My Favourite things: beauty products

For the second edition of my favourite things, I've decided to write about a topic I'm quite passionate about: beauty products. Part of my inspiration for this post comes from Into the Gloss, a beauty blog I've been obsessed with as of late. Bloggeuse Emily Weiss takes readers inside the beauty closets of models, fashion designers, editors, publicists, actors etc. who willingly reveal their grooming routines, beauty secrets and tips. Since I can remember, I've loved rummaging around my friends' makeup bags and beauty product drawers and I can't get enough of "what's in their makeup bag" magazine features. I guess that makes me a beauty voyeur? You can also call me a product junkie, although it's not so much that I like wearing lots of makeup (I don't!) or that I like using a plethora of creams, oils, hair gunk etc. On the contrary, I'm actually the type of product junkie that researches and buys a lot of beauty items in search of that one stand-out item purchase will make my primping routine that much simpler. You might then say I'm a high maintenance gal desperately seeking to be low maintenance, or medium maintenance at the very least (let's be realistic here).

I have tried so many different products over the years that my hope is you can benefit from my experiences (there have been many) and perhaps some of my favourite things will become yours too. After all, most of the products we use are a result of positive reviews from our friends, relatives, estheticians and publications we trust. Rest assured I have no endorsement deals (it sucks I know), so everything I write is the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God. I wish I was like Oprah and could give all this stuff away, but alas...

Here are 10 of my favs, I have many, many, many more: 

1. Clinique Acne Solutions Spot Treatment Gel $14.50 U.S.
I have been a devotee of this pimple gel with salicylic acid for several years now, and I know I can count on it to banish the most unsightly of spots without over-drying my already very dry skin. It also goes on invisible so no one but you has to know.

2. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 $42 U.S.
Available in regular, oil-free and illuminating, this tinted moisturizer has somewhat of a cult following and it's no surprise because it's just that great. I'm seriously addicted to the regular version (that dry skin again) because it covers exactly what needs to be covered, yet looks completely natural and gives my pale skin a subtle glow so as not to frighten poor passerbys. And how great is it that it has SPF 20?! FYI: I apply it over my Cetaphil moisturizer, but some people find they don't need to moisturize first.

3. Laura Mercier Secret Concealer $22 U.S.
I'm either belligerently drunk or at the gym if you catch me without any under-eye concealer on. The creamy texture of this particular beauty-savior means it's both thick enough to cover my dark circles and easy to blend in.

4. Aveda Phomollient Styling Foam with honey $16 U.S.
If like me you have fine hair, you've probably bought your fair share of volumizers that don't deliver on their promise and make hair look flat. Aveda's Phomollient Styling Foam, however, is so lightweight it provides that ellusive boost and shine we're all craving. Plus, since all the brand's products are made using pure flower and plant essences – it smells like nature and not like your grandmother's toxic hairspray.

5. Bliss Lemon+Sage Body Butter Lite $29 U.S.
While I like a hint of fragrance on other people, I have yet to find a perfume whose smell I don't abhor on my body. Go figure, right? Though I've always been drawn to citrusy aromas, never has my nose been as happy as when it caught a whiff of Bliss's signature lemon+sage scent. I quickly snapped up the body lotion, albeit the "lite" version since the classic is too rich for me, and a beautiful and yummy smelling relationship was born.

6. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser + Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion 
When I was under a lot of stress last year, my skin did not handle it well. At the time, I was using a high-end moisturizer and cleanser but my dermatologist told me to go back to my Cetaphil routine. Despite the Cetaphil cleaner and moisturizer smelling nowhere near as good as the products I was using then, or making my face feel as tingly– they helped get my skin back in order. In my humble opinion, for dry and sensitive skin like mine, Cetaphil is unbeatable.

7. Calendula Oil around $10 for small bottle
After I squeeze a zit (bad Val, bad), I get a lovely little scar that likes to linger, leaving faint reminders of what once was. Or sometimes, when I'm really lucky, I get random red splotches on my face. Nice.  Upon my mother's suggestion, I purchased a small bottle of Calendula oil at the health food store and dabbed some on my red marks. Calendula is a flower that's said to have many medicinal properties, including the use of its oil to sooth skin inflammations. By morning, I could see a visible difference and I liked the thought of putting something so natural on my face. In fact, Kiel's makes a Calendula Herbal Extract Alcohol-Free Toner I've been meaning to try.

8. Nars The Multiple in Riviera $46 U.S. 
When I'm craving that dewy summer look, all I have to do is rub a little Nars The Multiple on my cheeks and voila  – I'm magically luminous. I like to use the pinky "Riviera" shade as a blush, but this product comes in 13 other shades and can be used on eyes, lips and the body as well. It's ideal for travel as it unlike powder, it won't crack, and it simplifies any beauty routine by not requiring a brush.

9. Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour $24 U.S. 
A new product from one of my favourite makeup brands, the Caviar Stick comes in 12 colours and makes an ideal eye-liner and shadow. I applied some of the creamy, easy to blend stick in "Steel" (a charcoal) on my entire lid, rubbed it in and added a little black eyeliner and mascara to create a smoky- eye look that normally takes me twice as long.

10. Aveda Damage Remedy Intensive Restructuring Treatment $29 U.S.
When an innocent appointment for a wash-out gloss suddenly turned into an unsightly permanent dye job that turned into numerous attempts to hit edit undo – my hair was in a state of emergency. Dry, and lacking its usual luster, my hairdresser suggested an Aveda treatment with quinoa protein. It took only several times of leaving it in my hair for approximately five minutes for me to see my hair CPR was working. I now use it once a week for maintenance.

5 more favourites: Clean & Clear Oil-Absorbing Sheets, St. Ives Gentle Exfoliating Apricot Scrub, Chanel Imitable Intense Mascara in "Black", Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in "Cambon" and Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara.