The subconscious is the darnedest thing. Just ask Nicolette Eus.

The Vancouver-based hynotherapist helps people overcome pesky roadblocks like golfers’ yips, fear of public speaking, writers’ block, and the like. She took this editor through a session that felt a bit like guided meditation and a bit like shavasana, the very best part of yoga class. Noticeably absent? Stage magicians and pendulums. “I’m just a co-pilot,” Eus says. “I believe we know what’s best for ourselves and when we’re really quiet the answers show up.” —Kelsey Dundon

Nicolette Eus Hypnotherapist, 604-649-5108, www.nicoletteeus.com

The backpack is an accessory that has a pretty bad rep, but that’s because it is associated with the nylon monstrosities we associate with college.

Locally made in Vancouver from a mix of new and upcycled leather, the Stevie and Sadie backpacks by Ora will get us through our summer picnics, beach days, and trips to the lake.

And while we don’t mind being mistaken for university students (young AND smart), this backpack won’t let us fit in with the ones on our local campuses. By the way, that’s a good thing. —Alexandra Suhner Isenberg

The Sadie backpack ($250) and Stevie backpack ($275) at Ora bags, www.orabags.com, or at Nouvelle Nouvelle, 209 Abbott St., Vancouver, 604 682 2234, www.nouvellenouvelle.com

A recent beauty trend has us shunning our tweezers and dreaming of bushier days.

We love catwalker Arizona Muse’s and red carpet Rooney Mara’s thick eyebrows, but re-growing them after years of plucking is a challenge for some, and the hair might need a little boost to achieve its former glory. This editor played guinea pig with B.Kamins Eyelash Fortifier, a product enriched with peptides, plant extracts and vitamins, using it on both the brows and the lashes, and she can (almost) outbrow and outlash the two aforementioned divas to shame. —Anya Georgijevic

$99 at Spa Boutique, 3630 4th Ave., Vancouver, 604-734-7114, www.spaboutique.ca

DIY Mother’s Day gifts are always the sweetest, but it’s been a long time since we made a candy dish out of clay.

So this year we’re getting a little (ok, a lot) of help from Vancouver's poetry website www.bentlily.com. Use the free InstaPoem feature to create a bespoke verse about you and mom; simply follow the steps to plug in details about your relationship and personality traits and voila — an instant tearjerker.

Here’s an excerpt from our little ditty:
you let me live
the cliff edge of mistakes
the big perm
the older boyfriend
the time I smoked cigarettes

Yes, that sounds about right.

Happy Mother’s Day from VitaminDaily.com

Create your InstaPoem here.

It’s not bad from the freezer or the phone book but nothing’s better than pizza made the way it was supposed to be.

Famoso Pizza, which crafts its pies according to the standards set by the Associazone Verace Pizza Napoletana, has just opened up across the street from Commercial Drive’s other pizza mecca: Marcello’s. We tried the funghi tartufo topped with roasted mushrooms, reggiano parmesan and truffle oil ($14.50) and sipped a classic Italian soda made of sparkling water and peach syrup ($2.50). Come summer, you’ll find us savouring a scoop of artisan-style salted caramel gelato ($3.50) on the sunny patio. Sure beats delivery. —Kelsey Dundon

Famoso Pizza, 1380 Commercial Dr., Vancouver, 604-251-2292, www.famoso.ca