REVIEW: NO7 SKIN MATCH SERVICE & STAY PERFECT SPF15 LIQUID FOUNDATION

After doing the 'How Much Does My Face Cost?' posts recently I decided that I needed to cut costs somewhere and the most expensive part of my makeup routine is my base. I don't trust matching myself to the usual drugstore foundations though as they're usually slightly too light for me or way too dark. So, I decided to get skin matched with at a No7 counter in the large Boots store close to me.
The No7 skin match service was great and really easy. The machine that matches your skin to your perfect colour is pressed onto either side of your jaw bone so that it can make the match to the best colour possible. Then the assistant asks what kind of skin you have and about the finish that you want so she can recommend the perfect foundation from the No7 range for you.

I was recommended the 'Stay Perfect' liquid foundation as I wanted a medium coverage and my skin is quite dry but I like my face to look matte. Matte finishes are usually for oily skin types so this was the compromise. My shade was 'Cool Vanilla' which is actually slightly lighter than the Dior Forever Liquid Foundation that I've been using for the past six months. 
The packaging is glass with elegant simple writing on it that explains about the product. The pump dispenser keeps things hygienic and I find that I only need two to three small pumps to do my entire face and neck with ease. I use my beloved Real Techniques Stippling Brush to apply it rather than my fingers or a sponge like it's suggested. It's unscented so should be OK for sensitive skin. I find it blends into the skin easily and gives a lovely natural finish. It covers small blemishes but bigger problems need concealer. It doesn't cling to dry patches and it doesn't feel like I'm wearing a base at all. There is some shine produced by this foundation but it's nothing that can't be sorted with a good powder in the right places.
The only downside that I can see is that it claims it doesn't transfer onto clothes or fade and this isn't particularly true. For a foundation that's designed to stay in place for 16 hours I find that it starts to wear after 8 or 9 if I don't use a primer. It does transfer ever so slightly onto clothes too as the collar of my work uniform shows. Still, from the picture above (yup - I'm a poser!) the flawless finish is worth the little transfer.
Do I recommend it? Yes. The service is great for a fabulous match and the Stay Perfect Liquid Foundation is really good. For £14.00 it's a product that I really like that is less than half the price of the the higher end foundation I've been loving for so long now and it matches me better.

The No7 skin match service is available at the bigger Boots stores across the country. No appointment is necessary but it might be worth going during the week when it's quieter so you don't have to wait to be seen.  No7 Stay Perfect SPF15 Liquid Foundation is available in 17 different shades ranging from dark skin through olive to the very fair and pale (like me!) from Boots stores and the Boots website. RRP: £14.00.
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