The Beauty Products We’re Loving This Month

FASHION‘s beauty team is made up of Beauty Director Lesa Hannah, Associate Beauty Editor Suzie Michael, and Beauty Writer Madelyn Chung. Each month, they’ll be discussing their favourite new products (whether they’re new-new or just new to them).

Christophe Robin shampoos

LH: Ever since trying cleansing cream (shoutout to Hairstory) a few years ago and being pleasantly surprised by the way my hair felt (not heavy), I’ve been curious about alternative forms of shampoo. A few weeks ago I tried Christophe Robin’s Hydrating Shampoo Bar with Aloe Vera. You just rub the bar right at your scalp and a generous froth emerges. Then I got my hands on his Cleansing Volumizing Paste when he made a quick stop in Toronto recently and I was eager to try the brown sludge that smells like roses. Again, a dollop onto the crown morphed into a cloud of suds and was easy to rinse.

NYX Lid Lingerie Eye Tints SM: These have become must-haves for me. I don’t usually wear eyeshadow, but I’ve fallen in love with two of the more neutral shades: Rose Pearl (a rose gold) and Nude To Me (a dark gold). They sound intense for everyday wear, but they’re not at all. They have no sparkle in them, and instead are an almost-matte metallic that catch the light beautifully. I have really intense dark circles under my eyes (half genetics and half insomnia) and I feel like dabbing these cream shadows on my eyelids just brightens up the whole area and makes me look more awake. Plus they’re easy to mix for a custom shade. Oh and there are 12 shades and they’re $9 each. So there’s that, too.

St. Tropez Self Tan Express Face Sheet Mask

MC: I’ve never really fond of using self-tanner on my face. Mousses and lotions just feel icky to me, and serums and overnight masks interrupt my regular skincare routine. However, during the Toronto International Film Festival, I had the chance to get a tan from the self-tanning guru, herself, Sophie Evans (a.k.a. St. Tropez Tan’s skin-finishing expert), who introduced me to the St. Tropez Self Tan Express Face Sheet Mask ($10), the first-ever self-tanning sheet mask. Considering I’m not a huge fan of sheet masks (the last one I used literally slid off my face onto my bathroom floor), I was a bit skeptical, but after seeing it in action, I’ve become a huge convert. The natural tan it gave my face after only five minutes was incredible. I bought one a few weeks later and put it on for 10 minutes before going to a wedding and my tan lasted for at least five days.

The great thing about it is you really don’t need to leave it on for too long, unlike self-tanning products, which need to be left on for hours in order to fully develop (mousses, as much as I love them, are not comfortable to sit in for eight hours, especially when they stain your clothes). Leave this sheet mask on for five minutes and you’ll get a light glow, 10 minutes a medium tan and 15 minutes a deep, natural tan. After you’re done, simply massage the product in, and go on with applying your regular products from your routine, including makeup. Yes, it will take some time for the product to develop, but honestly, it feels like there’s nothing additional added to your skin. It’s seriously a game-changer, guys!