We road tested No7’s new luxury makeup range – here’s our honest opinion

For the first time in years No7 has turned its focus away from skincare saviours to release a new 12-piece luxury makeup collection.

Including lipsticks, lip liners and oil, along with an eyeshadow palette, bronzers, blushes, primer, loose setting powder, brow gel, touch-up concealers and eye pencils – every product in the Pro Artist range comes with a price tag under £20.

It’s already got the seal of approval from makeup influencer Nic Champan (one half of Pixiwoo and a Boots No7 ambassador), who says: ‘Social media would have you believe that everyone knows what they’re doing when it comes to makeup, and you need a cupboard full of products and an advanced skill set to look your best.

‘The reality is that most of us just want a few brilliant products that are quick and easy to use and that deliver stunning results. You don’t need lots of time to achieve a beautiful look with these products – the high-quality formulas are fool-proof and can be used at home or on-the-go.’

It’s a bold statement from a makeup brand that has spent 90 years building up its portfolio – but the real question is, does the range actually deliver? Especially when it doesn’t include a mascara or foundation.

To put it to the test, we asked three Metro staff to try it out and let us know how they got on. Then we asked Metro’s favourite makeup artist Desmondino to give it a whirl for our photoshoot.

Here’s how they got on.

I used the collection to complete my look for an evening event where I knew I’d be mingling with a bunch of creatives and Love Islanders – so the stakes were high for No7. Especially as I usually use a luxury cosmetic brand, such as Charlotte Tilbury and Lancome.

Getting ready, I discovered that the Base Perfecting Primer was pretty lightweight and actually doubled up as a moisturiser. It’s also dark skin friendly, just ensure you don’t apply to much and you rub the product into your skin so you won’t see any white hue/cast. Once I did that, it was a great base for me.

I found the Loose Setting Powder great for sculpting and setting my face, while – once I’d applied my lip and eyes – the Fixing Mist was good at holding everything together.

As a girl with a deeper complexion and golden undertones, I did find it hard to adapt some of the products to suit my skin though.

For example, I couldn’t use the Rose Precision Edit Lip Liner as I knew it’d be too light, while the Red Carpet Ready lipstick was not pigmented enough to sit on darker skin tones.

Admittedly, while the Rose Couture lipstick alone looked chalky on my skin, when I paired it with the brown lip liner it became the perfect combo. Plus, I was so glad there was lip oil in this collection, especially as we now entering Autumn/Winter.

I thought the shimmer shades on the Nude Eye Palette were fab and really helped my eyes pop. The darker brown shade within the palette was great to create a nice base and even worked as a good contour colour, however, the light brown shade just blended in with my skin.

What I did find quite surprising is that the makeup really did stay the course from 5pm to 2am – the only catch was that it seemed to rub off quite easily with just my hands, so I am unsure of the fixing powers true strength.

It’s no exaggeration that I got told a few times at the event that people loved my look. I even got stopped on the street by someone telling me I looked fabulous – making it a huge tick for a high street range.

So did No7 turn this luxxy girl’s head? Absolutely. I wouldn’t use all of the range as it simply wasn’t right for my skin tone, which is a shame – but what I could use, I thought was really good value for money.

Plus, I have to give a shout out to the design of the products, as for someone who loves luxury beauty, the packaging is what attracts me the most. I love the sleek, magnetic focused, gold design of the products. The eye palette literally screams luxury, given it’s gold, inside out and head to toe.

I’m No7 loyal when it comes to skincare, never to be found too far from a tube of Future Renew serum. But for makeup I’m anyone’s – Huda, Mac, Charlotte Tilbury, Dior, Chantecaille… I’ll buy whatever I try on the day that I like.

What I haven’t been buying much, at least since I was a teenager, is No7 makeup. By their own admission, their focus has been on skincare (and with worthwhile results).

At a top secret launch at their archive in Nottingham, I was reminded of the fearsome legacy Boots has when it comes to makeup: groundbreaking, female-led, revolutionary makeup lines that kept British women at the forefront of cosmetic innovation – and in step with their glamorous Hollywood counterparts.

We got a glimpse of the range then, but now, I finally had my hands on it to try it for myself – and I had a pro makeup artist on standby at our photoshoot to work his magic with the products too.

So what did I think? With all items coming in under £20, this range aims high in terms of quality, but not budget. The three lipsticks are £14.95 and feel high end – a cross-hatch embossed texture is giving Burberry lipstick vibes and the proper metal packaging has a lid that closes with that satisfying magnetic ‘click’ that indicates luxury. A treat, especially as other luxe brands switch to cheaper plastic. So far so good.

The younger me would have loved the heavily pigmented Red Carpet Ready red, but the older, rosacea-inflicted me had to pass. It was just too pinky-blue and enhanced all the wrong tones in my skin.

The Rose Couture, however, just might be my new nude. It smooths on, gives good coverage and is free of taste and fragrance (I can’t bear a nasty tasting lipstick).

The matching lip liner – creamy, good depth of colour – can be used to line or cover the lip for max staying power. (Top tip: Makeup artist Desmondino used the Rose Couture lip liner and lipstick then added the lighter Modern Nude Chic just to the centre as a highlight.)

The lip shine oil from the range gives this rather matte finish some sparkle, keeps lips from drying out and gives two looks from the same shade – one matte, one gloss. Both products a yes from me.

