Instagram

Instagram

Saturday, 30 March 2013

Review | MUA Sheer Finish Lipglosses

 
Here is my review on the MUA Sheer Finish Lipglosses.
 

Left to Right - Some Me Time, Happy Days, Too Much Fun.
Price - £1.00
Shades - 7
Pigmentation - Light But Buildable.
Places To Buy - MUA Online, Superdrug
 
Packaging - The packaging on these is pretty standard for a squeeze-tube gloss. I do like the design as it's bold, and the writing doesn't rub off very easily, it is quite durable. The colour is clearly indicated on the back of the tube. I also like the fun and happy names of these shades, I think it adds a nice touch now that MUA are naming their products rather than just 'Shade 5', so that is a huge plus as many people love the cute little names that products have. The applicator is just a regular, angled plastic nib, which applies the product nicely.
 
Texture - These feel nice and slick on your lips and not too sticky, but sticky enough so that they are long wearing on your lips. They are quite pigmented, so I'm not sure why the word 'sheer' is on there, for inexpensive lipglosses, these run pigmented. As you an see on my swatches, you can have very full on colour, or you can apply it more sheer to get a more natural effect rather than having full, hot pink lips. They have a very nice colour range that I think will please many different people, due to their personal preferences, or just their skin tone and what looks best on them.
 
When Do I Apply These? - Personally, I like to apply these, or any lip product, at the end of my makeup routine, so I get the most wear out of the lip product so I'm not wasting any and it won't wear off before I have even finished my makeup for the day. However, you could apply this before your eye makeup if you prefer to match your eyes to your lips, where as I personally prefer to match my lips to my eyes, so I'm not just sticking to one lip product and I am using everything I own.
 
I've Applied Too Much! - Don't worry! Take a tissue, and like you would do for lipstick, just blot over your lips. This will remove the excess product which will also prolong the wear of your lipgloss, as you don't have any extra, un-needed product on your lips which will slide off, with the rest of your colour. Also, you can just, if you haven't got access to tissue at that particular moment, just blend it in with your finger, this will basically do the same as the tissue, but a lot easier and faster to do as you don't need to look for tissue.
 
Would I Recommend These? - I would definitely! I think these are amazing for the price, at £1.00 you really can't do wrong. I do think that the shades are all very nice and, as these are still quite new, I think as a first batch of colours, they have made the needs of many skin toned women.
 
Hope This Helps!
xox

Review | NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer.

 
 
Here is my review on the NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer.
 

Shade - Sunny
Shades - Unknown
Pigmentation - Medium But Very Buildable
Price - £2.99
Places To Buy - I purchased mine at a discount place in town, however I think you can buy it in Superdrug, I just can't find it on the website.
 
 
Packaging - I like the packaging on this product. I think it is appealing to the eye, it's not too boring and I also like that the colour of the package is the colour of the bronzer inside. It does click shut, which again, is very travel friendly. Also, there is no excess packaging so it is very thin, meaning it won't take up much extra space in your make-up bag/storage. There is a huge mirror on the lid so if you are travelling, you don't have to take an extra mirror because this is big enough for you and also it is compacted into one of your make-up products.
 
Texture - The texture is very smooth and silky. It is very pigmented. I like that the shade is in Sunny, so they actually added a sun on top of the product, which I think was a nice added extra, it made it very cute. This goes on nice and easy onto your face, and it very easy to blend and work with which is very important for bronzers so you can make them more subtle and natural if you go a little bit happy and need to blend it out, this will allow you to do it very easily. This particular shade I would say is best suited for fair-light skin tones as it is quite a light shade, however I do think they make a wider variety of shades in the United States.
 
When Do I Apply This? - Because this is a powder product, I recommend using this after your foundation routine and powder. I personally use this as a contour shade so I apply this after my powder and my whole face bronzer, (I use the MUA Bronzed Perfection). I apply this with my ELF Angled Blush Brush, starting at the hair line and blending forward so I don't get the most pigment closer to my mouth and it is at my hair line so it is easier to hide/blend. You only need a tiny amount as it is quite pigmented.
 
