Here is an older post on different pastes and their effectiveness.
If you’re going to spread it, put a little more in the middle and gradually spread it thinner outward like a pyramid. If you don’t, air in areas where it’s thinly spread gets trapped and as you push down on the star, the compound is forced from between the surfaces. You want the opposite, compound surrounded by air, not air surrounded by compound. I just put a little drop in the middle and slowly wiggle the star down so all the air is displaced by compound, then compress it. After that, don’t pull it off and put it back on without reapplying more compound to the center. Just a little tit is all you need.
