For only R199 I think that this is AMAZING value for money! The Packaging is a sleek black compact with the Stila logo as well as a number of stars embossed on the lid. When opening the compact there is a generously sized mirror for added convenience.

The blush itself has a beautiful shimmery effect of warm golden undertones, and is actually quite darker than portrayed on pictured (when doing online shopping) as it is more of a russet/deep brown color. I used my avon angled blush brush to apply, and even though this baked powder, I find that 1 swirl of my brush is more than enough as the powder picks up quite quickly with minimal to no excess powder laying around - so really good value for money here as this will definitely last me quite long!

I am fair, so I have to really go easy on this when using as a blush. It is very highly pigmented, but thank goodness it is very easy to manipulate in order to achieve the desired effect. My cheeks had a nice warm shimmery color (after numerous attempts to manipulate the color, trying to get it to behave on my skin), but still seemed a bit 'off'. I don;t really get the self adjusting aspect of this blush as it did not appear to change over the 2 hours which I had it on. Seeing how it was a Saturday morning at home, I could really play with it to see what it was all about. When it came time to go out though, I needed a bit more to make it blend correctly or appear more natural. I used my Stila Set and Illuminate powder over this, and only then did it give off a beautiful natural glow that I was looking for!

My final thoughts is that I would not use this as a stand alone blush. I would pair this with my Stila Set an Illuminate powder to achieve the natural glow. It's dark enough to use for contouring though, so I guess over all a good buy for me :)