I've Applied Too Much! - Don't fret! Take your powder brush and run over the bronzer, don't add any more product onto the brush use what's left, this will blend out the colour making it more natural and subtle on your face, also it helps fight against any orange/muddy lines where you applied the bronzer. I don't find that the tissue trick works with the bronzer to blend it out as it is more concentrated and potent, meaning you need something a bit more to blend out the colour.
 
Would I Recommend This? - Definitely! I think that it is worth the money and from other beauty gurus on youtube, they said that it is a lot like some of the more expensive bronzers they own. It applies smoothly, it is really pigmented and a great product to have in your make-up bag. However, if you are not fair-light skin toned, I think this particular shade won't work very well for you as it is quite a light bronzer which I like because I am fair skin toned.
 
Hope This Helps!
xox

Review | The Body Shop Shimmer Shades - Lilly Cole Collection.

 
Hi! Here is my review on the Lilly Cole Shimmer Shades from The Body Shop. Unfortunately these were Limited Edition so you can not buy these anymore, unless you get lucky in The Body Shop like I did. I got these on sale for £5.00.
 

There is only one shade selection from the Lilly Cole Collection.
Pigmentation - Medium But Buildable.
Price - £16.00
Places To Buy - The Body Shop
 
Packaging - Personally for me, the over all packaging let the product down a bit. I do like the idea that the cubes of shadow are all individual in there own plastic casing. But, it is very cheap packaging. There is nothing special about it, it's just plain, clear plastic. However, like I said, I do like the concept that each shade is individual so you only have to take the colours you need. That idea is very nice and travel friendly. Another thing that lets it down is that it doesn't lock shut, so I can guarantee if this is going on a plane, the shadows will fall out because it doesn't stay shut.
 
Texture - The texture on these are very hard and they are pigmented but not as pigmented as I expected for the regular price. I do think these are hugely over priced and you really are paying for the name over quality. Where I do think these are nice if you just want something nice, light and easy to apply, then these are probably for you. But for me, after trying so many cheaper things, I personally don't think these are worth the money and bought them to try and because they were on sale so I thought it was the perfect opportunity. With them being quite solid, I'm guessing that because of the way they are packaged, they have to be quite solid.
 
I've Applied Too Much! - Just take a blending brush and keep going oer it, this will almost dilute the colour and make it less harsh on your eyes, making a more soft, blended look. If it's the darker colours that you have over done it on, then sometimes just taking the lightest shade and running it over that colour will help meaning you won't have to spend as much time blending out the colour.
 
When Do I Apply These? - Eyeshadows are something hat you can apply whenever you want as they won't get messed with the other products as you probably won't be laying foundation and concealer over it, meaning it will still be there on your eyes. Applying these before your face makeup also helps a lot as if you get any fall out, you won't have to take away any foundation, powder or concealer, so you can just wipe it away at the end and then start your foundation routine. You could also apply them after your face makeup if you prefer, I tend to do this if I know that the eyeshadows won't have much fall down, if you are conscious about this, take a shadow shield under your eye and it will catch any fall out. Or, if you don't have them, you can just hold a tissue/cotton pad under your eye and it will do exactly the same thing.
 
Would I Recommend These? - I wouldn't to everyone. If you are just starting out with make-up and you want something that is easily blended, quite pigmented, and something where it's all there in one place, then I think these are perfect for you. However, if you, like me, have been using make-up for years and know good eyeshadow from bad, or you're a make-up artist, I think there are much better products out there, some cheaper, some the same price, but there are definitely better things out there.
 
Hope This Helps!
xox

Review | ELF Studio Concealer

 
Here is my review on the ELF Studio Concealer.
 
My colour is 'Ivory' - The Lightest Shade.
Price - £3.75
Shades - 4
Coverage - Medium
Places To Buy - ELF Online.
 
