No7 Calm and Conceal Dual Ended Blemish Stick

RRP: £8.25
no. of shades available: 1

--What does the promo say?--
"No7 Calm & Conceal Dual Ended Blemish Stick soothes troubled skin with its dual-action blemish treatment. One end helps stop blemishes in their tracks, the other hides them away. As soon as you feel a blemish, roll on the clear solution. Let it dry, then add a little concealer. Hypo-allergenic and fragrance free. Best used in conjunction with any No7 foundation."

--Packaging--
I was attracted to this because it's like no other concealer I've seen before, even though I expect other brands will soon follow suit if it's successful. With concealer at one end and a clear blemish treatment at the other, it's perfect for when you're on the go. Both canisters are transparent so that you can see how much is left, and the middle part is gold, with the No7 logo and product information written on it in black. The blemish treatment end is a rollerball while the concealer comes with its own sponge applicator stick attached to the middle part of the outfit that holds the whole business together. All very nice to look at, and as I said, very different and perfect for travelling.

--Application--
Unscrew the blemish treatment side and roll the solution onto any blemishes that are troubling you. The solution is quite quick to dry (I'd say less than 2 minutes) and you can then apply the concealer on top before blending in.

--Appearance--
The blemish solution is clear and leaves no visible residue on the face. In the tube the concealer actually looks quite pale, so I thought it would be fine. So far, so fabulous. And when you've applied foundation and things on top of it, it looks fine. However, when you've just applied the concealer it all goes a bit wrong. I always think that a good concealer is one you can wear on its own as well as when part of a full face of makeup. I should have known that going for a product that's only available in one shade would be a bad idea, but in the tube it honestly looks pale enough for me. On my skin, though, it's a bit of a disaster. It looks patchy and orange and there's no way I'd consider going out wearing the concealer by itself like I would with my Clinique, L'Oreal or even my Collection 2000 concealer. As I said, once you've applied other makeup it looks fine, but you may be disappointed if you've bought this to wear on its own. Saying that, though, my skin is ridiculously pale. If you've got slightly darker skin you will possibly be fine. Perhaps wheedle a demonstration out of the Boots staff first before buying.

--Coverage--
It would be OK if the colour wasn't so wrong for me. With other makeup, as I said, it's fine.

--Longevity--
Again, fine. It holds well with other makeup and you don't find yourself reapplying it during the day.

--Effectiveness--
This one's tricky as I tend to use an anti-blemish gel anyway, so I've not noticed any difference in my skin. However, if you don't already use one I expect you'll see a difference in your blemishes.

--Value for money--
I wouldn't recommend this product, which is a shame as I normally worship No7 (this is only the second product of theirs I've been disappointed in and I'd say I've tried 10+ products from the brand). It's expensive for what it is and to only have one shade available is really poor. My advice? Buy a decent blemish gel (Clinique's is good), and a decent concealer (and there really are many out there no matter how much or little you want to spend), and use them instead.