Ingrie’s Picks: 13 Beauty Essentials That’ll Distract You From Summer Ending

Act Your Base

Hold on to your summer glow by giving your skin a helping hand. This full coverage foundation (available in 14 shades) hydrates to enhance radiance while protecting with SPF 20. For a natural, seamless finish I use this trick from Veronica Chu, CoverGirl makeup pro and hairstylist: Apply using a makeup sponge and a gentle dabbing motion to “bounce it into skin.”

CoverGirl Vitalist Elixir Foundation, $18 at mass retailers and drug stores.

Skin Win

Serums are my ride or die – the highly-concentrated formula delivers ingredients more effectively than creams. Being able to customize an organic blend takes things to the next level. In three easy steps, you can choose to focus on specific concerns (say, minimizing dark spots) along with aromatic preference (I’m partial to the jasmine/rose/lavender combo). Plus, it’s made in Canada! What’s not to love!?

Subtle Green Custom Serum, starting at $100, subtlegreen.com. 

Emerald City

Lighter and brighter is my warm weather style mantra – for the most part. A striking dark nail colour can still make me weak in the knees this time of year. This rich green hue creates a dazzling pedi that manages to appear carefree yet sophisticated. And the long-lasting formula (up to 14 days of chip free adornment) earns low maintenance beauty points.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Jealous Boyfriend, $12 at mass retailers and drugstores.

Face Off

With humidity trolling in and out of the fall and oil-production in overdrive, getting my skin so fresh and so clean becomes a seasonal obsession. Boasting multi-use benefits, this new gizmo has not let me down. I put the brush head to work clearing out pores six times better than using our hands, then I let the cool looking (and fun to use) sculpted silicone attachment do its thang. Luxuriating in the 27,000 micro-pulsing face massages delivered in three minutes reduces multiple signs of aging, such as fine lines, firmness and radiance.

Clarisonic Smart Profile Uplift, $429 at clarisonic.ca. 

Fade to Black

With its detoxifying power, charcoal continues to reign as a top skincare ingredient. Blended with kaolin, montmorillonite and Moroccan clays, this cleanser is a daily do-good for skin that draws out impurities and rejuvenates without over drying.

L’Oréal Paris Pure-Clay Energizing and Brightening Cleanser, $13pre at mass retailers. 

Sweet Embrace

Candied. Marsala. Flambé. Éclair. Not only do the shade names in the latest offering from this cult beauty brand sound good enough to eat, the natural and organic ingredients used to create the satin finish product are toxin free. As my pre-fall shortcut to looking polished, or rested, or confident, a few swipes of the high pigment colour works every time.

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Liquified Lipstick, $28 at sephora.ca.

Practical Magic

At the height of August, and when no makeup won’t cut it, I’m a fan of low makeup days. And concealer is always first up. This one does what it does best: Melts into skin to take the edge off fine lines and dark circles, with a sheer to medium coverage that stands up to the unpredictable weather these days.

Benefit Boi-ing Airbrush Concealer, $27 at benefitcosmetics.com.

Grin & Tonic

Beauty pop quiz: After cleansing, do you rush to slap something on your face, or do you take a second to use a toner?

What may seem like a mysterious and unnecessary extra step could be a skin care game changer. Widely used in facials, the liquid is wiped over freshly washed skin to rebalance the pH level and prime the dermis to maximize the benefits of serum or cream. Here, a mix of antibacterial tea tree oil, purifying witch hazel, plus soothing aloe vera and lavender creates a perfect fit for blemish-prone types, like me.

Thursday Plantation Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Toner, $13, at Walmart, Loblaws, Superstore, Rexall, Health Food Stores and well.ca.

Seeing Red

There’s more than meets the eye to this lil’ liner. While most eyeliners slide off my peepers in minutes this glides on and then stays put all day. And then there’s the glorious colour! The merlot hue is totally unexpected and incredibly flattering. If pennies were still a thing, I’d say this is worth every one.

Joe Fresh 8 HR Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner in Burgundy, $8 at Shoppers Drug Mart locations.

Sun’s Out…

Winning at sun protection is simple: Find something you love to use, and then actually use it. Offering lightweight formulas for face and body, my beauty arsenal is stocked with this budget-friendly line. The face lotion doesn’t provoke my temperamental pores, and the spray makes head-to-toe touch-ups a hands-free affair.

Coppertone ClearlySheer SPF50 Spray for Body, $10 at mass retailers. 

Bag of Tricks

Let’s focus less on the insane number of travel-size jars, tubes and vials I can stash in this roomy makeup bag, and more on the smarty-pants rubberized lining and fun print – hello, instant vacation mood!

Quo Tropical Summer Clutch in Palm Print, $17 at Shoppers Drug Mart locations. 

 Light It Up

The dead giveaway of highlighter is a high beam shine that enters the room before you do. Grazed over cheekbones, brow bones and more, this aqueous potion blends into skin effortlessly to deliver subtle radiance that looks like your own inner magic.

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Sheer Illuminating Fluid, $54 at Chanel beauty counters. 

Buzzworthy

More time in the great outdoors = more time with things that live in the great outdoors. Cue the bugs! I’m putting this handy kit to work which utilizes natural ingredients (that’s lemongrass and lavender essential oils) to keep pests at bay. From patio to hiking path, I’ll be ready!

Escents Outdoor Essentials Bundle, $35 at escents.ca.