Beauty Fix: Why you should try a dry conditioner, how to combat reoccurring dark spots and more

Every week our Beauty Fix columnist takes on your questions about makeup, skincare, hair and more. Have a beauty question we haven’t answered? Email us at beautyfix@fashionmagazine.com.

Can you suggest a travel-friendly foundation? I’ve had a few spills in the past that have turned me off liquid makeup altogether.
There’s nothing quite like a makeup bag covered in a coveted product to kick-start a vacation! If you’re often taking your foundation on the go, explore cream formulas that come in a compact format, like Armani Maestro Fusion Compact ($68, at Holt Renfrew). This lightweight foundation is comprised of a blend of dry oils and waxes that meld with your skin for natural, luminous finish. It can also be layered for higher coverage or concealing needs and comes with a handy brush applicator included in the compact for this very purpose. Bonus: The packaging isn’t glass, so you’re in the clear if you decide to toss it in your bag on the go, making it incredibly travel friendly.

As someone with a vibrant dye job, I depend on dry shampoo to help me skip as many washes as possible. But what can I use to smooth my dry ends?
How did we ever live in a world before dry shampoo! While it’s highly effective in helping you avoid the daily wash/blow dry cycle by targeting oily roots, it doesn’t quite cut it when it comes to helping smooth and hydrate the rest of your hair. Fortunately, dry shampoo has a counterpart: dry conditioner. While the effect isn’t quite the same as applying a deep conditioning mask or treatment to your ends, a few spritzes of Pureology Fresh Approach Dry Condition ($24, at salons) brushed through the length of your hair will smooth frizz, add shine, control static and condition ends. Even better, hair colour is protected with an antifade complex of antioxidants and minerals, helping you maintain the integrity of your hair colour.

Lip gloss often leaves me with flaky lips. What can I use for a similar look without the dryness?
While your lips certainly look the opposite of flaky when covered in a gloss, like anything you put on your lips, it’s what’s inside that counts. Newer glossy formulations have involved less stickiness and more hydrating lipid bases, like L’Oréal Color Riche Extraordinaire Lip Colour ($12, well.ca). This formula consists of oil-enriched pigments that create a much more comfortable wear on the lips, as well as intense colour and tremendous shine. With 16 shades to choose from, you’re bound to end up grabbing all your staple colours in this noteworthy formula.

What can I do about reoccurring dark spots?
Dark spots—or hyperpigmentation—have different stages of maturation. You may be used to addressing hyperpigmentation that you see on the immediate surface of your skin (dubbed the established stage) with the use of brightening skincare. However, as time passes, hyperpigmentation that was underlying (in the nascent stage) emerges, and it needs to be treated too. And, to further complicate things, uneven pigmentation can also be in a recurrent stage—which is tricky to treat with traditional products. In order to say goodbye to reoccurring dark spots, you need to target all three stages. Try La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Serum ($59, at Shoppers Drug Mart), which is ideal for daily use. This product uses lipo-hydroxy acid to break down the areas of concentrated melanin for a more even skin tone without irritating skin and works to eradicate hyperpigmentation in all its stages.

I’m noticing an area of thinning hair near the crown of my head. No amount of teasing or styling is helping me out. What can I use to keep hair from looking so sparse?
Thinning hair can be due to a number of factors, such as stress, hormones or over-processing hair, but ultimately, it’s unsettling to see hair thin out in any given area on your head. Hair is made of keratin, so using a product with keratin fibres is an excellent place to start. Toppik Hair Building Fibres ($28, at Shoppers Drug Mart) is a quick way to thicken the appearance of hair—no wait times necessary! Simply dispense the fibres onto the sparse area and pat into place: they cling to your existing hair due to a natural static charge, drastically increasing the appearance and volume of your hair. The fibres come in four shades that can be mixed in order to properly match your hair colour for the most seamless look. Bonus: this product will stay in place through perspiration, wind and rain.

Beauty Fix: Your best bet for NYE makeup, a mascara that makes a statement and more

I have mature skin and primers dry out my eyelids a little
too much. What do I do if I’m still concerned about my shadow creasing?

