It's time for another installment of the Beauty Files. Compiling last month's was so much fun and this month's was equally as exciting. It's a great way for me to get through new products a bit more consistently and also think about what I already have, use and perhaps don't mention as often as I should. Today we have the new body range I'm rather smitten with, a barely there powder to love, some luxury delights that are on my unnecessary necessary wishlist and more...

Something(s) New: Almond Milk & Honey Shower Cream* x The Body Shop & Daily Superfoliant* x Dermalogica. I saw one of the UK bloggers absolutely raving about the Almond Milk & Honey range and lo and behold it turned up on my doorstep a couple of days later. Much to my delight, naturally. I am trying to be frugal with beauty products I keep for review+use so I have only held onto this shower cream and the hand cream but I love them. The scent as I said on Instagram is like fresh linen, in the best way. It's very comforting and lovely. Designed for sensitive skin, it doesn't overwhelm you in fragrance or texture either. I'm definitely going to have to grab another of the hand creams and I might be eyeing up this as well.

Another product of note is Dermalogica's new superfoliant. Admittedly I don't use it daily because I don't think my skin would appreciate that but I do like to use it at least once or twice a week. Infused with Active Binchotan Charcoal, Niacinamide, Red Algae and Tara Fruit Extract, it packs a powerful punch. For something that is more of a scrub it feels pretty non-abrasive and gentle which is a huge bonus. I love that it is also available in a mini size too so you can trial it before investing in the larger size.

Something Loved: Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder, not pictured. When it come to face powders, I want something that is going to be light and provide just enough mattifying without leaving things looking statuesque. I'm having images of my face looking marbled and frozen. Don't ask. This does the trick. According to Amelia it is a good dupe for the Giorgio Armani powders which I conveniently can't find online. It is scented so if that is something that irritates your skin, maybe steer clear of this but otherwise it's a pretty inexpensive, decent face powder. I would be lost without it.

Something Rediscovered: Soba Eyeshadow x MAC. I'm pretty sure every time I pick this up again, it's because of Anna who introduced me to it. In the photos and in the pan it doesn't look particularly special. It's that shade on the top left. On the lids however, it's light golden-bronze goodness that gives your lids a little oomph. It also brings some definition to the crease too without having to reach for an extra colour-a bonus if you're time pressed. Long story short, next time you're near MAC, go give this a swatch and prepare to be wowed. 

Something Unconvincing: The abundance of new highlighters. You might argue that no highlighter is alike but you cannot deny that highlighters have certainly had their day in the sun. It seems like every five minutes a new palette is launched, a rainbow-hued powder is unveiled or a duochrome oddity unleashed. Not to mention the abundance of creams, powders, liquids and whatever other forms highlighters come in. Call me a luminescence scrooge but I am sick of seeing new highlighters. It's like that scene in La La Land where all the girls look and dress identical at auditions. Boring and repetitive. Moving right along..

Something Lustworthy: Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss & Re(cover) Perfecting Coconut Setting Mist x Marc Jacobs Beauty. If you scroll back in the archives far enough I reviewed a Chanel Glossimer that I used to own and loved. Admittedly I've been veering away from the matte liquid lip lately and glosses have been on the brain. These newbies sound ideal. Reformulated to be like a gloss-balm hybrid and in an array of colours, including some topcoats which have me intrigued. I might have to pay a visit to the Chanel beauty+eyewear boutique soon. Also on the wishlist, the Marc Jacobs Coconut Setting Mist. I've only heard brilliant things about their primer and am in the market for a new setting spray. It may seem an unnecessary step to some but all the ones I've tried do make a noticeable difference. They just keep your makeup around that much longer. I'm hoping this makes its way on to Sephora NZ soon. 

-What beauty bits are on your radar at the moment?

*PR Sample

Hello everyone and Happy Monday to you all! Before things start getting all Autumnal on the beauty front I wanted to share with you some recent beauty additions that I have acquired. There's also a video coming, because I couldn't fit everything into a blog post. I also did a mammoth clearout of my powder products, eyeshadows and lipsticks (!!) so if you want to see posts on what survived, sing out. Today though it's all about the pinks, the brighteners and a splash of orange...

Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder in Brilliant Strobe Light-Hourglass are Queens when it comes to their powder products. I don't think I know anyone who isn't a fan of their blushers, face powders or bronzers. Now they've added strobing powders to the mix. I've still not seen them all IRL, this was purchased based on reviews I'd already read but I don't think I'd say these are your typical highlighter. They're definitely more illuminating than the original Ambient Lighting powders but they're not as intense as something like this. Basically, if you find highlighters a bit full on sometimes I think you'd get along with these powders. Brilliant Light is described as a 'shimmering gold powder'. I'd say it's paler than that description implies but it definitely has the yellowy tone to it. This powder's lovely for days when you want a highlight without the Kim K effect. Love it.

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Flocking Fabulous, limited edition*-The MAC Flamingo Park collection is one of my favourites of the year so far. It has a wide range of products and unless you're particularly against pink makeup, it's going to appeal to a lot of you. Flocking Fabulous (love this cheeky name) is a bright coral-red. Being a cremesheen lipstick this colour is a bit sheerer than something like an amplified from MAC, so you can build the colour up accordingly. This reminds me of Flamingo albeit much less neon and I lurve it.

