Winter most wanted beauty

Vibrating foundation, bath-oil with free-floating fruit and lipgloss encased in festive spheres.

Fashion loves

Linden Leaves In Love Again Aromatherapy Synergy Body Oil ($40, lindenleaves.ca). It’s meant to soften skin post-shower, but we’re mainly entranced by its free-floating strawberries and slices of peach.

By Lesa Hannah

Photography by Carlo Mendoza

First published in FASHION Magazine December 2009

Winter most wanted beauty

Vibrating foundation, bath-oil with free-floating fruit and lipgloss encased in festive spheres.

Japanese designer Tsumori Chisato has infused the cosmic inspiration from her fall collection into Shu Uemura’s holiday makeup line. And while we’re not quite sure about cats in space, we can’t resist the feline silhouette on the Tsumori Chisato for Shu Uemura Duo Color Highlighter ($65, at select Holt Renfrew stores).

By Lesa Hannah

Photography by Carlo Mendoza

First published in FASHION Magazine

December 2009

The uninhibited spa: Goa, India

Ayurvedic massage, decadent body oils and exotic aromas.
By Carly Milne

The Spa at The Leela Kempinski hotel, Goa, India, theleela.com/hotel-goa.html.
Situated on 75 acres of land, The Spa at the Leela Kempinski Goa is the perfect seaside getaway. With an open-air lobby, a carved stone embellishment and a majestic statue of Shiva at the end of a seemingly endless hallway, the spa exudes tranquility. On the grounds, there are fruit plantations and a spice farm, and daily yoga and meditation classes promote health and wellness. While the spa offers typical Western services in its eight treatment rooms, it specializes in traditional Indian treatments. After stripping down for my Ayurvedic massage, I don my cloth robe and select a soundtrack of serene chanting. As the massage begins, warm oil is poured onto my head and then slathered all over my naked torso—which is not covered by a towel or sheet. This is not a treatment for the bashful spa-goer. Putting my inhibitions aside, I get into the zone and let go. It’s well worth it—the end result is soft, supple, glowing skin. In your own backyard:
Vida Spa, The Sutton Place Hotel, 845 Burrard St., Vancouver, 604-682-8410, vidawellness.com. For Vida’s 90-minute Ayurvedic Shirodhara treatment ($190), custom-blended oil is heated and poured over your naked body from head to toe (albeit under a sheet), following an all-over body massage. —Adriana Ermter
Find out how to get this spa experience at home.

Spa DIY: The thermal spa experience

Light Lothantique Les Vacances au Thoron candles ($32 each, lothantique.ca) in “Forest,” “Wood” and “Earth” to experience a lush, calming aroma.

By Adriana Ermter

Photography by Carlo Mendoza

First published in FASHION Magazine November 2009

Spa DIY: The thermal spa experience

Shower with Ahava Mineral Botanic Micro-Peeling Cream Wash in “Water Lily & Guarana” or Mineral Botanic Velvet Cream Wash ($23 each, both at select Bay stores) in “Hibiscus & Fig.” Both combine Dead Sea minerals and botanical extracts to soothe, tone and hydrate skin.

By Adriana Ermter

Photography by Carlo Mendoza

First published in FASHION Magazine November 2009

Spa DIY: The thermal spa experience

A capful of Biotherm Relaxing Milk Bath ($35, at drugstores) turns your bathtub into a milky, skin-softening retreat.

By Adriana Ermter

Photography by Carlo Mendoza

First published in FASHION Magazine November 2009

Joe Fresh Style

Using a picture from Lanvin Fall 2009 as a reference (!), Maleterre created natural, fresh skin. Lids were lightly swept with Wear Infinité Eye Shadow in “Seashell” and a coat of Bare Naturale Mascara. Using his fingers, Maleterre dabbed Colour Riche Lipstick in “British Red”—meant to match the bit of red used in the collection—onto lips to create a stain and keep it from being too bright and glam. Meanwhile, Del Monaco created “very simple, clean hair” first spritzing manes with Elnett Hairspray (finally coming to Canada this fall) and then smoothing them back with a paddle brush into a high, twisted knot. The visible ends were flat-ironed to make them look “healthy” and Studio Line Mineral FX Modeling Gel-Cream was used to slightly rough up the crown area “so that it doesn’t look too tight.”

