Runway-ready nails
If you can’t afford to wear the season’s biggest trends, you can at least paint them on your nails. Butter London’s fall-winter collection is inspired by the catwalk, specifically fashion’s favourite materials—sequins, velvet, satin, and tweed. The five-piece collection ($17 each for 11 millilitres at Spa Boutique [3630 West 4th Avenue]) is all about adding texture to unusual nail-polish colours. Turn up the disco with Lovely Jubbly, with its flecks of red, blue, and gold sparkles. Fans of this year’s “it” orange-red hue will want to try Shag, a metallic coppery-red. Trustafarian and Dodgy Barnett feature a holographic finish on mint-green and grey-blue hues.
> Michelle da Silva

Vegan pout
A perfect pout can be animal-free this fall, now that Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics’ 100-percent vegan Lip Tar has arrived at Blanche Macdonald’s CurliQue Beauty Boutique (410 Robson Street, $14 for 9.7 millilitres). OCC was launched in 2004 by New York–based makeup artist David Klasfeld. The company’s products do not contain any animal-derived ingredients, including lanolin, beeswax, and carmine. The product comes in a small, squeezable tube, and goes on slick. Try Kava Kava, a light peach hue, or Trick, a warm beige, for a glossy nude lip.
> Michelle da Silva

Skincare for Him
“Musky”, “earthy”, and “clean” best describe Escents Aromatherapy’s new men’s skincare line, For Him. The Vancouver-based, all-natural line’s Balsam Face Scrub ($21 for 180 millilitres at Escents Aromatherapy [various locations]) is a foaming cleanser containing volcanic pumice. The Balsam Cleanser ($18.95 for 180 millilitres) doubles as a hydrating cleanser and shave gel, while the Balsam Face Lotion ($16.95 for 100 millilitres) is a light moisturizer that also softens facial hair. In the shower, exfoliate with the black Balsam Handmade Charcoal Soap ($6.95 for 140 grams), containing bamboo charcoal.
> Michelle da Silva

Petal Power
You’ll find flowers on two fragrances this fall—one wooing the tough-and-tattied set, the other the shamelessly feminine. Ubiquitous Ed Hardy is set to launch his-and-hers perfumes next month based on the titular tattoo artist’s classic design: the bottle is shaped like a skull with a rose in its mouth. Skull & Roses for Him is all muscular amber, sandalwood, moss, and musk; Skulls & Roses for Her is surprisingly sweet—think strawberry, violet leaf, honeysuckle, and caramel ($62 for 75-millilitre eau de toilette, or $80 for 100 millilitres, at Shoppers Drug Mart in September, hitting Sears and Sephora in November). Meanwhile, a purple bouquet bedecks Vera Wang’s Lovestruck Floral Rush, with notes of Champagne accord, apricot blossoms, passion flower, and white freesia. It’s at Sephora with an eau de parfum spray at $52 for 30 millilitres; a 50-millilitre bottle ($79) and a 100-millilitre version ($105) are also at the Bay and Shoppers Drug Mart.
> Janet Smith

Lady in Red
From Blond Ambition and beyond, the Material Girl has long perfected the classic red pout. Now Makeup For Ever is launching Aqua Rouge #8, a dedicated to Madonna’s MDNA world tour that kicks off this fall, and it’s a powerhouse scarlet chosen by her makeup artist, Gina Brooke. She went for glossy, liquid Aqua Rouge ($27 at Sephora, various locations) because it’s an intense, long-lasting lip-stain collection that stands up to whatever dancing and sweating the star can throw at it. Brooke is pairing the red shade with the smudge-proof jumbo eye-shadow pencil called Aqua Shadow #0L in black ($23). Red, black, and a bit of bleach: as Ms. Ciccone knows best, you can’t go wrong with basics.
> Janet Smith

Powder Perfect
Earlier this year, Marcelle was one of the first beauty brands to bring BB creams to Canada. Now, the Montreal-based cosmetics and skin-care company is launching a powder-based version of its popular cover-up. “BB”, for those who may not know, stands for “Blemish Balm” or “Beauty Balm”. Known for its ability to replace multiple creams—including moisturizer, sunscreen, primer, and foundation—with a single product, BB creams have been popular in Asia since the early 2000s. Marcelle’s BB Cream-to-Powder ($22.99 for 7.5 grams at London Drugs [various locations]) is ideal for people with oilier skin. The cream-to-powder product, which comes as a flip compact, is available in two shades and is hypoallergenic and perfume-free.
> Michelle da Silva