Beauty / Happy Canada Day! Celebrate Canada With These Beauty Brands That Are 100% Canadian

Happy Canada Day! Celebrate Canada With These Beauty Brands That Are 100% Canadian

Beauty Jul 01, 2020

by Meena Khan | Features Editor - Beauty

Does the Canadian beauty industry answer the clarion call of beauty needs expressed by South Asian women? In this blog I explore six Canadian brands and the answer is mais oui. .. from sea to shining sea, there are homegrown products for you and me. Check out these beauty brands that are 100% Canadian!

As a teenager in the nineties I suffered from horrible acne, and I could not find any makeup to cover my scars. I tried drugstore brands and they failed to deliver on colour, coverage or sometimes both. I was convinced that I was destined to live a Quasimodo-esque existence until I heard of a Canadian brand called MAC.

The brand was not only adored by Madonna, it had a powder foundation called Studio Fix that would mattify my oily skin and cover my scars. I was convinced that this product was a panacea for all of my skin and beauty issues. I dragged my dad to the closest counter to purchase it and when he was paying for it, he grumbled, “What is this? Medicine?” I turned redder than my inflamed pimples and the saleslady kindly told me, “Don’t worry, I also have a dad.”

We went home and I rushed to my room and opened the compact. I stared at the product in wonder because it was the perfect shade for my skin. After I dabbed it on my scars, I finally saw what I had yearned for the world to see – a great complexion.

Since the nineties, the beauty industry has made strides to include beauties of all shades. In a year fraught with intense reflection about inclusiveness, I turned my mind to Canadian beauty, and wondered if our beauty industry carried the torch that MAC lit in the ’80s.

I’m excited to see that Canadians and Canadian brands alike have quietly pushed for inclusivity, the whole while emphasizing quality ingredients; and South Asian beauty concerns, which include wellness, skin care and cosmetics, are easily answered by homegrown talent. It warms my heart that in my lifetime I have gone from crossing my fingers that a drugstore foundation that looked “brown enough” would flatter my skin to a situation where I am blessed with a plethora of choice, all of which enhance my brown looks.

WELLNESS

My teen years were angst-ridden in the beauty department and I was always mortified when I would cut my legs shaving or scratch a mosquito bite into oblivion. Upon seeing a tiny gash of blood, I knew that I had paved the way for an unsightly scar to occupy prime real estate for the next three months. My legs were shapely but tiny scars muted the effect.

I was thrilled to discover Zax’s Original Scar Fading Cream, which is designed to reduce the appearance of scars and to smooth skin texture. The tube contains 28g of cream which is made up of centella asiatica, calendula extract, pine bark extract, aloe and Vitamin E. The ingredient which caught my eye was calendula extract which is derived from marigolds, a popular flower in South Asia and an Ayurvedic ingredient. Calendula is renowned for its healing properties of the skin.

**Celebrate Canada With These Beauty Brands That Are 100% Canadian: Zax’s Original Scar Fading Cream.** Photo Credit: www.zaxsoriginal.com

The emphasis on using plants and flowers to heal the skin, appeals to me a on a visceral level, and I keep this tube close to my nightstand. In addition to my regular skin care routine, I also dab the cream on my legs, to jumpstart the healing process of my shaving nicks.

COLOUR COSMETICS

I researched colour cosmetics because it appears that the torch is shining brighter in 2020. Bite beauty is a Canadian beauty brand that aims to make a clean difference. The brand uses super foods such as mangosteen extract, coconut oil, açai, olive oil, amongst others to deliver pigment and texture.

I decided to go back to the beginning, and test a foundation product. I was delighted to discover that Bite Beauty Changemaker Supercharged Micellar Foundation is available in 32 shades, so I searched for a shade, knowing that I would find it. Once I determined my shade, I tried it on with glee, and the positive energy was well-founded. The lightweight medium-coverage foundation easily mixed into my skin, and created a soft lens finish. I love this product’s Micellar Technology! Further, it was wonderful to know that I was treating my skin to a dose antioxidants because the foundation contains maqui berry.