The Body Glossary: Cellulite

The ingedients you need to address this body issue.
By Liza Finlay

The dimpled skin seen on most—OK, almost all—women, whatever their weight, results when the bands of connective tissue binding fat cells to skin cells weaken and sway, squeezing fat cells and trapping toxins. So even when you lose weight, you won’t lose the pesky fat cells imprisoned in the rubble of fallen connective tissues. “We believe estrogen plays a key part in cellulite because only women get it, but we don’t yet know how or why,” says Oakville, Ontario-based dermatologist Dr. Sheetal Sapra. “Cellulite is caused by the deterioration of connective tissue, causing it to collapse on fat and cellular debris.”
The degree of cellulite you are cursed with depends largely on the genetics that dictate hormone levels. But take heart: Some doctors believe cellulite fulfills a higher, nobler biological purpose. According to Olay dermatologist Dr. Kucy Pon, “The body stores fat [in the form of cellulite] in certain areas in a woman’s body to ensure there are enough calories available for future pregnancy and lactation.” Small comfort.
The most effective combatants are those that free imprisoned fat cells and toxins, escorting them into the bloodstream and out of the body. “Ideally, you want a two-fold action: You want the fat cells trapped in the skin to be dislodged, and you want to promote circulation in the area so they are flushed out,” says Sapra.
Caffeine: A chemical found in coffee, caffeine is a stimulant that puts fat cells on an intense cardio program. “It’s as if the fat cell is put on a treadmill, where it is forced to burn energy until, ultimately, it’s burned up,” says Leanne McCliskie, education manager at the International Dermal Institute. But before you pour yourself another cuppa, consider that caffeine applied topically has a stimulating effect on a localized area (which you want), while the java you drink by the mugful prompts the entire circulatory system to use and store fat and can actually promote the creation of more toxins (which you don’t want).Where to get it: L’Oréal Sublime Slim Patch ($25, at drugstores), Yves Rocher Spa Energie Vegetale Massaging Body Refiner ($36, yvesrocher.ca), Galénic Elancyl Shaping Smoothing Specific Flat Stomach ($40, at drugstores), Vichy Lipocure Anti-Dimpling Decongesting Serum ($48, at drugstores) and Yves Saint Laurent Profil Minceur Non-stop Release Contouring Gel ($78, at Holt Renfrew).
Algae (and seaweed): Thought to encourage the movement of fluids surrounding the cells, algae (or kelp, plankton and marine extracts) are touted for increasing lymphatic drainage. The Liquid-Plumr of the circulatory system, they are said to flush out fat cells and toxins stuck in the pipes. "Because our bodies are made up of so much water, algae are readily absorbed," says McCliskie. "That's why marine extracts are so effective at promoting detoxification." Where to get it:Dove Intensive Firming Cream ($13, at drugstores), Lubriderm Skin Nourishing Revitalizing Moisture ($9, at drugstores) and La Mer The Body Serum ($205, at Holt Renfrew).

Shades of red: The success of M.A.C

How many lipsticks does it take to fight AIDS?

You wouldn’t think a tube of lipstick could help fight HIV/AIDS, but since 1994 M.A.C has proven that statement true. Not just because it has generated over US$100 million through sales of its Viva Glam Lipstick (six shades) and Lipglass (two shades), or because every single cent from each product sold is donated, or even because of its lippy roster of celebrity spokespeople, such as Linda Evangelista, Christina Aguilera, Pamela Anderson, Debbie Harry and, now, Fergie. Nope. According to beauty guru Allan Mottus, M.A.C is a success story because its counter sales staff is good at making people care.
“Women do not become candy stripers or help out in hospitals or anything like that anymore. They have a luncheon,” explains Mottus, editor and publisher of U.S. cosmetics trade magazine The Informationist and mottusbeauty.com. Women are also buying Viva Glam from M.A.C’s makeup artists. “The M.A.C beauty advisors are really loyal to the concept. It’s part of their awareness within their own community, and they work really hard at it,” says Mottus. Hard enough to sell 7.1 million tubes of lipstick and lipgloss in 14 years, that’s for sure. (Each tube costs $17, so you do the math!) “It has become an institutionalized thing [M.A.C staff promoting Viva Glam] within their organization, and they’re doing a very good job.”

