I don't own a whole lot of NARS Cosmetics products, but the majority of what I do have comes in the form of these Cheek Palettes that they bring out quite regularly. Instead of forking out for an individual blush/bronzer/highlighter, I like spending that little bit extra and getting one of these palettes as they often have some of the classic cult shades, as well as a few new ones. One of the most recent is this NARSissist Cheek Studio Palette* which is such a beauty and holds an impressive amount of different powders inside.

If you aren't familiar with affordable brand Bronx Colors, check out this post here before you carry on with this to give you a bit of an overview of the brand. Alternatively, I will give you the details in a short sentence or too. Bronx Colors products are manufactured in Germany, they have an extensive range of very affordable makeup (all under $20) and last year they became available here in NZ! Some of the products I have used from them have really impressed me, so I was excited to try out these new releases featuring a Contouring Palette* and one of their Illuminating Face Powders* as part of their Studio Line.

Affordable and cheap makeup has come a long way since the $2 shop days - nowadays there are so many different and trusted brands to chose from that stock a wide variety of beauty and makeup products that don't break the bank. Australian owned, ulta3 is one of those brands, originally launching with lipsticks and nail polishes (for under $5!), they have recently been expanding into more skincare and tanning products and also adding more into their makeup line. Here are some of the recent releases from ulta3... p.s. there's a rainbow highlighter that shouldn't be missed!

Just about every brand now are bringing out some sort of contouring and highlighting kit. It seems us beauty lovers can't get enough of them, I know I am a big fan of them and have been loving trying out the different offerings. UK based brand Collection have brought out their version* to the market, at a great price of NZD $21.99. But what's the quality like...?

When I saw this on a bunch of Aussie blogger's Instagrams, I knew I was going to need to purchase it, because I am easily enabled by others (but only when it comes to shopping...) Contouring and these multi-use palettes seem to be all the rage on the cosmetics market at the moment and it's good to see that the cheaper, drugstore brands are bringing out their own variations. The Rimmel Kate Sculpting Palette looks really beautiful, but does it perform? Read on to find out.

Strobing, highlighting, whatever you want to call it, is having a huge moment right now. There's not a day goes by when I'm scrolling through my Instagram feed and there's a girl with flawless looking makeup and a highlight so bright and gleaming you could see it from space. I'm not into the heavily highlighted look as my skin is natural glowy (really it's just naturally very oily), but I do enjoy a bit of sheen on the cheekbones. Becca (the highlighting queens) have recently brought out the Afterglow Palette*, that has all you need for an awesome glow. 

You're probably all aware by now that I am a big lover of The Body Shop; you can pretty much guarantee everyday I use something from their range, whether it's their skincare, or makeup. One of my favourite makeup products from them is the Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder (pictured to the right), so I was so excited to see that they have extended the Honey Bronze range with some more great products.

Highlighters are one of those makeup products that aren't really necessary but are so darn beautiful on the skin when used correctly. I rounded up my Top 5 Highlighter in this post here, and I've been on the hunt for others that can make their way into the top spot. This Highlighting Palette from Revlon, comes close, but I actually quite like it for another use other than highlighting... 

As soon as the UK bloggers started sharing photos of the limited edition Topshop makeup products celebrating 5 Years of Beauty - I knew I was going to need to grab a few things! I've used a couple of bits from their makeup range; I've got a lipstick in Whimsical and also a cream blush in Flush (which I love!) We all know I'm a sucker for packaging, so metallic rose gold was always going to be a winner in my books! Here are the few items I picked up from Topshop in Auckland.