I am a sucker for pretty things and when I went into my local department store I noticed the Lancôme counter had a rather lovely looking gift on. I am always far more interested in stocking up on my rather expensive high end cosmetics when I get free goodies! The Lancôme lady who had obviously seen me taking an interest quickly approached me and persuaded me to let her do my makeup. I say persuaded but I was more than happy to let her do my make up using lovely Lancôme products. I rather liked how she did my makeup and was tempted to buy two products to get my hands on that gorgeous gift. I purchased two products that day - teint miracle foundation and blush subtil (in rose sable).

Cost and availability

This is a very expensive blusher and while I usually try to justify paying so much money for cosmetics that you could get much cheaper elsewhere, I will on this occasion admit to thinking that this blusher is seriously overpriced. You get 6g of product for £25.55 which seems a little ridiculous to say the least. This is available from any lancome stockists - department stores, larger boots and online. You may be able to get this a little cheaper online.

Packaging

As with almost all Lancôme products, this little gem came packaged in a box. The blusher itself is packed inside a rather elegant looking compact and also supplied with a small brush. The compact is a nice glossy black which feels fairly sturdy with the signature gold rose in the bottom right hand corner. To open the compact you just press in the sort of button on the bottom. When you open the compact there is a very generously sized mirror in the lid which I really like as with some compacts the mirror is almost useless because of it being too small. I would say that the blusher only takes up about half of the room in the compact but looks very stylish with the usual Lancôme rose imprinted into it. Next to the blush there is an indent in which the blusher brush sits which is also in a cellophane wrap. When I first bought this I dropped the compact from a considerable height and felt absolutely gutted, surely the blusher would have smashed but it didn't! This is a very sturdy compact so a great one to take with you wherever you go as you are unlikely to cause it any damage.

the brush

This is a very small brush (obviously because it fits into the compact) but does appear of good quality. The bristles are of a beautifully black glossy and soft bristle which feels just lovely. The handle is black with a large rim of gold and with 'Lancôme' embossed onto it. Personally I wasn't overly impressed with this brush - but having said that I didn't buy this product for the brush. As it fits into the compact the brush is very flat in its shape whereas I prefer a rounder kind of kabuki brush when I usually apply my blush. I use my own brush when I apply this but I do think that the brush provided with it comes in useful if you are on the move and fancied having a quick touch up.

The claims

The Lancôme website states that this is suitable for all skin types. It also says that... 'Transparency or seduction, discretion or iridescence... choose your look from this collection of silky-textured powder blushes. Try Blush Subtil, in a range of classic shades, Blush Subtil Sheer for a natural look, or Blush Subtil Shimmer for a radiant glow. Each is formulated to glide on easily and last for hours.'
Mine personally is just the plain Blush Subtil which Lancôme says is long wearing gentle and soft. It has extremely fine mica-micro-particles and silicon polymers for a uniform look and long wear. All of these scientific sounding words that I don't know the meaning of but sounds impressive do nothing for me. I just want to know if this is a good quality blusher that will last and be worth the rather hefty price tag.

Usage

Unless the box (which I have now thrown away) had instructions for application on, I have seen none. I apply this as I would any other powder blusher. I apply the rest of my make up first - mainly my liquid foundation and then my loose powder- before I apply this. I then use my usual estee lauder blusher brush which picks up a nice amount of the powder and applies really well, although of course you can apply with whatever you like. I usually sweep the brush over the powder before tapping a little of the excess powder in an attempt to avoid the clown type look. I then sweep the powder along my cheekbones up towards my temples.

how does it look?

This can look as subtle or as unsubtle as you like. I find that while this is a well pigmented powder it is capable of being subtle, while at the same time it is also a buildable colour. I find that while mine is the blush subtil, and not the shimmer version, mine is still fairly shimmery when you look at in the compact. I feel the shimmer is less obvious than it appears in the compact when applied to the skin and just gives a nice luminous look. I would say that this has a finish that would be suitable for anybody i.e. it would not make a more mature woman look like they were trying to be much younger than their age. Also worth mentioning is that this is a very blendable powder, you get none of those horrible stripes or lines on your cheeks. This blusher is especially good at giving you a more natural look.

how long does it last?

In terms of how long the powder lasts on your skin it does last for a fairly decent amount of time, although I have found it doesn't last as long if you just apply it onto bare skin as opposed to skin that already has some kind of product on it. I would say that it maybe lasts for 4-5 hours of being noticeable but then I don't apply a great deal of it when I wear it. If you wanted to wear it for longer than this then I think you would need to touch it up a bit.

In terms of how long this blusher will last you before you need to buy a new one, I would say that probably around the 4 month mark if you use it frequently. Because it is so highly pigmented you really do need very little powder whenever you use it.

would I recommend this powder?

Overall yes I would! I think it is a lovely powder in a very handy compact that would be suitable for everyone - although I should note that this powder is slightly fragranced so this could be something that those with sensitive skin would rather avoid. There are a variety of colours/finishes to choose from so everyone should be able to find something to suit them in particular. Personally I absolutely love the compact that this comes in - it is built for purpose while looking rather stylish. I do however wish they skipped the brush they provide and just give me more product! This blusher is overpriced (in my opinion) and I am not sure I would have bought it had Lancôme not been on their gift at the time. I am not sure I would repurchase this purely because of the price and I think there are cheaper alternatives out there that would do the job just as well. This product gets 4 stars from me as I think it is a fab product but the price is a little ridiculous.