This week I'm obsessed with... Avene Hyaluron Activ Procedure Hexapeptide Solution 10% Tightening Serum!

Raise your hand if your skin would love a little lift and tighten - but you would also prefer to keep both your face and your bank account unmolested. I am desperately waving my hand over here! While nobody is promising a  full-on, “who is she?” transformation, we are talking smoother, fresher, quietly smug “I slept eight hours and drink green juice” vibes - without the needles. Enter...

 

Avene Hyaluron Activ Procedure Hexapeptide Solution Tightening Serum - 18ml + 2ml - $89 

 

This little bottle is basically giving “med-spa energy” without the appointment, the downtime or the side-eye from your credit card. It’s loaded with a greatest-hits lineup of ingredients including: hexapeptides, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid - all working together to tackle the big five: wrinkles, lost volume, firmness, radiance and uneven tone for skin that looks 2 years younger in 14 days. 

Greedy? Probably. Effective? Also yes. 

 

I’m a sucker for anything that makes me feel like I’m one lab coat away from a breakthrough, so this had me at mix it yourself. You get a tiny vial of hexapeptide solution that you snap open and pour into the serum, give it a good shake and presto - freshly activated, ready-to-work skincare. It’s part science experiment, part skincare ritual, and fully satisfying. 

 

The formula is a light, slightly watery gel that sinks in fast but leaves behind that subtle “did my skin just… tighten?” feeling. Two to three drops, morning and night and you’re good to go - no complicated routine, no 12-step commitment ceremony. It also layers nicely under other products so there's no need to give up your regular moisturizer.

 

Now, about that “2 years younger in 14 days” claim… bold. Slightly suspicious. But after having used it for two weeks -  I’ll allow it. My skin looks a little firmer, a bit plumper and definitely more radiant - like I’ve been making better life choices than I actually have. Fine lines are softened, tone is more even and overall it just has that put-together glow!

 

Is it Botox in a bottle? Let’s not get carried away. But is it a solid, results-you-can-see upgrade to your anti-aging routine? Absolutely. This one’s earned a permanent spot on my bathroom shelf!

 

Available at Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Canada and online at beauty.shoppersdrugmart.ca and well.ca.

 

- Lisamarie - 

Mist Opportunity: Spray Your Way to Great Skin with StriVectin, Mario Badescu, Grace & Stella & Blue Lizard!

Facial sprays are having a full-blown main character moment - and honestly, it’s about time! Gone are the days when your only option was that giant can of Evian mist that felt more like a light drizzle than actual skincare. Now? Everyone and their glowy cousin has a spray, each one promising to hydrate, soothe, refresh and possibly fix your life. So naturally, I volunteered as tribute and tested a few… for science of course. You’re welcome.  

 

StriVectin Barrier Restore+ Soothing Milky Mist - 50ml - $49 

If your skin has been acting a little dramatic lately (red, stressed and  generally over it), this is the calming friend you call. It’s a milky mist - which sounds fancy because it is - and it delivers that soft, cushioned hydration that makes your face feel instantly more expensive. Powered by their NIA-114 (basically niacinamide’s overachieving cousin), plus turmeric peptide, ceramides, hyaluronic acid - you know, the whole skincare Avengers lineup - it works to strengthen your barrier while cooling everything down. One spritz and your skin goes from “don’t talk to me” to “I’m thriving, actually!” 

 

Available at Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Canada and online at beauty.shoppersdrugmart.ca, amazon.ca and well.ca.

 

 

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea - 59ml - $9, 118ml - $15, 236ml - $24 

The OG. The icon. The one that’s probably been in at least one of all of our handbags at some point. This is your no-fuss, feel-good refresher that wakes up dull, tired skin like a tiny splash of iced cucumber water to the face. It’s light, it’s cooling, it smells like you have your life together, and it gives that dewy “I drink eight glasses of water a day” illusion - even if you absolutely do not!

 

Available at Shoppers Drug Mart and Sephora stores across Canada and online at beauty.shoppersdrugmart.ca and sephora.ca.