Packaging - The packaging on this product is very nice, professional and sleek looking. It has a very slim design meaning it is very travel friendly as it won't take any extra room up in your make-up bag. You don't get much product in the stick though, the amount of product shown is just a bit less than what I got before using it, that could be a down side but for what I use it for, I don't need a lot of product, and there might be more product in the lower part of the casing. It is a simple twist up, type package, pretty standard and what you get for most concealers like this now.
 
 
 Texture - The texture of this concealer stick is creamier than others, some more inexpensive concealer sticks can tend to be quite dry as they don't put a lot of moisturising aspects in the product, it's not the case for this one. I find that this has a medium coverage. I mainly use this for colour correcting under my eyes as the colour is quite orangey, and orange means a salmon colour and that cancels out the darkness under my eyes. The colour range isn't great at only 4 shades and they don't go very pale or very dark, you have to be a light-medium skin tone to be able to use these concealers.
 
 
When Do I Apply This? - If you were using this as a regular concealer I would suggest using this after foundation, as if you would put it on before, the concealer would move and you wouldn't get a lot of coverage out of it. However, because I use this as a corrector, I put this under foundation and use a tiny amount. This won't get rid of the coverage because of the purpose I'm using it for. But, like I said, use this after foundation if the shade matches you so you're using it as a regular concealer.
 
 
I've Applied Too Much! - Don't fret! Make sure you keep blending out, so it doesn't look cakey. Or, you can, again, use a fixing/moisturising mist so it doesn't look too heavy. Also, you can take a tissue and pat over the area where you applied too much, it will absorb the excess product, making sure it doesn't look heavy, cakey and it will look more natural on your skin.
 
Would I Recommend This? - I think I would, however, like I said, I would only recommend it to people who have light-medium skin tones, because otherwise, there won't be a shade for you. These are good quality for the money and think that, depending on your skin tone, you will find that it conceals nicely. For reference, I'm fair skin toned.
 
Hope This Helps!
xox



Friday, 29 March 2013

Review | MUA Blushers

 
Hi! Here is my review on the MUA Blushers!
 

Top Row, Left To Right - Shade 1, Shade 5
Bottom Row, Left To Right - Shade 3, Shade 6
 
Price - £1.00
Shades - 5
Pigmentation - Medium - High Pigmentation, Buildable, Blendable
Places To Buy - MUA Online, Superdrug
 
 
Packaging - The packaging is very standard. It consists of all plastic and, from the time I've had them, it has been quite sturdy. I have had the Shade 1 before and the colour was slightly different from it is now. Also, The packaging was a lot more cheap and broke as soon as I got it home. Now, the packaging is tons more sturdy and hasn't had any breaks, but of course, there is scratches on it from when it's in my make-up bag and make-up storage. Again, the writing on the front is a spray on, in metallic silver. However, this one hasn't rubbed/scratched off yet and I've had these for a while now. I am pleased on the improvements on the packaging and think that more people will buy them now as before, when the packaging broke, so did the product inside.
 
Texture - The texture is more solid than soft. When running my fingers over it it doesn't feel very soft but still has pigment. Don't get me wrong, it is still quite soft, just not as soft as I remembered my old one being. I remembered that being extremely soft. This is more solid, which is a good thing in some ways as it will be less likely to break, meaning it s a lot easier to travel with. However, even though it is quite solid, it manages to still be smooth and pigmented which is why I think for £1.00 they are a steal, people would pay quite a bit more for these.
 
When Do I Apply This? - I, personally, apply these after powder, bronzer and contour. This is so the colour doesn't get hidden by the bronzers, so you can still see all the colour and it doesn't change shade because it is mixing with other things. I use just a regular blush brush, one that feathers the product on, rather than placing the product on to your face really heavily. These are very blendable and easy to work with, meaning they won't get really patchy on your skin.
 
