TIFF Swag: Beauty Bests from the Tastemakers Gift Lounge (Including One that Makes Leg Hair Grow...)
It's that time of year again, when beauty, fashion and lifestyle brands congregate (for a fee) in celebrity gift lounges put themselves in front of stars in town for the Toronto International Film Festival. Yesterday I popped by the Tastemakers Gift Lounge and honed in on the following, one of which already has (unsolicited!) movie-star endorsement:
For the most part, Indeed Laboratories skincare is all about packing as many effective peptides into an affordable formula as possible. Often called the "building blocks of protein," peptides can help improve firmness, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, even encourage a bit of muscle relaxation (although not as much as Botox does). The best part is that peptides don't irritate the skin or cause sun sensitivity, so even delicate skin can benefit.
Eysilix is Indeed's newest offering; it launches in the next few weeks across the country. According to the brand's consultant cosmetic dermatologist Nowell Solish, also the co-director of dermatologic surgery at the University of Toronto, the formula is designed to answer every eye-area concern: puffiness, dark circles, fine lines and crow's feet. More info: www.indeedlabs.com.
Demeter fragrances started some years back with three life-memory scents: Grass, Dirt and Tomato. The collection now includes a comprehensive range to suit all tastes, from Pure Soap to Orange Cream Pop (formerly named "Creamsicle" until Unilever sued -- they own the name under Good Humour), Moonbeam to Patchouli, Red Poppies to Dragon Fruit (new).
Every fragrance in the line is a single-note scent, so you can get really creative with several to create your own signature perfume. I love light, airy scents with a hit of citrus; owner Mark Crames suggested two spritzes of cucumber as my base, topped with a spritz of Grapefruit Tea and a half-hit of Lilac. Lovely. Demeter fragrances will soon be available at Loblaws; look for that fragrance-bar display in stores this Fall. (The brand also does home scents available via demeterfragrance.com, which ships to Canada.)
All manner of Kiss adhesive nails, including these are peel-stick-and-file-to-fit types, will make their way into celeb swag bags. They're brilliant for back-of-the-cab or in-flight DIY manis, apparently -- no stinky polish smell to upset fellow passengers. More at www.kissusa.com.
La Senza has a cosmetics line, but a new Beyond Sexy bra is in the gift-lounge spotlight. Available in lacy red, leopard print (want) and this fuchsia and purple pattern, the deep-v push-up style goes up to 36D. With lingerie like this, who needs makeup? More info: www.lasenza.com.
Viviscal hair supplements have been around for years and are just now available in Canada. Already popular with the celeb-stylist and movie-star set -- Reese Witherspoon says they help keep her hair healthy when she's filming, and lovely Mark Townsend recommends it to his clients -- the supplements are backed up by scads of clinical testing. Beauty Blogging Junkie's Amber Katz told me about Viviscal when I met her on a La Mer presser recently. She says it led to more frequent leg shaving, and other, better things. More info: www.viviscal.ca.
What took so long for someone to make a super-easy pumice-stone type foot-smoothing tool? Designed for use on dry skin -- as in not sweaty or not wet from the bath (a mistake most people make with foot buffers) -- the Emjoi Micro-Pedi tool features pumice-textured roller that painlessly buffs rough, dry scales from long-suffering soles. And you don't have to exert pressure because the tool does all the work.
The re-useable, replaceable roller pops out so you brush its surface free of debris and clean the unit. (Just please -- do not use this in cabs or airplanes or any kind of public venue. Well, not that you would -- instead, I hope, you'd photograph and out the offender via Twitter et al.) For more info: www.micropedi.ca.
John Allan's grooming line for men is, frankly, cool. Founder John Allan has establishments in NYC, Chicago and Toronto, each of which offers members a place to kick back as well as enjoy professional shaving, skincare and hair care, including cuts and styling.
Membership in Canada runs about $750 per year and offers unlimited full services. Member ages range from 20s to 80s; according to Technical Director Loren Henriksen, it seems equally popular with each age group.
The John Allan's at the Bay, Queen St., boasts a healthy membership that Henriksen says is a year ahead of projections -- did I mention the clubs are licensed? www.johnallans.com.
Opening photo: Le Dolci cupcakes (www.ledolci.com) via Newstalk1010.
