I can't stay tight-lipped about Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Lip Care (Boots No7 Protect and Perfect Lip Care)

Member Name: Teteenlair

Product:	Boots No7 Protect and Perfect Lip Care
Date:	17/02/09 (239 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Smells gorgeous

Disadvantages: Everything else!

Anyone who has read my Burt's Bees review will know I'm a self-confessed lip balm addict. I am also a bargain hunter, so when I recently got a £5 voucher off the Boots Protect & Perfect range I was delighted and thought I'd give that serum a go seeing as everyone's always raving about it. Upon reaching the P&P counter in my local Boots, however, and seeing the £18 price tag, I quickly decided I didn't need to know first hand what everyone was talking about after all.

I then noticed a tiny little pale blue box with the magical words 'Lip Care' on it. This was only £8.50, so £3.50 with my voucher. This was perfectly acceptable and I trotted off to the till with my find. The box promises to condition and protect for softer, smoother lips. Furthermore, it claims that the 'rich, conditioning balm boosts moisture for 24 hours'. I couldn't wait to try it!

Inside the box was a small 10ml clear plastic tube containing a shimmery white fluid. The tube has a screw top and a slanted end for direct application to the lips. The first thing I noticed upon unscrewing the cap was the divine smell - very sweet and vanilla-y, I could almost eat it. In fact it does taste quite sweet, but a bit perfumey and chemically as well - so don't eat it!

I found that the balm is too watery to apply properly direct from the tube; it seems to either not come out at all or to squeeze out all in a rush and end up as a blob on your mouth which you than have to rub in with your finger anyway, so I'd advise just squeezing a bit on your fingertip and applying it that way.

Once applied, I'm afraid to say that this balm just does not provide the nourishment it promises. It goes on very thinly and straight away I can feel a tightness as it dries in the air. In fact, I've just timed it as an experiment and my lips actually started to feel dry literally 30 seconds after application. At this point there is still some greasiness there if I rub my lips together, but after a few more minutes they just dry up completely.

I'm very disappointed in this product, from what it says on the packaging I had expected it to be an intensive treatment I could put on before bed, but I ended up having to get up and find some other lip balm as it left my lips so dry I couldn't sleep. Oh, and as for its claims to 'plump up your pout' leaving lips looking younger and fuller, I can see no evidence of this, not even a slight tingle to suggest that something's happening.

Summary: If you want an intensive lip conditioner go for Blistex.