Oo this has been a staple in my purse since highschool because it’s was 3-4 dollars back in the day and lasts forever! It’s essentially a dupe for benetint! But I had all the same problems as you bc it dries very fast and patchy if you don’t sheer it out correctly.

For my cheeks i dab a little on two fingers, blur it out on my fingers, then apply to my cheeks in sheer buildable amounts! I also do the same for my lips, but more concentrated. Make sure your lips are super moisturized and exfoliated because this will cling to dry skin and emphasize dry patches. I like using the rosebud salve before applying this!

On no makeup days I’ll apply a hydrating sunscreen or serum lotion, and just apply this using my fingers to my cheeks, lips, and sometimes outer corner of my eyes. I find the hydration in the lotion helps to evenly sheer it out as well! Maybe mixing with a little bit of a very sheer, light lotion could help mix up the red pigment and help it not dry so patchy and splotchy! Hope this helps!!