I use cotton buds for a variety of uses, but mainly to apply (and remove as necessary) my make up. I find them just the right size to remove blobs of unwanted mascara or errors in my eyeliner application. They are also great for blending eyeshadow and concealer. They were also useful when my baby was very small to apply lotion or ensure that the skin between his toes was completely dry after his bath. As with all cotton buds, these should not be inserted into the ear canal.

For me, I usually buy Tesco's own cotton buds, but, as I was using them on my baby too, I decided to opt for Johnson's variety as I trusted them to be soft and gentle on his skin. I purchased a tub of 200 cotton buds for £1.34 from Boots (they are also available for £1 in Poundland).

The buds come in a round white cardboard container with a clear plastic lid. They are stacked neatly and arranged in almost a fan pattern inside. The buds themselves are made with a thin hollow blue plastic tube, with white cotton wool rounded ends. These feel soft to the touch.

I find these to be particularly well made - especially when in comparison to supermarket own brands, which usually price a little cheaper. The cotton bud ends hold their shape very well even under pressure or when wet. They are also a nice rounded shape, which I found easy to use when applying lotion to my son's skin. The ends also have sufficient amount of cotton wool on them for me to feel confident in using these to dry around my baby's eyes.

With regards to my own use, they were very effective at blending make up as they stood up well to a lot of blending strokes, holding together well. They also proved very absorbent so removed mascara/eyeliner well.

Overall, a fantastic cotton bud and worth spending the extra pennies on.