Ever since enormous, kitchen-sink handbags reached critical mass in 2007, when one or more Olsens were routinely seen wearing Balenciagas they could hide inside, bags have been getting smaller, tinier even. But where do you put all your shiz? Solution: get smaller shiz. Here, a handful of my favourite pochette-sized products.

Amazing Concealer to Go, $28 at Sephora. It's teensy (0.2 oz), and you don't need a lot: highly pigmented and smoooooth, this multipurpose concealer fixes almost anything on the spot.

Sephora by OPI “Havana Nights” Mini-Polish Collection

Mistura's 6-in-1 Beauty Solution, $54.99 online. This streamlined compact has it all: brush, eye/lip applicator, mirror and an anywhere-you-want it illuminating powder (approximate colour: sunrise) for fair-to-medium skin. Take your glow to go.

Oribe Signature Dry Texturizing Spray, Travel-Size, $20 at Gee Beauty. I haven't brushed my hair since 1995 and I'm lucky if I wash it once a week, so yeah, I live and die by this stuff. It makes magic out of mess. And now it comes in a carry-on-sized canister, so you can freshen your gross summer hair after pool dips, long bike rides and sweaty sweaty dance-offs.

NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in “Carthage,” $26 at The Hudson's Bay Company, Holt Renfrew and Sephora. This is a brilliant, versatile, sexy-hot pink. NARS makes their lipsticks with a minimum of packaging and fuss, so it slips in wherever you've got room left in that 'lil' thing.
—Sarah Nicole Prickett

If you get super-dry feet in the summertime—and if you don't, what kind of goddess are you?—we have just the pedicurist's secret for you.

It's like whipped cream for your toes: an ultra-light, odourless white mousse that absorbs almost instantly and leaves feet moist, not greasy. Never heard of it? Footlogix, made in Toronto by a “pediceutical” company, is found primarily at fancy salons. But you can buy it yourself and use post-shower for a quick and delicious-feeling daily fix.

Plus, imagine the possibilities for foot fetishists....  —Sarah Nicole Prickett

$22 at Donato Salon & Spa at the Shops at Don Mills, Yorkdale and other locations; www.donato.ca

Argan oil, El Maroc bath soap, fresh mint tea and Babouche in every colour—we’re having a major Moroccan moment.

Our most recent find is the Red Flower line, with cleansers, scrubs, clays and creams inspired by hammam rituals.

The Moroccan rose-infused body lotion ($28) is Majorelle Gardens in a bottle. For a true hammam experience try the salt scrub ($39) from the same range. Tip: scrub it off with an exfoliating mit from local company, Come Clean Cosmetics ($29.99). Don’t be shy with the loofah, the hammamjis never are. —AT

At Jacob and Sebastian, 622 Queen St. W., Toronto, 647-345-0478, www.jacobandsebastian.com

Our fingers are crossed for the end of spring rain, and they're wearing sun-yellow nail polish.

Yellows aren't the easiest shades to wear, in polish or otherwise. Luckily, our favourite lacquer lines have a range of citrine hues to choose from this season. Here are three:

1. Chanel’s “Mimosa” (less golden than Pantone’s 2009 Colour of the Year of the same name) has a champagne-bubble luster and applies opaque after three coats. Run to Holt Renfrew to get your own bottle ($26). Just like every other Chanel it-polish, “Mimosa” is bound to sell out quickly. www.holtrenfrew.com

2. Deborah Lippmann’s “Yellow Brick Road,” debuted by Lady Gaga at the Grammys, was the yolk to her egg. This one's a jelly polish, so you can wear it sheer or build up the opacity with creamy layers. Get it for $20 at Donato Salon & Spa. www.donato.ca

3. And for a more affordable (and perhaps easier to wear) colour in the canary family, head to your favourite Shoppers and try Sally Hansen’s perfectly pastel “Yellow Kitty” ($8). Bonus: It’s part of the Complete Salon Manicure line, so you can skip the base and topcoat. www.sallyhansen.com

—Paige Dzenis

There are creams that belong in a safe they’re so luxe, but we’ll stick with our trusty drugstore favourites. Herewith, five products no girl should be without:

