Revlon Baby Stick: Bitter Disappointment - It's The Emperor's New Blush

Such is the quality of mass market offerings these days that I can't really remember the last time I was left bitterly disappointed by a product - but my good luck ended with the Revlon Baby Sticks. It's all the more surprising considering the brand's recent offerings - the Nearly Naked foundation and powder, Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains and now-famous Lip Butters all score highly with me. But the Revlon Baby Sticks are truly a case of the Emperor's New Blush.

I was so excited to try these dinky little twistable tubes of colour for cheeks and lips. I love a good cheek tint and not only do these look adorable, but the three shades - Sunset, Tahiti and Pink Passion - look so vividly appealing. You don't get a huge amount of product in the tube but at €7 a pop, the price is right.

So what's the problem? Well, there are two, and they're pretty major: pigmentation and lasting power. The shade I have, Sunset, looks like a gorgeous orange-red but it barely shows up on my arm, even after vigorous swatching. On my cheeks it leaves the barest hint of a gloss, but even that fades away to nothing within half an hour. On my lips, it hardly shows up at all.

From what I hear, Pink Passion is a tad more pigmented so if you're pale, there's a chance you might fare better with that one. But if you're in the market for a good twist-up cheek tint that's also easy on the pocket, I'd steer you towards Isadora's gorgeous little glow sticks or NYC's Blushable Cream Sticks instead.

Has anything let you down lately? Let's share our tales of woe in the comments!