Max Factor Silk Gloss

RRP: £6.99 for 8ml
no. of shades available: 7

--What does the promo say?--
"Love the high-shine of lip gloss but need the moisturising boost of a balm? Now for the first time ever from Max Factor you can have both with new Silk Gloss - a high-beam, lasting shine combined with the smooth feel of a lip conditioning balm. Gorgeous lips often need a little tender loving care. New Silk Gloss by Max Factor not only gives luscious lasting shine but also delivers moisture and lip protection - meaning now you can enjoy the benefits of beautifully glossy and well-conditioned lips at the same time."

--Packaging--
Pretty standard stuff to be honest. I bought this on the internet as part of a job lot so I can't really comment about how it stands out on the shelf, but I really can't imagine how it would. Clear plastic tube, gold lid, gold writing. Nice logo for the product itself though - a nice clean sweep under the product name with a little flick at the end. The top unscrews to reveal a wand with a foam tip. As I said, all pretty usual. It just looks like Max Factor have put no effort into their packaging design at all; a shame, since their packaging is usually so distinctive.

--Application--
As with the packaging, really pretty normal. Unscrew lid. Apply gloss to lips using wand. The wand, incidentally, seems to pick up rather less gloss than most. However, this doesn't seem to matter - you don't need to dip the wand back into the tube to pick up more gloss. Appearances can be deceptive...

--Appearance--
Contrary to how the shade appears in the tube (quite bright and brash), it appears far more natural when actually on the lips. Always a good sign. It surprisingly seems to hide dry skin quite well, despite not being one of its advertised qualities; plus, there is also a slight shimmer to it, which is equally pleasing :)

--Scent--
One description I read on t'internet said it was reminiscent of violets. I disagree. My first thought was that it smelt of Playdoh. Nostalgia factor good, but slightly surprising! Thankfully, the smell wears off in minutes.

--Texture/consistency--
Much smoother than a lot of lip glosses that I've tested. It makes the brand's claims about this product basically being a lip balm in the guise of a gloss to be really quite believable.

--Longevity--
Not bad, but not as miraculous as some reviews online would have you believe.

--Value for money--
This is a tricky question to answer as I don't think I've really come across that many lip glosses which also claim to moisturise (Clinique's Glosswear being the only example that comes to mind). I would probably say that it equals Clinique in terms of moisturisation, and is definitely better value in terms of £/ml for what is a very high-quality gloss. However, Clinique definitely wins in terms of shades available, and Max Factor needs to sort out its packaging for this product to give it even more of a wow-factor.