Nothing in our kit serves as many uses as Vaseline. Tame bushy brows, add luster to lashes and moisten chapped lips with the best balm money can buy. At Shopppers Drug Mart, www.shoppersdrugmart.ca

For an instant glow, we massage a few drops of The Aromatherapist Rosehip Oil ($29.99) into our cheeks. Whole Foods Market, 87 Avenue Rd., Toronto, 416-944-0500, www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/toronto

We survived the teenage years thanks to Clearasil (from $10) and to this day, it’s still our choice for pesky pimples. At Shopppers Drug Mart, www.shoppersdrugmart.ca

When we’re pressed for time, Revlon’s quick dry coat ($6.15) helps us make a smudge free dash. At Well.ca

For silky soft skin, we love Burt’s Bees natural moisturizing body lotions (from $12.99). Whole Foods Market, 87 Avenue Rd., Toronto, 416-944-0500, www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/toronto

—AT

You’re sitting on the streetcar with strawberry jam on your blouse and a runner in your hose, but hey, at least your face looks gorgeous.

Just think of Cargo’s 7in7 ($39.99, seven products in seven minutes) as your manic morning beauty fix. This easy-to-use kit contains a base, eye shadows, pencil, mascara, blush, lip liner and gloss cleverly designed with time-pressed gals in mind. It’s also small enough to slip into your bag so you can touch-up throughout the day.

If only everything in life were this simple.

Available at The Shopping Channel.

If Jessica Moore and Alexia Inge of Cultbeauty make a recommendation, we take note. This fabulously unique beauty blog/boutique is a go-to for beauty editors and product obsessives alike.

It was here that we discovered olive-oil rich MELU Shampoo ($25) by Italian hair care brand, Davines. We’ve used it all summer long, and even chlorine, sun and sea haven’t weakened its effect. It’s the perfect potion for long, tired tresses.

Jennifer Aniston is a fan, and hey, who doesn’t want her mop?

Available at Salon Soho, Sherway Gardens, Etobicoke, 416-621-4012, www.sohosalonspa.com

Our dream bathroom would be white, bright and minimal, with sleek mirror cabinets stacked with a cornucopia of cosmetics.

The next best thing is a visit to new beauty boîte, Jacob & Sebastian. With packaging as luxurious as the products themselves, this place belongs in the pages of Living Etc.

Find Paul and Joe blushes, Malin + Goetz shampoos and old fashioned shaving kits from Baxter of California.

Our picks are Portland General Store’s tobacco scented bath scrub ($17.99) and Zents concrete encased solid perfumes ($39.99).

Now, what to do about the avocado tiles in our bathroom?

Jacob and Sebastian, 622 Queen St. W., Toronto, 647-405-8930, www.jacobandsebastian.com

A woman’s urge to explore her new man’s medicine cabinet is undeniable.

Of course, finding too many products is a turnoff, but too few can also be disappointing especially if you have to smell like Axe for the rest of the day. Imagine our surprise when we discovered Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado. Vain? Perhaps. But it also shows remarkable judgment. A tiny amount packs a powerful punch without clogging pores or leaving an oily sheen. In fact, mix a little in with your concealer for lasting coverage.

The man may be gone, but his beauty ritual lives on in our eyes.

Kiehl’s, 407 Queen St. W., Toronto, 416-977-3588, www.kiehls.com

On our last trip to NYC, we were devastated to find that Space NK no longer carries Dr. Lipp lip balm in its US stores.

Naturally, we scoured the beauty blogs and discovered a very simple solution. Now Personal Care 100% Pure Lanolin is a heavy-duty moisturizer for ultra-dry skin and cracked heels that has worked wonders for our pout. At 207mL ($12.29, the tub is not exactly portable, but decant some into a small, clear travel pot and it’s a luscious lip balm to go.

Since this home remedy costs a fraction of the original, why not treat yourself to a new lippy too?

Noah’s Natural Foods, 322 Bloor St. W, Toronto, 416-968-7930, http://www.noahsnaturalfoods.ca/