Top 12 Beauty Products to Try This Summer

Summer is here, and now is the perfect time to experiment with some incredibly fun beauty and skin care products

Summer is here, and now is the perfect time to experiment with some incredibly fun beauty and skin care products

We’re all ready for a change, if not a complete metamorphosis, so play around with these fantastic items and change up your look this summer…

1. Cheekslime Lip and Cheek Tint by Freck, $29

(Faux) freckle expert Freck has recently introduced three new shades to their Cheekslime lineup. The “slime” comes from liquid plant collagen, which helps keep application smooth and hydrated. Jam Sesh (deep berry), Fever Dream (electric coral) and Orange Wine (dusty orange) are each fun and vibrant on their own, but also mix beautifully to create multitudes of shades from fuchsia (Jam Sesh and Fever Dream) to soft coral (Fever Dream and Orange Wine) to cinnamon (Jam Sesh and Orange Wine). These are incredibly pigmented so start off with a dot of product and blend quickly, working with a little bit at a time, one area at a time. Fingers work, but a brush is better.
Available online

2. Supermodel Brows by Charlotte Tilbury, from $30

From decades working with supermodels, Charlotte Tilbury has long been obsessed with the power of brows. She’s now developed a three-step system so we can all ‘fill, feather and fix’ our own arches to model perfection.

Step 1: Fill your brows with Brow Cheat, a precision pencil that allows you to draw lines that mimic natural brow hairs. If you have thin, sparse or unruly brow hairs, this will give you the shape you’re craving for. Brow Cheat is is refillable, waterproof, sweat-proof and smudge-proof. (If you’re a fan of her earlier brow pencil, Brow Lift, it’s still available with extended shades now.)

Step 2: Feather brows next with Legendary Brows, a micro-precision tinted brow gel that adds texture and tint. If you have thin, sparse brows, this will add bulk to make them fuller and fluffier. The formula is long-lasting and water-resistant.

Step 3: Fix your newly shaped arches with Brow Fix, a clear brow gel that’s waterproof and sweat-proof. If you have thick, unruly, full brows, this is the invisible finish that will groom and shape your brows all day.
Available online

3. ColorBalm by Matrix Biolage, $33.25

This is a colour-depositing conditioner that comes in six fun summery shades that are vegan, paraben-free and mineral oil-free. And, yes, if you have very dark hair, there are options for you too. Shades include Red Poppy (cool red, suitable for medium to dark bases), Saffron Red (copper, suitable for warm, light brown bases), Chai Tea (iridescent, suitable for light blond bases), Cinnamon (enhances the warmth in brown bases), Earl Grey (light silver, suitable for light bases) and Lavender (violet, suitable for light bases).

This is an easy, no-commitment treatment that allows you to play with colour without damaging your hair. Simply work a generous amount to towel-dried hair after washing and leave in for five to 10 minutes before rinsing out. While it won’t cover greys, the pigments will noticeably brighten your hair and will continue to last for as long as you use the conditioner, fading gradually when you stop. It’s suitable for both colour-treated and virgin hair. As this is a colour treatment, please do a patch test before initial application and wear gloves.
Available online

4. Eaze Drops Blurring Skin Tint by Fenty, $39

This is easily the most impressive skin tint currently on the market. Unlike other tints that offer nearly imperceptible coverage, this contains enough pigment to easily even out skin tone, cancelling out redness and light blemishes. It also actually blurs the skin beautifully, giving your face a more youthful, rested appearance without having to layer on the foundation. Your skin looks like your skin. But if you did want to layer, this does build up nicely to a solid medium finish.

It comes in a small angular plastic squeeze tube (easy to hold, easy to carry). The texture is a bit thicker than what you might expect; it’s not watery, more like a thin gel-cream spreading easily and evenly, with a decidedly non-shiny finish that’s closer to a satin-matte. Available in 25 flexible shades that cover all 50 shades of the Pro Filt’r range.
Available online

5. Squalane + 10% Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum by Biossance, $52

This is a powerhouse of a serum featuring vegan squalane (the core of Biossance’s DNA), 10 percent vitamin C as well as white shitake mushroom and licorice root extracts to help reduce the dark spots caused by hyper-pigmentation (but not melasma, which is caused partly by hormonal changes). This is light, milky unscented serum in a glass bottle with pump dispenser. The serum absorbs quickly without leaving a residue and two pumps will cover face and neck nicely. This one serum accomplishes so much, and like all Biossance products is vegan, cruelty-free, housed in a fully recyclable container and comes in tree-free packaging that’s made of 100 percent sugarcane fibre.
Available online

