I decided to follow some instructions (for once!) because there were some application tips that came with the new Illamasqua Gel Sculpt Blusher. Tips from the top woman herself, founder of the Illamasqua brand and makeup artist extraordinaire, Alex Box. She said this:

“I press Gel Colour into cheeks by putting the product on the palm of my thumb, rubbing both palms together creating equal amounts of product on both hands. Then, I simply press it on the apple of the cheeks where you would naturally blush.”

And that, dear readers, is exactly what I did. Behold the ever-so-bright gel colour Charm being pressed onto my cheek from the heel of my hand:

and the resulting nearly-neon glow:

The application method works very well indeed, and the scarily bright “Tango” orange is surprisingly wearable. I haven’t really paired it with the best of makeup looks, because I was sat about trying out a load of different things at the time, but with simple, slightly-bronzed skin and a few coats of mascara the colour would really sing out.

A word of warning (or five): this blush does not budge. Scrub it from your hands straight away and make sure that you blend it immediately upon application. If you try to apply it straight from the stick then be ready with brush or fingertips to really buff it in, as it’s the quickest-drying formula I’ve ever used and once it’s on, it’s on for good! The texture is gorgeous – a cool, smooth gel – but it requires a little of your concentration to get things right. Let me know how you get on. There’s also a contour stick, same principle, but I haven’t tried that yet – I’ll keep you updated.

Illamasqua Gel Sculpt in Charm is £22 at Selfridges.com