The Best Luxury Beauty For Giving

Sure, Hermès Les Mains Hermès nail enamels, $63, Holt Renfrew, might look like the most extreme sort of frivolity, but the colours (inspired by Hermes’ iconic leather shades) are beautifully executed and have wonderful depth. They’re a lovely gift for a friend if you feel hesitant buying them for yourself.

19/99 Beauty’s Countertop Precision Colour pencil set, $134, 1999beauty.ca, is all the Canadian brand’s carefully curated pencils for eyes, lips and cheeks gathered in a sleekly graphic glass cup. Having everything in front of you lets you simplify your daily ‘get out of the house’ makeup or amp it up for a holiday festivities with minimal fuss.

So many ‘holiday’ makeup offerings are just intense ‘evening’ colours garishly overloaded with excessive shimmer or chunky glitter. The Gift Edition $180.64, from Westman Atelier lets you create a festive less-is-more holiday look with only two items: a gleaming pearly oyster highlighter stick and a quartet of richly pigmented, moisturizing matte lip shades.

Sulwhasoo’s herbal facial soap is skincare masquerading as a beautiful bathroom accessory. You get two bars of antioxidant-rich red ginseng soap and a delicate filigree-patterned soap dish for only $50. Holt Renfrew.com.

This trio of Fresh Colour & Care Hydrating Lip Gift Set is only $35 (luxury isn’t just about price) at Sephora.ca, but the joy of having a heavyweight balm (the metal cases feel substantial and solid) in your coat pocket, in your bag and one by your reading chair cannot be overstated.

I see new Kérastase Chronologiste Sérum Universel, $250, Kerastase.ca, as more of an extravagant hair perfume (fragrance lasts longer on hair than skin after all) with nourishing benefits, then as a haircare product. The tea rose, wood and musk scent is rich and deeply fancy while hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and deep sea Abyssine tame frizz, plump hair fibres and protect from external aggressors. It even comes in its own dust-bag (I am a sucker for a good dust bag.)

Beauty Advent Calendars 2021

Holt Renfrew’s Beauty Advent Calendar is a month-long tour through the most luxe beauty brands.

Don’t wait until later in the season to give your dearest friend their holiday gift. A beauty advent calendars is a daily present from December first to the 24th, and the best substitute for the chocolate-stuffed ones we got as kids. (Remember how much bigger the last window was and you knew that the chocolate hiding inside would be huge as well?) The calendars with drawers are gorgeous and reusable, but the ones that require you to carefully open all the perforations are a retro thrill.

L’Occitane’s Classic is the beauty advent calendar OG and clocks in at only $89 Canadian. The mix of soaps, hair care (and purse-sized shea-butter skin and hand care from L’Occitane’s partner artisans in Burkina Faso and Ghana) is a delight that guarantees the recipients are properly moisturized for months to come.

The Body Shop’s Share the Love Big Advent Calendar is a cornucopia of face masks, hand creams, shampoo, soap, as well as a headband and a full sized Avocado Body Butter, all for $129. And this year, The Body Shop is supporting First Nations by donating $50,000 to The Caring Society to help community leaders focused on First Nations children’s rights.

Charlotte Tilbury’s Beauty Dreams and Secrets, $250, charlottetilbury.com contains nine travel and three full sized, best-selling skincare and makeup items in a sparkly chest of drawers, which, after emptying, needs to be reloaded with tiny treats and gifted to the nearest young family member to make their head explode with joy.

Holt Renfrew’s Beauty Advent Calendar, $525, is a heart-stopping beauty fully loaded with beautifully wrapped generously-sized luxe beauty treats from brands like La Mer, Diptyque, Sulwhasoo, Westman Atelier and Gucci, each in its own protective dust-bag. Maybe you just want it all for yourself? We are not here to judge.

The Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Surprises Advent Calendar, $95, contains a wide assortment of classics like Clinique, Estee Lauder and Darphin as well as lines you need to discover.

Lancôme’s Beauty Advent Calendar, $199, Shoppers Drug Mart, is a flatlay, 3D Parisian streetscape of iconic quintessentially French products like Monsieur Big mascara, Advanced Génifique eye cream and L’Absolue Rouge lipstick (in a classic French girl red, of course.)

Bioderma Atoderm Cleansing Oil is Your Winter Skin Saviour

Bioderma Atoderm Ultra Nourishing Cleansing Oil will save your skin this winter.

