** All Fur Coat & No Knickers ** (Boots No.7 Creme Touch)

Member Name: izzoh

Product:	Boots No.7 Creme Touch
Date:	24/09/09 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Evens out the face and compliments foundation

Disadvantages: expensive, rubbish packaging, not as long lasting as it should be, lack of shades .

** Boots No 7 **

The No 7 range is the equivalent of the 'up market' Boots own brand. For those that don't know, it is very similar to Tesco's finest range! Not quite there with the Heinz baked beans, but not as far down the shelf as the 4p basic brand.
Personally I find No 7 to be over priced and slightly old fashioned, but that's just me and I don't mind being proved wrong. I just feel their branding in everything from packaging to their make up pigments is ordinary and bland. However No 7 claims that this is actually 'A signature look which is fresh, flawless skin and an understated modern approach to beauty'. I may stand corrected!
Anyway, as you can imagine from my previous statement I tend not to buy from their range, but as Boots seem to be handing out these free £5 off vouchers on the No7 range I gave into temptation and bought something. (Well that and the face that I couldn't find my usual face powder!) So after a hunt around the bottom of my bag I found the voucher and headed for the make up aisle.


** No 7 Crème Touch - Face Powder **

Now as I said before the only reason I bought this was because of the voucher, at a usual price of £8.50 it definitely wouldn't be my first choice, but it only cost me £3.50. This is a bargain in anyone's eyes.
Now coming in 4 colour swatches, it wasn't that difficult to choose which shade I wanted. I chose honey milk which is one of the darker shades because I use bronzer and like to have a little healthy glow. Anything too pale makes me look dead against my red hair. It is fair to say that this face powder does not cater for darker skin at all. I think No7 need to get their act together in that respect. My best friend who is from Barbados and has black skin actually gave me the voucher as she said 'no point me having it!' So yes, No 7 get your act together for my friend's sake. Thanks.

Anyway, I digress.
The packaging that this face powder comes in is very sleek and sophisticated. A Black round pot with a pull off lid which is RUBBISH! You have to twist it slightly to get it to stay on but I mean there is no way you can put this in your bag as the lid literally just falls off. There is no hinge and also no mirror which is a shame. At £8.50 I'd expect a little more! The powder comes with a cute little peach coloured powder puff. It is relatively thick and soft so this is its saving grace in terms of what you get for your money.

The Crème Touch powder claims to create a perfect finish while adding staying power to your make up. I use face powder for exactly those reasons so it seemed to be what I wanted.

** What Is It Like To Use **

I never use the powder puff that comes with cosmetics, I just find them to sock up the grease from your skin and then you're reapplying that every time you use it. It just doesn't do it for me. I also find that the puffs are more likely to cause streaking and an uneven application. So I choose to use a large make-up brush. This lets me apply a more lighter, even layer. If you have very greasy skin then I imagine the puff is better at covering this, but as don't then the brush works better for me.

Because this is a 'crème' powder it does apply very evenly and it does leave a smooth finish which I was happy with. I use mine over foundation to give me an even and fresh look. I don't think it would do as good a job on bare skin, I don't think it has enough power to make a difference in that way. I did notice that half way through the day it began to deteriorate slightly and become a bit patchy. Because of the crème element it didn't blend very well as once it is set and in place it becomes matt. A bit like mixing dry paint with wet paint, they can not fully blend together. But it did a good job on the most part of staying put.
In terms of removal, my usual cleanser did a great job at getting this off. It is only when you see it on the cotton wool when you realise just what you are clogging your pores up with. But nevertheless it came off fine, with only a little difficulty around my hair line where it seemed to want to stay!


** Conclusion **

This really was a mediocre product. I would buy it again if it was on offer and I would be more then happy to receive it as a gift. But buying it at full price? I don't think so. It doesn't have anything special to entice me back and its packaging leaves a lot to be desired. I understand there are many loyal No 7 fans and they like what they know. But this really wasn't anything special and my opinion of them being featureless and bland still stands. I will definitely be looking around for my next replacement and I wouldnt recommend anyone rushing out to grab a pot.

Thanks for reading.

Summary: Expensive but average face powder.