I've Applied Too Much! - Don't worry! I have two solutions. The easiest one is to take your powder brush and go over it, don't add any extra product just use what's left, and run over it. This will make the colour more subtle and blend out the edges. Another option, if you don't have powder/a powder brush, take a tissue and pat over the edges working inwards, this will remove excess product and, again, blend out the edges, making it more subtle on your cheeks. This is also great if you are away and don't want to over pack products.
 
Would I Recommend These? - Yes, definitely! For people on a tight budget I think these are great quality and won't waste your money, even though you are only paying £1.00. These are quite pigmented, some have a nice shimmer, and they look nice, natural and glowy on the cheeks.
 
Hope This Helps!
xox
 


Review | ELF HD Powder (Studio)

 
Here is my review on the ELF HD Powder! Enjoy!
 
 


This is the original product, not the corrective yellow or shimmer one.
 
Price - £6.00
Shades - 3
Pigmentation - Clear/Transparent Formula
Places To Buy - ELF Online
 
Packaging - The packaging on this product is very nice. It has a very heavy duty black tub, which contains a sifter so not too much product is dispersed onto the puff/your brush. Some people may not like the packaging as they might think it is quite bulky, it is something that you need to have the right size storage to hold this product. I like the packaging because I think it looks very appealing and professional on your counter/in your make up storage. It is quite bulky but I really don't mind that as I have big enough storage to hold it in and big enough makeup bags if I want to take it on my travels. The fact that it comes with a puff is also very convenient, it means that if you bring this and you forget your powder brush, depending on the fact that you don't throw your powder puff away, then it won't matter because you can just use that instead.
 
Texture - The texture of this product is extremely silky, smooth and easily blendable. Because the product sys HD, it means that it is less likely to give you the white cast on your face, while still mattifying it. At first, you might think it won't blend because the product is straight up white, however when buffed in or just feathered over your face/skin, you get no white on your face, it becomes completely transparent. It also makes your skin feel extremely smooth. Because it is a translucent powder, you are not going to get any extra coverage out of it, so it does mean that it feels more light weight on your face. When I apply this, it feels like I have nothing on my face. I put this on top of a foundation that was awful for taking photos and lasted on my skin for about 2-3 hours, just to see how well it worked. AMAZING! The foundation looked sooo much better when taking pictures and recording, and it made the length of wear of my foundaton from 2-3 hours, to 5-6 hours, so I think that is a huge plus.
 
When Do I Apply This? You apply this after you have finished your face make-up. (Foundation concealer and any other cream product e.g. blush). The reason being is that it will set your make-up, prolonging the wear of it all and will also make it not as shiny. You could apply this as a last step as a finishing powder, but I just use this as a regular face powder, I think that gives me the best effect. I use the Clinique Powder Brush to apply this, I use it sparingly over the face, but concentrate it a bit more in the areas I have put concealer, so it lasts longer.
 
I've Applied Too Much! -  Don't worry! Take a finishing/moisturising spray and spray your face a couple times. This will prevent anything looking cakey if you have applied too much, and will remove some of the excess product, giving your skin a nice healthy glow at the same time. Fixing sprays are really nice and I have to use them quite a lot if I go a bit happy on the powder! They really do help and that's a solution i've been doing for ages now.
 
Would I Reccomend This Product? - Of course! I think it's great value for the money, helps my make up last all day by actually setting it, stops the terrible white cast/flash back you can get from cameras so, I think it's amazing! Again, the packaging might not be for everyone, but it certainly is for me!
 
Hope This Helps!
xox
 

Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Review | Famous By Sue Moxely Lip Addicts

 
Here is my review on the Famous By Sue Moxely Lip Addicts.
 

Left to right: Raw, Pillow Talk 
Price: £4.99
Shades: 6
Pigmentation: Medium - High Colour Pay Off
Places To Buy: Sue Moxley Online.

Packaging: The packaging on these is very nice. It has a nice, sleek black casing with a flip up lid that contains the same colour of lipstick, but in a Balm Formula. The writing on the front is a pink spray on, which, for me has nearly completely rubbed off. Because of that, I do think companies need to find a different way of writing the name of the product on, like printing/imprinting it on the front of the packaging. The lid shuts nicely, it clicks so you know when it is completely shut and you don't think it's shut, go back to your makeup bag, and find out that your lipstick has mushed all over the place!

