FASHION Magazine

I’m looking for a long-lasting SPF product that will work with my makeup. What are your suggestions? Reapplying chemical SPF is a must in order to guarantee that you’re protected for more than a few hours after application, but some products prove to be more makeup-friendly than others. Sunforgettable by Clarion mineral powders ($63, through […]

The post Afternoon beauty fix: Get long-lasting SPF protection that won’t conflict with your makeup appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

By Allyssia Alleyne

My father is the biggest skin-care nut I know. No, he’s not a dermatologist. And, no, he doesn’t work in the beauty industry. His obsession started when he tried a few of my mom’s products, and now his interest in them far surpasses hers. Amazed by the results, he wanted to see what else a little extra attention could do for his skin. I know mothers are typically the ones who teach their daughters about beauty, but it my was dad who taught me the value of a good toner, the zit-fighting power of toothpaste, and how wonderful it feels to steam your face over a sink of hot water (along with showing me how to scramble eggs and throw a punch). So, in honour of Father’s Day, here are five of my most-loved products that my dad introduced me to.

View the gallery »

It’s that time again, when the words “smog,” “heat wave” and “humidity” enter our vernacular, and our poor little pores suffocate under the blanket of sunscreen, street dust and the ever-present perspiration moustache. Don’t you just want to blast it all away at the end of the day? Dermalogica’s Powerfoliant ($85, dermalogica.ca) is satisfyingly merciless, and though it’s part of the Chroma White range (who really wants to whiten?) it’s just a serious exfoliator that combines vitamin C, salicylic acid and fruit acids, plus a bunch of other brightening ingredients. It’s also pleasingly science-y—the box contains two vials of exfoliator, and you have to pop down the cap to release the powder into the liquid, which—SHAZAM!—activates the lot of it until it self-destructs in four weeks. There’s also a dropper attachment so you don’t use too much of the precious (and I do mean precious) stuff. You’ll be rationing it obsessively for fear of running out; I certainly am.

TEST OF TIME
Michelle Villett asked asked five women to reveal their diet, skin-care and exercise habits—and then got the world’s top anti-aging docs to weigh in.

HELEN MARA, 62
“I don’t have a problem with getting older—my attitude is ‘Bring it on!’” says Mara. “When my mother was my age, she looked like a grandmother, but I don’t think I do.” No wonder she models part-time with the Ben Barry Agency in Toronto. Although she personally has no plans to go under the knife (or needle), Mara says, “I think if it makes you feel better, go for it.”

TEST OF TIME
Michelle Villett asked asked five women to reveal their diet, skin-care and exercise habits—and then got the world’s top anti-aging docs to weigh in.

ANNE TILLMAN-GRAHAM, 54
“There are days when I look in the mirror and go ‘Whoa!’—that’s not how I feel. But you have to keep a sense of humour [about aging]. That, and wake up every morning loving what you’re going to do.” Besides her job as a Toronto-based marketing executive in the cosmetics industry, Tillman-Graham is passionate about fitness. “I’ve been running marathons since 1993, and I’ve done four triathlons. You become addicted to the adrenaline.”

TEST OF TIME
Michelle Villett asked asked five women to reveal their diet, skin-care and exercise habits—and then got the world’s top anti-aging docs to weigh in.

KIM VALLÉE, 42
“Looking good for my age has always concerned me, but I probably feel better today than when I was younger,” says Vallée, a Montreal-based lifestyle and entertaining expert. “I’m at a stage where all my dreams are at least possible or taking form in some way.” First up: the birth of her first child, a boy, this past March. “I think it’s important to live in the moment and to accept the aging process, because with each [decade] you experience something new.”

TEST OF TIME
Michelle Villett asked asked five women to reveal their diet, skin-care and exercise habits—and then got the world’s top anti-aging docs to weigh in.

CHARLENE SWALEHE, 30
When it comes to aging, “I know I should be a lot more preventative,” says Swalehe, a Vancouver-based retail sales manager. “My smoking needs to stop, and I have some weight to lose.” Still, she has a few things working in her favour: “good genes,” a relatively stress-free lifestyle and a solid circle of friends. “I think I have a really positive outlook.”

TEST OF TIME
Michelle Villett asked asked five women to reveal their diet, skin-care and exercise habits—and then got the world’s top anti-aging docs to weigh in.

GILLIAN DICESARE, 25
“I’m not scared of aging,” says DiCesare, a womenswear coordinator at Holt Renfrew in Toronto. “I noticed some wrinkles under my eyes when I turned 25, but it’s nothing I’m worried about yet.” She’s working on managing her more pressing concerns: work-related stress and a suspected gluten sensitivity, along with “trying to stay as positive as I can.” “It can be hard sometimes, because in your 20s, you’re still discovering what you want to do, who you want to be and where you want to go.”

Beautiful skin is always in style and this cream by Josie Maran does double beauty duty by giving the ultimate faux summer glow without loading up on parabens and other evil poisons. ($32, Josie Maran Self-Tanning Cream at sephora.com)

With all the high-tech and luxury skincare breakthroughs over the last decade, it’s surprising (and refreshing) that Nivea’s modest all-purpose cream—the first batch of which was cooked up in Hamburg more than a century ago—is still going strong, boasting the same simple recipe. “It’s passed the test of time,” says Dr. Volker Kallmayer, product development specialist for Beiersdorf, Nivea’s parent company. “From a scientist’s point of view, my personal nightmare is that one day my boss asks me to improve it,” he laughs, explaining that brand loyalists can sniff out the tiniest change in the formula. “They feel it’s not our product, but their product… they don’t want us to mess with it.”

Yaletown beauty institution Beautymark is celebrating a decade in business with a move—100 steps away. The new bi-level location (1268 Pacific Blvd., 604-642-2294, beautymark.ca) next to the Roundhouse community centre now offers more beauty treatments, including mini Dermalogica facials and the always-popular brow shaping appointments by resident expert Alisha Noon. Of course, there’s still plenty of beauty loot to spritz, test and dab.

By Rebecca Perrin
As soon as the holidays are gone and so is our fond affection for the fluffy white stuff. Cracked cuticles, bumpy-red thighs and phyllo pastry cheeks persuade us to fight winter’s ravage with these creamy defense mechanisms.

FACE
Gentle cleansing and soothing treatments are critical for allowing it to keep calm and carry on through to spring.

Before bed is a good time to give your face a deluge of hydrating nourishment. The almond and calendula oils in NIVEA Rich Regenerating Night Care Cream ($8 at mass beauty retailers across Canada) will drown the dry.

For wearing beneath your makeup, Sephora Instant Moisturizer ($24 at Sephora) is oil-free, paraben free, and a trustworthy go-to when you need a protective fortress for your face.