Beauty Fix: The best new product for adding some shine to second day hair, how to keep your faux glow going 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.

How do I protect my hair from sun damage? I can’t really live in a hat all summer.
Hat hair is so not the look, but sun protection definitely is! It’s important to protect ourselves from UV damage year-round, but in the summer, our hair can take a serious thrashing. Excessive sun exposure without protection can fade hair colour and make hair dry and brittle. Step up your UV game with the L’Oréal Professionnel Série Expert Solar Sublime range ($20-29, lorealprofessionnel.com), which is a shampoo, conditioner and leave-in conditioning spray that all contain Mexoryl. This ingredient is a UV filter that forms a protective film around hair fibres to make your hair more resilient to sun exposure. A necessary addition to your sun protection arsenal this summer!

I can go a few days without washing my hair, but it ends up looking dull by the second day. What can I use to give it a bit of shine and texture?
As a person who can go roughly a week without sudsing up, I can completely relate to that moment when you look in the mirror and feel as though your hair is looking a bit lacklustre, but you’re not quite ready for a wash. In such a moment, grab a dab of of Shu Uemura Touch of Gloss ($42, shuuemura.ca). This melt-in wax adds shine courtesy of mica minerals, which reflect light brilliantly, and the formula contains rose sakura essence, which regulates hydration of the hair. A little goes a long way with this lightweight formula, and it provides soft hold and definition for touchable hair that isn’t sticky at all.

How can I get my skin to look dewy without going overboard with highlighter?
There’s a fine line between dewy and shimmery in my books, but they are definitely separate looks that are achieved in different ways! Dewy, radiant skin is all about how you prep the canvas (aka your face) for the paint (aka your makeup). It’s essential to adequately hydrate your skin, because there’s nothing dewy about dehydration! Try Illamasqua Hydra Veil Rehydrating Gel ($48, sephora.com), which is a new hybrid moisturizer-primer gel that instantly boosts the skin with moisture and acts as a primer to add longevity to the wear of your makeup. Scoop out a bit of this gel, work it into skin and allow it to absorb for a few minutes prior to applying your makeup. Makeup glides on effortlessly and appears like an ethereal second-skin thanks to this little tub!

My concealer doesn’t seem to wear well on top of my current skincare. It balls up and doesn’t blend out. What gives?
As we learned last week, different product formulations don’t always play nicely together. Either you aren’t allowing enough time for your different skincare products to absorb before moving on to the next, or something you’re using may contain silicone in it, which is all the more reason to familiarize yourself with the ingredients labels of your current skincare routine. If a product you love is wreaking havoc on your makeup application, but you aren’t ready to part ways with it due to it containing silicone, try switching to applying it at night. Then, the next morning, reach for Cover Girl + Olay Concealer Balm ($10, well.ca). This concealer provides a dose of undereye anti-aging serum while it covers and the creamy formula will let you blend to your heart’s content.

I’ve started to embrace self-tanning products but worry about over-applying. Is there a way to keep my glow going between applications without resulting in an Oompa Loompa-like colour?
Kudos to you for opting for skin safety and getting into the self-tan scene! While it can seem like a fair amount of prep work is involved with self-tanning, knowing that you’re choosing to forego the harmful sun’s rays is worth the effort. A great way to keep your faux glow looking fresh-without going over the top—is to use a tan booster. St. Tropez Self-Tan Tan Booster ($38, sephora.ca) is designed to be used between tanning applications. This caramel-tinted lotion can be buffed onto the skin with an applicator mitt to extend your existing colour by a few days, and it contains aloe vera, vitamin E, olive fruit and apricot kernel oil, meaning you’ll also have nicely moisturized skin to go with your new glow.

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