Age Spots Be Gone

We're fine with ageing when it comes to gaining more knowledge, skills and experience, but most of us  tend to want to stop the clock when it comes to the physical changes that go with getting older. Dark spots on the face are namely one sign of ageing we could do without. We recently tried the new Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Treatment Mask and were impressed with the results. The soft facial tissue mask has been soaked in moisturizing serum along with gentle and radiance-boosting actives, so all we had to do is apply the mask on our face, leave it on for 10 minutes and voila! Dark spots were visibly reduced and our skin looked radiant, smooth, and felt moisturized.  The final verdict? This mask is a great, inexpensive and non-invasive method to treat those pesky spots and keep your skin glowing and healthy-looking. 

$15.97 (6 sachets) at walmart.ca; also available at major pharmacies and mass merchandise retailers

(Click here for a coupon for $3 off)

Rockin' that Flushed Look

Of course the quality of the ingredients that goes into the makeup is important, but we love pretty packaging, too. Benefit Cosmetics is definitely the best of both worlds with their high quality products and ever-ingenious, signature quirky packaging design. Our latest have from the San Francisco-based cosmetics company is the new Rockateur, a rose gold cheek powder complete with its own angled application blush, all housed in a lovely, luxe gold box. A couple of quick sweeps of this soft yet sexy powder across the cheeks is all that's needed for a beautiful glow.

$36 at sephora.ca

Eye Candy

We love enhancing our eyes with liners and eyeshadows, but we're not particularly pleased when there's residual make-up left around our pupils after we think we've removed it all. Enter MAKE UP FOR EVER SENS'EYES Waterproof Sensitive Eye Cleanser, our new fave for soothing, optimal eye makeup removal. The mineral oil-free gel is incredibly gentle, and leaving our eyelids feeling moisturized - even waterproof mascara is no match for this cleanser. Bonus: the lightweight cleanser is gentle enough to use for removing lipstick, too.

 $11 (30 ml), $28 (100 ml) at sephora.ca

Supernaturally Sexy

Halloween's just around the corner — time to get into the supernatural spirit! We're loving the OPI So So Skullicious Mini Lacquer Set that's made up of four mini lacquers in bold shades. The vivid colours included in the pack are "Hi, Pumpkin!" (jack-o-lantern orange), "A-Rose from the Dead" (hot pink), "Mourning Glory" (black), and "Candlelight" (bright yellow). The set also comes with skull decals to help make our nails look extra spooky. Now we just have to find a costume that's going to look as delightfully frightful as our manicure!

$14.95 at professional salons and spas

CCG Giveaway Alert!*

Want to give your hands a spooky manicure this Halloween? Here's your chance to win one of two OPI So So Skullicious Mini Lacquer Sets!

Read more »

Hair Delight

We make every effort to incorporate eco-friendly practices into our lives, so it's only natural we'd want to give our hair a "green" clean, too. It didn't take much convincing for us to try Green Beaver Cranberry Delight Shampoo and Cranberry Delight Conditioner—they're Canadian, certified organic, and well-priced. Specially formulated for dry, damaged or colour-treated hair, this effective duo leaves our mane feeling moisturized and rejuvenated. And with Canadian cranberries, indigenous carrot and organic Prairie seed emollients as their key ingredients, the shampoo and conditioner are almost good enough to eat. 

$10.99 each at greenbeaver.com or click here for your nearest retailer

Lusciously Au Naturel

We're keeping our lips hydrated this winter with The Body Shop 100% Natural Lip Roll-On. Made from all-nautural ingredients, this lip treatment is one of our beauty staples and can always be found in our purse for our on-the-go moisturizing needs. Available in five flavours—berry, coconut, orange, mint, and our personal fave, rose.

$5 (10 ml) at thebodyshop.ca

5 Ways to Dress Like Kate

She captured the heart of Prince William and the eyes of the fashion-conscious. "Chic", "elegant" and "trendsetting" are just a few words associated with Kate Middleton's choice of wardrobe. It's no wonder the Duchess of Cambridge was named to this year's Vanity Fair International Best Dressed List.

Here's a fun way to emulate the great Kate's style—by dressing up your nails in CND colours that mimic five of the stylish dresses she wore during the Royals' Tour to Canada in July 2011.

Read more »

Handiwork Reward

After a hard day's work of tapping away at the keyboard, the sweet-smelling CND Almond Moisture Scrub is just the kind of therapy our hands have been longing for. This luxurious scrub is made of fine mineral salts, refined sugar, jojoba soft beads and sweet almond oil, leaving our hands feeling soft and deeply conditioned. Nothing like a little TLC for our phalanges!

$10.95 USD (3.4 oz); To find a retailer near you, go to cnd.com/Locate/Find-A-Store.aspx


Hey beauty lovers! Check out 5 Ways to Dress Like Kate for five fabulous nail colours that give your manicured hands the royal treatment.

True Colours

Summer may have come and gone, but it doesn't mean we have to get rid of bright and bold colours completely. The CND Primaries—Bicycle Yellow, Relay Red and Anchor Blue—are three colours we've been using to dress up our nails this fall. We especially love wearing these vibrant shades with neutral-coloured clothing so that our nails can be in the spotlight. Adding this splash of colour to our toned-down look definitely gets us in the mood for a fun-filled autumn!

$11.30 each (.33 fl oz); To find a retailer near you, go to cnd.com/Locate/Find-A-Store.aspx

Decadent Lip Trio

Lip gloss, lip pencil, and lipstick—we don't go anywhere without these three lip essentials in our cosmetic bag, and we've found ones that keep our lips supremely hydrated and provide long-lasting colour. BITE's Lip Shine, High Pigment Matte Pencil, and Luminous Crème Lipstick (pictured left to right above) each come in fabulous shades to suit any skin type. Made with organic fruit butters to soften and nourish lips, they're also completely free of yucky chemicals such as parabens, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances and dyes. Put all these elements together, and you've got great lip service!