Dermatologists must get so weary, telling us every year that hot showers are terribly drying to our skin. It’s advice we mostly ignore because, come winter, is there anything better than a quarter hour spent blissfully thawing out under a scalding spray?

Bioderma Atoderm Ultra Nourishing, Anti Irritation Cleansing Oil (Shoppers Drug Mart, $22.99) will save you from yourself when you decide to take up permanent residence in the shower. Its light fragrance is a faint echo of 1970s pearlized bath oil beads, while the coconut oil/glycerin formula gently cleanses without stripping skin or leaving you feeling overly greased up.

Atoderm helps your skin barrier stay strong to protect you from TEWL (trans-epidermal water loss) because dried out skin is itchy, uncomfortable and may be vulnerable to irritation which can lead to redness, cracking and inflammation.

When I’ve posted seasonal Atoderm reminders on Instagram in the past, in-the-know friends and colleagues unfailingly tell me that they have their requisite ‘one bottle on the go and one bottle on deck’. We’re a not-so-secret society of well-moisturized women who can now fearlessly face the dry air and winds that the coming season has to offer. Atoderm is that good. Ignore this edict at your own peril.

Oribe Desertland is #sweaterweatherperfume

The biggest upside to colder weather is being reunited with your favourite sweaters that have been reverse-hibernating, patiently waiting for the falling temps.

Desertland eau de parfum, $156 CAN, Oribe.com, was born to be paired with your best-loved knits. Inspired by a trip to Marfa, Texas, every note, from the herbal opening of juniper, lavender and wild flowers to its Texas cedar, vetiver and sandalwood dry-down is sun-warmed and comforting. It’s the perfect vibe to carry with you as you bundle up against November’s signature gloom.

Desertland is the latest from Oribe, the cult haircare range that became a de facto perfume house after parlaying the fan favourite jasmine-and-citrus scent of their line into Cote d’Azur eau de parfum. This was both a clever marketing move and a public safety measure, as I know people who would literally huff Oribe Superfine Hairspray because it smells so good.

Wallet-melting pro tip: Both Côte d’Azur and Desertland would make excellent, if somewhat pricy, room sprays.

Upgrade: Deborah Pagani Silver Hair Pin

This large Deborah Pagani hair pin looks like a modern money clip or elegant murder weapon.

I never realized just how embarrassingly susceptible I am to the lure of pretty things until I was stuck at home for months on end with nothing but the internet and a credit card to keep me entertained.

This Deborah Pagani silver plated hair pin (Saks Fifth Avenue) looks like a sculpture or a murder weapon and is a much more elegant hair tamer than a plastic, drugstore claw clip. Its creator, Deborah Pagani, posts calming Instagram videos where she twists her (abundant, never frizzy) hair into a bun before effortlessly anchoring it with one of her heavyweight pins.

After a couple of lopsided results, I think I have it down. I rake my favourite leave-in conditioner through my hair (Rene Furterer Absolue Keratine Repairing Beauty Cream) before I begin to twist, and the result is a satisfying cross between a bun and a French twist. It’s worthwhile remembering that achieving an effortless ‘not trying too hard’ look actually requires some effort. And best of all there is no plastic claw clip in sight.

Rene Furterer’s Keratine Absolue line smooths even the wiriest of wiry hair.

Gucci Westman Loves Jergens Natural Glow Self Tanner

The tubes are not chic, you find them at the drugstore or the grocery store, and yet Jergens Natural Glow instant and gradual self tanners are just so good that even celebrity makeup artist Gucci Westman, lover of expensive beauty products and founder of Westman Atelier (my favourite ‘clean beauty’ line, hands down) uses them, as seen in this YouTube screen grab. (Yes, this is the self-same Gucci Westman who did Gwyneth’s wedding makeup, which must be the biggest clean beauty flex of all time.)

Jergens Natural Glow products create a beautiful, authentic-looking tan, come in two strengths (for fair or deeper-toned skin) so you can’t overdo it and the gradual tan lotions are on sale right now at Shoppers Drug Mart, possibly getting cleared off of shelves for winter (which makes no sense, because that’s when we need self-tanner the most.) So I would humbly suggest you go get some immediately.

