Day 54. N°7 Stay Perfect Foundation [Review & Swatches]

During my stay in London I had the chance to head to a N°7 counter in a Oxford Street Boots and try out the "N°7 Foundation Match Made Service". After that, I purchased the N°7 Stay Perfect Foundation the N°7 advisor suggested. I have been testing it for a few days now and I think it's time for a review. I'll also briefly talk about the Foundation Service.

I headed into Boots pretty early in the morning and the poor N°7 advisor was not too enthusiastic about assisting me.
Anyway, I didn't have any make up on, so she went and got the little electronic device that matches your skin color to the N°7 foundation shades.
It literally takes about 10 seconds to get a result: the advisor place the device on your face between cheek and jaw, first on one side and then on the other, and the device gives a reading with the match.

Meanwhile the advisor asked me what kind of skin type I have and what kind of foundation I was looking for. After my answers (combination oily; medium-light coverage, for spring), armed with the results from the device (deeply ivory), she suggested the Stay Perfect foundation: a liquid medium coverage, semi-matte finish, spf 15 foundation.  She applied a bit on my jaw and cheek, showed me the results, and I was satisfied enough to purchase the foundation.

Done. Matched. It took longer to get the advisor's attention than it took to get matched with the right foundation.

I took it home with me and once I was home I started to doubt it was the right shade as it seemed too dark and rosy for my skin. I did try a bit on the back of my hand and it really seemed too dark. So the next day I headed back to Boots to be matched again, just to check. There was another advisor that confirmed the results.

Swatches for N°7 Stay Perfect foundation in Deeply Ivory

Once I came back home and had my usual foundation (Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation in Blush Ivory) at hand, I tried swatching both for comparison. The N°7 Deeply Ivory shade is distinctly pinkier than the Laura Mercier Blush Ivory. While it matches, I think N°7 Deeply ivory will match my skin even better during spring, when I'll get a little bit of color on me.

Swatches for N°7 Stay Perfect Foundation in Deeply Ivory (top)
and Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation in Blush Ivory (bottom)

The N° Stay Perfect Foundation is long lasting, has a demi-matte finish and also has a spf-15. It is smooth and blends well, it actually lasts a good 7 hours on me, after that I start experiencing a bit of shine all over my face. After testing it for 3 days, I can say it's a solid foundation, which I would actually repurchase if I hadn't yet found my perfect foundation in the Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation. I'll think I'll use this bottle for this spring and next autumn, while reserving the slightly heavier Laura Mercier Foundation for winter!  .