Texture: The texture of these lipsticks are very creamy, smooth and very quite pigmented. They glide on your lips nicely. However, I do find that if I don't apply a lip balm before, then it does tend to settle in the lines on my lips where they are dry. They have a nice, demi-matte finish (not glossy but not quite matte). They are pigmented, or at least, the two shades I have.

Ways To Apply: The ways to apply lipstick are very simple. The most common way is just straight out of the tube on to your lips. Which is perfect and easy if you are the only person using the lipstick. For a make-up artist, they tend to use a lip brush for hygiene reasons. The lip brush is the perfect way of getting a more defined lip line, perfect when doing bold lips so you can control the colour. The other way is obviously, you can use your fingers. Not the most hygienic, but more hygienic than putting it straight on your lips, depending on the fact that your hands are clean.

I've Applied Far Too Much Product!: Don't you worry, don't you worry child.....;) Take a plain tissue and blot off your lips, this will take away the top layer of colour, making your lip colour less intense and also last longer as it becomes closer to a stain than a lipstick. Or, you can take your finger and rub over the lipstick, this will blend out the colour making it more subtle.

When Do I Apply These?: You can apply lipstick really anytime you like. Personally, I like to apply it last so I can get the most wear out of the colour. However, if you're more of a match your eyes to your lips kind of person, then apply it after face makeup, before your eye make-up. For me, I like to match my lips to my eyes so I apply it last. But really you can apply it at any time you want to.

Would I Recommend These?: Of course I would! I think they are so creamy and worth the money. However, if you have a lot of fine lines on your lips that are quite thin in width, but quite deep set, then I think that these won't work for you as they would just settle in them after lip balm.

Hope This Helps!
xox


Tuesday, 26 March 2013

Notice!

Hi! If you have been wondering why my posts have been up everyday recently, that is the way it is going to be from now on. However, next week I'm going away, so I am going to prepare a couple posts and put them up while I'm there. I'm thinking I'll make 3 to put up so you still have some to read. Okay. Thanks! xox

Review | MUA Brow Kit

Here's my review on the MUA Brow Kit!


Price: £3.50
Shades: 1 Shade Fits All
Pigmentation - High Pigmentation, Easily Dimmed Down.
Places To Buy: Superdrug, MUA Online
 
Packaging: The packaging on this, again, is a standard black plastic, however this feels a lot sturdier. It keeps shut by a magnet at the end of the case, which is a good and bad thing, good because then it is easier to shut, more convenient and it less likely to get stuck, but a bad thing because it makes it easier to open, which means if it's in a bag with other things, then the brow powders could rub against something in your bag and break. It looks very professional, coming with a big mirror on the lid which is very helpful when travelling as you don't need to bring separate mirrors, because you have some in our make-up items. It comes with a pair of tweezers and a double ended brush, which is very helpful and travel friendly. The writing on top of the case is, again, a metallic silver spray on, which has some wear and tear on it. (Scratches through the letters)
 
Texture: The texture of these brow powders are very silky, smooth, they are highly pigmented and have a smooth colour with no patches. However, because they are so pigmented, you do need to use a light hand when applying them to your eyebrows so they look still pretty natural and not too drawn on. You don't need too much of the product to get enough colour to fill in your brows, if these shades are not right for you, because they are so smooth, silky and blendable, it allows you to mix between to shades. The 'Highlighter' shade, for me, is too dark to use as a highlighter, I use it for days when I only want a tiny bit of definition on my brows, I am fair-light skin toned for reference. The Fixing Gel is very effective, I found that it does hold my brows in place very well and is a nice consistency., my friend uses the gel everyday and ran out of it pretty quickly but you could tell she used more than necessary as her brows looked wet. That's not natural!
 
