Vicki’s November Beauty Faves

Shift to holiday mode, sure, but don’t forget to treat yourself, too. I’m always in the mood to spoil myself and share my recommendations with you. Here are some top products I tried last month—gift them to loved ones, or yourself. —Vicki Duong

kure & co. Set the mood with a candle that will fill your home with a memorable scent. As a candle enthusiast, unique blends in gorgeous vessels always catch my eye, and the Kure & Co. Zen collection ($52) is equal parts home décor and fragrance. Each candle comes in a hand-blown glass vessel that can be repurposed. My fave scent is their newest, Silk Road—a musky blend of neroli, pine and teak.

smashbox x becca. While this undereye brightening corrector ($42) isn’t necessarily a new product, it’s a new look for one of my all-time holy grails. Earlier this year when Becca Cosmetics announced the closing of their brand, hearts broke everywhere especially for those who have tried and love their iconic undereye brightening products. Fret not, our friends at Smashbox gave the cult-classic a new home.

kid sister. As a self-proclaimed skin-care fanatic, I am always searching for new brands worth their weight in gold. Launching soon, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a bottle of Kid Sister Super Ego ($67) to try. It’s a face oil with a blend of buriti fruit and tomato seed oil that adds a punch of hydration to your skin without being too heavy, and provides enough slip to make it the ideal oil to pair with your fave jade roller or gua sha.

lise watier. Go for gold with this shimmery gloss ($27) from Lise Watier. The high-shine gloss has flecks of gold glitter that looks good on its own or layered over your fave lip colours for a multi-dimensional look. Plus the sleek applicator looks like a shimmery gold suspending in a crystal. (Psst: look for it in all three of our holiday gift guides, in VITA print.)

empyri. Vitamin C is not for everyone—or is it? I adore the Hydrating Toner & Vitamin C set ($72) from Empyri that is customizable to your skin’s needs. The set comes with a bottle of alcohol-free toner and two sachets of pure vitamin C. If you’re a newbie to C you can opt for just a pinch and slowly add more throughout use to get comfortable with this skin-brightening superstar.

annabelle. Get the wide-eyed look by applying mascara to your bottom lashes as well as your top. It can be tricky to find the right mascara that doesn’t transfer but is slim enough to reach each individual lash, but Annabelle checks off every box with their Skinny Mascara ($10). It boasts a formula that will lengthen and separate and an understated wand to use on both your top and bottom lashes.

bella aura. Get your glow on with Bella Aura Daily Moisturizer ($99), formulated to multi-task. This splurge-worthy moisturizer hydrates, firms, plumps, soothes, nourishes, brightens and strengthens—what can’t it do? It also has a lightweight texture making it ideal for the first step in priming your skin for makeup.

eos. With temps continuing to drop and constant hand-washing and sanitizing a part of everyday life, my hands can use a bit of a pick-me-up this winter. Lately, I’ve been reaching for eos Hand Cream ($7) enriched with shea butter, which adds a boost of moisture and dries down to a natural finish. I also love that it’s in a convenient squeeze tube in a small size, perfect for carrying in your handbag.

carolina herrera. When it comes to fragrances, the packaging on the vanity adds another ooh la la to luxury purchases. Lately my go-to has been Carolina Herrera’s Very Good Girl Eau de Parfum ($168 for 2.7 oz), a fruity floral blend with notes of roses and grounding vanilla for a sophisticated scent—all housed in a stiletto.

the beauty of eczema. With the crisp winter air, I’ve been regularly soaking in the bath after a long day. When it comes to treating dry skin, I love to extend my skin routine to my body as well, and The Beauty of Eczema has a range of bath products to treat dry and distressed skin. From the bath salts ($26) to the bathing oil ($38), you can treat your skin well all winter long.