Beauty Fix: How facial peels work, why body oils are your best bet during winter 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.

What are the benefits of opting for body oil instead of a lotion or cream?
Even if you lotion up immediately after showering, it’s often trumped as soon as you go outside by the bitter wind and cold, leaving you with skin that feels uncomfortably tight. Fresh Life Body Oil ($56, sephora.ca) works below the surface, hydrating skin deeply all thanks to its blend of nourishing oils, including sweet almond, jojoba seed, apricot kernel, sunflower seed and evening primrose oil. These oils work together to soothe, protect, renew and moisturize your skin while improving elasticity. Body oils also absorb best when applied to slightly damp skin, making it the perfect complement to your straight-out-of-the-shower beauty routine. The bonus to this body oil is definitely the fragrance, which has notes of bergamot, grapefruit, silk amber, vanilla grass and lilac leaves, making it warm yet fresh, lingering through the day.

I can do a great blowout myself, but I don’t have the time to commit to multiple blowouts each week. What can help me speed up my styling process?
Being able to give yourself a solid blowout is great start, but a keratin treatment may move your styling process right along if you have particularly unruly hair to handle. Keratin, a naturally occurring protein in hair, can be bonded to hair with heat styling tools to fortify and smooth strands, creating less of a battle each time you decide to style your hair. A cost-effective treatment to try that doesn’t skimp on delivering results is the Tresemmé 7 Day Keratin Smooth System ($6 to $8 each, at drugstores). All three components of the system (shampoo, conditioner and heat activated treatment) contain keratin to create a silkier mane. Shampoo and condition you hair, then divide it into sections, applying two pumps of heat activated treatment to each. Blow-dry and then activate the thermal technology by sealing in smoothness with a pass of a flat iron. The effect of keratin will last a pretty remarkable seven days—even with additional shampooing and conditioning—which ought to help you get through styling in a fraction of your usual time!

How does facial exfoliation differ from a facial peel?
Technically, a peel is a form of exfoliation! But here’s how they differ: A facial peel is usually chemical in nature and involves applying different types of acids to the face in order to dissolve the glue-like proteins that hold dead skin cells to the surface of the skin. By washing them away, you instantly reveal brighter skin underneath. Peels tend to involve an element of apprehension, partially because the idea of sloughing off dead skin cells can be intimidating, especially if you’re prone to redness and irritation. However, at-home peels are an excellent way to test the waters. Philosophy’s The Microexfoliating Treatment Kit ($70, thebay.com) is extremely easy to use and has no discomfort whatsoever, but plenty of positive results to anticipate. First, apply the vitamin C/peptide resurfacing crystals to the skin in circular motions. Next, apply the lactic/salicylic acid activating gel to all areas that you applied the crystals to, which will lead to a warm sensation as the gel meets the crystals. Let the solution sit on your skin for a minute, then rinse. It’s that simple and delightfully enough, it involves no downtime whatsoever!

I know nude eyeshadow palettes are everywhere, so how do I pick one that’s best for me?
You’re right, neutral eye shadow palettes are available in one form or another from nearly every cosmetic brand out there. If you favour a brand’s eyeshadow formulations already, then I encourage you to explore the nude shadow options available from said brand. If you’re open to something that’s a bit more on the rose gold side (and really, who isn’t open to ever-flattering rose gold makeup tones?), I highly recommend the Urban Decay Naked3 Palette ($62, sephora.ca). Urban Decay’s latest addition to its cult-following eye pallette series is a selection of neutral eyeshadows that are rose-hued across a multitude of finishes, including the smoothest mattes, satins and shimmers. Colour payoff is outstanding (no chalkiness here!) and you’ll have limitless options for a multitude of looks with this shade range.

Is there anything I can do to increase my the effectiveness of my skincare products?
For your face, exfoliating is the most helpful thing you can do in order to assist your skincare in fulfilling its duties. Exfoliating loosens dead skin cells and whisks them away, revealing newer skin that will be more receptive to active ingredients. However, when it comes to your eye area, exfoliation is far too aggressive for such delicate skin, so the Clarisonic Opal Sonic Skin Infusion System ($215, thebay.com) works as an excellent alternative. This gadget has a super-soft tip that product can be dispensed onto and with a tap of the button, 7500 gentle micro-massage sonic pulses per minute propel that product deeper into skin than manual application ever could. The result is better absorption, which results in softened and diminished fine lines and wrinkles in the eye area. Farewell, crow’s feet!

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