Summer means loads of time outdoors bike-riding around the neighbourhood andgardening in the community plot – it is essential to keep skin nourished, soft and hydrated.

After a scorching weekend, our skin is crying for attention. We picked up RoC’s super comforting 24h Ultra-Nourishing Balm to do some hopeful recon on our ravaged skin.

The results? Super silky skin in better shape than we started; applied daily we could be back to baby’s bottom smoothness in no time.

$26 at Shoppers Drug Mart, www.rocskincare.com

A trip to the drugstore requires a restock of our favourites.

Needing something a bit  more mature than Lipsmackers to satiate my love of tasty lip gloss, I fell in love with the Benefit Bella Bamba Gloss ($19), a sheer gloss with a hint of watermelon.

My essential purse product is the KORRES Milk Proteins Cleansing Wipes ($16). Not only do they refine and refinish your skin while cleansing but they're also a great way to clean-up quickly after a visit to the gym.

A smooth and flawless make-up application is key to making your spring palette last through the day. I like Fusion Beauty Colorceuticals Primers ($45) as a starting base for my foundation and blush. Choose the colour that fixes your problem area – with the transition to spring I always reach for the green primer to correct redness.  

Doctor's orders! Physican’s Formula pH Matchmaker Lip Gloss ($13.99) is the ultimate in scientific beauty discovery! The Fluorscein-based dye senses your pH level and creates the perfect lip tint within 60 seconds.

Add some bronzed dimension to your face with the Quo Mosaic Perfecting Powder ($20). In two different mosaicked palettes to match your skin tone. Sweep a brush along your hairline, temples, cheekbones and jawline to create a flattering, warm tone to your skin.

All products available at Shoppers Drug Mart.

—Kait Kucy

While our skin has been getting the benefits of rich BB crème, our dry ends have been calling out in jealous envy.

Pantene's newly launched Ultimate 10 BB Crème ($7.99) is a bona fide hair care regimen in a bottle. Designed to be used in either wet or dry locks, this luxe cream smooths and transforms them into shiny, heat protected and frizz-free tresses.

We're officially having a hair affair. —Kait Kucy

$7.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart.

We are always on the search for the perfect rosy glow, going through powders, gels and sticks.  

So when we found Dreamy Bouncy Blush at the drugstore, we were tickled pink. One of the best things about this blush is that it has a smooth and cream-like finish unlike powder, which can leave a dryer texture to your skin.

Our favourite shades moving into the cold dark days of winter are Hot Tamale for that extra kick of brightness and Fresh Pink for a very natural everyday blush tone. —Kait Kucy

$11 at Shoppers Drug Mart, www.maybelline.com

Because beauty doesn’t have to cost a pretty penny, we’re spilling the deets on our best-loved drugstore products. Trust us: They are as affordable as they are awesome

Bye Bye Blisters
Shaped like a tiny tube of deodorant, Band-Aid's Activ Flex Blister Block Stick might be the best thing since flip-flops. Rub the invisible gel anywhere you shoes brush against your skin to prevent friction and any blisters or skin breakage. $9.99 at London Drugs, 8330 Macleod Tr. S.E., Calgary, 403-571-4930, www.londondrugs.com

Camera Ready
Part of Revlon's Mousse Makeup's appeal is the novel way the foundation foams out of the can, but once you get over that it’s the coverage this mousse gives that makes it a keeper. Lighter than a traditional foundation, but heavier than a tinted moisturizer, this makeup glides over the skin for even coverage. $18.99 at London Drugs, 8330 Macleod Tr. S.E., Calgary, 403-571-4930, www.londondrugs.com

Bright Eyes
For mascara that brings out your eyes think beyond basic black. Exact Eyelights Eye-Brightening Mascara has metallics to reflect light and a hint of tint to compliment your eye colour including a touch of purple for green-eyed girls and sapphire for baby blues. $8.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart, 1410 1 St. S.E., Calgary, 403-294-1433, www.shoppersdrugmart.ca

