Gem and Jo Take On No.7 Beautifully Matte Foundation

Well ladies and gents, the festive season is coming to a close and the new year is fast approaching and with that comes the inevitable New Years party that we all know and love. Now if there is one thing you need for a new years party it's some kick ass makeup and some seriously durable, flawless foundation for all that cheek kissing.
Introducing No.7's Beautifully Matte Foundation.

Now when it comes to foundation reviews people tend to read them and "OMG, this blogger/reviewer loves this foundation and it made her skin matte all night long, so it must do that for me too!!" - Not the case. Foundation is so dependent on the individuals skin and coverage/radiance preference. While some products might be great for a few, it may not be for you. The best way to avoid this? Ask for a sample, most makeup counters are more than welcome to give you a little sample and they'll even find the right shade for you so you don't spend a fortune on something that is just not for you.
Give it a go, they worst the makeup counter can do is say no.

We were a little skeptical when we tried this foundation at first, just for the simple fact that it boasted about "up to 14 hours shine free" which as we all know in the beauty world should be taken with a pinch of salt. This foundation by no means left us shine free (but we are very shiny people, Shiny Faces Unite!) however the coverage of this is just beautiful. It claims to be medium/full coverage and it does not disappoint in that category. It glides on very easily with either a brush or a damp sponge and lasts all day, with a few powder touch-ups required (nothing drastic though).

Before Gem tried this product she worshiped Estée Lauder Double Wear, however after trying No.7's products she has hardly gone back to EL, with the exception of a small bit used for concealer cause that stuff does not budge! It is a genuinely good product with a much smaller price tag than Estée Lauder at just €17.50. And if you're a bargain hunter like us then you'll be thrilled that Boots always give out No.7 vouchers for money off their products!
 However the only let down? There aren't that many shades, Jo found it incredibly difficult to find a shade and ended up mixing it with others she had at home, sad times...
If you're incredibly pale like Gemma then fortunately their lightest shade is very pale (it suited Gem perfectly), which is quite hard to find too!

Also bonus feature of this foundation? It has Salicylic Acid which helps fight acne!

We give this product: 7.5/10 
It has great staying power, good coverage and an SPF but let us down a little on the shine free side of things.

Have you tried this foundation? What did you think?
Until next time,

Gem and Jo's Polish Picks

Yet again, it's Polish Picks time! Take a look below for the wondrous nail products we've used this week!
Jo's Pick:

This week I decided to stray away from the blue and green shades and go for something a little bit girly-er and try out Sinful Colors nail polish in the shade candy coated (does the name remind anyone else of candy crush? or am I alone on this candy crush obsessed island of mine?!). This is a beautiful creamy lilac purple colour. 

What really drove me to try out this polish was the colour. I really wanted to try something a little bit brighter and more feminine and this was perfect. The polish comes out very true to colour on the nails and only two coats are needed to achieve a fully opaque look. It was also a treat to apply and didn't come out streaky at all. Sinful Colors does tend to have brushes that are on the skinnier side so those  of you who are more accustom to using polishes with wider brushes like Bourjois or Wet n Wild may find that application is a little daunting at first, but it really is just as easy to apply. The polish doesn't chip easily (even on my nails and I like to beat my nails around the place), and it also dries fairly quickly.  

I found my bottle of nail polish at my local boots store for €2.49. If you live in the US you can find Sinful Colors in an array of magical places such as drugstores and supermarkets like Target. Unfortunately it's a bit harder to find it in Ireland and the UK but definitely check out your local Boots store, you might just be in luck. Check out Sinful Colors' website here

Gem's Pick:

This week I've decided to go back to the blues, I know I know I should really try to mix it up a bit but I really do love blue! My closet is literally exploding blue and so, naturally, my nails should match. I chose No7 Stay Perfect Nail colour in the shade 'Duck Egg Blue'. So cute! 

This polish is gorgeous and is a real treat to apply! It takes 2 coats to achieve a completely opaque look and best of all, it's quick dry!! One thing I look for in a quality nail polish is how quickly it dries because I just cannot sit still long enough to let it fully dry and I end up with streaky, messed up nails. This No7 does the trick and dries super quickly after application, meaning you don't have to wait 10-15 minutes between coats! 

The colour is gorgeous and is really true to what you see in the bottle! It's a really bright, playful shade which is just what I was looking for to start back to college this week! The bottle claims that this is a highly pigmented colour and I could not agree more, it's gorgeous on and off my nails! (Hopefully it stays on though!) 

I got this nail polish when I purchased a couple of other No7 products and received a free gift which you can check out Here. 

However you can take a look at the whole range of No7 Stay Perfect nail colours Here. This is a really high quality nail polish and for just €8.00 you can't go wrong! Plus there is a huge range of shades! 

Thanks for reading! Let us know what you guys have been wearing on your nails lately and if you like any of the colors above. We really do love to hear for you guys (it brightens our day!).

Until next time,