Beauty Posts On The Spring

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Just a quick beauty tip I’ve been loving lately: coconut oil makes a great natural eyelash serum. Just apply to lashes with a clean disposable mascara wand (buy them cheap at the drugstore or online… they’re great for grooming brows too). The conditioning treatment will make lashes feel extra soft (and maybe even a little thicker!) for maximum flutter appeal!

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This weekend we’ll be hanging around the city without set plans… Though rain or shine I expect there’ll be plenty of lazing about in front of Olympics coverage, I’ll do my usual lap of the local farmers’ market, and I’ll certainly be spending some quality time spent here… in my sanctuary from a very chilly apartment… the steam room at my health club. It’s so drippingly damp that paper instantly wilts, ink runs, and electronics go all foggy… So it’s just me in there with no distractions… only the heat, my open pores, and the voice in my head that tells me to stretch out and breath more deeply. I think it might be my favourite place in this whole city from June to August. Put another way, the steam room is to my winter what the ocean is to my summer… the perfect meditative place for body and mind.

Have a beautiful weekend!

(p.s. for the greatest bit of steam room inspiration ever click over here!)

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There aren’t many products I’ve repurchased for over 15 years, but the Body Shop’s Tea Tree Mask is one of them. It was the first ‘beauty treatment’ I ever bought –  in middle school – when lying in the bath with a towel turban, green mud drying on my face and two cucumber slices covering my eyes seemed the heights of sophistication.  I now use the tea tree mask as a morning cleanser, especially in hot weather. A thin layer applied all over the face then rinsed with warm water or buffed off with soft cloth is a perfect gentle mattifying cleanse that leave skin feeling extra polished and so, so clean.

What are your life-long beauty secrets? Are you still using any of the same products you loved as a teenager?

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French pharmacy brands are well known for delivering extremely gentle yet effective skin care. Avène skin care products do just that and they’re now widely available in Australia. It may sounds strange (since I’m neither a teenager nor acne-prone) but their Clearance K moisturiser pour peux jeunes is my secret weapon for brightening a dull winter complexion. Although light and mild, it contains enough Glycolic and Lactic acids (AHA) and Salicylic acids (BHA) to exfoliate dry patches and unclog pores. At around $20 for 40ml the price is fantastic for these active ingredients. Just a word of caution though: AHAs and BHAs make skin extra photosensitive, so during the day remember to layer on a high SPF.

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{1. Garnier Miracle Skin Perfecter BB cream with SPF 15* 2. Physicians Formula blush palate 3. New Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in ‘Sweet Tart’ 4. Bobby Brown chocolate shimmer ink gel liner worn pushed into roots of top and bottom lashes 5. Revlon nail enamel in Midnight Affair}

If summer beauty is all about a bronzed glow then winter is the time to celebrate the incredibly flattering pick-me-up qualities a rosy flush can bring to a simple, polished make up. This is the look I love this time of year, and since I prefer to keep my morning prep at the mirror short and sweet choosing the right products is key. Right now I’m relying on make up that is both hydrating and has built-in sun protection, is foolproof to apply, stays put all day, and comes off easily at night. I also included my favourite nail polish of the moment, a slightly shimmery deep navy blue, that makes every outfit from jeans and a white t-shirt to a woolly jumper over a sun-dress feel perfectly seasonally appropriate.

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This is my first ever serum and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that since it arrived on my dressing table two months ago I’ve had two months of exceptionally clear skin. I’ve never been particularly prone to breakouts, but this stuff really does clear out pores and prevent budding blemishes from forming as well as helping skin repair from damage caused by everyday pollutants. I use 1 drop after cleansing and add an extra dab around my chin and nose where spots tend to surface. Before the season changed it was the only product I used at night, although in this drier cooler time I’m layering it under my favourite moisturisers. This stuff is a real luxury (read: expensive) so I’m grateful that a little goes a very long way. It’s a secret weapon I’ll certainly be keeping in my arsenal.

Have you tried Advanced Night Repair? What other secret weapon products do you swear by?

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I’m writing this post wrapped in a faux furry throw and ugg boots (strictly for at home use!) because all of a sudden it’s really quite chilly. Chilly, and dry. Which makes now the perfect time to tell you about my pick for best winter moisturizer. It’s the Origins Mega Mushroom Skin Relief by Dr Weil. This day/night cream is rich and soothing, not heavy or greasy. It’s a great quality product but also about twice the price here in Australia as in North America, so travelers be advised to keep your eyes peeled for a bargain!

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