When she launched her website, Into the Gloss, in 2010, Emily Weiss put the act of snooping in someone’s medicine cabinet on the internet. Her Top Shelf blog posts featured beautiful photos of celebrities and industry insiders sharing the beauty products in their routines, from the banal (Gigi Hadid’s preferred hair elastics) to the unexpected (a hangover cure care of Cindy Crawford). Beyond satiating a voyeuristic curiosity, these organic endorsements offered a service to readers looking for new products to try. It created a community based on sharing what were once considered secrets and flipped on its head the notion that beauty routines were something to hide.
Today, the act of passing along tried-and-true beauty tricks and products tips has matured into an industry in its own right.
“In the past, you might have heard from 10 to 15 people about whether they like something – friends, family, people you went to school with or at your church,” says Amy Chung, beauty-industry analyst at market research firm NPD. “Now, you turn on your TV, open your laptop or your phone and there’s 10,000 more voices that you’re hearing and you can find a voice that resonates with you.”
On YouTube, where posts by vloggers such as Lisa Eldridge and Patrick Starr can get tens of millions of views, one can find videos on everything from how to apply foundation to reviews of the newest Fenty Beauty collection. Such is the popularity of beauty-related posts on Instagram that it’s even spawned its own signature look. Referred to as “Instagram face,” it’s the heavily contoured, bold-browed and matte-lipped effect favoured by influencers such as Huda Kattan or Kylie Jenner, whose cosmetics empire recently landed her on the cover of Forbes. Even with my meagre Instagram following, by far my most engaging posts have to do with what skin care I’m using or makeup I’m wearing.
“I think the appeal behind word-of-mouth referrals is that it can be storytelling from a first-person perspective, which is the most powerful. And if you’re hearing from someone who has tried the product, there is less potential for broken telephone,” Chung says. “Not to mention, in beauty, seeing is believing when it comes to makeovers and skin transformations.”
Consumers are faced with an overwhelming amount of products to choose from – a simple search for “mascara” on Sephora’s website yields more than 300 results. Word-of-mouth referrals cut through the noise and, according to a 2016 study by Nielsen, are more trusted by Canadians than all other forms of advertising and editorial content, with 81 per cent of respondents said they trust recommendations from people they know.
So, before you make your next beauty buy, consider first some of these Canadians' top secrets.
Bonnie Brooks
Consultant and professional director
Toronto
“I can’t live without a good-quality large magnifying mirror – especially in hotels. I use it for everything from eyebrow detailing to just the right amount of lip liner, and it stops the squinting, which is an anti-wrinkle move, too. I also use the Day and Night system smartly created by Flawless by Friday founder Brittny Robins. I liked the products so much I invested in her young and upcoming company recently.”
Shelly De Caria
Manager of community relations at First Air
Ottawa
“I absolutely love the Beautycounter face wipes and face wash. I use their baby oil to remove my makeup. It’s very gentle on my sensitive skin. I really saw the difference in my skin when I started using safer products, first in my daughter’s skin and now mine. My skin has been radiant since changing my routine.”
Roxy Earle
Former Real Housewife of Toronto and creative director of Roxy Earle by Le Château
Toronto
“My number one beauty secret is that I tell myself I’m beautiful every single day. I still have a complex and expensive beauty routine, but nothing you can do on the outside will make you feel beautiful if you don’t think you’re beautiful on the inside.”
Maya Gohill
Artist and designer
Calgary
“My hair routine took me years to figure out. I start with the Bumble and Bumble Curl Primer, then the Defining Creme, and then the Conditioning Mousse. It seems like a lot, but when you have curly hair like mine, it’s all necessary. Finally, the surprising tip, which I got from my friend, was to end with hairspray, and a lot of it. The school of thought is to spray thoroughly all over, and when you think you’ve sprayed too much, put some more. Game changer!”
Erin Kleinberg
Co-Founder of Métier Creative
Toronto
“A trick I learned from my mom is, once you do your makeup, hop into the shower for a quick body shower. The idea is a little bit of water and steam near your face is the best way to set your makeup and have it look dewy and fresh.
“If you are too lazy for a full eye-shadow look, just sweep some of your blush on the lids or your bronzer to create a sun-kissed complexion. A lot of the artists I have worked with preach that it’s nice to keep things consistent, so if you have a cream blush on your cheeks, pop a bit onto your lips as well, and the eyelid, too, to create dimension.”
Lainey Lui
Co-host of CTV’s The Social, etalk senior correspondent and scribe of celebrity-gossip blog LaineyGossip.com
Toronto
“I have a liquid liner application technique. I apply the liner and then I use a cold blast from a hairdryer to set it, which I desperately want to patent. This accelerates the drying process and it also sets the liner like nothing else. It sucks away the moisture from the lid so the liner dries to a point where you don’t get any bleeding and it lasts forever.”
Sage Paul
Fashion designer and artistic director of Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto
Toronto
“My favourite, but ridiculously simple, routine I learned was from my mom. Straight up rose water spritz on my face. It acts as a refresher and is hydrating. I refill my spray bottle with rose water from any Indian food grocer or a health food store, like Essence. Those places are much more affordable than typical beauty suppliers.”
Sue Randhawa
Licensed optician at the Optical Boutique
Vancouver
“I don’t wash my hair more than twice a week. Anything more than that dries my hair out, and with more grey, I need to keep it moisturized. I’m meticulous about maintaining my hair and get a cut every two weeks, sometimes sooner. A good scalp massage also does wonders for the health of my hair. And head.”
Nadia Saputo
Event planner, owner of Fanadica Events and author of Chefmom
Montreal
“I get my hair done at the salon every week, but the odd time that I wash my own hair, I use the blue shampoos and conditioners by Oligo Professionnel, a Canadian company. They’re awesome for coloured blondes.”
Bruce Sellery
Personal finance columnist and speaker
Toronto
“Early in my career, a makeup artist insisted that I moisturize every damn day. I use Olay Complete, with SPF 15. I can’t decide if it is hipster-cool or sorta sad that I use the same moisturizer as my grandma did, but it’s inexpensive and it works. I think that for most things in life – healthy eating, managing money and a beauty regime – good habits are more important than the products we use.”
Sheri Stroh
Makeup artist with Plutino Group and green-beauty expert
Toronto
“I’ve recently become a total believer in gua sha and jade rolling. I find it relaxes my face and helps it de-puff in the morning. I keep my rollers in the freezer. It’s so good! I apply a face oil before so that it glides easily across my face.”
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