Youth Dew

Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps has been a classic French scent since it launched in 1948. But while iconic scents will forever hold their own, there’s always a new generation to entice. After reviewing 70 scents offered from various perfumers, the company settled on a floral gourmand with candied apple as the heart note, complemented by lemon and peony (which give the perfume class, according to global marketing director Marjerie Barbes-Petit), and simply called it Nina by Nina Ricci (from $62, at department stores).

This new fragrance will be the (candied) apple of your eye.
By Lesa Hannah
Photography by Carlo Mendoza.

Lip Service

I am being wooed by an unlikely suitor.
In a black lacquered case that opens with a delicate grosgrain ribbon, my Givenchy Rouge Interdit lipstick calls out from my handbag, persuading me to bring it out for display and reapply my raspberry red colour in full view of everyone.
Let me state something for the record: Proudly preening with a lipstick has never been my style, especially at a crowded restaurant. I’m a dedicated “glosser,” set in my quick, one-slick applicator ways. Call me lazy, but the ease and simplicity of gloss, not to mention my love of the pale neutral lip, has kept me hooked. Until now.
This is an object far too gorgeous to keep hidden away. It actually makes one of my girlfriends gasp when I pull the ribbon tag to reveal the silver metal tube embossed with Givenchy’s quadruple set of Gs.
Designers Lucy Nunn and Tobie Snowdowne, two former Central Saint Martins students, wanted to create a bullet that would be seen as an exclusive haute couture accessory. “A luxury object is something that makes you feel unique when you use it,” said Nunn in a prepared release. “We designed Rouge Interdit in this spirit while thinking of the precise gestures of a woman who takes pleasure in opening her lipstick each time she uses it.”
Pleasure indeed. And that’s before you even get to the colour.
Givenchy is just one of the many beauty brands leading the way with full-scale lipstick overhauls. Boasting opulent designs and full-bodied colour, these lipsticks would be more at home in an art gallery than a cosmetics counter. Take Yves Saint Laurent’s Lip Twins ($38, at Holt Renfrew) as an example. A shiny gold cylinder, it looks like an oversized trinket from a charm bracelet. The case pivots to reveal two hidden lip colours, topped with a monogrammed lid that doubles as a lip brush. This is as close to being a Bond girl as I will ever get.
Chanel branded its name in block capitals onto the bullet of Rouge Allure Luminous Satin Lipstick ($35, at department stores), which was inspired by the design of Mies van der Rohe skyscrapers. The particular appeal of this packaging porn is the delight of opening it: A spring-loaded ballpoint mechanism with a lovely soft-click touch glides the lipstick applicator out.
Beauty’s rekindled love affair with lipstick comes from the place where most bona fide trends are born: the catwalk. Reds saturated with pigment were everywhere in the Fall 2007 shows: Gucci’s perfectly lined ruby red lips were an homage to starlet Veronica Lake, and Valentino also riffed on the glamour of a ’40s femme fatale with a flawless brick red. There were four-alarm scarlet mouths at Roberto Cavalli and Peter Som, and at Proenza Schouler, models received a triple layer of crimson coating.
“Red is the perfect classic shade for lips right now,” says Melissa Gibson, a senior artist at M.A.C who loves the colour movement for lips this season, which she sees as a strong and confident statement to make. “But there has also been a real resurgence of bold, fluorescent colours in fashion, which are now playing out on the lips in bright pinks and oranges.”
