Mom’s Beauty Advice

When it comes to beauty products it can be hard not to overdo it—especially if you’re a product hoarder and want to try every new trend (cough cough). However, there are some habits that never change when it comes to beauty routines and the majority of us heard it first from our moms. They say mother knows best, so here are our choice picks to keep up with mama’s classic beauty advice. —Vicki Duong

wash your face before bed. Whether you get your suggested eight hours of sleep or not, it can be tempting to use a makeup wipe before bed and think “good enough” —what harm could a few hours do when you can do a thorough cleanse in the morning? Turns out, a lot. Washing your face at the end of the day not only removes every tiny trace of cosmetics but also helps remove dirt, sweat and smoke that skin may have encountered during the day. A good wash is also a reset button, allowing skin to breathe overnight instead of being trapped under heavy products that could result in irritation and breakouts. Our pick for a do-it-all cleanser that our mama would approve of is Fresh Soy Face Cleanser ($47) for its gentle formula full of good-for-you ingredients like rosewater to soothe and balance skin and soy protein to enhance elasticity.

wear sunscreen. Seriously, wear sunscreen, daily, and even on overcast days. It protects your skin from harmful UV rays while also keeping signs of aging like sun spots and sagging at bay. Fear not, sun-safe technology has come a long way since the stark white heavily scented sunscreen your mom slathered on you, with dermatological brands offering a variety of formulas and product types to keep you sun safe all year ’round. La Roshe-Posay offers a fragrance-free SPF 50 in an ultra-fluid lotion formula ($34) that absorbs into skin quickly without leaving a residue, with a lightweight texture (and, if you like, a subtle tint) that is ideal for all skin types.

drink water. Skin care starts with wellness from within and staying hydrated is the best thing you can do for your derm. While eight cups daily doesn’t seem like a lot of water for some, real effort has to be made to get the daily recommended intake. Not having enough water can lead to dehydration and feeling fatigued throughout the day. The Hidrate Spark bottle ($55) will help you maintain healthy water intake with a bottle that lights up to remind you to drink more water while an app monitors how much H2O you’ve had. The app also calculates how much hydration you need based on your physiology and location so that you can really customize it for your needs.

brush your hair before you shower. When hair is wet it’s at its weakest and most prone to tangling; do better by your tresses by brushing your hair pre-shower (it will also make it easier for your shampoo and conditioner to work their magic). Dry or damp hair, our choice tool at the moment is the detangling comb from Wet Brush ($9), designed to minimize pain and breakage. Perfectly spaced-out teeth help easily de-knot your hair without tugging and causing further stress on your luscious locks.

find a signature nude lip colour. Whether you go full glam or keep it simple, momma knows no makeup bag is complete without the ultimate nude-toned lip. When we were younger and saw our moms gravitate toward neutral-toned lip shades we couldn’t understand why she wouldn’go for a magenta or brick red. We should have known better than to second guess our moms’ choices—there’s something about an everyday nude that’s effortlessly chic. Our fave formula at the mo is Marc Jacobs’ Enamored Lip Gloss Stick ($35) in Sugar Sugar—a champagne-gold shimmer. It applies like a lipstick but the finish is glossy with a hint of colour, leaving lips hydrated and looking like your own… only better.

don’t overdo it on the fragrance. Long gone are the prepubescent years of dosing ourselves in cheap and cheerful body spray with a sugar-sweet scent. Opt instead for something sophisticated yet modern while keeping up with warmer temps. Clean Reserve Solar Bloom ($134) smells like summer in a bottle with warm floral tones of bergamot and orange blossom. It adds a touch of scent without being too overpowering; try misting a cloud of scent in front of you and walking through it to help the scent more evenly distributed (just like mom used to do).