IT’S NEVER BEEN EASIER TO BEAUTIFY IN THIS GREAT LAND OF OURS, AS THIS A-Z GUIDE BY BELOVED DIARYSTA AND BEAUTY AFICIONADO URSULA LEONOWICZ WILL PROVE:
Coast to coast, there are now as many innovative beauty products, treatments and spas as there are beautiful landscapes, thanks to a hot new crop of Canadian beauty disruptors/innovators. Time to put your best party faces — and bods — forward, Social Gals and Gents!
ANNIE YOUNG BOUTIQUE AND SPA
The first of two Montreal mother-daughter spas to be featured on this list, AY Boutique and Spa is a gorgeous new state-of-the-art beauty and day spa contained in the ever-trending gymporium Victoria Park that tops off decades of successful beautification by founders and professional makeup artists, legendary Annie Young (mom) and daughter Sharleen. What keeps legions of devotees coming back for more is the ease and excellence of the one-stop-beauty-shop, which boasts more conventional services like makeup, hairstyling, manicures, pedicures and massage, to harder to find ones like microblading and micropigmentation. As for their product lines, think top-tier and equally addictive. annieyoung.com
BEAUTITUDE
Brainbaby of homegrown sugar and salt sisters — Chrisanthy and Catherine Boriamos — whose parents run one of Canada’s leading sugar and salt importing companies, Beautitude is a well-informed luxurious collection of bath goodies made with salt from the healing Dead Sea, as well as sugar and salt scrubs, and moisturizing body oil; all brimming with premium natural ingredients and essential oils. Just one soak and scrub will make you a believer. beautitude.ca
BITE BEAUTY
Arguably one of the most successful Canadian beauty stories of late and a huge hit with the Hollywood elite, all Bite Beauty products are handcrafted on the home front in Toronto — including the popular Multistick available in 18 blendable tones, 50 bold and vivid lip pencils, the Amuse Bouche lipstick collection maxing out at 45 shades (including maple!), liquified lipsticks in 18 wearable hues and the cult-status Agave Collection, which is a three-step lip treatment (boasting scrubs, balms and masks infused with nourishing vanilla and agave). Kudos to visionary creator Susanne Langmuir, who took Canada’s natural diversity to the next level and shared it with the globe. bitebeauty.com
BLUSH & BLACK
Based in Mississippi Mills, Ontario and spearheaded by Laura Stackhouse, who studied Aesthetics and Cosmetology at the Versailles Academy in Ottawa, Blush & Black is a full-service spa specializing in natural and organic products that are as effective as they are environmentally-friendly. Trending treatments include the Ultra Ageless Facial, which helps repair and protect skin from harsh Canadian climates with cloudberries harvested from Newfoundland and indigenous ice wine actives that instantly lift and tighten, as well as the especially reactivating Organic Foot Treatment, strategically fortified with Canadian-made Skinny Dip Scrubs. blushandblack.ca
CASINO NEW BRUNSWICK, SPA
Leave it to good-natured Canada to mastermind a unique spa with a roster of treatments designed specifically for men using the best of Moosehead, Canada’s oldest independent brewery. Among the favourites are the Moosehead Manicure, with ingredients like malt and barley, and the Moosehead Pedicure, which incorporates the beloved brew in a more complementary fashion as a beverage enjoyed during the pamper. In addition to Canadian beer, the spa with local leanings also uses Canadian-made Barefoot Venus, from Kelowna, and Happy Hippy, made in Moncton, with love. casinonb.ca
DECIEM, THE ABNORMAL BEAUTY COMPANY
A startup founded by Brandon Truaxe in 2013 that makes, tests and manufactures all its products in Toronto, the anything but normal company launched with just one product now has a range of over 50. Some of its most sought-after include The Ordinary “Buffet,” a multi-technology peptide serum addressing numerous visible signs of aging at once, the NIOD Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex (MMHC2), an advanced serum comprised of 15 forms of hyaluronic compounds in a peptide delivery system crafted to promote elasticity and plumping, and The Chemistry Brand Hand Chemistry Intense Youth Complex, a concentrated hand cream targeting eight signs of aging while leaving hands feeling like they have a protective coating surrounding them for hours on end. deciem.com
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL, SPA
A luxury retreat with locations in Whistler, Vancouver and Toronto — and a new outpost set to open next to Ogilvy, in Montreal in 2018 — the spa at the Four Seasons Hotel is at once classic, pampering and technologically advanced, offering state-of-the-art beauty treatments for both men and women. The Alpha Male Facial was specially designed for Social Gents who want to look their best at all times, as it works to strengthen the skin’s natural defense system with cleansing, a customized mask and moisturizing. The Gold Plumping Facial for Gals begins with a copper-enriched lactic-acid peel that helps boost collagen production and an anti-inflammatory gold serum. Both are followed by a massage that not only serves to plump skin, but is also incredibly effective at reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. To top it all off, a hydrating gold mask is used to lift and tighten while a dash of gold shimmer oil leaves skin looking glowy, glam, and party-ready! fourseasons.com
