No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation (New Formula spf 25) - Amber

Product Information

It's part of the reason why I hated testing foundations because I had to see what a state my skin was in which then meant my foundations were obviously the wrong colour. It is a simple, user friendly little pump that dispenses just the right amount of product (sometimes you may need two pumps) for a full face so that there is no product waste.

More often than not, the reason that foundation slips and slides on oily skin is that it’s simply the wrong formula.I heard about the new No7 colour matching service around the end of summer and was very much intruiged to see if it actually works. It goes on effortlessly and gives a lovely look to the skin, although it isn’t a very matte finish like it boasts.

I have been testing this foundation throughout my Oily Stage of the month (say no more) and it has given great coverage over the army of blemishes that decided to sprout up all over my face.It's a nightmare, but the combination of this matte foundation and the salicylic acid balances out my skin whilst preventing and helping my current blemishes and spots. I do have to point out though that I didn’t break out at all from this foundation which is rare for me as my skin would be quiet sensitive to new products. Our Beautifully Matte Foundation, containing fine oil-absorbing powders, glides effortlessly onto skin for a velvety soft finish with no powdery flatness. However the coverage doesn’t last all day and towards the end of the afternoon it starts to flake off a bit.

The only thing that would make me chose the more full coverage is if my skin wasn't looking great or if I was going out and wanted a more full on make up look. With make-up powered by No7 skin expertise, this mattifying foundation makes the perfect base for any make-up routine. Firstly it says it contains oil absorbing powders and now it’s moisturising, these two would surely counter-act each other? Its a medium type coverage, I find I still need to apply concealer afterwards but it covers up most of my red blemishes which is what I look for most in a foundation. Seriously, she was soo helpful explaining all the different types and what they will do to help my acne and flare ups.I used this for years and then when it changed I had to switch brands as the new foundation was truly awful. They have such a variety of shades to suit every skin tone and they even do a match making service to match you to the right colour for you. They take off your foundation from your jaw line on each side of your face, place the little camera device doo dar thingy on your face in these areas and it takes lots of little images of your skin before determining the shade. The packaging is sturdy hard plastic with a pump, it's not my ideal packaging, I prefer a tube that you can squeeze every last drop from, but definitely much more travel friendly than a glass bottle. The more moisture you add, the better your skin will feel, so we recommend choosing a foundation with hydrating properties that will infuse moisture into the skin for longer, to quench and comfort dry skin.

We Brits are a houseproud lot but keeping house overseas can be more difficult if you do not have your favourite 'go to' products to hand.No7’s Beautifully Matte Foundation is one such product that has been through the Desk Testing process, and I have to give it a rather big Thumbs Up. You can see that the foundation caked around my chin and separated around my nose so my skin looks less than flawless after only 4 hours. I definitely noticed my nose become oily by the end of the day, but nowhere near as much as it does with other foundations. Both of these foundations are worth trying if like me you find your skin getting oily throughout the day.