French women seem to have it all: elegance, effortless style, the ability to eat pan au chocolat, brie and crème fraiche and never gain a pound. Sigh.
Here to solve some of our envy is luxury cosmetics and skin care brand Chantecaille, which just debuted at Vancouver’s Holt Renfrew (737 Dunsmuir St., 604-681-3121, holtrenfrew.com). They may be New York based, but their soul–and founder, Sylvie Chantecaille–is French. Read the rest of this entry »
Photography by Setareh Sarmadi
I’ve been a fan of Fruits & Passion ever since my nose grazed the brand’s bubble bath when I was ten. However, when I saw this Purifying Waterless Hand Soap ($7, fruits-passion.com) images of soapy dry hands crept into my mind as I mentally processed the word combination of “waterless” and “hand soap.” Still, the tube promised an orange-cantaloup scent, so I was eager to try it. Read the rest of this entry »
Summer is all about hot weather, humidity and having better places to be than in front of the mirror, so we’re always happy to have a few tricks up our sleeve for creating quick, polished beauty looks. L’Oréal Paris’ official makeup artist, Eddie Maleterre, and official hair artist and colourist, Eric Del Monaco, took us through this easy routine: Read the rest of this entry »
Photography by Setareh Sarmadi
My husband decided he wanted to redo our garden, so last weekend saw me shoveling dirt. For hours. I also had a run-in with a prickly raspberry bush and washed soil off of my hands about 7,000 times, so by Sunday, they were dry, scraped and tired. I knew all of this was coming, so I saved myself a tin of Matter Company’s All Heal Salve ($18, mattercompany.com), part of the Toronto-based company’s new outdoor line, Matter: Outdoors. Read the rest of this entry »
Photography by Setareh Sarnadi
I’ve made up a word to describe the peppy colours of this summer’s beauty palettes: candy-licious (def’n: a tone so cheeky you just want to lick it like a lollipop). Unfortunately for my taste buds, most makeup isn’t edible. However, Revlon has done the next best thing to bring these amusing shades to life with the launch of its Fruitful Temptations Scented Nail Enamel ($6, at drugstores). Read the rest of this entry »
Photography by Setareh Sarmadi
I’m not one to turn down a dare–when playing truth or dare as a teen I would always pick the latter. So when Nair challenged me to swap my usual shaving routine of swiping a Venus razor up my legs with their Shower Power Hair Removal Cream ($10, at drugstores) I couldn’t say no. Read the rest of this entry »
When the little box of Honey Dipp (honeydipp.com) samples arrived on my desk, the scent was so addictive, I couldn’t keep my nose from sneaking little sniffs every two seconds or so. The line of spa products has all the delicious usual suspects–a sugar scrub, citrus body butter and vanilla spice and coconut lime body lotions, for starters—but the real standout is the soaps.
Photography (except clothing) by James Lourenço
I’ve long accepted that painting my own nails is not for me. I’m not very good at it and I’m also extremely irritated by the tiniest imperfections—the splotchy edge, the painted cuticle. So I graduated to the occasional manicure, but my pickiness remains, and as soon as I see the tiniest chip, it’s off with it all. So it’s sort of an expensive extravagance, given that my manis usually only remain perfect for three days—four, tops (I tend not to curtail my dishwashing activities). But this has all changed since I paid a lunchtime visit to Catherine Pacak at Poa Studio (98 Church St., Toronto, 416-364-2761, poastudio.com).
Photography by James Lourenço
Technology and I have not always had an easy relationship. (Our Facebook status would most definitely read, “It’s complicated.”) Sure, I’m grateful for modern medicine and air travel, but what about the night my laptop crashed mere hours before my essay on women in 19th century British poetry was due? I knew then that we were entering a rough patch.
Montagne Jeunesse face masks. Photography by James Lourenço
I have a confession: The seemingly permanent real estate that the blackheads on my nose have claimed makes me fear they’ll never go away and I’ll have to start referring to them as freckles to avoid the shame of being a beauty director with clogged pores. Even with a finely applied layer of foundation I can’t hide them—a midday shine gives me away, uncovering my dirty little secret. So, in utter despair and, I’m not going to lie, 11 months of unwanted abstinence, I booked a facial ($95) with Jennifer Cueto, aesthetician for Concepts Salon & Spa (60 Bloor St. W., 416-922-1558, conceptstoronto.com).
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