Smart Shampoo
Perfect in a pinch or on that rare occasion that you oversleep, Got 2b's dry shampoo’s aerosol spray can makes sure the powder comes out light and even. Brush it through your hair to turn oily locks soft and silky. $6.99 at Paragon, 504 Elbow Dr. S.W., Calgary, 403-228-3340, www.helloparagon.com

Sunkissed
It’s a slow build, but the subtlety of Jergen's gradual self tanner means that your path to sun-free bronze goddess won’t be impeded by streaky uneven tones. Start applying this daily moisturizer now and you’ll look like a natural on the beach by summer. $8.49 at Shoppers Drug Mart, 1410 1 St. S.E., Calgary, 403-294-1433, www.shoppersdrugmart.ca —Jaelyn Molyneux

“It’s okay if sometimes her friends are flaky, but a lady’s legs should never be.”

Ah, another snappy quote with the perfect balance of kitsch, cute and clever from UK-based skin care line, Soap & Glory (go on, click the link, their website’s just as sassy). Originally inspired by bad British tabloid headlines, S&G are our new favourite skin care dealer of quality body creams, soaps and exfoliators on the cheap. Amidst the overwhelming lotion and cleanser aisle at Shoppers Drug Mart, these pink bottles with black and white photos from the ‘50s are too pretty to resist.

Try The Righteous Butter ($9.99) for starters, and don’t miss their famous plumping Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Gloss ($9.99) in plum, peach, nude or clear.

With wit, these Brit’s prove that pretty packaging always sells. And you can quote us on that. —Caroline Gault

Available in Canada exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart, www.soapandglory.com

We have to admit, we’re fickle when it comes to facial cleansers and creams, often just using whatever we have on hand. We’ve even washed our face with bar soap (gasp!).

We adore the simplicity of Dermaglow’s new line of skin care, Essentials, featuring six products targeted to treat an array of skin care calamities. There are four cleansers including the lightweight soap-free Foaming Cleanser to remove daily dirt, the Exfoliating Cleanser ($30) to refine pores, a Hydrating Milk Cleanser ($36) to gently purify dry skin, and the magical, no-rinsing-required Micellar Water-Based Cleanser ($26). Choose between a lightweight lotion and a richer cream ($45 each), depending on your skin’s dryness.

Our skin care routine has gone from fickle to faithful. —Jennifer Nachshen

At Shoppers Drug Mart, www.shoppersdrugmart.ca

Let’s be honest: some skin types glisten like a caramel dessert while others burn and render freckles that burst onto bodies like popcorn.

If you want to embrace this popsicle-licking, layer stripping time of year, but have taken a sun abstinence vow, look no further than Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs. Instead of being offensively orange, this self-tanning spray simply smoothes and softens your legs to appear as if you are wearing nylons. Guaranteed flawless flesh in a flash! —Kristin Hursh

Available in four shades; $16.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart, www.shoppersdrugmart.com

Ever since a real-life sun-kissed glow turned into the kiss of death, we’ve had to find other ways to achieve that healthy bronze.

Stila’s new One Step Bronze with its “triple-swirled helix serum” not only looks cool, but also does quadruple duty as a bronzer, primer, illuminator and moisturizer. Oil-free, the light bronzer goes on smoothly improving skin tone and leaving just a hint of a shimmer.

And best of all, the mineral complex targets skin imperfections such as environmental stressors, acne and, coincidentally, sun damage. —MG

$47 at Shoppers Drug Mart, www.shoppersdrugmart.ca

Our childhood discomfort in the dental chair has been replaced by slick offices with personal TVs and spa-like facilities—but it all starts with the daily brush.

Just in time for Earth Day we tested a sustainable, compostable, biodegradable dental line, Clean Idea. Designed in Vancouver and made from veggies like potatoes, corn, tapioca and wheat, the children's toothbrush ($3.99) has soft bristles and a handle designed especially for small hands, while the kid's ecoflosser is topped with a Mr. Molar cartoon.

We'll get over our headgear one day.

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