Two beauty posts in a week? What is this sorcery?! The Beauty Files is another series I started in 2017 and it's back for the New Year. Today we have a tanning product that is pale-face friendly, some rediscovered gems, some I think are worth not spending dollars on and of course some that are top of the lust list. Side note: To those of you who have asked, I finished my declutter, for now. Posts and things are coming-I just need to work out how I want to cover them...

Something New: Eco Tan Face Tan Water, this was one hundred per cent an enabled purchase after asking someone what they were using to make themselves so bronzed and radiant. Basically she said "Sophie, you need to have this in your life." and after hunting around for it for what felt like an age, I finally found it. The fact that it was so hard to acquire in the shops due to it regularly being out of stock probably says it all. It is very early days, I've only applied it twice because I still have bad flashbacks to the Clinique mousse tan for my school ball, circa '09 and thus approach anything tan related with caution. Tangents aside, I am loving it and the fact it is so skin-friendly too. Just look at that ingredients list. Now if I can find something as equally friendly for the body I'd be so satisfied. Recommendations welcome. 

Something Loved: The Dolce Vita Palette x Charlotte Tilbury. I've owned this one for a little while and I've probably mentioned it in one of these posts before. Anyway, lately I've been enjoying palettes again-if only for the effortlessness of being able to combine colours without much faffing around. This one though is a stunner. Yes that pressed glitter is the main drawcard but I just love these reddy, bronzey shades. 

Something Rediscovered: Boy Brow x Glossier. As I noted on Instagram I thought I didn't like this product but I'm not too sure why. Anyway, as I am sure the Internet knows by now, Glossier prides itself on its minimal approach. So Boy Brow will give you a bit of colour and brow maintenance but won't be packing in a ton of pigment. As someone with naturally thick eyebrows that's really all I'm after. I've been through a couple of these now and love the stuff. 

Something(s) Unconvincing: Bad Gal Bang x Benefit. First things first I need to preface this by saying I was sent this mascara as part of a blind review, from Farmers NZ, a local department store here. As with all things, I feel like mascara is incredibly subjective and I know for one I am extremely fussy with mascaras. Anyway, I'm not a fan. I just felt like this did nothing for my lashes and it smudged. There's certainly better mascaras out there. Another product I haven't tried but I'm just not overly swayed by, the Glossier Solution. I'm not a skincare genius but Caroline's post paints a pretty decent picture as to why your toner/acid in skincare funds are better invested elsewhere. I use this and have repurchased it a few times because it works. 

Something Lustworthy: After thinking about this a bit, the only thing I really want at the moment is a Bella Freud candle but I feel like that doesn't count. I dunno, none of the new launches are really calling my name right now. My wallet's probably thankful haha.

-What's on your beauty radar at the moment?

Disclaimer time: I am no skincare expert. I am just a mere mortal with an above average level of enthusiasm for beauty products. Any knowledge I have has been self-obtained or absorbed from the likes of Sali Hughes' books and countless other sources. These products might not necessarily work for you and as with anything, try to trial something new first before purchasing it and/or assess what will work for you. Disclaimers aside, this is my current skincare lineup. I'm going off what I use at night more than anything else and there are some extras which might be missing. Either because I'm not satisfied with what I've tried or I'm still trialling things. I try to keep things as simple as possible, complex routines are less likely to motivate me to maintain a skincare regime but I do try to use treatments and whatnot where necessary. For context; my skin is combination-oily, the latter more so in Summer than any other time of year. 

Super Pure Serum x Glossier: Before anyone asks, here is how I get my Glossier fix. Super Pure is one of Glossier's three serums, this one aimed at blemish prone skin. It contains niacinamide and zinc, designed to soothe the skin, calm down redness and sort those angry blemishes out. It feels incredibly cooling to apply, which I like and is fast absorbing. Wins all round.

Stress Positive Eye Lift* x Dermalogica: The copywriting for this product is a bit perplexing so I'll just talk about what I use it for. I apply this under my eyes, pat in with my fingers and wake up with things around the eye area looking a lot more hydrated. It actually absorbs too, you aren't left with product sitting under the eyes in the morning which I love. 

Clarifying Toning Lotion x Ren: After discovering the Pixi Glow Tonic didn't agree with my skin-boo, hiss, I went back to this toner which I'd used in the past and forgotten about. It's alcohol free and not loaded with parabens or sulfates. Yass Ren. As it's designed with combination/oily skin in mind, I feel like it's a bit gentler for an exfoliating toner. It definitely does what it says on the bottle, but it feels a bit less intensive than something like Glow Tonic. 

Pep Start HydroRush * x Clinique: Clinique's moisturiser has been in my routine for most of the year now and I still love it. The lightweight, bouncy texture totally sells it for me. I love that it's oil free too. Clinique recently sent me another of their moisturisers, more on that later in the week, so I'll be interested to see how they compare. 

Milky Jelly Cleanser x Glossier: What's not to like with this one? Like the serum above, it's got a lovely cooling feeling. The texture as the name would suggest is somewhere between a cream and a gel. My skin loves it and it definitely leaves things looking a lot better, without feeling stripping. I can see why so many people use and rate this cleanser, Anna probably has a whole backup shelf devoted to it now. It's a beaut. 

Drying Lotion x Mario Badescu: My first introduction to this product was c/o Kylie Jenner on Snapchat when she talked us through her skincare routine. Yes I watched the whole thing. Anyway, it was this product she applied to a cotton bud that intrigued me. Mario Badescu are known for their facial sprays but I hear just as many people raving about this product too. The blend of calamine and salicylic acid are magic. Obviously I don't use this daily, just when I have blemishes that I want to be less visible pronto. It really works fast and if you have an emergency, planet-sized crater on your face you want to banish, this is the product. 

-What skincare products do you use?

*PR Sample

When it comes to my skincare, once I get comfortable with my routine I tend to not change it up too much. Repetition is boring though, let's be honest so I welcomed these new products in to the daily regime with open arms..

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream*-Don't let the lightweight feel of this eye cream put you off, it is incredibly hydrating. The area under my eyes is prone to being dry so I love how moisturising this eye cream is whilst not being overly heavy. My dark circles are less noticeable in the mornings as well. What's great about this eye cream is that you can use it underneath correctors and concealers so those apply a lot more smoothly and don't settle in any fine lines. While this may be a luxe purchase it is so worth it. I use the smallest amount per application so this pot seems like it's going to last a rather long time.

Dior Creme De Rose Lip Balm, a gift-There are probably far more enticing things at the Dior counters than a pot of lip balm, but believe it or not that is often what I have been drawn to on browsing sessions. I've also looked at Baume De Rose from By Terry in Mecca but that is crazy expensive stuff. Anyway, this lip balm is very lightweight. It's not a particularly heavy formula and it feels super moisturising and smoothing on the lips. It claims to be plumping as well but to be honest I haven't noticed much of a difference in that regard. I've used this a few times now in the last week and it has been great for clearing up some dry patches on my lips. So far, so good.