Wednesday 18 April 2012

No7 Vital Brights Collection

No7 aren't usually a brand I take an interest in. Maybe it's my own misconception but I've always felt that it was a brand aimed more towards older women and at twenty, a 'mumsy' image isn't exactly what I'm going for. I also feel that their pricing is a little steep, especially when compared to the pricing of a brand like MAC or Illamasqua. This spring, however, No7 teamed up with makeup artist Lisa Eldridge to create their limited edition Vital Brights collection. Couple this with another round of let's see how many £5 Off No7 vouchers I can fit into my purse and for probably the first time in my life I flitted around the counters in every Boots I went into, swatching the collection again and again.

In the end, I decided to pick up the two lipsticks and the highlighting powder.


L-R: Blossoming Pink, Blooming Pink

Blossoming Pink is a fairly nude pink, if slightly darker. I tend to turn to this when I want a 'my lips but better' shade in a lipstick rather than a balm. Blooming Pink is a scarily bright pink in the tube but is really a lovely sheer pink when applied. As for the formula, it glides on well with a creamy consistency. Once on the lips though, it isn't as much of a success story. Blooming Pink, for whatever reason, feels kind of sticky, and Blossoming Pink is fairly drying on my lips. They give a nice sheen to the lips, but I can't stand wearing them for long.

When the collection was still available, each lipstick retailed at £10, a price I don't think the lipsticks are really worth. For just £3.50 more you can pick up a MAC lipstick instead. I don't feel like I've made a huge loss as I picked both lipsticks up for £5 each using the vouchers, but they are certainly lipsticks I could have lived without.

Although I wasn't blown away by the lipsticks, the highlighting powder is a different story.


I will admit I don't have much experience with highlighters, either liquid or powder. This product is in fact the one that first introduced me to them, but I can say for sure that I won't be looking back. Even though I don't really have any point of comparison, I was really impressed with this highlighter. It's a lovely champagne colour, perfect for practically any skin tone, and isn't overly shimmery or glittery like some highlighters can be. It's really soft and easy to blend, and it just gives such a healthy glow to the face. I usually just use it above my cheekbones but have dusted all over before when I don't want a totally matte look.

I don't think packaging should be focused on too much in reviews, but in this case I can't not say anything! I absolutely love the casing design - the same design was on the box the lipsticks came in and I was sorely disappointed to find that it didn't continue on to the lipstick tubes as well. My powder is fairly well-used by now and that obviously shows in the picture, but when first bought the powder is set in this beautiful floral 3D design that is very reminiscent of the Laura Mercier highlighting powder. It's definitely a treat to look at.

The highlighter retailed at £13/10g when available, but I picked mine up for £8. That said, I definitely would have paid full retail price. If you're dying to try something from the Vital Brights collection and are scouring eBay (since they now aren't available in store), the highlighter is definitely the product I'd recommend.

Did you manage to catch the collection while it was in store? Which was your stand-out product?

2 comments:

  1. I totally agree with your point about packaging, I always get confused when I see a review that loves the product but then says they probably wouldn't repurchase because the packaging was poor. Of course nice packaging is a bonus but surely it's about the product! I do really like it for this highlighter though, I haven't tried this but really want to. I really like Topshops highlighters but find them to be too sparkly, this seems a lot more natural but still a lovely colour xxx

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    Replies
    1. I always appreciate good packaging, but it doesn't affect the product - I think people who dismiss products simply because of their packaging are silly, but it's their loss, not mine! I agree about the Topshop highlighters. Far too much sparkle! xxx

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