12 Gifts of Christmas: No7 The Cosmetics Portfolio

Every Christmas, No7 release a selection of seriously covetable gifts which usually includes a portfolio edit of some kind, and every Christmas I start working on reasons to justify purchasing it; this year is easily the best selection of products yet, so if you’re like me and need to work on a justifiable excuse then you shouldn’t have to work too hard!

The No7 The Cosmetics Portfolio consists of a sturdy, 2 layer vanity case, with products on the top layer and accessories on the bottom layer.  This year, all products are individuals which I’m not sure was the case last year, but certainly wasn’t on previous years as I have a few of these portfolios at home, and they all contain palette style inserts.  I am so much happier with the product as individuals as it’s considerably more convenient.  The set contains six eyeshadows, 1 blush, 1 mini lipgloss, 1 mini mascara 5 brushes and 1 lash curler.

I’ll start with the negatives; the plastic inserts are a bit flimsy and cheap looking which I feel doesn’t work well within the context of the fairly luxury feel of the portfolio itself.  Secondly, the eyelash curlers just will not work for me and make absolutely no difference to the curl of my lashes as they’re not tight enough to clamp shut effectively.

In my opinion, those two minor issues are all that’s wrong with the portfolio as the rest of it is just fantastic.  The colour selections are fab and I’m especially impressed with the inclusion of five No7 make-up brushes including Eyeshadow Blend and Contour brush which is a cheaper take on the infamous Mac 217.  I also absolutely love the selection of individual eyeshadows in a range of wearable and easy shades that stay within the nude/neutral/plum spectrum, making them ideal for most skin tones.

The No7 Cosmetics Portfolio is available now for £45 from Boots – link.  If you’re extremely quick in the Boxing Day sales and don’t need this in time for Christmas then the cosmetic collections usually end up with half off.  It’s also definitely worth checking out the rest of the No7 Christmas collections as they are amazing this year and much better than usual in my opinion!

*PR Sample