Next on my list is my most recent acquisition which is a foundation recommended by my best friend Stephie. Her skin always looks flawless so I was eager to learn her secret! She has been using this particular foundation for a while (one pot lasted her a year...wow!) so, suitably impressed, I trotted off to Boots to find it.
Foundation #4: Boots No7 Intelligent Balance Mousse Foundation
The blurb: "Light as air. Give your skin a powder-soft finish with this dreamy soft mousse colour."
It's a very light, very soft mousse formulation that later dries to a powder. It comes with a handy little spatula you can use to dig the foundation out, and I imagine that if you clean the spatula after each use this is more hygienic than digging your fingers in (and potentially getting it under your nails...).
It's a very light, very soft mousse formulation that later dries to a powder. It comes with a handy little spatula you can use to dig the foundation out, and I imagine that if you clean the spatula after each use this is more hygienic than digging your fingers in (and potentially getting it under your nails...).
Swatch:
What I like about this foundation:
* It looks natural (several people asked if I was even wearing foundation, and were pretty surprised when I said yes!) which is always a bonus!
* The colour adapts well to your skin tone. I was initially nervous it might be too light/too orange, but it really works well on my skin.
* It's super easy to blend due to the formulation.
* You get a LOT of product (30g) for the price, and it does last a long time because you don't need a lot to cover your face.
* It has good coverage, and you can build it if needs be.
* It hides shiny bits, so doesn't need powder, and in some reviews I read before I heard it doesn't cling to dry patches either (sadly I will never know what it is to have dry skin!), hence the 'intelligent balance' moniker.
* It's also hypo-allergenic, so won't irritate sensitive skin, yay! I must say I haven't broken out or had any kind of reaction since buying this 2 weeks ago, and my skin is super-sensitive.
What I don't like about this foundation:
* This wasn't an issue for me, but the colours in the pots are much darker than the foundation turns out on your skin, so I can see how it would put potential buyers off. Basically, this is a must-swatch-before-buying product!
* This wasn't an issue for me, but the colours in the pots are much darker than the foundation turns out on your skin, so I can see how it would put potential buyers off. Basically, this is a must-swatch-before-buying product!
* This may highlight very fine facial hair. Fine if you don't have any, but it'll pick up any stray eyebrow hairs!
* For those of you who may want to hide freckles, it will not hide them at all (but weirdly it still covers blemishes...)
* For those of you who may want to hide freckles, it will not hide them at all (but weirdly it still covers blemishes...)
*It does, maybe due to the mousse formulation, slide off eventually, so it's worth checking up on. Overall the longevity is okay though, not as good as some products, but better than a lot of others!
* It doesn't really hide my dark circles, and settles into the fine wrinkles I have under my eyes. I've never really had this with any other foundation, so either I've just aged A LOT or this is not great for wrinkles!
* It does still kind of irk me that my skin lacks dewiness using this foundation, even though most foundations meant for the 'dewy' look are often too shiny for me! I'm just fussy, I suppose...
* It doesn't really hide my dark circles, and settles into the fine wrinkles I have under my eyes. I've never really had this with any other foundation, so either I've just aged A LOT or this is not great for wrinkles!
* It does still kind of irk me that my skin lacks dewiness using this foundation, even though most foundations meant for the 'dewy' look are often too shiny for me! I'm just fussy, I suppose...
9.5/10 simply because it isn't quite perfect enough to get that elusive 10/10! I doubt any foundation will ever get that high a mark, though :)
This costs £11 from Boots, so it's worth using those £5 No7 vouchers when you can.
xoxo
