Boots No. 7 lippies, haircare, etc.

Chin wag time, I've lost the plot ova right proppa lippies! What I'm trying to say is that I love Boots' lipsticks! The cachet of receiving my products by mail from this respected UK line only adds to my enjoyment. I recently ordered No7 Poppy King Lipstick in the shade Number Five Intrigue (on sale at $4 USD) and then it happened. This little lipstick is the item that reignited my passion for makeup and beauty.
The description on their site was so intriguing:
"No7 has collaborated with lipstick legend Poppy King to create an exclusive range of lipsticks to change womens' views of lip color forever. For over a century now women have been intrigued by the ritual art of dressing up their lips. For this look Poppy King designed a subtle pinkish nude that is incredibly flattering without being fussy. The right lip color will light up your skin and hair giving you a stunning glow - Intrigue is the color of natural lips, but bolder and brighter." 

Once it arrived, I just kept reapplying because it felt so comfortable on my lips. The creamy formulation makes is lovely to apply, with one layer delivering a subtle sheer nude look and successive layers imparting a dusky pink shade to the lips that is still completely natural and flattering. I also find the lack of scent and flavour ideal.

I do moan on about how many of the makeup colours that seem so beautiful to me and look gorgeous on others, appear chalky and weird or simply invisible on me. As a darker-skinned woman with olive/yellow undertones, I want to wear bold light colours too, not just dark, dramatic hues, and this has become one my all-time favourite products.

I also ordered a No7 Poppy King Lipstick in the shade Number One History (also on sale at $4 USD) for my dear friend Susan, to thank her for turning me on to the sublime charms of Number Seven makeup many years ago. I'm hopeful she will enjoy wearing this bright red shade.

I added No7 Poppy King Lipgloss in the shade Confidence (sale priced at $4 USD) to my order, a gorgeous sheer plum gloss that looks like my natural lip colour evened-out with some shine, but it may show up much darker on fairer women. The light, buttery texture of this gloss delivered via doe-foot applicator reminds me of the iconic NYX Butter Gloss, minus the strong scent and youthful colours. This is a more refined, grown up version of that gloss. I'm generally not a fan of lipglosses with glitter or frost. I invariably fixate on rubbing the particles of sparkle on my lips, especially as the emollient ingredients dissipate, a habit that ends up with my lips feeling like I took a Dremel to them. I prefer lipgloss without glitter, that isn't too sheer, that's neither tacky nor too thin, and that doesn't wear off in 5 minutes. This No. 7 gloss is all those things and more, and I reach for it more often than any other lipgloss right now.

The last lip product I got was the No7 Poppy King Lip Crayon Raindrops Collection in the shade Singing (for $9.99 USD), a vibrant Barbie pink. This perky fat pencil has the most incredible texture; it glides on with the smooth feeling of a cool, thick gel, which I love! It has more colour than a gloss, but less pigment than a lipstick and feels ultra-hydrating on the lips. As a bonus, the lid features a neat built-in sharpener which makes this an ideal item for purse or travel. I think I uttered the word "yummy" audibly when I tried this on for the first time standing alone at my bathroom mirror, which made me lol. I can't say for certain what Susan loved about her No. 7 lipstick all those years ago, but my enthusiasm is alive and well in my corner of the Commonwealth for this classic makeup line.


I wish I could say that everything I ordered was fantastic, but alas, that is not the case. Enter this wretched Boots Botanics Cream Eye Liner (on sale for $3.20 USD). I'd have done better to press a black ink office stamp pad to my eye than to use this liner. I was won over by the idea of using a more natural formula so close to my eyes. Too bad the liner itself is so awful. While it was not difficult to apply, the slippery creaminess of the liner soon wrought havoc. It took so long to set that it smeared above and below the line I drew, then smeared some more and stained my skin where I tried to clean up the mess. That's when I ran out of time and patience and opted for a no-makeup day instead.

Not one to give up so easily, my second attempt was equally disastrous. I wanted to pre-empt the liner from sliding around so much before it had a chance to set so I powdered generously under my eyes, before and after application. The line I drew began to smear before I was able to finish the rest of my face. Horrified by the Billion Dollar Babies cover art look reflected in my mirror, I hastily worked to cover up the liner smearing into racoon eyes by the second. Remedial layers of concealer and powder compounded the atrocity and soon I was reaching for the micellar solution and another no-makeup day was had. Needless to say I am 400% done with this eyeliner. I am also perturbed by the many favourable comments and ratings this product received in various reviews online, and now I have even more trust issues to deal with.

Finally, I ordered the Mark Hill It's All About The Colour - Colour Shampoo and Mark Hill Shine On - Colour Conditioner ($9.99 USD each) since I just had my hair coloured for the first time in ages and want it to last as long as possible. I'm very happy with both; they have a light, not overly-perfumed scent that is clean and not too floral.  I feel like I ordered it at just the right time, since I was in a bit of a haircare rut, stuck between finding my argan oil products much too heavy and built-up and disliking my all-natural products for not being fully effective.The shampoo is mild but leaves my hair so clean and soft, and the conditioner suits works very well. This combination has been keeping my hair healthy and shiny while preserving my colour for weeks now so I'm really pleased with this purchase.


Some Boots skincare is available in Canada at Shoppers Drug Mart, but alas, not the Poppy King collabs, so I ordered mine online from the Boots' e-store. All in all, it was a delightful Boots No.7 haul with more to love than not. I will most certainly order from them again.