 

Grace & Stella Spray All Day Rose Spray Hydrating Facial Spray - 30ml - $13.95, 240ml - $24.95 

If you like your skincare with a side of “stop and smell the roses,” this one’s for you. It’s giving soft, dewy, effortlessly pretty energy. Made with 100% rose water and hyaluronic acid, it hydrates, balances  and helps tone things down when your skin (or your mood) is feeling a bit puffy. Bonus points for being vegan and clean, and honestly? The fact that it can double as a setting spray and tame flyaways makes it the overachiever of the group - we love a multi-tasker!

 

Available online at amazon.ca. 

 

And while we’re out here misting like dewy queens, don’t forget the one spray that actually does the heavy lifting—SPF. But let’s be clear: we are not blindly spraying our faces like we’re seasoning a salad. Spray into your hands first, then apply like the responsible adult you are. 

 

Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen Spray SPF 50 - 148ml - $22.99 

This one’s for the sensitive-skin crowd who wants protection without the drama. It’s mineral-based (hello zinc oxide), fragrance-free and actually rubs in without leaving you looking like a Victorian ghost. You get solid broad-spectrum protection, water resistance and a formula that feels lightweight instead of sticky and suffocating. Plus, it’s reef-friendly, which means your beach day isn’t ruining someone else’s.

 

Available at Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Canada and online at shoppersdrugmart.ca. 

 

Final verdict? Whether you’re hydrating, soothing, refreshing, or protecting, there is truly a mist for every mood - and every level of skin chaos. At this point, not carrying one feels like a missed opportunity… or at the very least, a very dry one!

 

- Lisamarie - 

This week I'm obsessed with... PanOxyl Daytime Invisible Patches!

Ah yes my friends, I've entered the truly humbling era of life where wrinkles and pimples join forces like some kind of dermatological tag team. Cool cool cool. Love that for me! Naturally they always RSVP “yes” to my biggest events and set up camp dead center on my face. 

Timing: impeccable. 

Location: aggressive. 

 

Back in the day, I’d try to strategically swoop my hair over it (very “mysterious side bang chic”) or pile on concealer until it looked like I’d spackled my face. Looking back on it, neither was very convincing. Thankfully, things have  evolved:

 

PanOxyl Daytime Invisible Patches - 40 patches in 2 sizes - $16.49 - these little overachievers are basically the “nothing to see here” of skincare. They quietly go about their business - absorbing gunk, unclogging pores, gently exfoliating - while you go about your business pretending your skin is flawless and unbothered. Infused with soothing centella and green tea extract, they also calm things down, because apparently even your pimple needs to relax. But the real magic trick? You can wear them under makeup without things going sideways! No weird texture, no cakey situation, no “why is that spot… textured?” moment! 

 

After some very scientific (read: mildly obsessive) trial and error, here’s the move: 

• Clean and dry skin 
• Apply the patch 
• Moisturize/prime everywhere else (leave the patch alone - she’s working) 
• Go in with foundation using a brush or sponge (fingers are not invited to this party) - gently tap over the patch - do not swipe unless you enjoy undoing your hard work 
• Lightly set with powder 

Will there still be a tiny bump? Maybe. But now it’s a discreet, blended-in bump instead of a full-blown “HELLO I HAVE ARRIVED” situation - which, frankly, is all we can ask for. 

 

Because if we can’t stop the chaos, at least we can make it subtle!

 

Also keep in mind that PanOxyl has a whole line of products - from washes to moisturizers to treatments  (including an Acne Banishing Body Spray which feels like something that bacne that is soon going to be revealed by summer tank tops would love) - so if you are dealing with more then the occasional, inconvenient pimple, they have you covered! And if you feel a pimple coming - they is an overnight patch - apply it before you go to bed and if you are lucky, it will disappear before ever making an appearance!

 

Available now at Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Canada and online at shoppersdrugmart.ca, well.ca and amazon.ca.

 

- Lisamarie -