Pro Pedicure Tools & Techniques From Tips Nail Bar

Photo: Vogue Paris

If you were inspired by our last post to give yourself a pedicure, but don’t know where to start, the team at Toronto’s beauty editor favourite Tips Nail Bar has created a professional grade nine-piece Deluxe Pro Pedicure Kit ($75), which comes with all the ‘how did I ever live without these’ tools to bring your feet back from the brink. Just follow the steps on their IGTV video (below, or find it on Instagram in their IGTV under ‘10 Steps to Pedicure Perfection’ and then sit back and admire your handiwork.

Photo courtesy of Tips Nail Bar

The kit contains these professional grade items: a wooden foot file, a stainless steel cuticle pusher, straight edge nail clippers, a nail file and buffer, a 2oz Bodtini exfoliating body polish/scrub, a 2oz Bodtini hydrating silk lotion, 2oz cuticle/callus softener, 2oz 100% acetone and a pair of hydrating foot booties/foot mask.

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Extreme Measures Foot Saver aka The Tips Medical Pedicure

If you’ve watched your feet get into ever-worse shape as a result of aging or even just walking too much because Covid closed your gym (thickening nails, uneven texture, code red-level calluses) there is a pedicure for that.

Tips’ own Naomi Misu and Melissa Pepe have trained in and offer a medical pedicure that I can attest is truly life-changing. (I was rendered speechless by its clock-rewinding effectiveness that borders on magic.)

This medical pedicure can “alleviate the discomfort and pain associated with ingrown toenails, creates toenail enhancements on nails that have been damaged or don’t grow properly, as well as being an ideal pedicure for diabetics, or seniors as the skin is more fragile and requires a different approach and products.”

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These could be your feet!

Pedicure Secrets From Essie Nail Pro Rita Remark

Essie’s Tangerine Tease and Bikini So Teeny

After feeling like a hobbit these past many months, I’m happy to be pedicuring again. Pedicure appointments are up 200% from their pre-pandemic numbers, because freshly done toes make you feel instantly groomed and provide a happy hit of serotonin each time you catch a glimpse of your feet.

But if a salon visit is still out of the question, a DIY pedicure can also provide a happy feeling even if your execution isn’t 100%. After all, your feet are far away, so you or anyone else can’t be inspecting them too closely. (That’s at least one bonus to having failing eyesight.)

As we age, getting glossy, perfect toes may require overcoming such dubious delights as ridges on nails and ever-drier skin. So we asked Essie’s ebullient and super-talented lead nail artist, Rita Remark, how to handle these obstacles (with product recommendations too), as she is a firm believer that you can do it yourself with a bit of insider knowledge.

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Oldish: I understand that you have your own optimal pedicure posture?

RR: For a lot of us it’s common to sit on a chair, and fold ourselves in half like a compact, with our head between our legs and we’re polishing that way. That just makes me dizzy.

When you apply polish with your chest on your knees it’s really not comfortable, so I always recommend you sit on the floor and prop your foot up on a book. If you get your foot a little higher off the ground at a better level, it makes the whole process much easier.

What are your favourite summer colours?

It’s not summer until I have Bikini So Teeny (above) on my toes. It’s beyond sky blue –if you took sky blue and made it neon. And Tangerine Tease is such a bright orange, a traffic cone orange.

Are there any polish finishes you should avoid over 50?

I would absolutely avoid anything frosted or metallic because these shine a light on the ridges. If you want a glamorous look, instead use a glittery polish (small or large glitter bits work) which obscures imperfections on the nail. Other textures that work great for ridged nails are cream, sheer and jelly. Just make sure to always pair them with the ridge filling base coat.

Do you recommend buffing and/or using a ridge-filling base coat?

Essie Smooth-e base coat

A light buff with a buffing block will be helpful for superficial ridges, but it's critical to not overdo it or to buff too often. Once every couple weeks is fine, but too much will thin your nails or cause peeling. 

To conceal ridges, start your manicure with a ridge filling base coat like Essie Smooth-e, $12.99, Shoppers Drug Mart. it doesn't just even out the surface of the nail, it also contains ceramides that lock in moisture for dry nails. 

Any special top coat?

A more voluminous topcoat like Essie Gel.setter $12,99, Shoppers Drug Mart, will fill in any left-over ridges or uneven areas on the nail, leaving a glass-like shine.

When you apply top coat, always use a light touch and make sure the brush doesn’t press into the polish – the brush should just glide down the nail. Just hover and bring it down lightly and always cap the tip, to prevent chips. 