As we mature, concerns change from preventing oily eyelids to doing
whatever possible to keep our lids from drying out. Thankfully, not all
primers are created equal and there is indeed a way to prep your
eyelids, keep them hydrated and also tackle any fine lines that may have
formed over time. Urban Decay, a brand that’s practically synonymous with eye primers, has created Anti-aging Eyeshadow Primer Potion ($28, sephora.ca),
and it’s just what dry lids need. With continued use, the formulation
reduces signs of aging and smoothes the skin’s surface thanks to brown
algae extract that increases the skin’s hydro-lipidic barrier. At the
same time, a peptide and ceramide blend repairs age-related skin damage.
Blending a dot of this primer over your lids prior to shadow
application will have your makeup crease-free for 24 hours.


I’m not sure what direction to go in for my New Year’s Eve makeup. Any suggestions?

As far as New Year’s Eve goes, high shine is usually a safe direction to
go in with your makeup look. Opt to keep your look pared down with the
exception of one feature. Eyes are a much lower-maintenance option for a
night look, especially if you use a long-wearing shadow, such as Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadow in “Metallic Merlot” ($42, sephora.ca).
This wine-inspired shade is one of several in the range of metallic
powder shadows that are each accompanied by a teensy dropper bottle of
liquid eye primer designed to extend the wear of eyeshadow for the full
day. Apply a small amount of the primer fluid on your lids and then pat
on the metallic eyeshadow—and observe the shine amplification that takes
place when the primer and shadow formula combine! The high-wattage
light reflection is more than enough of a statement, but feel free to
add a bit of eyeliner or just pile on the mascara, and more importantly,
enjoy your night!


Clarifying shampoos make my hair feel like straw. What can I use to remove product build-up from my hair without drying it out?

Traditional clarifying shampoos are designed to remove excess build-up
that’s accumulated on hair from styling products, shampoos, conditioners
and, of course, grease that’s built up on the scalp. Traditional
formulations use soap agents to strip hair of all kinds of build-up, but
unfortunately they tend to whisk away the natural moisture in hair and
on the scalp. Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo ($56, shuuemura.ca)
is a departure from the standard clarifying shampoo formulation. The
lightweight, paraben- and silicone-free fluid uses the oil cleansing
concept to effectively clean hair without stripping it whatsoever. The
idea at play here is that the oil lathers to a foam and binds with the
grease and product residue on your hair before rinsing clean. The scalp
and hair are left soft instead of dry or tight, which is a welcomed
change from the usual post-clarifying shampoo wash.


What kind of exfoliator is safe to use on sensitive skin?

Sensitive skin is considered so because certain conditions, ingredients
or scenarios trigger it to react adversely. Physical exfoliators with
granules can agitate any skin type if the granules are too abrasive—but
they can wreak havoc on sensitive skin. An exfoliator, such as Kiehl’s Pineapple Papaya Facial Scrub ($37, kiehls.ca)
will work well on sensitive skin, thanks to the naturally occurring
bromelin and papain enzymes found in pineapple and papaya, respectively.
They work to break down dead skin cells, while sesame oil in the
formula softens and hydrates skin without being abrasive. It’s safe to
use multiple times per week on all skin types, but sensitive skin will
be particularly delighted by the gentle nature of this enzyme exfoliant
that still delivers skin-smooth results. 


I want mascara that makes a statement. What’s new and exciting?

Sleek, lacquered lashes are quite sultry in nature, and go well with
just about any makeup look. High volume never hurts either, so get both
looks down with a single product, such as Cover Girl Bombshell Volume by LashBlast Mascara ($12, at drugstores).
This two-step system isn’t quite the primer and mascara duo we’ve come
to know in a double-ended tube. The first step is a volumizing coat that
really does amp lashes up using a molded wand. The second step is a
darker and inkier coat that holds your lashes’ curl, doesn’t smudge or
smear throughout the day and deepens the colour of your lashes, giving
them a satiny finish. The second coat is delivered via a traditional
bristle brush, so you have the best of both brush types in one tube,
giving you options to use each step together or separately to customize
your lash look. Either way, your lashes will be sure to grab attention!