$20 USD for Lip Shine (0.12 oz)

$24 USD for High Pigment Matte Pencil (0.09 oz)

$24 USD for Luminous Crème Lipstick (0.13 oz)

Sold separately at sephora.com

CCG Giveaway Alert!*

Want to give your lips a colour and hydration boost? Here's your chance to win one of three BITE Prize Packs!

Read more »

Butter with BITE

We recently gave BITE Superfruit Butter a try and fell in love with this luxurious lip treatment that contains concentrated whole super fruits to protect, nourish and moisturize our lips. Each fleck of colour in these butters is a whole piece of fruit, and once we applied it, our lips instantly felt smoother and softer. We like that we can even use the butter for our cuticles or just about anywhere that our skin could benefit from a hydration boost. The buttery elixir has easily become a daily part of our beauty regimen. Available in acai, blueberry, cranberry and pomegranate.

$18 USD (0.23 oz) at sephora.com

Polished Look from Head to Toe

essie braziliant Collection (from l. to r.: absolutely shore, braziliant, smooth sailing, super bossa nova, too too hot, meet me at sunset)

The hot and sunny days are here, and that means getting fun and flirty with our colour choices for clothes, shoes, and of course, with our nail polish! We've been sporting the beach look lately on our fingers and toes with the essie braziliant Collection, a gorgeous set of six bright and summery shades. What we love about essie nail polish is that they hold up against potential nail-polish-chipping situations like tapping away at our keyboards and smartphones or our regular kitchen duties of cooking and washing up. We head off to work every day with beautifully manicured nails and can be confident that we literally look polished from head to toe. Now that's what we call brilliant!

$8 each at Shoppers Drug Mart and beauty salons

CCG Giveaway Alert!

Want to win the essie braziliant Collection? Click on through for your chance!

Read more »

Countryside Charm

Applying the Bath & Body Works Country Chic Body Lotion on after a relaxingly, warm shower instantly makes us feel energized and invigorated. Country Chic is the newest scent from the Bath & Body Works Signature Collection line and it's available in every kind of format from a shower gel and body cream to an eau de toilette and fragrance mist. Described as "an effortlessly sexy blend of sparkling lemon, bright wildflowers and springwoods, inspired by the fresh air of the country", this crisp scent of the natural environment is ideal for the gal who loves to be reminded of the outdoors even when she's cooped up in an office building.

$11 for Body Lotion (237 ml / 8 fl oz); Items in the collection range from $8 to $34.50 at Bath & Body Works

(Click here to find your nearest store location in Canada)

Timeless Beauty Technique

We're all for hot summer days, but we certainly aren't thrilled about having oily skin due to perspiring under the blistering sun. We recently discovered Aburatorigami by Tatcha, and have fallen in love with these Japanese blotting papers that geisha have used since the 1800s to keep their porcelain skin looking flawless. With just a few gentle pats, these all-natural leaflets absorb and remove any excess oil from the skin. The leaflets are powder free, fragrance free, and suitable for all skin types. Keep a packet of these stowed in your purse, and you're guaranteed to have the freshest-looking face around.

$12 USD at natureofbeauty.com

Totally in Control

What gal likes having to deal with frizzy or static hair? Yes, just what we thought--none of us! We discovered the Cutler Fly-Away Control Stick, and it's just what every gal needs to keep frizzy strands at bay. This ultra-handy hair care product is made with a combination of shea butter and essential oils such as coconut, pistachio, castor, and sunflower seed which help to condition the hair as well as add gorgeous shine to it. The stick is also small enough to carry in our purse so that we're ready to combat static-y hair on the fly. Very cool!

$23 USD (50 ml / 1.7 oz) at beautyintuition.com

Luxurious Lather

Taking a shower is one of the small pleasures in our daily lives that some of us may take for granted. Those precious minutes in the bathroom is a time to shut yourself from the outside world and simply indulge in a peaceful and relaxing moment. We recently discovered the Pacifica Natural Soap collection, and we could hardly wait to start lathering ourselves in these heavenly scents. These paraben-free vegetable soaps are handmade, blending Pacifica's signature perfumes with essential and natural oils. There are over 20 different scented soaps to choose from including three of our personal favourites--the fragrant Waikiki Pikake, the tropical Brazilian Mango Grapefruit, and the invigorating Lotus Garden. No matter which scent suits your fancy, we're quite sure shower time is about to get a lot more luxurious.

$5 USD (6 oz. bar) at pacificaperfume.com

Comfortable in Our Own Skin

The winter days that expose our skin to harsh weather elements are behind us (for now!), but it's still important to keep our skin moisturized in the warmer months--especially since we'll soon be showing off our tans! Part of our year-round daily beauty regimen is applying Curel® Continuous Comfort Fragrance-Free Lotion to ensure our skin stays soft and silky smooth no matter the season. We just lather on this luxurious lotion, slip into a short sleeve top, flowy skirt and our favourite pair of sandals and we're ready to soak in the sunshine. Our tanned skin will certainly feel as good as it looks!

$11.99 for 380 mL; $3.49 for 100 mL at Shoppers Drug Mart & other major drug stores

Shake it, Sister!

We've mentioned before how important it is for our hair to look its best at all times. Our latest find for keeping our hair in tip-top shape is the Open Sundaes Fresh Shake Hair Powder. We just shake some of the powder into our roots, and work it through to give our tresses a refreshed look, feel and fragrance. Three yummy scents available: chocolate (for brunettes), lemon (for blondes), and strawberry (for red heads). Our hair feels, and smells, utterly fabulous!

$12.95 each (100 g / 3.5 oz) at opensundaes.com