So in all fairness, I love clinique products and have tried most of the different lines of make-up anyway, but this was an impulse buy for me. Why? because it is pretty. And I'm sure that's how this blush has found its way into many a make-up bag. This blush is a seasonal product so I can't remember how much I paid for it at the time (no longer on the website) but I can remember thinking it seemed a bit steep for a blusher, even for clinique's average prices. However my 'pretty thing radar' got the better of me when I was on holiday, and impulse buying always seems like a better idea. I was buying a few clinique things anyway and needed a blush, and as it is really pretty, I ended up having to buy it.

Is this the only thing which makes it different though? When I have my practical head on, I think it is really. So the product itself. It is an average size blush made of pressed powder in a plastic box. Prettiness aside, the quality is actually really good. I have tried many blushers and this has by far been one of the best (along with other clinique ones). It comes in different shades, and I have tried two of them: Peony which is pinky and better for paler skin, and a neutral toned one (can't remember by name) which is better for mid-toned skin but which I have used as a bit of a bronzer. Fortunately I only bought the Peony one which I wanted, and got a few mini tester sizes of the next shade.

The flower design has three different tones which are easily blended on your blusher brush. I usually go for a few swirls all over, but depending on the time of year, skin tone, type of look, I suppose you could limit the blusher on your brush, to lighter or darker.

The powder is really nice. It has a bit of a sheen to it, so gives a really nice glow on the cheeks, without looking shiny. But also, it is quite sheer, avoiding the doll or clown appearance. It gives a bit of a lift without looking too done. So if a more natural look is what you want, this product acheives it. After a while, it doesn't make your skin feel tight or dry either. So blusher wise I think this is a great option.

My major drawback, which I was not happy about was actually because of the flower design. After only a few weeks of use, I picked it up one day to find the entire block of pressed powder had decided to break up and disintegrate into a big mess. Especially not good, as I was in a rush and didn't have the time to sort it out or find another blusher. Needless to say, a fair amount was wasted even trying to open up the plastic container carefully. In the end I bought one of those little plastic pots from boots and put all the powder in. I took it back to a clinique stand, but because I had bought it in America (even though it is exactly the same as over here) they said they couldn't do anything or even swap it for me. I still use the powder as it is still great stuff, and i am refusing to waste so much money, but it is a pain. Because it isn't in pressed form now, it does go everywhere, and big clumps are picked up by the brush. Could this be a one off problem though? Had I dropped it and not realised? Probably not. The same thing happened with all of the smaller sample blushers I was given unfortunately.

It seemed ironic to me that the main pull in this product was the appearance, and now it is the most ugly blusher I own: a big powdery mess in a big tub. It does seem a shame and that is why I have to mark it down in comparison with my reviews on other clinique products. It is a great product, but I'm hoping someone at Clinique will have a look at this design flaw.