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GW shade paints - is it just men or are they just REALLY hard to use. I apply a little and it starts to look good, running into all the crevices and putting everything into relief. But then there are always some bits that don't look right or bits where it pools so I move the brush around to try to distribute it more evenly and before I know it it looks rubbish. Or I think it looks good, leave it to dry and come back and it's all blotchy. I'm using a shade brush (is there a point to that???) but what else could I do to get a better effect?

First, what GW calls 'shade paints' are what the rest of the world calls 'washes'. Washing is a technique, so you may find more info if you search on how to apply washes.

Second, there are no specific brushes you need to use when washing. If you're finding that the one you're using is too large and making it hard to move washes around as needed, there's nothing wrong with using a smaller brush to get better control. You can switch brushes on the fly as needed.

Lastly, there are other brands you could consider. I've never been particularly pleased with GW's current set of washes, but have had good results from the Army Painter line. I find they need less coaxing to go where they should, although it is sometimes necessary to wick off excess as it pools.

I quite like GW shades but I haven’t experienced a bad one from any company.

Apply it to the point where it looks good and leave it to dry. If it pools too much in one area don’t move it, get a clean brush and touch the excess shade and the brush will soak it up.

Don’t touch it once it starts to dry otherwise you will get coffee staining and there’s not fox for that.

But you can’t just slap it on otherwise you will get some part of the model that looks crap. You need to apply it with intent

I've had issues in the past where they dry glossy which looks awful. Some colours seem to be more prone to it than others.

There are specific gloss shades, like nuln oil gloss, maybe you got one of those?

That can happen if the pot contents separate and you don't shake it enough before applying it. I don't remember having that problem with the current GW washes, but it did happen a few times with the previous ones.

Contrast, washes, varnish - when it doubt, shake the pot ecstatically before application.

My blue always dries purple...

Found some tips. Yep, looks like the same things you do with washes, even painting only using washes (tricky).

Myself, I use washes quite a bit, but will color-prime then wash, then hobby paints. The usual shading to highlight to advanced tabletop.

Perhaps takes photos or shoot a video how you're using the shade paint, so we know how you're actually using them?

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2018/01/11/painting-with-shadesgw-homepage-post-3/