Welcome to THE FILE Loves: a team round-up of the most memorable products to have graced our cabinets, caddies, and clutches of late. From skincare to makeup finds, these are the products we just can’t shake. Of the good many products we trial, these are the lucky few we’re proud to announce our unwavering commitment to, from rooftops, via love letters, and, most importantly, to you.

Aesop Control

A wise woman named Tina Turner once said, “You’re simply the best, better than all the rest.” I can only assume she was talking about Aesop’s Control. This real life miracle in a tube is my own personal warrior against the unwarranted invasion of pimples if ever they bequeath their merciless wrath upon my face. Sadly, they attack more frequently than I’d like to disclose, but I can rest easy knowing my trusty tube of Control is spell-working while I sleep. Is there anything more gratifying and/or relieving than waking up and discovering that your face is no longer housing an assemblage of red pustules and instead resembles, um, normal skin? I think not. —Magdalene Shapter, Editorial Assistant

Lola James Harper The Guitare Shop On Denmark Street Candle

I’m surprised more people aren’t talking about Lola James Harper. I keep The Guitare Shop On Denmark Street Candle on my bedside table, and the packaging makes me so happy, even when the candle isn’t lit. When it is lit, it drives me ~crazy~. Musk and cardamom will do that. If you’re in Sydney, East43 stocks the whole range. Do yourself a favour and spend a good half hour smelling them all. I guarantee you’ll walk away with one, at least! —Betsy Greaves, Site Producer

Tom Ford Black Orchid

My mum is honestly the biggest angel in the world (hi mum, sorry for what you’re about to read), but every so often her Christmas gift giving attempts are kind of misguided, hence why I’ve been using Miss Dior Cherie as an air freshener ever since I stopped wearing it at age sixteen. Nine years on and a bit of experimentation later, I think I’ve finally found The One. Like all great love stories throughout history—Homer and Marge Simpson, Orpheus and Eurydice, Romeo and Juliet, Brad and Jen—I can’t exactly explain why Black Orchid and I work so well together. We just do. As soon as I sprayed it onto my décolletage, I could hear the wedding bells ring out over an Italian field, while a tear-stained me recited some truly moving, hyper-personalised vows. The bottle looks classy AF on my bedside table. As for its scent, the perfume is a master at the art of seduction. Rich, dark accords are rounded out by black orchids and spice *drools*. Never have I known such betrayal as I did the day I smelled it on another woman. The horror! —Madeleine Woon, Associate Editor

Kevin Murphy Fresh.Hair

I like to keep my routine minimal, simple, and supportive; Fresh.Hair answers the call. I also like to keep hair-washing to a minimum. My hair is fine, and I find over-washing leaves my hair oily. So between washes, this is my answer. I don’t love dry shampoos that leave a white film or smell too powdery. Fresh.Hair smells great, and gives me the texture and volume I need. BFF for life. —Carlie Fowler, Founder & Editor

Aesop Remove

If it wasn’t already glaringly obvious, it will be now: I have a major affinity with Aesop, hence why I felt it necessary to introduce a second Aesopian wonder into the mix. Cue Aesop Remove. I must hesitantly confess that there was a time in my life when I felt it wholly acceptable to sleep with a full face of that day’s makeup, but that was the ~old~ me, I’m happy to announce. The new me revels in removing makeup with a fervour that borders on obsession. The reason for my self-rectifying shift? Aesop Remove. With soothing ingredients like blue chamomile and grape seed oil, erasing the crumbling layers of mascara from my eyelashes has never been more fun (or effortless). —Magdalene Shapter, Editorial Assistant

Tom Ford Lip Colour In Wild Ginger

I can’t wear blue reds. They just don’t work with my skin tone, and I’m not going to challenge that. As the name suggests, Wild Ginger is a warm, poppy red, which is all I look for in a lipstick. I mustn’t have worn much high-quality lipstick in my time, because I was so surprised how long this stayed on my lips the first time I wore it. It doesn’t transfer or dry out my lips, and the packaging is A+. Full marks for you, Tom. —Betsy Greaves, Site Producer

