Beauty Fix: How to wake up tired, puffy eyes, the best styling product for short haircuts and more
Every week our Beauty Fix columnist takes on your questions about makeup, skincare, hair and more. Have a beauty question we haven’t answered? Email us at [email protected].
How can I jumpstart repairing my damaged hair?
If you’ve overprocessed your hair to high heaven, it’s time to step away from the bleach, dyes and heat styling tools and let your hair recuperate. Hair takes time to bounce back from damage, but you can help expedite the process by using an intensive mask, such as L’Oréal Paris Total Repair Extreme Ultra-Concentrated Urgent Repair Care ($3, at drugstores). This single tube contains a week of reparative treatment loaded with lactic acid and lipid-rich ceramides to target and strengthen particularly weakened areas of the hair. Simply apply after shampoo and conditioner and then rinse out, making this a handy shortcut to healthier hair!
How do I get the look of dimensional, contoured cheekbones without using multiple products?
Traditionally speaking, when applying makeup to the cheeks, a well-contoured look includes colour, blush and highlighter—and if it’s a multi-dimensional look you’re after, you may have to add a few more products. The rules are changing, however, since newer formulations can accomplish more than one task in a single application. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush ($41, sephora.ca), shown in “Radiant Magenta,” combines the flush of a soft pink blush and the lighting effect of a golden highlighter into a single hybrid powder that can be swept across cheeks for a quick, effortless look that doesn’t involve multiple compacts or brushes to achieve.
My undereye area is puffy to the point of feeling sore when I wake up. What can I do to cure this?
Waking up to puffy eyes is unsightly, but when they are actually in need of soothing because they’re sore, it’s best to spring into action immediately! Start the day with a mini massage for your eye area with Olay Fresh Effects Bright On Schedule! Eye Awakening Cream ($16, at drugstores). The triple metal rollerball applicator for this lightweight eye cream encourages circulation in the undereye area to reduce puffiness and water retention while the eye cream formula itself is akin to applying soothing cucumber slices to your eyes (who has time for this anymore?!) thanks to cucumber extract, white tea and honeysuckle extracts. Bonus: the formula is also oil-free, making it makeup-friendly!
What’s a deeply hydrating lip product I can use in this everlasting winter?
Cracked, peeling and irritatingly chapped lips need to seek refuge from winter weather just as much as the rest of your body does. Unfortunately, lips are front and centre when it comes to facing the elements, so they bear the brunt of the weather’s negative impact. Create a thicker than usual barrier between your skin and the moisture-evaporating cold air by slathering on a layer of Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask ($30, sephora.ca). While it is technically a leave-on lip mask that’s highly effective when used overnight to heal deeply chapped lips, it’s functional for use at any time of the day when you need to rehab lips to a healthy state. It contains medical-grade lanolin, which is a natural wax used to moisturize skin, as well as super-hydrator jojoba oil, anti-aging blue agave nectar and resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant. Bonus: this stuff is gluten-free and contains no petroleum, so no need to fear if you’re steering clear of those two!
I had really long hair and just got a structured bob, so what can I use to emphasize how sleek this style is?
A change in style can often mean a change in the products that you reach for on a daily basis, meaning it’s time to revamp your pre-blowdry product lineup. The best bet for adding definition and shine to the ends of your strands is a hair prodcut with a bit of hold, but preferably something that gives you a clean line. Consider a pomade, such as göt2b Rise ‘n Shine Gleaming Height Pomade ($8, at drugstores). Take a dab of this light-reflective product and rub it between your fingertips and palms, before running through the ends of your hair. It’ll keep your new style looking sleek and chic without weighing your hair down.
. This single tube contains a week of reparative treatment loaded with lactic acid and lipid-rich ceramides to target and strengthen particularly weakened areas of the hair. Simply apply after shampoo and conditioner and then rinse out, making this a handy shortcut to healthier hair!
How do I get the look of dimensional, contoured cheekbones without using multiple products?
Traditionally speaking, when applying makeup to the cheeks, a well-contoured look includes colour, blush and highlighter—and if it's a multi-dimensional look you're after, you may have to add a few more products. The rules are changing, however, since newer formulations can accomplish more than one task in a single application. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush ($41, sephora.ca), shown in “Radiant Magenta,” combines the flush of a soft pink blush and the lighting effect of a golden highlighter into a single hybrid powder that can be swept across cheeks for a quick, effortless look that doesn’t involve multiple compacts or brushes to achieve.
My undereye area is puffy to the point of feeling sore when I wake up. What can I do to cure this?
Waking up to puffy eyes is unsightly, but when they are actually in need of soothing because they’re sore, it’s best to spring into action immediately! Start the day with a mini massage for your eye area with Olay Fresh Effects Bright On Schedule! Eye Awakening Cream ($16, at drugstores). The triple metal rollerball applicator for this lightweight eye cream encourages circulation in the undereye area to reduce puffiness and water retention while the eye cream formula itself is akin to applying soothing cucumber slices to your eyes (who has time for this anymore?!) thanks to cucumber extract, white tea and honeysuckle extracts. Bonus: the formula is also oil-free, making it makeup-friendly!
What’s a deeply hydrating lip product I can use in this everlasting winter?
Cracked, peeling and irritatingly chapped lips need to seek refuge from winter weather just as much as the rest of your body does. Unfortunately, lips are front and centre when it comes to facing the elements, so they bear the brunt of the weather’s negative impact. Create a thicker than usual barrier between your skin and the moisture-evaporating cold air by slathering on a layer of Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask ($30, sephora.ca). While it is technically a leave-on lip mask that’s highly effective when used overnight to heal deeply chapped lips, it’s functional for use at any time of the day when you need to rehab lips to a healthy state. It contains medical-grade lanolin, which is a natural wax used to moisturize skin, as well as super-hydrator jojoba oil, anti-aging blue agave nectar and resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant. Bonus: this stuff is gluten-free and contains no petroleum, so no need to fear if you’re steering clear of those two!
I had really long hair and just got a structured bob, so what can I use to emphasize how sleek this style is?
A change in style can often mean a change in the products that you reach for on a daily basis, meaning it’s time to revamp your pre-blowdry product lineup. The best bet for adding definition and shine to the ends of your strands is a hair prodcut with a bit of hold, but preferably something that gives you a clean line. Consider a pomade, such as göt2b Rise ‘n Shine Gleaming Height Pomade ($8, at drugstores). Take a dab of this light-reflective product and rub it between your fingertips and palms, before running through the ends of your hair. It'll keep your new style looking sleek and chic without weighing your hair down. ){kind=link}