The electric pink lipstick that Diane von Furstenberg’s models wore was breathtaking, and I love the idea of a strong, daring and iconic red on the runway—but in the real world, I’m not entirely sold on my ability to wear a tangerine mouth anywhere. This trend is pigment overdrive, no compromise.
Going this bold makes lips the star of the show, and it will take some getting used to.
“Beauty was all about the eyes for a really long time, but a strong mouth is sensual. It’s sexy,” says Diana Carreiro, a Toronto makeup artist. I’m the long-standing queen of the smoky eye and pale lip, and the idea of starting my makeup look with lips is a completely new one. But Carreiro is firm: “The main beauty message now is about the mouth.”
I change my routine and begin doing my cheeks and lips first—after a base of foundation, but before any eye makeup. This seems to me the equivalent of eating dessert before dinner, or putting heels on before I get dressed. It’s not only sexier but also a smarter way to do your face—you’re much less likely to overdo your eye makeup when you’ve got a vibrant, polished mouth already.
Unlike the effortless application of gloss, it takes a whole world of time and precision to get a perfect red pout. A lip brush is essential (mine had to be dug out of a dusty corner of my makeup bag) because you need a delicate, patient hand to apply. I put my lippy on first, then follow with liner to lock in the line and curve of my mouth.
The lipstick revival is high on the hip list for celebrities, too. In fact, channelling the look of the ’40s has largely created the images of red lipstick divas like Gwen Stefani, Dita Von Teese and Scarlett Johansson. Christina Aguilera’s recent adoption of the retro style, complete with soft, wavy hair and kitten eyes, has done wonders for her reputation—she went from trashy to classy in one fell swoop of a lipstick.
Even the celebs known for a more natural, earthy look are wearing strong colours both on and off the red carpet. Celebrity gossip guru Elaine Lui of laineygossip.com and eTalk weighs in. “Drew Barrymore looks amazing with crimson lips,” she writes in an e-mail from the Cannes Film Festival. “Lately, her best friend Cameron Diaz has been rockin’ the deep plum. And surprisingly, Penélope Cruz can totally take it dramatic when she paints it red.”
“We’ve come full circle,” says Gibson. “Not just with colour and the influence of the 1940s, but with the application of lipstick, too. We’re moving away from how easy gloss is to use and going back to the days when women used to pull their compacts out and apply their makeup in public.”
Considering that most women—myself included—are so busy that they have schedules for their schedules, slowing down long enough to create a made-up mouth is not exactly an easy sell, but Gibson says it’s worth it. “If you spend the time to go all out with the full process of moisturizing your lips and applying lipstick, liner and a dab of gloss, it will last much, much longer than gloss on its own. And spending that time will make you feel fantastic.”
This is far and away the best reason to return to this iconic beauty staple: the way lipstick makes you feel. Not to get all daytime telly or anything, but I’m amazed at how easily transformed I feel when I put on a bold red. With the sweep of a lip brush, I become a more confident, powerful and—look out, world—sexier version of myself.
Compared to the stickier, heavy sensation of gloss, a well-applied layer of lippy feels featherlight—ironic, considering the effort it takes to apply. And therein lies the magnificence of this revival: the heightened sensuality. I am constantly aware of my mouth. The rich, velvet texture, the non-stop touch-ups, the reaction of those around me—all are responsible for my new love affair with lipstick.
It’s official. I have joined the dark (red) side.

Lipstick, the iconic pigmented bullet, is back. Can you handle giving up your gloss for the season’s deep, dark red?
By Vanessa Craft
Photography by Ronit Novak

