Top Beauty Innovations of 2017

By VITA Daily

We’re not talking makeup trends here (FYI: ’80s, glitter and braids). These are our predictions for products and categories that will be making waves through the next year—the high-tech, innovative, space-age stuff we can’t wait to try. —Aileen Lalor

• More fancy devices

  By VITA Daily

  Over the past few years we’ve seen a rise in cleansing brushes, home lasers and LEDs, ultrasonic devices and more. As the tech evolved, these devices are able to do more. One of the latest is Tria Positively Clear 3-Step Acne Skincare Solution. This "zit zapper" uses blue light to kill acne-causing bacteria without drying out or damaging the rest of your skin. The science behind it is good: dermatologists have used blue light in acne treatment for decades. The device comes with a cleanser and spot treatment. $199 at Triabeauty.ca

• Ultra-customization of products

  By VITA Daily

  This has been a growing trend for the last couple of years—brands like Skin Inc. allow you to mix your own serum while Nyx, RMS and Estée Edit have top coats that can be applied over any lipstick to adjust the shade. Now things are getting really smart. Last year, Lancôme introduced Le Teint Particulier in the U.S.: a custom-blend foundation that’s mixed for you on counter (it’s set to arrive in select Canadian department stores this May). A couple of years ago, Toronto brand BITE Beauty launched its NYC Lip Lab, in which you can make a personalized-from-scratch lipstick colour. It’s since opened two additional stores in the U.S., plus one in Toronto, with more to come in Canada.

• Natural brands get technical, and Canadian companies are best in class

  By VITA Daily

  In days of yore, natural, cruelty-free and organic brands were nice to use but didn’t promise (and, at times, deliver) the dramatic results of their high-tech counterparts. Now earthy brands are starting to move into the cosmeceutical space. Montreal-based Nannette de Gaspe‘s latest Techstile masks may be all natural, but they deliver dramatic and long-lasting results. This year’s innovation is the Plumping & Lifting Infusers: dry pads that you stick in your bra or pants to boost your bum and breasts. $225 at Holt Renfrew from February

• Natural brands get technical, and Canadian companies are best in class

  By VITA Daily

  Calgary’s Plume hopes to rival prescription-only Latisse with its Lash & Brow Serum. Latisse boosts lash growth but can cause itching, redness and staining of the skin and iris. Plume’s Lash & Brow Serum is 100% natural, causes none of those side effects, genuinely boosts lash growth (we’ve tried it) and, unlike, Latisse, can be used during pregnancy or by people undergoing cancer treatment. In March the brand will launch an eyebrow product, Nourish & Define Brow Pomade, which colours the brows and contains the same actives as the serum for long-term brow-boosting effects. $95 at Plumescience.com, Project Skin MD and Murale

• Asian brands keep innovating

  By VITA Daily

  The best and most innovative products of recent years have been from Asia. The cushion foundation trend, for instance, has expanded to blushers and eye makeup and, most recently, an ultra-long-lasting sweat-resistant eyebrow product from Korean brand Laneige. There are no plans to bring that to North America yet, but the company is launching the second iteration of its cushion foundation in 2017; meantime, there’s much buzz around it’s forthcoming Two Tone Lip Bar, which gives a very cool ombré effect. If you can’t wait for that, fellow Korean brand Iopé offers a Dual Lip Blender ($32 at Aritaum); also, check out Hong Kong startup Molly Cosmetics Shop’s SiliSponge, which is a silicone alternative to makeup sponges that blends foundation perfectly without absorbing it, so there’s no product wastage and it’s easy to clean. The downside? It does look like a silicone breast implant—a talking point if left out in the bathroom. $16 at Mollycosmeticsshop.com

• Wearable beauty is a thing

  By VITA Daily

  Last year saw the introduction of La Roche Posay’s UV patch—a Band-aid that changes colour when exposed to UV rays and uploads data to an app that keeps tabs on your level of UV exposure. Also in the pipeline are hairbands that promise to make your locks grow and devices that will allow you to measure levels of hydration or pollution, so you can see if your skin care really does live up to its claims. Free at LaRoche-Posay.com