If there’s one thing I miss about working as a Boots customer assistant, it was completing the Christmas build and unboxing all of that years’ festive designs.
And the ones that always caught my eye were the No7 range – always beautifully wrapped and packed with makeup and skincare goodies well below their RRP.
For Christmas 2021, No7 teamed up with illustrator Elizabeth Scarlett to design some of their packaging, including a stunning orange makeup bag, and little velvet drawstring pouches featuring must-have skincare duos.
Elizabeth hand-paints all of her patterns and motifs before they’re embroidered, cut and sewn into luxury pouches, purses and bags.
She said: “I’ve always loved nature and painting animals. It soothes me, brings me into flow and connects me with my inner spirit.
“I hope each design provides gentle reminders to cultivate positivity, peace and warmth with every use.
“It’s so exciting to be sharing my collections with the No7 range for the first time. Through our timeless ranges of embroidered bags, pouches and gifts, we aim to promote joyful living, while raising funds to protect the precious wildlife on our planet.”
As you all know, Boots slash the prices of their leftover festive stock on Boxing Day, and it can take weeks for it to completely sell out in stores.
And I recently picked up around £35 worth of No7 skincare saviours, complete with a fuchsia Elizabeth Scarlett pouch, for an incredible £12.50.
The No7 Elizabeth Scarlett Restoring Duo comes in a star embroidered drawstring pouch, and includes a 25mlNo7 Restore and Renew Multi Action Day Cream and the No7 Advanced Ingredients Ceramide and Peptides Facial Capsules 30s.
A full sized day cream would usually cost £29.95, and this is a very generously sized mini at 25ml, so would typically cost just under £15.
Meanwhile, the 30 capsule pods are priced at £19.95 on the Boots website, so this beauty bundle is a real bargain.
The Restore and Renew Day Cream contains SPF, so it’s the perfect morning moisturiser that keeps skin feeling firm and fresh throughout the day. It even contains a firming complex with a blend of hibiscus peptides and hyaluronic acid which hydrate the skin and leave it looking younger.
It’s said to use No7’s ‘Double Defence technology’ and age defying actives to reduce signs of ageing, and I may only be 24, but I’ve noticed a visible difference in my forehead frown lines.
No7’s Restore and Renew Day Cream is formulated with ginseng extract to combat tiredness and fatigue, as well as Rice Peptides and Vitamins A, C, E to protect the skin from pollutants in the environment.
The moisturiser is buttery smooth and provides the perfect base to lay on makeup, leaving my skin looking even and glowy.
I was really excited to try the No7 Advanced Ingredients Ceramide and Peptides Facial Capsules, mostly because I’d paid a fraction of their RRP, but also because they promised ‘scientifically proven results’, with 95% of women saying the appearance of their wrinkles reduced after use.
There are 30 pink pearly pods inside the tub, making this around a months’ supply. One of my first concerns was if the pods were plastic, but the capsule material is 95% plant-based.
Not only that, but the capsules are air tight to protect the active ingredients from the damaging effects of light and air.
To use the pods, you have to twist the neck of the capsule and squeeze the products onto fingertips before applying to clean skin.
No7 recommends using one morning and one night for best results, but I find one in the evening to suit my routine. Not only that, but repurchasing these every 15 days at £19.95 would cost around £485, which seems extortionate – so again, I’m feeling pretty smug about my steal of a purchase.
The formula combines key ingredients of ceramide and peptides which work to achieve smoother skin with more elasticity – the key to a youthful look. And the capsules hold the perfect amount of product so there’s no waste, nor need to pop open a second one.
I love that the post-Christmas sale gave me the chance to try out these No7 products at a fraction of the cost – and honestly, I’d have paid £12.50 just for the pink Elizabeth Scarlett pouch.
While I’d be unlikely to repurchase these at full price, they were a total dream to use, and I’d likely buy them if I saw them on offer like buy one get one half price, or three for two. The capsules are perfect for travelling if you’re going on holiday, as they take up next to no room, too – so I’ll certainly pick some up ahead of our annual Cornish getaway.