Dry skin seems drier now. But even diligently applying a rich lotion doesn’t seem to do enough.

As we age, our nails, like our skin and hair, have a tougher time retaining moisture. So it's important to use a cuticle/nail moisturizer daily (or many times throughout the day) to keep nails and cuticles soft, strong and beautiful. 

Essie Apricot Nail & Cuticle Oil

I love Apricot Nail & Cuticle Oil, $12.99, Shoppers Drug Mart, because it uses apricot kernel oil which mimics our skin's own sebum so it's absorbed easily without a greasy residue. it also smells delicious which is a great incentive to use it all the time.

And cuticle oil will extend the life of your pedicure because if your cuticles are intact, your polish grows out really nicely.  

Skincare with Sunscreen Included For Those Days When You Just Can’t

Maybe it’s the incessant heat that can grind you down or just the tyranny of having to take care of yourself like a grown-up, but there are some mornings when even after two large coffees, the thought of applying skincare and then sunscreen is just all together too much. For those times, hybrid skincare-slash-sunscreen gets it done in one step: not only protecting skin against the sun’s damaging rays, but helping it heal pre-existing damage. It’s multi-tasking for the lazily inclined.

The trio above protect skin from UVA (aging) and UVB (burning) rays, absorb quickly and contain premium skin-building ingredients. And with added skincare ingredients, you might feel more inclined to reapply your sunscreen during the day knowing you’re getting a vitamin or antioxidant boost along with sun protection.

Clockwise from upper left: Vichy LiftActiv Collagen Specialist Daily Anti-Aging Moisturizer spf 30, $61.95, Shoppers Drug Mart, protects with broad spectrum SPF 30 while providing serious skincare with vitamin C to boost radiance and peptide to build collagen and elastin, all in a light, ‘cosmetically elegant’ (I love that expression) lotion formula.

Garnier Green Labs Pinea C Brightening Serum Cream spf 30, $23.99, Shoppers Drug Mart, ticks all the good-for-you boxes. It provides the skin brightening of a vitamin C serum (get a start on reversing any summer sun damage) and a broad spectrum 30 spf sunscreen all in a soothing cream. Oh, and it comes in a 100% recycled plastic bottle.

Prevage City Smart Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 50 $88, Shoppers Drug Mart, is perfect when you really need a bit of skin-tone evening and a light tint. This gold medal winner (well, in my mind it should have won some award) contains antioxidants to prevent free radical damage and perk up dull skin, and anti-inflammatories to sooth and repair. And its soft tint counteracts whiteness from the mineral formula while subtly evening out skin tone.

These Gradual Self-Tanners Will Keep You From Resembling an Oiled Walnut

James Read Express Glow20 and Bondi Sands Everyday Gradual Tanning Milk give you a subtle summery glow.

In the wrong hands, a too-dark self-tan can make you look like a reality show contestant who gets kicked off the very first week. And when you’re over 50, that same faux tan might leave you resembling Magda from There’s Something About May.

Her tan may have been over the top, but Magda’s earrings and shimmery aqua eye shadow were brilliant.

This duo, above, of James Read Express Glow20 and Bondi Sands Every Day Gradual Tanning Milk will keep you looking natural while delivering a warm, subtle and believable faux tan.

James Read Express Glow20 ($44) is a hydrating tanning serum that you massage in like skincare and then rinse off in either 20, 60 or 90 minutes, depending on how deep a colour you want. It even contains skincare ingredients: skin plumping hyaluronic acid, antioxidant vitamin E, and vitamin C for brightening. So, unlike time spent in the sun, with Express Glow20, you’re actually repairing skin while getting (fake) darker.

Bondi Sands Everyday Gradual Tanning Milk, ($27.99, Shoppers Drug Mart) smells quietly beachy with a subtle cocoa butter scent, while the pump dispenser makes it easy to us when you emerge from the shower. I’m pretty slapdash with application but it’s impossible to mess this up. (I used this tanning milk as my body lotion all through last winter into spring to take the edge off my ghostliness.) Colour appears slowly as a glow which then deepens with repeated daily applications. So you will never look Oompa Loompa or Magda orange again.

Now go forth and spend as much time outside this summer as humanly possible. This year more than ever, I do not want to spend any more time indoors than absolutely necessary.