Clinique Pep Start Eye Cream*-Eye cream is the one product I think it's worth spending a bit more money on. From what I have tried, the cheaper options just don't deliver. Anyway, Clinique have recently released a new eye cream and it's pretty darn good. I love the funky packaging, firstly. That ball on the end actually pulls out and you squeeze the tube to disperse the product. The idea being you can use the ball to massage the eye cream in. I actually dot it on my fingers and pat it in but each to their own. It's lightweight but super effective. Some people mightn't find this nourishing enough for night time use but it's perfect for applying during the day or pre-makeup.

MAC Beauty Powder in Sunny Surprise, limited edition*-Beauty powders aren't something I've ever tried before from MAC but I know from collections in the past that they're always popular and sell out quickly. Sunny Surprise is a light peach that makes a gorgeous sheer blush colour. Beauty powders can also be used all over the face as a bit of a complexion booster. I've not tried that yet with this powder but I'll let you know what it's like on my pale skin when I do.

Marc Jacobs Beauty (P)outliner Lip Liner in Honey Bun-I'm quite impressed with Marc Jacobs Beauty. Sometimes I feel like fashion brands' foray into beauty doesn't necessarily deliver but with MJ's beauty and fragrance offerings they do not skimp on the goodness. Honey Bun is a twist up, peachy pink liner. It's creamy to apply and doesn't feel drying like some other lip liners can do. If you're a fan of nude lips+liner combos you will like this.

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Sweet Tooth, limited edition*-Lipgloss, or glasses if we're getting MAC technical are really not something I like to wear all that often. In saying that I've been using this glass heaps since I received it. Sweet Tooth (again, love the name) is described as a warm, midtone pink. It's pigmented enough that you could wear it on its own, but also sheer enough to be layered over other lip colours. I've been pairing this with my library of nude lipsticks lately and love the way it looks! Go to Temptalia's blog if you want to see swatches of it because she takes the best pictures.

Marc Jacobs Lame Noir Glittering Mascara-This was an incredibly bizarre purchase for me I have to admit. I love glitter, especially on my eyelids but eyelashes? That is something new. This is essentially a topcoat for your lashes rather than a mascara. You could wear it on its own but it probably wouldn't do an awful lot in the way of lengthening, curling etc. This gold, glittery mascara is noticeable but it's not crazy dramatic. It's just something fun to add a bit of pizzazz. One thing I will say is if you wear contacts this can sometimes be slightly irritating on the eyes before it dries. You can avoid that by applying it to the tips of your lashes but it's just something to be mindful of. This will be a love/hate product for a lot of people but I quite like it.

-Have you tried any of these products before? What did you think of them?

*PR Sample, but my love of pink makeup and fabulous eye creams are all my own.

A few months back my lovely American pal Hannah and I did a swap of all things beauty, food and magazine related from our respective countries. It was kinda a belated birthday present session in a way, but also a chance for us to try some of one another's favourite things. She sent me over a ton of beauty products so I thought I'd do some little mini reviews of them for y'all here. This is part one of two, and I have to say I've loved using a lot of these so far. Here are my thoughts...

Marc Jacobs New Nudes Sheer Lip Gel in Understudy-First things first*, this definitely isn't a sheer lipstick in the slightest so I'm not entirely sure why it has that name. Names aside though, I really like this lipstick. It's the perfect nudey pink with a hint of peachiness to it. It's one of those colours you can whip on and not do too much thinking about, and for that reason alone I can see it becoming a fast favourite.

Milani Baked Blush in Dolce Pink-Milani's baked blushers are hyped for a reason. Aside from being a pretty decent dupe for the Hourglass Ambient Lighting blushers, they're just gorgeous products. Dolce Pink reminds me of Nars Orgasm but with less shimmer particles and a much more flattering colour. These really brighten up the complexion and are so beautiful. I'd be surprised if anyone tried these blushers and didn't like them.

Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow in Sand-These shadows are similar in texture to the Mac Extra Dimension shadows. Their cushiony texture leaves them softer than some of the other drugstore shadows out there. Bella Sand is a great neutral shade to add a hint of colour to the lids without going crazy. It also works well as a base colour for adding things over the top such as shimmery shadows or pigments. I really like the packaging on these too, they're so easy to store.

Wet N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Set in Comfort Zone-I wish we had Wet N Wild in New Zealand. Their products are so affordable and the ones I've tried haven't disappointed me. This palette gets a lot of love from beauty bloggers and it's easy to see why. They may not be the most amazing eyeshadows on earth but they're pretty fantastic for the price you pay. The pigmentation is strong and they're easy to blend. I like how each shadow is labeled with its use which I think is a great thing for anyone just getting into makeup. I'm definitely going to be busting those earthier shadows out soon too, just to push myself out of my comfort zone. See what I did there?

Milani Fierce Foils Eye Palette in Milan-This is one of those products you'll either love or hate. People expecting a dupe for the Stila Magnificent Metals shadows may be left a touch disappointed as these aren't anywhere near as pigmented. The darker shades deliver but the paler shades are more glittery than anything else. In saying that, I still like this palette. The shadows have a cream to powder finish and look so pretty over other shadows for a touch of sparkle. 

-Have you tried any of these beauty bits before? What did you think of them?

*I'm the realest.. 

Oh and side note if you're still reading this, I posted a new video over on my channel so check it out here if you're interested+into bookish goodness.