Chanel Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colour In Rose Confidentiel

The most disappointing compliment I’ve ever received was when my dad (an angel) told me I “would make a great hand model” at the tender, insecurity-riddled age of fourteen. A fucking hand model? Try again, sweetie! As I’ve matured, I’ve warmed to this well-intentioned encomium, and have decided to play to my spindly strengths. Due to a chronic lack of self-control, my bank account is generally thinner than a Smiths chip, so this has been a very DIY, at-home endeavour —no trips to the salon for this aspiring hand model! Thank the heavens for Chanel. Last week, I lacquered up my nails with Rose Confidentiel and let myself loose on the world. I made sure to use elaborate hand gestures wherever appropriate (or inappropriate) to direct attention to my fingers, much like a newly-engaged gal keen to show off her latest, diamond-encrusted accessory. Judging by the handful of compliments I received, I’d hoodwinked my friends into thinking I’d booked in an hour with my favourite nail artist. The shiny, high-coverage polish didn’t chip for days, and the colour is literally the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. Très love. —Madeleine Woon, Associate Editor

Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel

I can always tell how great a product is by how my skin feels in the morning (after sleeping on a silk pillowcase… Important). When I wash my face in the shower in the AM after having worn B-Hydra the day before, my skin feels like silk, like I’ve been wearing a hydrating mask all night long. Use it with a vitamin C serum after cleansing and before moisturising, and you’ll notice an immediate difference. —Carlie Fowler, Founder & Editor

La Roche Posay Uvidea XL SPF 50+ BB Cream

The French are excellent inventors. Croissants, impressive towers, little black dresses. I’ve always maintained that they are geniuses immune to any form of wrongdoing, a sentiment only confirmed by my discovery of La Roche Posay Uvidea XL SPF 50+ BB Cream. A hydrating, sun-shielding formula that melts into the skin, with just the right amount of pigmented coverage to conceal uneven skin tone and enhance your natural complexion, without being heavy and overbearing. And the best part? The stuff is fragrance free, paraben free and hypoallergenic. My sensitive skin is metaphorically singing to the heavens. —Magdalene Shapter, Editorial Assistant

Christophe Robin Regenerating Mask With Rare Prickly Pear Seed Oil

I’ve never been much of a hair mask person, but only because I’d never actually been in possession of one until now. Enter: Christophe Robin’s Regenerating Mask. I’m a changed woman! I have this new problem whereby my hair is silky/smooth/shiny/manageable the day I wash it, but oily at the roots, dry at the ends, and houses a violent bout of dandruff come Day 2. I haven’t yet found a cure outside of washing it every second day, but Christophe’s mask does wonders. I only wish it came in a ten litre tub. —Betsy Greaves, Site Producer

Dermalogica UltraCalming Mist

A real turning point in my skincare routine was when I was at the beach with one of my good mates during summer. I asked her if it looked like I was burning up in the sun, and she told me it was hard to tell because I’m “always pink.” What a blow! Like most things in my life, I was in a constant state of denial about the rouge sheen of my skin, so this hard oceanside truth finally rattled me into taking action. Enter Dermalogica’s UltraCalming Mist. Spritzing your face with it is like getting slapped (gently) in the face by a Balinese waterfall, and my psycho, touch-sensitive skin is all the more ~chill~ for it. —Madeleine Woon, Associate Editor

Drunk Elephant Shaba Complex Eye Serum

While I’m on the Drunk Elephant love train, I also love their eye serum. I like an eye cream that soaks in instantly, isn’t too thick, and is nice under concealer. I’ve tried many an eye cream, and I like this one most. It feels more like a cream than a serum in consistency, and is super nourishing. I have a tendency to get dark circles, and this helps to visibly lighten them, as well as hydrate fine lines. It gets some extra love hearts for not containing any harmful ingredients. I use this morning and night. —Carlie Fowler, Founder & Editor