Sunday, December 20, 2015

Boots No. 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Skincare System Review

Slathering on a daily moisturizer used to be the standard for facial skincare. Then we found out it had to contain some degree of SPF protection.  And oh yeah, you really should be applying a heavier cream before bedtime every night. Then came all manner of serums and oils, Clarisonic and its imitators and this year's sheet mask craze. (There is even a subscription box solely devoted to the latter; I'm not making that up!)

Over the past year, I've seen a groundswell of acclaim for the Protect & Perfect Intense Skincare System from Boots No. 7.  However ubiquitous the Boots brand in the U.K., it has only become available in the U.S. over the past couple of years. Certain Boots lines quickly earned rave reviews from beauty gurus; most notably the Protect & Perfect products.    

Boots No. 7's Protect & Perfect Intense line is a medium-priced anti-aging daily skincare regimen.  The reviews of these products have been so overwhelmingly positive that I finally decided to check them out for myself. I discovered that Boots No. 7 products are primarily available through UltaDrugstore.com, Target and Walgreens. (Links should take you directly to Boots No. 7 product pages.)  You can also get them directly from the U.S. section of Boots website. Prices and promotions vary considerably across these sites.  The three main components of this regimen and their retail prices are:

Protect & Perfect Intense Day Cream - $24.99
Protect & Perfect Intense Night Cream - $24.99
Protect & Perfect Intense Serum - $29.99

Knowing that products like these work best when used together, the initial outlay for my trial run would have been around $80.  I quickly learned that most of the retailers sell full size versions of these three products together in a kit with a retail price of about $60.  These can sometimes be found on sale for less and you can always get an eBates rebate for Ulta, Walgreens, Drugstore.com and Target (currently 3%, 4%, 4% and 2%, respectively).  Those quarterly eBates checks really add up and are always an unexpected surprise in your mailbox!

Here's the box I received from Walgreen's; they don't carry this set in their stores; it can only be purchased on-line.



The gatefold cover thoroughly explains the benefits of each product, both instant and long-term.  Instructions are also given for how and when to apply each item. The three products are packaged in elegant dual-wall containers with oval lids that don't seem like they would screw on and off easily....but they do.
   

The Day Cream comes in a 1.6 oz. size and contains SPF 15.  This is intended to smooth lines and wrinkles and provide sun protection.  It has a light non-greasy consistency and a very subtle clean scent.  There is a fragrance listed WAY down on the ingredient label.  Normally, fragrance in anything applied to the face is not good but in this case, I think the amount is so small, it's really not a detriment.


The Serum is packaged in a 1 oz. spray pump bottle which keeps everything nice and hygienic during application.  This is the product that has received the most media attention due to its clinically proven anti-aging results.  When used regularly, it is said to provide noticeable results within two to four weeks.  The instructions say to use it under both the day and night creams.  Because it is expensive, I plan to use it more sparingly...just once a day. My first application was silky smooth, it felt like a very fine layer of silicone on my face. Customer reviews repeatedly note that this product appears to out-perform much more expensive products that claim to do the same thing.


As expected, the night cream is heavier with a more emollient feel.  Its purpose is to restore skin overnight, replace lost moisture, reduce the appearance of deeper lines and firm the skin.  It absorbed well into my skin and provided rich hydration.  My skin was noticeably softer in the morning.  I've read that this product is particularly effective in getting rid of crepey looking skin around the eyes and neck.


This product line seems to deserve the attention it has received.  There are equally effective facial skincare solutions out there but at much higher price points. For those who are seeing signs of aging and want to take their facial skincare routine to the next level, this could be a great option. The fact that the price is far below that of comparable products may be the real breakthrough of the Boots No. 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Skincare Regimen!

Have you tried any of the Boots skincare products?  If so, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for reading,

Cheryl

Disclosure:  Views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly my own.  Product discussed in this post was purchased by Lone Star Shopper. Post may contain referral or affiliate links.

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