Boots No7 Lifting and Firming Foundation- a new glowy winter favorite? (Before & After)

Winter is here and it's time for my seasonal foundation switch. Although my skin is oily in the spring and summer, it lacks any kind of glow or moisture in the winter. After scouring the Makeupalley boards, I came across Boots No7 Lifting and Firming Foundation SPF 15, a satin-finish foundation I haven't heard much about in the beauty community.

The reviews seemed promising with 64 reviews at a rating of 4.4 and buyback rate of 84%. I immediately checked out my local Target for this foundation and purchased. Here are my observations.


Boots No7 Lifting and Firming SPF 15 foundation in Blonde

(Click picture to enlarge)
Photoshop was only used to resize and crop pictures. Nothing else was altered because I wanted to show you guys my true results. Blemishes and undereye discoloration remain but are less apparent. Before and afters were both taken indoors by the window in natural light.

The following picture shows the glowy finish of the foundation and was taken in normal, bright indoor lighting with flash, no editing.

Shade: It was trial-and error when I searched for the right shade. I'm in the NC30 range, and I read that many NC30-35 ladies were matched perfectly to "Vanilla." After swatching Vanilla at Target, the color seemed right but the undertone was not as yellow as I had hoped. It was not pink, but more beige than yellow. "Nude" had a wonderful yellow undertone but it was too light for my skin, so I chose the inbetween shade "Blonde," which happened to be a much closer match to my skin than the other two. It definitely has a yellow undertone, but I wish it were just slightly more yellow since my neck always seems more yellow than my face, even with a bare face.

For reference, I wear:
-MAC NC30
-NARS Sheer Glow in Punjab (best color match I've found so far)
-MUFE HD in 127
-Chanel Pro Lumiere in Shell 30

Coverage: Medium, covers flaws and redness but still allows skin to show through. Similar coverage as NARS Sheer Glow, Chanel Pro Lumiere, and MUFE HD. Gives a more polished, clean, glowy look to your real skin. Can be sheered out with damp brush or sponge.

Finish: Definitely satin, but on the dewy side of satin. Not too dewy that my face looks shiny or oily, but it does provide a very nice glow. Looks clean on the face and extremely smooth. No oil control problems here.

Feel: Moisturizing and very smooth, does not dry out my skin or emphasize flakiness, feels light. This product has dimethicone in it, which may explain the velvety feel and finish. Silicones in primers tend to break me out badly, but I have experienced zero breakouts from this foundation. I have not had any bad reactions to the ingredients.

Texture: Not very liquidy or runny. Texture is similar to MUFE HD. I find that this blends better with a brush than with fingers.

Packaging: I am blown away by the quality of the packaging. It comes in a heavy-feeling glass bottle and includes a pump! Really sophisticated packaging.. reminds me of Chanel foundations. The only thing I don't like it that you need to put quite a bit of pressure on the cap to take it off or put it back on.

Price: $14.99 for a 1 oz. bottle

Rating: A

Overall: I would have to agree with many of the Makeupalley reviews in that Boots L&F is a department store quality foundation at a drugstore price. It looks and feels wonderful on my skin and doesn't feel caked on or thick. It feels like soft, smooth skin. I would say that overall, this foundation is extremely comparable to Chanel Prolumiere, another one of my favorites, except that it has much better oil control. My skin appears satiny, glowy, and fresh. I would recommend you check out your local Target (especially all you ladies out there with yellow undertones!) and see if they have any testers like mine did. Some locations do and some don't. I am happy to confirm that this is a new winter favorite and will be a new part of my foundation rotation. I am interested in seeing how this foundation holds up in warmer weather. Will keep you posted!

You can find more information on the Target and Boots websites. Check MakeupAlley reviews here.




On a side note... My blog feels neglected. My last post was in June! Lol. I'm back at home for winter break at the moment, and I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to revisit my blog. I look forward to catching up on all your posts!

How I get beachy summer waves without heat

I always loved the look of beachy, effortless waves, especially for the summer, so I'm glad to have finally found a way to achieve that look. I've been meaning to do this post for awhile now, but haven't really gotten around to blogging lately. I get a lot of questions about my loose waves so I thought I'd show you guys the technique I use, as well my favorite products.



(Beyond The Zone Spray scrunched + one bun)

Let's start off with a little hair history. My hair is naturally pretty straight and coarse with a very slight wave. Not a good wave, but a really bad funky one. Like I literally have two poofy waves in my hair. For the past few years, I've been very bad to my hair. I used a straightener and blow dryer on my hair just about every single day. I hated the way my hair air-dried and was always working against my natural texture.

PRODUCTS:
I've tried a countless number of mousses, spray gels, cremes, etc. and I can honestly say that these are the only products that have delivered with my stubborn hair type:

-Beyond The Zone Super Sexy wave spray ($5.49 @ Sally's w/pro card, $6.29 without, bright green bottle with purple cap)
-Garnier Surf Hair paste ($3 @ Walmart, bright green rounded tub with yellow top)
-Garnier Wonder Waves spray ($3 @ Walmart)
-David Babaii Bohemian Beach spray ($10 @ Ulta, dark brown bottle)

Before discovering these products, I was never able to create waves in my hair without using heat. They would always turn out straight or frizzy and completely undefined. The Super Sexy spray is the product that initially encouraged wave in my hair and worked to give me beachy waves, therefore it tops the list. It smells like watermelon vodka (I hate vodka) so I always have to hold my breath when I spray this stuff. The scent goes away quickly though. The David Babaii is good, especially when used to refresh curls, but it leaves a slightly heavy feel.

TECHNIQUE:
I've really been loving the combination of Garnier's Wonder Waves and Surf Hair. I blot my wet hair with a towel and spray Wonder Waves to my hair when it is damp and scrunch like a madwoman. I wait until it is just a little less than halfway dried and I scrunch a dime-sized amount of Surf Hair paste after rubbing it between my hands, making sure not to cover one spot more than once. I let my hair air dry naturally. To make really gorgeous waves, I gather two sides of my hair into high ponytails, roll into buns, and bobby pin with two crisscrossing pins. I let that air dry and then shake out the wave. Experiment with different amounts of each product to work with your hair. I find that this combo gives me defined waves while controlling frizz. Start off with less, and then work more into your hair. The biggest thing is avoiding crunchy, heavy waves.



(Note that my hair is nowhere near as wavy as this naturally. Garnier combo + two buns)



On another note, I've been completely obsessed with wearing my bucket hat. It matches with everything, protects my hair and face from the sun, and gives off a perfect easygoing summer look when paired with beach waves. The combo reminds me of those Lily Donaldson Burberry ads :) I was inspired to start wearing my bucket hat after seeing a beautiful spread in Allure called "Summer Essentials."


(Photo credit to Allure)

I haven't used heat on my hair for an entire month now, which is pretty impressive considering I used to straighten and blow dry my hair every single day. I can't believe how much softer, shinier, healthier, and less frizzy my hair has become in just one month. My hair has a different look and feel to it, and it is easier to style and manage. I would suggest you guys to take a "no heat" challenge for the summer and see how much your hair improves!