Bourjois Blush - Rose Frisson

I have always read posts praising the brand Bourjois, in particular their 'Healthy Mix Foundation' and blushes. When I was at Target the other day and all the blushes were on sale for $5, I knew I had to purchase my very first Bourjois product to fall in love with.

I almost instantly picked the shade I wanted (rather unusual for my indecisive self) and ran to the Price checker to double check that every shade was five bucks, not just the horrid left over, unloved deep brown shades. Sure enough I was in luck!

My first impressions of this blush was that it was tiny, really tiny. I love the pink packaging with the gold print, small and classy, but gosh it seems small. The little brush provided is, as most 'token' brushes are, useless. I think I could use it at a push, but it is much too fiddly and a strange shape. The mirror is also a waste of space - too small to show much more than my nose (not particularly helpful for applying blush!)

I love that instead of having an awful clasp that results in chipped nail polish when trying to open it, it has a magnetic strip that holds it shut. This is how all products should be!

I love the shade of this blush, which is a gorgeous pink that is not too shimmery, but does have an element of shimmer that gives it 'glow.' It is pigmented enough to make an obvious difference when applied, but not so much that it is impossible to wear without looking like a clown. I was concerned that it would be a little too light and bubblegum looking, but it is absolutely perfect!

The lasting power is pretty good, but by the end of the day I feel as though it has completely worn off. This really doesn't bother me as I usually have a bit of colour in my face at the end of the day anyway so I don't really need much blush.

So far so good right? Well here is the problem - this blush stinks. Literally.

Who forgot to mention that these blushes reek of roses? Every review I ever read about these was a huge rave post on the shade, lasting power, brand...no one told me it smelled like grannies? I don't think it is the actual scent that bothers me so much - it does smell like roses which of course is linked to the name. Roses can be pleasant at times. I think the problem is that the smell is so potent. As soon as you open it the odour is overwhelming. I love fragrances in makeup - lipstick that smell like lollies are a big tick in my books (Essence, I am talking about you!) but this is absurd.

I really, really like this blush but there are two things I fail to understand. 1. Why it smells so strong, and 2. Why they cost $20 in the first place. Maybe I am just being stingy, but $20 for a lower end blush (I consider everything in Priceline to be relatively low end, at least in comparison to Chanel, YSL and Clinique) that is pushing it. Perhaps if there was a bit more than 2.5g of product then it would be alright, but I think that is a bit much.

Despite the smell, I am a huge fan of this blush and I will willingly put up with the fragrance to wear it on a daily basis. In fact, this blush has been on my face everyday (which is not helpful for my project 1 pan, which I haven't forgotten about!) I give this 8/10.