in their line and how you like them. I do hope Boots No7 will continue to expand the shade range in their line to more options for very fair skin tones as well as deeper and darker skin tones. My location did not seem to have a lot on display for the extreme ends of the spectrum and I hope that changes. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you’re curious about a particular No7 product that you’d like me to do a review on and thanks as always for stopping by!
K Sky Beauty 
So happy that you love this foundation. I will give it a try. I’m a foundation Guru!