Quick review: No7 BB cream (medium/dry)

Having loved the Garnier BB cream, I wanted to give the No7 offering a chance to impress me too.

No7 were the first to introduce skin type variations of the cream. Having dry skin, the more moisturising is it and greasier it feels the more I love it, but I do think that having a type for oily skins, which I assume doesn’t have a greasy feel, is a really good idea.

That being said, I found this felt less greasy than the Garnier cream, which at first I didn’t like since it also seemed harder to spread. I usually apply this using a flat top brush, which makes blending the product easier and minimises wastage.

The cream gives a medium coverage but I don’t find it easy to build and instead, use a concealer for any spots and marks. It has a dewy finish, which I prefer to tone down using a bit of translucent powder or even a really thin layer of mineral foundation. The cream lasts for about 6 hours, which I am impressed with.

There are two shades available, fair and medium. I opted for the medium, although the difference between the two for my skin tone is minimal in my opinion. That being said, it’s not a great match and it some lights my face does look darker than my body, and I haven’t been able to use this during the winter because without a tan it looks that much darker on me. 

This falls under the “it’s all right” category of products for me, so although I will still be on the hunt for a better BB cream, I wouldn’t rule out buying it again.

The BB cream can be purchased from Boots and costs £12.95, but there are always offers and vouchers to be had to get it for cheaper.

Quick review: No7 exfoliating sponge

I didn’t want to spend my No7 voucher but it felt rude not to, so I picked up No7’s exfoliating sponge, worth £5.

The packaging states:

For radiant skin use regularly to help remove dead skin cells and aid circulation. Apply your No7 cleanser to the face. Moisten sponge with warm water and massage gently over the face in a circular motion. Use once or twice a week.

I only use this once a week, the sponge is quite rough (think of the scourer you get onto of kitchen sponges) and even though my skin is pretty resilient, more than once a week would be a bit harsh.

I use this in the shower after applying cleanser and very lightly, as the instructions state, massage over my skin in circular motions. I don’t spend more than a minute in total and then rinse off. You can of course apply more pressure, but I think this is too harsh and it just makes the whole experience unpleasant!

My skin feels very smooth and fresh after use but also a little dry. This is a great option if you want to work exfoliation into your skin care routine without a separate product (also a good holiday space saving product!)

However, this isn’t something I would recommend to anyone with sensitive skin, I think the sponge is too harsh and will just cause irritation.

Favourite Skin Care Products

Looking through my cupboard I realised just how many products I have that I have been using continually for a number of years now.

My all time favourite BioOil, discovered in my teens, even back then I was looking for a way to reduce the looks of my scars. My overnight rescue after a night out, my skin always looks that much clearer in the morning. I don’t know why I didn’t realise that my skin was dry in all the time I used this, considering how good it did look in the mornings. As an intensive moisturiser, I cannot name anything I like more for use on my face (possibly Liz Earle’s Superskin Concentrate). This has never broken me out and if anything I think it helped with my spots/breakouts.

Pore strips, I know these do not clear your pores permanently but they are a nice helping hand alongside other products. After all these years though I think I have only just figured out the best way to use them. Immediately after a shower, without drying your face, apply, leave until dry, peel and look at what’s come out!

Spot dots, again a favourite from my teen years. Once a lot more widely available than they are now. Place on any spot over night and after 2 nights use, the spots usually clear up completely.

Liz Earl Instant Boost Skin Tonic, the only toner I have used for years, very gentle and smells great.

My favourite concealer and the first product I brought from ELF introducing me to the brand. Since I have started using this I haven’t looked at other concealers. The medium colour is a perfect match for my skin tone, and I love the consistency of it. The formula also contains salicylic acid which helps to slowly clear up the marks you are concealing. I am not a fan of the packaging too much, since every time they have fallen apart, however it is very cheap and works for me perfectly.

There are two products I am going to include in this post since I have recently gone back to them having tried them out.

No7 Protect and Perfect Beauty Serum, over 2010 I worked my way through 2 tubes of this product, I loved the consistency and I could see a refining effect on my skin as it cleared up with a combination of other products I was using. For whatever reason I stopped using it but since I can now see a positive effect of using it, I have repurchased and imagine it will become a staple in my skin routine once more. (As a side note I did try the Superdrug Apple Serum but never really got along with it and didn’t notice as beneficial an effect when using it. Since it contains vitamin C, you can only use it at night and I prefer a routine which is the same morning and evening otherwise I find I don’t stick to it).

Finally Garnier Caffeine Anti-Dark circles, I brought this to try when it very first came out and was on promotion. I really liked it since it brightened up my eye area and was a light enough consistency that I didn’t have to worry about pulling on my eye too much in applying and equally that the formulation is not right for use under the eye since it is specifically an eye product. Having used up the bottle I just didn’t repurchase, however with a recent promotion I have gone back to it and loved it all over again. In terms of it’s ability to reduce puffy eyes, I don’t really have that problem so I cannot comment, my eyes don’t look any different after use other than the tint obviously brightening up the area so I would say it doesn’t really perform in that way. There are 3 shades available now, fair, light and medium, with the light shade working best for my skin tone.

Please share with me your favourite skin care products as well as things you have gone back to and why!

Mascara Overload!!! Plus No 7 Extreme Length Review

Does anyone else have this problem??

This is my collection of freebie mascaras from other purchases. I just realised how many I have to work through! There must be a good 2 years supply if I am strict about when I throw them out.

I am currently using the No 7 Extreme Length mascara (mini gold one pictured), although not that particular one since I seem to have accumulated two! I picked this one because I previously had another freebie, (mini Bad Gal Lash from Benefit) and I liked being able to keep it in my handbag for ‘emergency.’

Hopefully I will review these as I go through but trying to organise myself today I couldn’t believe how many I have collected.

I actually really like the No 7 mascara, the colour is a good black and it does have a good lengthening effect ( I am actually wearing it in my hair colour pictures). I do and don’t like the brush, I think my favourite is the bad gal lash but this one does a good job in distributing the product nicely without clumping. The bristles are plastic and I don’t have a problem with that but occasionally a lump of mascara will accumulate at the end of the brush and if I don’t look I end up with that on my lashes. Additionally, I don’t have a problem applying to my lower lashes since it isn’t too wide.

Overall I do like it, and the mini size I have works well to take with me on a night out or when I go away.

So anyone else have this problem? I say ‘problem’ but who doesn’t love a freebie? and of course the extra cash to spend on something else!