Looking to spoil your loved ones this Christmas? Here are my picks for beauty products that would win any wishlist. Mix and match or put them all together for one lavish beauty bouquet.
Mario Badescu facial spray with aloe, herbs and rose water. $16, available at BeautyMark.
Created by legendary skincare brand Mario Badescu, this is the one beauty product (besides toothpaste) that I actually share with my husband. He and I both reach for the rose water spray religiously when our skin is feeling tight. It’s refreshing, hydrating, and beautifully fragrant, while working over and under makeup (or even on hair), making it a versatile and unisex addition to any Christmas gift.
Leaves of Trees deodorant. $15, available at BeautyMark.
My beauty routine leans heavily towards organic and natural products, and last year I spent three months trying to find an effective alternative to antiperspirant. It got so bad that I had to send memos to my colleagues assuring them that I was well aware of the “issue”. I ultimately triumphed, though, finding a brand that worked for me. Which is why I was leery to try an entirely new product – one you massage on with your fingertips, no less! But Leaves of Trees’ luxurious mousse-like deodorant (made of sodium bicarbonate and kaolin clay) with its rapid absorption and long-lasting efficacy won me over right away. It works, and looks and smells good doing it. No wonder the Toronto-based beauty line started flying off shelves the minute it arrived in Vancouver.
NYX V’amped up! lip top coat. $8.99, available at London Drugs.
It’s impossible to keep up with every beauty trend, especially when it involves buying virtually all-new makeup each time. Save your Secret Santa the expense this season with NYX’s fun, vampy make-it-black stick – a lipstick top-coat, packed with shea butter and vitamin E, that turns any lip colour into an on-trend shade of black. The best part is the original, base lip colour peeks through just enough to keep things interesting and suited to every skin tone.
NeoStrata Glycolic Renewal smoothing cream. $39, available at London Drugs.
We all know someone who struggles to keep up a beauty regimen. So many products, so little time! I’m one of them: the guilty girl who sometimes can’t be bothered to moisturize or exfoliate on any given night. Enter the NeoStrata Acne Clear collection, which made its debut at the #LDBeauty media event this past fall. The standout for me was its Glycolic Renewal Cream – velvety moisturizer that does double duty as an exfoliator, revealing radiant skin underneath and working to control breakouts. Gentle enough to use daily, it’s now a must in these dry winter months.
LUSH Sea Spray hair mist. $13.95, available at LUSH.
Treat your favourite beach babe to a spritz of summer with the vegan LUSH Sea Spray. With pleasant notes of orange flower, grapefruit and neroli, this all-natural sea salt/sea water/seaweed stocking stuffer holds hair in place while adding shine and body or ocean-kissed waves. It has been my best friend on holidays to humid locations this year.
Fable Naturals vegan lip balm. $6 each or $18 for three, available at Fable Naturals online and various stores across Vancouver.
Plastics and packaging are another area I try to be conscious in, which is why I was thrilled to discover Fable Naturals. Handmade in Vancouver, these vegan lip balms come in compostable recycled-cardboard squeeze tubes, with lip-saving ingredients like olive oil, coconut oil and cocoa butter. My favourite flavour is fresh mint, but the line also comes in lemon coconut and vanilla orange.
Aesop Geranium Leaf body scrub. $47, available at Aesop.
For the person who craves a fresh start: the natural exfoliants of pumice and bamboo stem in this plant-based Australian skin care line combine to slough away dead skin cells in the utmost satisfying fashion while botanical oils keep everything cool. This is the holy grail of earth-friendly skin scrubs in a convenient, display-worthy metal tube.
Ilia Beauty silken shadow sticks. $37, available at Kiss & Makeup.
Locally grown success story Ilia Beauty has branched out from its universally lauded organic lipsticks into illuminators, moisturizers, and eye shadows. Its new no-fuss shadow sticks colour on to create divine metallic shimmer in shades of gold, amber, burgundy and grey. Made with a blend of healing argan, sesame and rose oils and soothing butters, the crease-free formula stays locked in place while moisturizing around the eye.
Saje Runners Reward essential oil kit. $23.95, available at Saje Natural Wellness.
Tension headaches, migraines, muscle pain – we all experience at least one of these from time to time. Geared towards runners, Saje’s emergency aromatherapy pack is a thoughtful, travel-sized relief delivery system for any active person, boasting two vials of roll-on pain relief in one handy zip-up pouch. Between the potent Peppermint Halo and Pain Release formulas, this gift has every ache covered.
Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser. $65, available at BeautyMark.
When I was a student, I bought drugstore face wash and considered $20 a splurge. Now that I’m older and wiser, I indulge in slightly more luxurious products and reap the rewards, be it in results or relaxation. Tata Harper – America’s all-natural, non-toxic skincare expert – excels in both regards. Her purifying cleanser, made with ingredients grown on her organic family farm in Vermont, gently rids pores of clogging detritus and pollutants with a silky cocktail of sugars, broccoli extract and fruit enzymes while restoring moisture balance. The price tag might be steep, but this is the ultimate in holiday pampering.
• You can follow style editor Kelsey Klassen on Twitter @kelseyklassen.