I continued my deep dive in complexion products by trying the Vasanti VO2 Orange Colour Correcting Concealer. I felt confident about my eye contours because the Veriphy 20/20 Eye Cream (see below!) created a hydrated, luminous base … now I just had to tackle the darkness. Vasanti is a Canadian brand that is paraben and cruelty-free, and vegan-friendly to boot. I tapped on a few droplets of the deep peach coloured liquid and let it set. I followed with a few drops of the Bite Foundation and I looked like I had slept for 12 hours. The product refreshed the eye area, and it is thrilling to know that there is a homegrown product that was designed for women like me.

I always set my face with a light dusting of powder because I want to mattify my oily T-zone, and set my concealer which would otherwise fade over the course of the day. The setting powders of yore tended to be cakey and always a became a tad too light each summer. Further, the shade I wore during the year tended to be darkest shade available in the range. STELLAR Cosmic Face Setting Powder comes in three shades, and if Glow 02 becomes too pale, I switch to Glow 03. Each shade is infused with warmth that flatters South Asian skin tones. Once my complexion is perfected, I feel confident. I love that this line is also paraben-, phthalate- and sulfate-free, because I want to treat my skin well.

**Celebrate Canada With These Beauty Brands That Are 100% Canadian: STELLAR Cosmic Face Setting Powder. Photo** Credit: www.stellarbeauty.com

SKIN CARE

Brown skin is beautiful but it comes with a price: a tendency to look ashy. The ashy look might be cherished by senior aunties but in a post-Dhoom 2 world, we all know that glowing skin where our bronze loveliness is at the fore is the new beauty standard. To date, I have achieved a glowing complexion using manual and chemical exfoliators. Nannette de Gaspé Beaubien, a leading Canadian innovator in the field of biotech and beauty industries, developed Miss de Gaspé Brighten Beam, Brightening & Revitalizing Dry Mask which brightens gently. The masque is bone dry and is designed to calm inflammation which breaks down collagen and hyaluronic acid, which leads to a dull complexion.

I had reservations about the masque because I am used to slimy, single use ones. This masque was not only dry, it is designed to be used three times. The reusable aspect appealed to me because I aim to reduce my waste but the bigger question was whether this masque delivers on brightness. The ingredients include shea butter for hydration and kakadu plum for brightness, so I had hope.

The hope was reduced when I attached the masque to my face and realized that I looked like a goalie. I then pressed the masque into my skin to activate the ingredients and relaxed for 15 minutes. The masque is sturdy and you can sip on a glass of water using a straw or walk around doing your daily chores, without risking slippage. At the sound of my alarm, I gingerly removed the masque and immediately placed it in its pouch. I looked in the mirror and was delighted by the brightness of my complexion. This is a must-buy for South Asian beauties who travel and want to pack lightweight products that are heavy in terms of great results.

I also tried the Veriphy Skincare™ 20/20 Eye Cream because it is a Canadian brand that uses gentle ingredients that make brown skin flourish such as lactic and hyaluronic acids, avocado and cucumber. The line’s gentle approach instantly relaxed me and I felt comfortable when I applied the eye cream which includes niacinamide to brighten and cucumber to soothe. The cream was quickly absorbed by the skin and I loved that I did not shed any tears. After a few moments, I noticed that my eyes looked brighter, and I felt more confident because dark eye contours are a common beauty bane for many South Asian women, myself included.

CANUCK THOUGHTS

In the beauty sphere, South Asian women have terrific choices on the Canadian market. The brands mentioned in this blog have a variety of products, and I recommend that you to explore them. I am also delighted that Canadian brands are intrinsically linked to plant power, the way that Ayurveda infuses plants into lives. It is trite to say that the Canadian wilderness is linked to national identity. In this case, it is now included in my personal vanity!

Main Image Photo Credit: clipart.com (Canadian Maple Leaf), www.bitebeauty.com, www.vasanticosmetics.ca, www.stellarbeauty.com

Meena Khan | Features Editor - Beauty

Author

Meena (@meenalaregina) always loved the idea of exploring the non-conventional idea of beauty. Having grown up as a pimply chubby teenager, she wanted to see the change in the world that best reflected your uniqueness as well. Her well-received collection of blogs where she tries on various beauty p...

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by Meena Khan | Features Editor - Beauty

Meena Khan | Features Editor - Beauty

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