The Must-Have: Natural Hair Powder

As of late, nothing thrills me more than procuring a new hair powder. On myself, I love a clean blowout; loathe everything else. And while white hair powders are great at mending this drama, they're only effective on darker shades when applied the night before, in order avoid creating Mrs. Havisham hair. Which is why I have such affection for the coloured ones. And not just your standard brown, blonde and sheer (which never is—it's always winter white) shades—how can they possibly work for everyone? Enter the All Nighter Styling Powder, available in six different shades (I mix the honey blonde and brunette).

There's the faintest feeling of tact once applied—sounds weird—but actually yields true, buildable volume. As for ingredients, it's free of all the most-wanted criminals on the green beauty girl's checklist: parabens, aluminum, talc, silica and dyes. Colours are sourced from minerals, essential tangerine oil leaves the faintest scent while zinc oxide and titanium dioxide serve as natural UVA/UVB blockers for your scalp. It's small enough (1 oz) to toss in your bag and revive anytime during the day or bring to the gym to conceal the telltale halo of greasy roots left by a lunchtime workout. You're saving your hair and the planet with fewer shampoo sessions and you get to sleep in.
$18, available on the brand's website at stylingpowder.com

Images: Courtesy The All Nighter.

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(Essential) Winter Lip Service

Just like you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, don't dismiss Green Beaver's new Organic Lip Shimmers by their humble packaging (and use of shimmer—a dirty word to me—in their name). Had I judged, I would have never found love like I have here. Slimmer than your average balm, they include a key ring opening for sporty types (I wish!) or key ring usage.

But more importantly, the formula is insane. Very, very creamy, with just enough flattering colour and non-obvious shimmer. Plus, the scent is delicious in a real fruit, not artificial drink crystals sort of way. The medium-pink shade shown above, 'Amour', is my favourite in the collection. It's a perfect shade for ANY time of day. Unassuming on a Saturday morning for a lazy fall stroll, equally appropriate for dinner and drinks. LOVE. It even worked to revive a fading lip stain during a very messy (read: gorgonzola gnocchi) dinner last week. There are six other shades in the collection—Passion (a favourite of BeautyGeeks and Beauty Editor), Bordeaux, Mocha, Rose and Lustre. They're $5.99 CDN, at various natural retailers. For more info and to purchase online, click here.

Also, the brand's Winter Lip Balm is so lip-repairing, I keep it perched beside my floss, to apply just before I sprint out the door and brave the (now) frosty mornings. It's also serves as a great lip prep to soothe dryness before tackling a dark lipstick or stain. $3.99, also available here.

p.s. They're organic and Canadian. True story.

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Clean Sweep

With one look--aren't you instantly a little happier? The thought of one of my favourite brands expanding their impressive makeup collection into the body category was already enough to excite me, but once I got my hands on the product—I was sold. Punchy packaging aside, the lime (I'm a sucker for citrus) smelled crisp without being overly strong or sweet, wasn't cloying but lingered long enough. Products range from $2 to $6, and aside from my lime, are also available in the very fresh grapefruit, nectarine, pomegranate, marine and lemon.

But things at Joe Fresh move fast. So don't sit on this. Move now. Even a suburban trek might not guarantee you here—only time. Especially the $6 Wash & Go travel kit, which saved me in San Francisco last week. It contains a gel-based exfoliating Body Polish, a quick-drying Body Balm (love that it's not called a lotion!) and a Body Wash (all in the same scent), and are available in just-enough-to-last-a-few-weeks 50 ml sizes. It's just the thing to active your Christmas shopping (it has to start sometime). Brilliant stocking stuffer idea. Available in 400 stores across Canada. Check out Joe's website for store locations.

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San Fran Nail Bar #FAIL

Stumbling upon a hidden gem is fantastic--but I'm often weary of my own assessment skills and instead seek out places with referrals instead, especially in unfamiliar territory. Current case study: La Creme Spa in San Francisco--I was so enamoured with the thought of a getting a manicure in a place that looked like the apartment of my dreams until I heard otherwise from a makeup artist at Shu Uemura. She shook her head in a polite-but-clear way, saying, "It's nice, but..." and loaded me with information about Lavande Nail Spa in Nob Hill (a few hops and skips from Shu). She lead with their Chanel and YSL inventory, told me they were faster, nicer, more comfortable and efficient than La Creme, and wrapped with their policy regarding chips: if you got any within the week, they would start from scratch, au gratis. It's my go-to place, she says. So I was sold.

But when I walked into Lavande, Chanel was nowhere to be found. I was told there was one lone bottle and it was somewhere in the salon. As for YSL? It didn't exist. Deborah Lippman shade were in the house, but in near-empty bottles, in a very un-thrilling rainbow of shades. The Essie shades were predominately pink (with NO fall colours like Chinchilly or Angora Cardi), and the OPI shades, while plentiful, were filled with multiples and too many were from the shimmery side of the street. My heart was a-sinkin.'

The manicure and pedicure were fine--nice touches included the comfy banquette benches, brown sugar foot scrub and a leg massage with a deliciously-smelling warmed honey lotion--but all happened so fast I barely had time to savour. The application was also rushed--I ended up with streaks and varying opacity levels--so not kosher with Essie Sole Mate.

Wonder if it would have been worth it to trust my gut and zone out under a white chandelier in instead of analyzing the messy stacks of cardboard boxes and discounted shoes (and candles, incense, clothing)? Can't argue with the rock-bottom pricing though: $35 U.S. for a manicure and pedicure.

Image courtesy Lavande Nail Spa.

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Dream Crème

Since hand creams aren't on my must-have product list (the drying time kills me, I wash it off within a minutes of application), I'm not too picky with the category--as long as the scent isn't wildly offensive and if it happens to appear housed in a collapsible aluminum tube, then I'll bevy up to that bar with open arms. I came across this Denver-based Love + Toast brand at Urban Outfitters in San Francisco last week, and adorable packaging aside, I was quite smitten with the lightweight texture, tiny tube (1.25 oz---like I need another boulder in my bag) and the quirky flavour names--Gin Blossom, Honey Coconut, Sugar Grapefruit and the most peculiar, Paper Flower. And judging by the above image (and an employee who confirmed) Honey Coconut is flying off the shelves. They're all paraben-free--fantastic if you're actually keeping it on your hands for more than five seconds. Love + Toast hand creme, $10, at Urban Outfitters.

p.s. If you think the hand cream packaging is pretty, you will die over the lip balm. D I E.

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