Ways To Apply: The most common way of applying brow powder is with an Angled Brush, Mine is from Smashbox, I did it between the 2 powders to get my perfect shade, starting in the middle of my brow nearer the start, I just follow my natural brow shape, maybe elongating a little bit. You can also use something like a Pointed Eyeliner Brush, Nick from Pixiwoo uses this brush, to create a more natural look as you can create little lines and flicks to look like natural hairs from your brows, making the illusion that you just have naturally full brows.
 
I've Applied Far Too Much Product!: Don't Fret! Take a regular Spoolie Brush, mine is from ELF, and just comb through your brows, this will blend out the colour, taking away some of the pigmentation. Also, taking a clean Tea Towel or Wash Cloth, put your finger inside, then wipe over your brows, this will remove quite a bit of product so you might have to re-apply a bit more powder after.
 
When Do I Apply These?: You can apply your brow powder at any time during your make-up routine, this is probably one of the most versatile things you can do. Personally, for me, I apply my brow powder after my foundation and concealer, before my concealer is blended so it can set a bit and sink in while doing my brows (it boosts the coverage). This also means the brow powder will less likely turn out orange because you can make sure no face make-up gets on your brows and if foundation does, then you can wipe it off with a Wash Cloth before hand.
 
Would I Recommend These?: Yes definitely! I think for the price and how versatile it is from the multiple shades and the fact that it has everything you need for your brows, then I think it's worth the money! I know people who have never tried this before, I used this on them and they thought it was a £10 product.
 
Hope This Helps!
xox

Monday, 25 March 2013

Review | ELF Baked Eyeshadows (Studio)

Here is my review on the ELF Baked Eyeshadows!




Left to right: Burnt Plum, Pixie
Price:£3.75
Shades:6
Pigmentation: Medium-High Pigmentation, Buildable.
Places to buy: ELF Online
 
 
Packaging: The packaging on these shadows, again, are pretty standard and kind of cheapy feeling because of the plastic. However, saying this, the black, back part of the packaging has a nice kind of rubbery, velvet feeling (very similar to the NARS packaging) which to me is a nice chance and makes it feel a lot less cheap and flimsy. I have had these since Christmas and they have not broken, or even scratched in any way. The writing on the top of the clear, plastic covering is very much like the MUA Blush Perfection in the sense that it is a spray. However, the writing on these had not rubbed/come off in anyway, it has held up very well. Now, my only complaint about the packaging is that when I received mine, the sticker on the back only consisted of a number and not a name. This is a bad thing as it means that you will either have to remember the name, or make your own sticker with the name on it and stick it on the back of the casing. 


Texture: The texture of these eyeshadows are very soft and silky, not powdery at all. They apply very evenly to the eye, I don't have a problem with drag marks/the shadow going patchy like I do with some baked shadows that I have owned in the past. They are extremely pigmented shades and you don't need to run your brush over them a lot to get a good colour pay off. The shade Burnt Plum is a nice deep, well, plum shade. The shade pixie, is a light pink colour, almost metallic, with blue and purple shimmers, this particular shade looks amazing over the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold. They are almost creamy in the texture, I know from past experience with baked eyeshadows, that some can tend to be extremely powdery and fly all over the place and translate better on a full swatch on your finger than with a brush on to your eye. This is not the case with these, they are very nice smooth, silky, creamy, richly pigmented shadows.
 
Ways To Apply: I mainly apply these with a soft bristled brush with the lighter colour and place it all over my lid, then use a slightly stiffer brush and black the Burnt Plum shade on my outer corner and crease (I also use a smudge brush to mirror that on my bottom lash line). Really, the only ways you can apply these shadows are with a brush or with your fingers. With a brush you are going to get a ore precise look and you are going to have more control with where the product goes and where you blend it out. With your fingers you are going to get a more quick, messy look. This doesn't always look terrible, it just depends how you work with it. Don't attempt to apply the colour into the crease with your fingers, stick with all over the lid and the outer corner, so you can still maintain control and a look like you have spent more time on it rather than like you have stamped the eyeshadow colour on your eyes!
 