On to the eyeshadow palette and I’ve been outed as a basic bitch by makeup artist Desmondino. The first rule of eyeshadow palettes? You must NEVER use the colours as they are. ‘You’ve got to mix your tones, girl!’,  Des insists, as his brush flies over all but the darkest colour of the No7 palette to create a new shade.

Having been a palette user for years and using this technique for my highlighter, I have no clue why it’s taken me until now to realise I can do this on my eyes, too.

Before putting myself into the hands of a professional, I’d found the lightest tone of this palette – made up of two light shimmery tones and two darker browns – too yellowy for my pink-toned skin. Once mixed with the other three colours right there on the palette though, it’s just the sort of warm tawny metallic shade I love.

The darkest brown is excellent as a soft liner or to smudge out a pencil line and works well for a smokier eye.

So is this my new palette? Day-to-day wear, it could be – but the palette is quite safe: I’d like to see a couple more tones, much more intense pigment and more glittery shimmer added to this collection to make it work harder from day to night and to give it more lasting power.

The 12-hour brown eyeliner is straight in my basket, though. Some pencils are hard and scratchy – this is the opposite. Good staying power, goes on smoothly without dragging delicate (older!) skin. Blends well and makes for a smokey eye that even an amateur can pull off, especially combined with that dark brown shadow.

I’m no expert with bronzer – I use a more forgiving bronzing highlighter for a metallic shimmer. The lightest (Light Glow) in the new Soft Glow Cream Bronzer collection is darker than I dare to go and more matte than I’m used to.

Used very sparingly and with a full base, I got some welcome cheekbone definition and a sun-kissed look. I rated the gel-to-cream texture, too. Some girls love a serious bronzer, but for me to invest, this needs to be combined with a shimmery highlighter.

The look was enhanced when I was in Des’ hands with the Coral Blush – another product I usually avoid, since I suffer with redness – but just a smidge to lift the bronzer gave the sort of healthy glow I thought I’d left behind 10 years ago. God bless the professional makeup artist.

The clicky-brush style concealer took me right back to my Touche Eclat days, when my 18-year-old self would practically colour in my entire face with it. The no 2 colour was the perfect shade for me and lifted my dark circles while covering pigmentation. While the coverage is light, that also means it doesn’t sit in and exacerbate fine lines. It’s so easy to apply too.

An absolute must for me these days is fixing spray. I’m a recent convert and this one certainly does the job. My new face did not budge despite a day at work, cycle home and child pawing my face. Well worth it.

I hear there’s more to come from this range and I’m excited to see it. It’s certainly put No7 back on my shopping list.

I’m a makeup lover, though admittedly not very skilled. I rotate between loads of brands based on what’s on sale and what’s trending.

This new Pro Artist range was a pleasant surprise to me. I have combination skin, meaning I don’t know if one day it will be oily or dry. I applied the Touch Up Concealer over my breakouts and under my eyes after using my Dr Jart Cicapair colour corrector as a base, and it made me look more awake, which is hard to do.

I used the black 12 Hour Artist Eye Pencil on my upper lids – I love drawing in my inner eye corner for some drama – and it stayed on quite well, only smudging near the end of the day when I accidentally rubbed my eyes (not enough coffee, clearly).

The eyeshadow range was called ‘Eye Palette Nude’, which was perfect for a very basic colour palette and good for a staple kit. But I felt it could definitely have done with a bit more originality, as I love to experiment with eye colours and felt quite limited.

I also didn’t really care for the Soft Glow Cream Bronzer – even the lightest shade felt a bit too dark for my skin. But as I rarely use bronzer to begin with, it didn’t really bother me.

For me, if the staple makeup such as powder and lip colour stay on, I’m sold, which is why the winners for me though were the Rose Couture Matt Muse Lipstick and Lip Shine Oil combo.

I was really pleased there wasn’t much transfer when it came to my lips (and I drank two cups of coffee – only reapplying once later in the day). And the lip oil was shiny and moisturising, while not sticking to my hair in the tube wind on the way home.

I also loved the Set The Scene Loose Setting Powder, which applied smoothly and didn’t cake, along with the Finishing Touch Fixing Mist as it was light and scentless, making it really refreshing.

At the end of the day, it was easy to get off with my cleansing balm, which I’m always grateful for.

Getting the team ready for their shoot, Desmondino had to put aside most of his usual trusted products and give the no7 Pro Artist range a go. Here’s what he had to say:

‘The eyeshadow palette was good, as in the colours suited all skin types and blended nicely, while the loose powder was nice and fine, and evened the skin out perfectly.

However, my favourite products were the spray as it really fixed everything together for a long stay. The lip gloss was also lovely and the applicator was brilliantly shaped so the gloss covered the lips nicely in one sweep.’

Desmondino’s tips:

• With the eyeshadow, use the blend of the lighter two metallic colours under the lower lid line too, to soften a dark eyeliner line and cover up any red there.
• You can also swirl a blusher brush over the lighter tones of the eyeshadow for a highlighter to sweep across high cheekbones.
• ‘Fix’ your eye pencil with a wet pen eyeliner – it will make it last longer and give you a more defined line.
• If you’re working on your flick and it’s getting wider and wider as you try to correct errors, stop trying to correct with more black liner. Take your foundation brush and a touch of base, pull your line up and out and draw up under it with your foundation, creating the perfect flick.

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