No7 Fanomenal Lash Serum || A Review

Has anyone ever heard of lash growth serums? Well I certainly hadn't, but there was one included in the bumper No7 Christmas set which I got in the January sales (got to love a bargain). Along with a set of perfectly normal items like a nail varnish, lip gloss, full size primer, eye palette, lipstick, etc was this intriguing tube. The No7 Fanomenal Lash Serum had the daring tag line "For a fuller lash fan in 8 weeks".

No7 Fanomenal Lash Serum by Boots

Well, I'm a science gal and there's nothing that irks me more than wild, unsubstantiated claims. I find there's a lot of these in the beauty world, preying on our insecurities and the wish to try something, anything that works. Seeing as this product came along with a set of perfectly lovely other products, I thought well, let's give it a go.

So I did. I applied this, as per the instructions, every night for at least 8 weeks. You take off all your make up and then apply this using the little brush. It sinks into the skin and has vanished by the next morning.

No7 Fanomenal lash serum - the applicator is quite neat; no messing around required

I actually ended up using this for more than 8 weeks, just to give it a fair go. Here are some before and after comparisons. Do you think I have a "fuller lash fan" in the after pictures?

The results of the Fanomenal Lash Serum - can you see a difference?

Also special bonus spot- I also used it in the inner corner of my eyebrow in the eye pictured, as after one particularly zealous threading lady I am now missing the beginning of that eyebrow. Do you think the serum helped it grow back a bit? I left my eyebrows completely untouched for the full 8+ weeks (yikes) so you can see the natural regrowth (with no serum) under the arch for comparison.

Can you see a difference here? Other than some really eyebally eyeballs?

As ever, apologies for the bad lighting/bloodshot eyes/stray hairs/odd angles, but that's just how it is. They're illustrative. Let's move on to the summary:

Good things

• This didn't sting or irritate my eyes after application, even when I was particularly clumsy with the little brush.
• The applicator made putting it on pretty quick and easy.
• It sunk into the skin fairly quickly, meaning I didn't end up smearing it all over pillows or clothes.
• It is quite a viscous liquid so it stays exactly where you put it and doesn't run off down your face.

Less good things

• It is one extra thing to incorporate into your evening routine and even though it only takes a few seconds, some nights even that felt like too much.
• If I did bodge it into my eyes by accident, it didn't hurt but did make my vision blurry. Not what you want at the end of a long day.
• And the final kicker, I don't think it made a noticeable difference to the appearance of my lashes.

The verdict

Ultimately I don't think it made a difference to my "lash fan" and as such, no matter how quick and easy it is to apply, I just don't think it's worth it. I just went to look up the product for sale in Boots and was pretty surprised to see it retailing for £22.50 - that is a lot for something that makes little to no visible difference to my lashes.

Instead, I'd recommend going and getting a lash tint (or doing it yourself at home). Cheaper, instant and very noticeable results. Sorted!

-Rachel