Vitamin Daily

Because bargain is never a dirty word – especially when it comes to these fabulous drugstore products!

Butters can be too heavy, lotions too light, but Garnier’s Hydrating Gel-Cream ($7.99) is just right. Lightweight, non-sticky and perfect for parched skin.  

Full disclosure: We’re suckers for a beauty product dispensed with a pump. Besides love-at-first-packaging-sight, we love Neutrogena's Naturals Cleanser ($8.99) for its gentle, refreshing and paraben-free formula.

The latest installment of the CoverGirl LashBlast series, Clump Crusher ($9.99), is just as great as those that came before. For ultra-long, defined lashes, this tube is tops.

Fancy-pants brands have nothing on Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polish ($7.99). Fabulous colours, a shiny, long-wearing formula and the secret weapon to a pro DIY mani: A wide brush that makes application a cinch.

Vidal Sassoon, the iconic line born during the sixties in London, is back, and there’s no better way to get the retro style (that, incidentally, was all over SS13 runways) than with the brand’s all-new Pro Series Foaming Air Mousse ($7).

—Christine Laroche

This weekend, the Space for Life complex (which already includes the Botanical Garden, Biôdome and Insectarium) welcomes its newest attraction: The Rio Tinto Planetarium.

And although its futuristic architecture is stunning (and eco-friendly, with LEED certification), visitors are sure to find the interior, with its cutting-edge equipment, exhibits and immersive theatres, even more riveting.

For the grand opening, don’t miss Continum, an exclusive show designed by Montreal duo Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon with a Philip Glass soundtrack, as well as the permanent exhibition titled EXO: Our Search for Life in the Universe.

To infinity… and beyond! —Christine Laroche

4801 Pierre-De-Coubertin Ave., Montreal, 514-872-4530, http://espacepourlavie.ca/en

How many of us have vowed not to fill our houses with plastic baby junk?

The Bobbin Triple Play Centre should make sticking to that a bit easier. The wood activity centre is made in Canada for busy babies and their design-loving parents. Rather than coming stocked with obnoxious noise-making whirligigs, it lets you add your own cute (read: quiet) developmental toys. Then, when your tot outgrows it, it converts into tables of two different sizes – one of which even has a chalkboard top.

That's the kind of multitasking we love. —Kelsey Dundon

$549 at www.ellaandelliot.com

Jurassic 5 will be bring the nostalgia, Phoenix will bring their new album, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers will bring, one can only hope, socks. What will you bring to Coachella? A playlist made up of these five favourites.

Wild Nothing

Theirs is the kind of 1980’s-influenced music Sofia Coppola would put on a soundtrack. And speaking of stars, their video for Paradise features Michelle Williams. www.myspace.com/wildnothing

Jamie xx

His group The xx will be at the festival, but Jamie xx’s solo work leans toward more upbeat dinner party-worthy tunes. www.jamiexx.com

Ben Howard

For something even more laid-back, this British singer-songwriter’s guitar-heavy sound is perfect for backyard BBQs. www.benhowardmusic.co.uk

Purity Ring

This Canadian duo is beloved by critics. And for good reason. They’re like a more relaxed, more listenable Crystal Castles. http://purityringsongs.com

Grimes

The Vancouver native’s album topped many “best of” lists last year. If you haven’t yet been playing pop-y synth-y Visions on repeat, now’s the perfect time to start.
www.grimesmusic.com

—Kelsey Dundon

PS: Our Vancouver editor Anya Georgijevic will be blogging, tweeting and instagramming her way through the first weekend of the festival. Watch this space for all the denim cut-offs you can handle.

Whether you’re seeking a slight seasonal update or an extreme overhaul, your living quarters will thank you for visiting Quartier Dix30.

The Brossard shopping mega-complex is home to the very first Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids stores in Quebec, as well as the province’s second Williams Sonoma. Combined, the three stylish stores span 33,000 square feet of home décor delights.

Also in the new to the neighbourhood are hr2 and Lululemon – don’t miss ‘em! —Christine Laroche

www.quartierdix30.com

At long last, the SS13 edition of Aldo Rise has hit stores.

This season, the Montreal shoe manufacturer has teamed up with London-based design duo Preen for a capsule collection perfectly on-trend pumps featuring bold patchwork, snakeskin and neon accents ($155).

