Beauty Fix: A super easy way to remove glitter nail polish, a fresh fragrance for spring 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 beautyfix@fashionmagazine.com.

I’ve read grainy exfoliators can tear my skin. Is this true?
Natural exfoliator ingredients such as ground nutshells, fruit pits or seeds can be uneven and they have the potential to be sharp or unrefined, which can irritate skin. If you’re concerned about this happening to your skin and chemical exfoliators aren’t your cup of tea, please direct your attention to Diptyque Radiance Boosting Powder ($62, at Holt Renfrew). A sponge sphere accompanies the bottle and I promise, it has purpose! Pour a half-teaspoon of powder (consisting of powdered rose, neroli and jasmine, as well as purifying white clay) into your moistened palms, add a bit of water to the sponge and start rolling the sponge around in your palm, working the powder into a lather. Apply this foamy mix to clean, damp skin in circular motions to gently exfoliate. And I do mean gentle—these are micro fine particles that create a subtle grit when foamed up. Skin is left with a radiant matte finish after being scrubbed, but it’s not stripped or damaged in any way.

My undereye circles always seem to look grey when I try to conceal them. What am I doing wrong?
The best way to battle the appearance of undereye darkness or discolouration is to use a colour corrector and then use a concealer. It can be a bit of trial and error or guess work to determine which shade of corrector is best suited to your particular shade of undereye darkness—and the same goes for deciding which concealer will provide you with a balance of coverage and brightening properties. Eliminate the guessing game and grab Lancôme Le Correcteur Pro ($42, at department stores), which contains a corrector, concealer and setting powder in a single slim compact, all colour-coordinated to work together for seamless coverage. The corrector and concealer formulations are specifically created for the eye area, meaning they contain hydrators like vitamin E and shea butter that work with polymers combined with pigments to create weightless coverage that never looks heavy—a fantastic feat! Set all of your correcting and concealing work with the enclosed powder, leaving you with a silky, matte finish. No grey tones in sight!

After a season of heavy scents, what’s the best way to spring forward with my fragrance? 
Heavy, sometimes-heady warm scents are what winter is all about. These types of cozy fragrances balance out the incredibly cold weather outside. However, winter has overstayed its welcome and it’s time to usher in a new season with a new fragrance. With spring comes rain showers, so what better inspiration than the rain to guide you to a new scent! Jo Malone Rain & Angelica ($135, at Holt Renfrew) is every reason to put your cozy winter scent away til next year. This fresh scent contains notes of lime, vetiver and angelica, a sweet-smelling stemmed plant, resulting in a green note that rounds out the earthiness of the vetiver note. The result is a scent that’s watery yet crisp, sure to refresh your senses.

How can I easily remove glitter polish? I love wearing it, but it’s nearly impossible to remove.
Glitter polish is a party in a bottle, but it is a total nightmare to remove. While there are ways to help the process along, such as the foil method (soak cotton in nail polish remover, apply to the nail then wrap in foil and let it sit for several minutes), you still end up with glitter particles all over the place. Glitter polish isn’t easy to remove and for a lot of people out there, it isn’t really an every day manicure look. If you’re a glitter-on-the-weekend type of person, try using OPI Glitter Off! Base Coat ($11, at salons) underneath your glittery polish. Once this white base coat dries clear, carry on with polish application as usual. When you’re ready to remove the shiny stuff, use a cuticle pusher to gently loosen the polish from the side of the nail and the nail polish will essentially come off in sheets. Any leftover polish can tidied up with polish normal remover. Bonus: this base coat can be used with dark polish shades too, if you’re ever hesitant to wear a shade because of messy removal.

What’s a great spring lip colour to buy? I’m on a budget, but want to update my look!
You never need to spend a lot to update your beauty look from season to season. Being in the market for a new, fresh lip colour is always fun, because there are offerings galore at every price point. Next time you’re grocery shopping, make a point of seeking out Joe Fresh Longwear Liquid Lipstick in “Baie Sauvage” ($8, at Loblaws). Not only is this lipstick’s punchy shade of violet perfect for mentally moving you forward into spring, it also wears (comfortably!) for 6 hours and has a fair price point for huge colour payoff. If this particular shade isn’t quite what you had in mind, there are six shades total in the range, and the steadfast longwear aspect of the formula will be a favourite, especially once the weather heats up.

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