I've Applied Far Too Much Product!: Don't worry! I'm here to help! Basically, the most obvious way of fixing it is just keep blending out the shadow with a blending brush, until you get it to the right amount of colour that you want. Another way that I have found out, when I have applied a mountain of product (which is quite often!) is to get a Q-Tip (Cotton Bud) and just wipe it over, the bud will remove some of the product, meaning you can either build on top of that if it has taken off too much, or just leave it if it took off the perfect amount and just blend out the edges.
 
When Do I Apply These?: Personally, I apply these after foundation and when I have done my eyebrows, before I have done concealer, powder etc... mainly because, then you don't have to worry too much about fall out. It is easier to fix when it has landed on foundation rather than layers of your face makeup. The reason being is that you can just run your foundation brush under your eyes and remove any fall out, without removing a big patch of your face makeup.
 
Would I Recommend These?: Of course! I love these shadows and for the price that they are, they are an amazing deal. The quality is there, they are by no means like cheap eyeshadows, the packaging is quite sturdy and holds up well. I haven't took these on holiday yet so I don't know how well they hold up on the plane, if they will crack or anything, but if they do, I will update this post with the results and some pictures.
 
 
Hope This Helps!
xox

Sunday, 24 March 2013

Review | MUA Blush Perfection Cream Blushers.

Hiya! Sorry for the stingy posts, I've been busy with school but I'm back!


 
Left to Right: Dolly, Yummy, Bittersweet.
 
 
Price: £2.00
Available at: Superdrug, MUA online website
 Pigmentation: High colour pay-off
Shades: 4
 
 
Packaging: The packaging is pretty standard. It has a regular plastic container. The writing on the front telling you the name of the product is originally a silver spray on, there is no picture of the front as the writing rubbed off so I thought it was useless to add in a picture. So far the packaging has been quite sturdy, I have had no breaking or cracking, it has held up pretty well. The casing snaps shut well, this is important as it is a cream product so it won't dry out. It is pretty cheap, standard packaging but for the price, it's what you would expect.
 
Texture: The texture is very creamy, however when it is not used for a while then you got a dry top layer, all you need to do to get it back creamy is just run over it with your finger to warm up the product again and bring it back to it's original state. It is very easily blendable, but with all cream blushers you obviously can get some ways are easier to blend it out than others and also you can apply it patchy if you don't spend as much time on it.
 
Different ways to apply: Brush - I personally prefer this way of applying any cream blush as it gives me more control of the blending and the placement of the product. I use the Elf Small Stipple Brush, I just dip it into the product, tap some off on the back of my hand so I can start with little and work on it from there and add more if needed as it is easier to add product than take away so definitely start with less than you think you need. You can also use brushes like the Sigma Kabuki Brushes to apply it, however those brushes are not the most affordable, and I am happy with my stippling brush.
Fingers - Also, there is the option of using your fingers to apply the colour. Simply by getting a little bit of product of your finger tip, starting in the back/the apple of your cheek, place the colour gently and make sure to blend until you are happy with the amount that it's blended, and the amount of colour you have on your cheeks.
 
I've applied far too much product!: Don't worry! Either take your foundation brush, don't add any more product on to it, just use whats left, and go over where you have but the blush. This will cover up some of the pigmentation, making it more subtle on your cheeks. You can also do the exact same thing but with your powder brush.
 
When do I apply it?: You can apply these before or after your powder, I find that it works better before but it does apply completely fine after. Personally, like I said, I prefer to apply it before my powder, as I feel like it gives a better finish because you are applying a cream product on top of another cream product rather than on top of a powder. However, it does apply completely fine after powder as well, those are just my personal preferences.
 
Would I recommend these?: Yes I would! I think they are amazing quality for the price, they apply great, the pigmentation is amazing, they are so creamy which makes them a dream to work with. As cream blushers go, I definitely think these are worth every single penny.
 
Hope this helps!
xox