We’ll definitely rise to this shopping occasion. —Christine Laroche

705 Ste-Catherine St. E., 514-842-3144, www.aldoshoes.com

Sure cold-pressed juice cleanses are all the rage, but who has time to chop all those veggies?

Sources tell us the next big thing is the Milkshake Cleanse — and we’ve got an exclusive recipe (courtesy of a well-known celebrity nutritionist) to get you started. Drink 3-4 today for maximum results.

Ingredients:

3 cups whole milk (chocolate milk can be substituted)

2 scoops of ice cream

1 generous dollop of artificially flavoured syrup

1 non-organic banana

3 heaping tablespoons of white sugar

Blend for a minute and serve in a tall glass.

Happy April Fool’s Day from the VitaminDaily.com team!

(Image courtesy of Rawich at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

The only thing better than scoring that perfect designer piece? Getting it at a steal.

The internet has been buzzing for months and it’s finally here: The first hr2 location, Holt Renfrew’s new low(er) priced store concept, is open at Quartier Dix30.

The expansive space is stocked with diffusion and secondary labels from some of our favourite luxury designers – no off-season clearance castoffs here.

We’ve never been more motivated to cross the Champlain Bridge. Bienvenue, hr2! —Christine Laroche

9120 Leduc Blvd., Montreal, 450-443-4200, www.holtrenfrew.com

Halfway through Easter weekend and still not started decorating eggs? If you’re the type of home that doesn’t have a preschool’s worth of craft supplies in the cupboard, here are a few options that only require basic household goods. And eggs of course, lots of eggs.

Almost everyone has a Sharpie pen lying around, so these gorgeous doodle eggs will be a cinch. From Alisa Burke.

These bumblebees require a few steps, but don’t require many supplies: coffee filters, tape, markers, glue, fishing line, and egg dye (use Kool-Aid or food colouring as alternatives). The pipe cleaner tail can be optional, if you don’t have any handy.  From Homemade Serenity.

Create these beautiful striped eggs using only elastic bands and egg dye. From Better Homes and Gardens.

Dig some thread out of your sewing kit and create these lovely thread-wrapped Easter eggs. If you’re short on time, skip the dyeing, use a few different colours of thread on a white egg and voila! Rainbow thread eggs. From Martha Stewart.

If pastels aren’t your thing, then try making these rainbow eggs using food colouring and vinegar. They did say brights were back in fashion for spring, right? From No. 2 Pencil.

—Alexandra Suhner Isenberg

With its black sand beaches, lush rainforest and natural hot springs, it’s no wonder we’re crushing on the Caribbean island of St Lucia. We took a trip to the “sleepy south” and found laid back resorts, natural beauty, and plenty of local flavour.

stay

At Anse Chastanet no two rooms are alike but all include local art and a breezy Caribbean vibe. Ask for 14B, which has a tree growing through the rainfall shower (pictured). The hotel has four restaurants - including one that’s exclusively vegetarian - and two beaches with oceanside service. Make the trek over to Anse Mamin, the hotel’s more remote beach, for a Caribbean spice burger tucked between a Jonny Cake, a local bread grilled fresh to order. www.ansechastanet.com

do

Hotel Chocolat grows 10 per cent of the island’s cocoa. Tour the hotel’s Rabot Estate cocoa groves, pluck a pod, and craft your own dark bar with the Tree to Bar experience. Afterwards, reward yourself with a fresh cacao martini in the hotel bar. http://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/home

see

Locals swear by the healing power of the sulphur springs, part of your entrance fee the Caribbean’s only “drive-in” volcano. Bring a dark swimsuit, cover yourself in volcanic mud, then dip into the natural (45 degree!) hot springs. http://soufrierefoundation.org

relax

Guests at Jade Mountain benefit from more than just in-suite infinity pools and unobstructed views of the Pitons. At the Kai en Cielis spa the chocolate body wrap is good enough to eat but it’s the hotel’s own handmade chocolates, given at the end of the treatment, that really sweeten the experience. www.jademountain.com

eat

Every Friday the town of Anse La Raye plays host to a fish fry dance party. Choose from snapper, mahi mahi, shrimp, box fish or spiny lobster then watch as your plate is piled high with homemade rice and peas, mac and cheese and coleslaw. (Sorry about the lack of photo, but were were too busy eating!)