No7 Beautifully Matte/ Beautifully Matte Light Foundation

I've been a big fan of No7 foundations for years now (and not just because I was part of the Match Made campaign), I've tried a few of them and there hasn't been one I didn't like yet. My favourite is still the Stay Perfect Superlight which I've written about here.

A few months ago I was sent both the Beautifully Matte and Beautifully Matte Light Foundations, the latter being a new release. The original Beautifully Matte foundation has also been reformulated. I had never tried it before and being a lover of a lighter coverage foundation I was very curious to see how the original compared to the new Light version. 

To begin with, the packaging for both foundations is identical save for the silver stripe around the Light which I can only assume is to differentiate between the two if you happen to own both. The packaging is sturdy hard plastic with a pump, it's not my ideal packaging, I prefer a tube that you can squeeze every last drop from, but definitely much more travel friendly than a glass bottle. 

Let's start with what they have in common. Both foundations are best suited to oily/normal skin. They both contain fine, oil absorbing powders that are supposed to control shine all day. They are oil free, hypo-allergenic and have an SPF 15. I also found that the texture was the same with both, more viscous than the Superlight, Stay Perfect and Airbrush Away foundations, yet still blended easily into the skin, something I wasn't expecting from a mattifying foundation. 

I use a Zoeva Silk Finish brush to apply the foundations and I find they both blend seamlessly into my skin. I personally find that I like to use a little bit at first and then build up the coverage if I find I need it. The only difference that I can find between these two is their coverage. The original Beautifully Matte is supposed to be medium to full coverage whereas the Light one is supposed to be medium (I would say light to medium). I rarely use full coverage foundations but I was surprised at how much I liked the full coverage of Beautifully Matte. If you take your time with the application, it blends in nicely and does't sit on the pores. Instead it leaves my skin with a perfected velvet finish. 

Beautifully Matte Light essentially does the exact same thing but with a lighter coverage. It still conceals pores, blemishes and redness but you can see your skin more clearly which on a daily basis is my preference. I've been saving Beautifully Matte for night time wear when I tend to amp up the rest of my make up. I didn't think I'd like the finish of it as much as I do, it's perfect for when I'm having a bad skin day as it just gives that extra bit of coverage. 

Bare skin


Beautifully Matte Foundation only


Full make up with no powder


Beautifully Matte/Beautifully Matte Light


Beautifully Matte Light

Full make up with no powder

The first few times I tried them, I didn't powder my face at all to see how they held up throughout the day. I definitely noticed my nose become oily by the end of the day, but nowhere near as much as it does with other foundations. When I applied powder this lessened even more. You can see the difference in coverage in the photos above. The only thing that would make me chose the more full coverage is if my skin wasn't looking great or if I was going out and wanted a more full on make up look.

The only negative I can say about these foundations is I felt like I needed to make sure my skin was hydrated particularly well before I applied them because matte foundations do have a tendency to cling to dryness. This can be easily solved by using a hydrating serum/primer before/after you moisturise. If you're like me and have combination skin, you might really like these foundations. Once you prepare your skin by exfoliating and hydrating first, the foundation controls oil production throughout the day. If my skin is dehydrated, these foundations don't look as well as they can look.

The big question I ask myself when I'm trying out a new product and sitting down to write a review is "would I genuinely buy it again?". The answer this time is 100% yes. I like having several different types of foundation in my collection to choose from depending on how my skin is behaving. Until now I didn't have any mattifying or full coverage foundations in my make up bag, so it's nice to know that if my skin is acting up and I need that extra bit of coverage, I can bring out Beautifully Matte.

The price tag of €20 means that it's not exactly cheap but with your trusty No7 vouchers from Boots, you can get it for €15.50. Both of these foundations are worth trying if like me you find your skin getting oily throughout the day. If you're prepared to put in the effort of prepping your skin properly before you apply it, you'll get great results.

Have you tried this or any other No7 foundations before? Can you recommend any other foundations that work well for oily skin?

Emma x