MAKEOVER

Use a light touch“Many women assume they need more makeup as they get older, but the less you put on the better you look,” says Poppy King, creator of Lipstick Queen. Adds makeup artist Petra Strand, “I’d ban heavy base on anyone older than 25.” Try a tinted moisturizer instead.
Embrace creamy textures“Stay away from too much powder—it can accentuate wrinkles,” says Olivia Chantecaille, creative director of the Chantecaille beauty line. Cream eye shadow and blush formulas are “more flattering on mature skin,” according to makeup artist Jemma Kidd.
Brighten up“Stop wearing browns; they’re doing nothing for you,” makeup artist Michael Marcus says. “A pop of color takes years off,” adds Sara Strand, of Pop Beauty, who suggests pink for cheeks and lavender or olive-gold for eyes.
Bonus: Look great all over Women older than 30 do go sleeveless—and look darn good. (See Michelle Obama for proof.) To make sure your skin looks as great as your triceps, swap your regular body lotion for one with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), which gently exfoliate to reveal smoother skin. Try Dove Pro-Age Beauty Body Lotion

Look Younger With These Hair And Makeup Secrets

Once upon a time, there were beauty rules you were supposed to follow when you hit a certain age. But, like perms and frosted lipstick, those guidelines no longer apply. To find the freshest antiaging tricks, Health polled 140 experts for their best advice.
Sure, we heard fundamental tips like “Wear sunscreen!” again and again, but we also picked up some unexpected strategies. ReWarm up your hair color“Ashy tones are your biggest enemy as you get older,” says George Papanikolas, a colorist who works with actress Rachel McAdams. “Women tend to add pale highlights and go blonder to camouflage gray, but they end up looking washed out and older.”
If you don’t need to hide gray, try a few warm highlights around your face. “Blondes should go more golden; brunettes should try warm, caramel tones,” colorist Robert Ramos says. For more gray coverage, use a permanent dye in a warm color one or two shades lighter than your natural pregray shade.
Avoid the mom cut“Age shouldn’t influence hair length,” notes Mark Townsend, a Matrix celebrity stylist and Reese Witherspoon’s go-to hair guy. So no need to go short at a certain age. In fact, the mom cut—ear-length, overly layered (think Hillary Clinton or Suze Orman)—adds years, according to the stylists we polled.
“Don’t get stuck in no-man’s land. Hair that’s an awkward length without a discernible style is very unflattering,” says Ryan Cotton, a stylist at New York City’s Serge Normant at John Frieda Salon. He suggests an easy-to-style cropped cut (Halle Berry), a bob that’s at least chin-length (Katie Holmes), or longer hair with layers (Julianne Moore).
Go for face framing“Styling your hair back off your face can make you look 10 years older,” Cotton says. If you have short hair, style it so it frames your face. For longer hair, bangs are the way to go, according to San Diego salon owner Jet Rhys. “They hide signs of aging and instantly give you a youthful appearance,” she says, citing Goldie Hawn as an example of someone who knows the antiaging power of fringe.ad on for nine great ones that will help you look amazing.

PINK AND BLACK AND AVRIL ALL OVER

When Avril Lavigne picks up the phone, her voice is so girlie and youthful that I’m taken aback for a second. In the seven years since she burst through with “Complicated,” the pop-punk singer has become part of the old guard—she’s practically establishment. Her lineup of accomplishments includes three albums—a fourth is coming next year—a judging gig onAmerican Idol that airs in January, and a juniors clothing line, Abbey Dawn, sold at Boathouse in Canada. And yet she just, just, turned 25.
Next on the ticket is her first fragrance, Black Star (from $39, at Shoppers Drug Mart). Lavigne wanted the scent to be “a rock ’n’ roll perfume,” and from the packaging on down it reflects her style: The box is decked out in silver studs, the star-shaped bottle is pink—like the streaks in her hair—and topped with a black cap and removable spiked metal ring.
A celebrity with a varied portfolio is no rare thing in the current era, and it would be easy to criticize Black Star as another rubber-stamped brand-building affair. But Lavigne seems genuinely engaged with her creation. Refreshingly, she doesn’t pretend to be a perfumer. There were no stories about a childhood flower garden or a lifelong interest in chypres and fougères. In fact, before P&G Prestige approached her about creating a signature scent, the singer confesses she would just wear “random, different things.”
So why create a fragrance? “It would be something new for me, and I knew it would be fun,” says Lavigne. “It was a really great experience to learn and to expand.”