6. Glen Cocoa Fresh Face Mask by Lush, $13.95

Two things will strike you immediately as you open this pot of face mask: it smells intoxicatingly of dark chocolate and dark florals; and it looks exactly like a pot of chocolate ganache (and spreads like it). Cocoa plays a big part here, as it’s the third ingredient. The fourth ingredient is almond butter, so the texture is thick, even a bit stiff until it warms up, and then spreads luxuriously over skin. This is a really nicely balanced treatment, with the cocoa and kaolin absorbing and exfoliating, while the almond butter and rose oil keep skin happily hydrated.
Available online

7. Rose Glow Collection Caviar Sticks by Laura Mercier, $38

Six new rose gold shades join Laura Mercier’s iconic Caviar Stick eye shadows.  Inspired by the original rose gold shade, this is a new collection of limited edition rosy neutrals. They’re formulated with finely-milled, light-reflecting pearls to bring a subtle dewiness to the skin. The shades run from pale to deep with varying tones, both warm and cool, though all retaining that beachy, rosy vibe that make these an ideal one-and-done lid colour for the summer. The Rose Gold collection Caviar Sticks are available in six shades (pictured above left to right): Bed of Roses, Kiss from a Rose, Forbidden Rose, Wild Rose, Strike a Rose and Rose Thorn.
Available online

8. Calm and Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer by Aveeno, $35.99

If your skin’s irritated from mask-wearing or summer heat or over-experimentation of products during lockdown, this is a simple, soothing gel cream that’s formulated specifically for sensitive skin. “Bland” doesn’t sound exciting or sexy, but when your skin is over-stimulated, bland is exactly what you need; and, surprisingly, it can be hard to do well. The gel texture melts easily into skin, hydrating it without being sticky. It contains a pre-biotic triple oat complex for moisture and feverew for calming. It’s free of fragrances, dyes, parabens, phthalates, sulfates and alcohol. This also works as an excellent mid-day reviver, patted onto skin that’s in need of a calming, hydrating boost partway through the day.
Available online

9. Glow Power Primer by Radford, $45

If you’re feeling a bit sallow after nearly a year spent mostly indoors, this primer will bring the light back to your face. As its name suggests, it can be used under makeup, but the glow is realistic enough so that it can easily be worn all over the face by itself. This is a glowy, not shiny, product that delivers radiance without obvious sparkles or shimmers. It absorbs nicely into the skin, so it doesn’t just sit on top, and doesn’t pill. A lovely vegan, cruelty-free and oil-free product from Toronto-based makeup artist and skin therapist Victoria Radford.
Available online

10. Silymarin CF Serum by Skinceuticals, $190

This new serum was six years in the making and is specifically for people with oily skin and those with chronic or cystic acne. Acne-prone skin tends to have more oil or sebum, which lowers levels of antioxidants, leaving skin vulnerable to oxidative damage including more breakouts. Using an antioxidant serum specifically designed for oily skin means not only will sebum be reduced, but it increases absorption of antioxidants, which can help fight against oxidation. “High potency” is right on the front label and they mean it: it’s formulated with 15 percent L-ascorbic acid, 0.5 percent silymarin, 0.5 percent ferulic acid, and 0.5 percent salicylic acid.
Available online

11. Sheer Bronze Liquid Bronzer by Iconic London, $33

This is a very sheer, gel-liquid bronzer that’s in perfect alignment with the skin tint trend. This is going to give you a kiss of warmth. This is not the product for building a faux tan. It melts beautifully into the skin, delivering a satin-matte finish. Interestingly, for such a sheer product undertones play a big part in how this looks on your skin. If possible, test these out before buying, as each of the six shades can pull different undertones (orange, red, yellow) from various skintones.
Available online

12. Hydra Filling Eye Gel Cream by Neostrata, $48

This eye cream features polyhydroxy acids (PHAs), the second generation of better-known AHAs. They’re just as effective with cell turnover, but far more gentle, making them perfect for the eye area. This has a gel-cream texture that absorbs quickly into the skin and also contains other powerful ingredients to provide anti-aging benefits: hyaluronic acid, vitamin A and vitamin C. Use morning and night, patting around the eye.
Available online