GRAND WELLNESS CENTRE
Established in 2004 by owner/out-of-the-box beauty and healing a cionado Heidi Stewart-Petersen, the Wellness Centre (which has a new locale in Brantford, Ontario) is also a grand devotee of beer-based treatments, clearly a trend that makes sense in our beer-loving, beer-knowing culture. The Beer Soak uses hops, barley and yeast combined with warm water to draw out toxins and stimulate the circulatory system while the Healing “Ale”ments Scrub is a hydrating treatment incorporating a mineral salt scrub mixed with hops, barley and honey. Another favourite, the Body Brew Wrap, is a deeply relaxing treatment featuring a rich mineral mask steeped in hops and honey. grandwellness.ca
MILLCROFT INN & SPA
Thanks to a stunning setting in Caledon, Ontario and natural hot spring pools that reach temperatures up to 104° F/40° C, the Millcroft Inn & Spa is the ideal destination to escape the party and spend a soothing afternoon (or more). The spa offers a traditional Japanese bath ritual known as Ofuro that starts with a Malt and Barley Scrub & Soak treatment, which is brilliantly effective at exfoliating the skin before bathing (while en- joying a cold glass of beer, of course). vintage-hotels.com/millcroft
MUA MOI
Ever since founder Melissa Ackad was a little girl, she was lipstick/balm/gloss obsessed. When she finally got old enough to wear lipstick, she discovered that most of them looked orangey on her because of naturally occurring undertones, and had to create the perfect shade by layering several of them on! Lesser beings would have been deflated, but Melissa was inspired and the experience eventually culminated in the recent launch of MUA MOI, Montreal’s first customized lipstick emporium. No orangey disasters are to be had here, where clients are in full control of the pout process, choosing base, creamy, matte or vegan, as well as a mix of colours suited to their complexions. Natural scent-ed oils can be added too, as can extra moisturizer. Even better: all ingredients are paraben, gluten and cruelty-free, and the entire consultation lasts less than an hour! Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. muamoicosmetics.com
NITA LAKE LODGE, SPA
Nestled into the wonder- filled landscape of Whis-tler, British Columbia, the spa at Nita Lake Lodge has a special menu inspired by the country’s 150th birthday that features irresistible options like the Maple Sugar Body Scrub, infused with nourishing maple sugar, honey, avocado and grapeseed oils to reinvigorate and rejuvenate the skin while relaxing the body, the Alpine Arnica Relaxation Massage, packed with muscle taming alpine arnica bath and body oil, and a Mountain Mint Revitalizing Pedicure, consisting of a lavender mint foot scrub followed by a foot and calf massage. nitalakelodge.com
NÜVA BEAUTY & SPA
Brainchild of a second Montreal-based dynamic mother-daughter duo, Maria Gesualdi and Connie De Luca, Nüva Beauty & Spa, located in the heart of Centropolis, Laval is an immensely popular go-to for busy beauty enthusiasts seeking premium services (their new artistic director Angelo Di Pasca is one of Italy’s leading celeb hairstylists), and hard- to- find A-list products as good for you as they are efficacious, including the complete Oribe hair care line and newly launched namesake makeup collec- tion, as well as the L.A. lifestyle inspired, vegan- friendly nail range by Lauren B. Beauty, Luxury Nail Couture. nuva.ca
W SKINCARE
Boasting locations in both Vancouver and Toronto, W SkinCare’s signature treatment, a favourite of Elaine Lui of Lainey Gossip fame, is the Cold Laser Doubleblast, a series of two microdermabrasion and cold laser treatments performed within seven days. The microdermabrasion’s gentle exfoliation uses special crystals and mild suction to polish away dead cells and stimulate collagen while the cold laser tackles anti-aging via a non-ablative beam of light causing cells to become stronger and more vibrant. wskincare.ca
WILLIAM GRAY SPA
Tucked into the contemporary cool meets old world charm of the stunning new boutique hotel William Gray in Old Montreal is one of the city’s most remarkable spots for healing and rejuvenation, offering a well curated array of services and treatments for the mind, body and soul. Highlights we heart much are the thermal circuit, which is replete with a Finnish sauna, as well as the experiential showers, impressive Himalayan salt room and the seasonal outdoor pool, which is as enjoyable on a crisp winter day as a lazy summer afternoon. hotelwilliamgray.com/spa/