This week we heard reports that
number crunchers have estimated that the ‘Black Consumer’ spending power in the
UK was worth a £300 Billion (is that all) it has come to be of no surprise to
me that many of the established high-street brands have begun to try and encourage
us to spend money in their stores[i].
Step forward Boot’s No.7 who, under the creative directorship of Lisa Eldridge,
have developed their range of foundation to include more colours for Black Women
in a range of finishes.
Source |
I decided to take advantage of a
free lunch break and popped into a Boots in Hammersmith in order to try out their
new No.7 Foundation Match Made Service. In order to take some of the anxiety of
shopping for foundation, No.7 claim to have developed a device that matches you
with the colour in their range. The device quickly takes a number of instant
pictures of the skin on your jaw-line and comes up with a recommendation as to
which shade you are within their range. As a Woman of Colour I wanted to see if
this device would cater to my shade and so allowed the lovely consultant, Thomas,
to work his magic. I was placed at ease by how quickly (and painless) the whole
process was, he then gave me a run down of the various finishes and benefits
each finish provided that was applicable to my skin type and preference.
The shade Walnut was quickly identified
as being the correct shade for me. I opted for the Instant Radiance range as it
wasn’t matt and added a bit more dimension to my face. It took a little while for
me to get the consistency of the foundation right when applying it and have
realised that it works best when I colour correct my dark patches around my
eyes prior to application. The finish was excellent and matched my skin
perfectly. I received the best ever complement when wearing this foundation from
a relative who asked remarked that my skin looked really healthy when I bumped into them at a recent party!
On the whole, I am loving the fact
that a high street brand has stepped up to the plate and decided to expand it’s
range to include more shades. The Foundation Match Made Service has certainly thrown
down the gauntlet to other makeup brands to ensure clients are adequately matched
within their range and end the appalling situation where women of any colour,
are incorrectly paired to foundations by overzealous sales associates on a
counter.
What do you think of this service, would you like more brands to adopt a gaget like this?
This seems like such a good idea especially coming from a high street brand, might have to try this out on the weekend.Thanks
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