5 New Products Our Beauty Editor Loved This Month

When it comes to beauty, there’s no shortage of options; every day, there’s a new makeup, skincare or haircare product to swipe, blend, dab and lather. It’s my job to put them all to the test and vet them against my tried-and-true favourites to see what’s really worth the hype—and the money. Here are the new beauty products I’m currently using on repeat.

Glamnetic x Glamzilla Press-On Nail Kit, $29

I've gone back and forth between gel manicures and press-on nails a lot over the past few years. Nothing beats the feeling of walking out of the salon with a fresh set of glossy tips, but I'm a big believer in giving your nails—and your wallet—a break. I'm always lured back to the nail salon eventually—I can't resist the siren call of a hard-gel mani that lasts for weeks without chipping, peeling or, in the case of pressies, randomly popping off at the most awkward moment possible.

I recently tried a set of press-ons so good that it may be time to officially break up with my nail tech. I picked up a couple of styles from the collab between Canadian content creator Stephanie Valentine (a.k.a. Glamzilla) and press-on brand Glamnetic on a whim, and I was surprised by how real they looked and felt—no annoying lifting, no gaps in sizing, no fear that one would come flying off unexpectedly. Plus, I got a ton of compliments on the designs. (I went with "Killazilla" and "Woo-man!", in case you're wondering!) 

As a seasoned press-on girl, I’ve never had a set last this long before—19 days, to be exact. (And they still had plenty of life left in them when I finally took them off.) I highly recommend getting the brand’s brush-on glue, which I’ve since used to apply drugstore sets with great success. Glamnetic press-ons are about $10 more than my go-to drugstore brand—but they're still much cheaper than a salon appointment.

E.l.f. Skin Bright Icon Vitamin E + C + Ferulic Serum, $21

I’ve been using the same extremely iconic and very pricey vitamin C serum religiously for as long as I can remember (I’m talking about—you guessed it—the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic), but I’m also a big fan of skincare dupes. So when drugstore powerhouse E.l.f. announced a new serum with the same potent combination of 15 percent vitamin C, 1 percent vitamin E and 0.5 percent ferulic acid as my fave $220 formula, my beauty senses were tingling. (SkinCeuticals' patent on the C E Ferulic formula expired this year, so you can bet that a lot more of these dupes are about to hit the shelves.)

E.l.f.'s Bright Icon has an oilier feel than SkinCeuticals and a slightly tacky feel upon application, but it absorbs into the skin quickly. (Considering the price tag, I can overlook the temporary tackiness.) For anyone looking for a brighter, firmer complexion over time, this is a dupe that actually delivers on its promises.

Rare Beauty Rare Eau de Parfum, $105 for 50 mL

Spraying on Rare, Selena Gomez's beauty brand's new scent, feels like wrapping yourself up in your favourite sweater. As a certified fall girl, it's my favourite kind of fragrance: warm, comforting and cozy.

The opening notes of caramel, pistachio and pink pepper slowly reveal a deeper, muskier heart of vanilla, cocoa and ginger before morphing to grounding sandalwood. I don’t typically reach for vanilla-based fragrances, but this one hits the perfect balance of sweet and earthy. Fall hasn’t even officially begun and I’ve already made the switch from my citrus-forward summer scent to this one.

The bottle is also noteworthy—it's not only chic, but was also designed with feedback from hand therapists to be accessible to those with dexterity challenges.

llia Soft Focus Blurring Blush, $49

After years of cream products reigning supreme, powder is making a comeback. (If you’ve been victimized by too-matte makeup in your teens, let me ease your fears—the technology has come a very, very long way.) As a cream blush devotee, I’m truly shocked by how much I love Vancouver-founded brand Ilia’s new formulas. 

I’ve been using the shades “Closer” (a pretty pink) and “Breathless” (a vintage rose) on repeat ever since I got my hands on them, even dusting them on my eyelids for a quick and easy monochrome look. As the name suggests, it leaves skin beautifully blurred, acting like a real-life filter.

Merit Great Skin Double Cleanse Face Wash, $44

If a product promises to help me skip a step in my already minimal skincare routine, I’m all in. This face wash is a one-step double cleanse in a bottle—it removes makeup, cleanses skin and contains PHA, a type of chemical exfoliant that's gentle enough for daily use. 

The fragrance-free bi-phase formula comes out in a luxe foam that can be massaged into dry or wet skin. (Make sure to shake well, as directed, so the ingredients mix properly.) The formula is oil-free, but it has the same skin-cocooning properties as an oil or balm cleanser. I don’t wear much makeup day-to-day save for some concealer, blush and mascara, and this works great for my needs; if you’re a full-glam kind of girl, you may still need a little micellar water to take it all off.