Summer calls for a healthy, rosy glow, nothing too overdone. Since powders can get fussy under the hot sun and turn our frown upside down, Happy Face is here to save the day.

No sticky icky. —AG

$21 at Shoppers Drug Mart and Lise Watier.

What’s not to love about a product that’s a balm, a lipstick and a gloss all in one, is organic, comes in a slick little package and calls Vancouver its home?

Sounds almost too good to be true but, rest assured, it does exist. Meet ILIA. Born out of a dream for absolute product purity, ILIA gathers the best from the natural world and the world of luxury beauty. Starting with a range of six terrific shades including the soft rose “Nobody’s Baby” and the passionate red “Bang Bang,” we are well on our way to organic bliss. —AG

$24.95 at LYNNsteven. 225 Carrall St., Vancouver, www.lynnsteven.com and Misch, 2960 Granville St., Vancouver, www.misch.ca and www.iliabeauty.com

Vancouverite Jordy Poon has hit it big in New York City, beautifying the likes of Sienna Miller, Katy Perry, Devon Aoki, supermodel Liu Wen and editorials in Vogue, Elle, Nylon and Russh. We caught up with him to discuss spring make-up trends.

Bright Eyes
S/S 2011 is all about strokes of bold colour on the eyes. Nothing too technical-looking but more of a smudge or a wash of colour across the lids. I love all of Lancôme's new Color Design Eye Brightening All-In-One five shadow and liner palettes. They come in beautiful bold colours and are easy to use. Purple is the biggest colour for spring.

Bold Lips
After so many seasons, bold lips are still a big beauty statement. Now we are leaning more towards a matte or creamy texture. Nothing frosted, metallic, pearlized or sparkly. In terms of colour, it’s about reds and pinks. Try NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils for a one step quick fix.

Eyeliner
Eyeliner is always a good way to accessorize and accent your style. I love Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils. They go on effortlessly.

Contoured Cheeks
The contoured cheek look is definitely the only way to apply blush this season. Try neutral blushes or use your powder bronzer to create shape. As for bright pinks or peaches, use them only as an accent over the sculpted cheeks.

Matte Skin
Natural glowing skin never goes out of style, but we are starting to appreciate a perfectly powdered complexion. If you have never worn powder, this is the season to experiment. On the other hand, if you have been wearing powder for the past fifteen years, it's time to throw it out!

Check out our interview with Poon and view some of his work on our Editors’ Diary. —AG

What chunky knits are to winter, punchy prints are to spring.

Playing with the 'lighten up' mood of the upcoming season is the Milly for Clinique Pretty In Prints Spring 2011 collection. The set includes a melon pink Long Last Glosswear with SPF 15 ($18), a High Impact Mascara to make your eyes pop ($18) and a limited-edition compact (adorned with the Milly print) that contains a Colour Surge Eye Shadow Quad and Blushing Blush ($43) and comes with a an adorable cloth pouch inspired by a 1960s couture print.

Here comes the sun.

At Clinique counters, www.clinique.ca

The last time we tried a homemade oatmeal scrub, more ended up in our mouth than on our face.    

Leave it to Jiadé. The Port Coquitlam-based beauty brand is first in Canada to be USDA certified organic, comprised of the simplest ingredients like essential oils and botanical extracts. Its lavender facial toner ($21.40) and moisturizer for normal and combination skin ($42.80) were both feather light and refreshingly fragrant like the garden, leaving our skin in seventh heaven.

Delicious dermis.

At Drive Organics, 1045 Commercial Dr., Vancouver, 604-678-9665 and online www.jiadecosmetics.com

We turn to Burberry when we want the nattiest of raingear.

And now the venerable British line has coverage for our faces as well.

Burberry’s new makeup line pays homage to the legacy with foundations named “Trench” and a storm-inspired range of greyed-out eyeshadows ($33).

The shimmery compacts feature the signature Burberry check, which reminds us, time to check our makeup!

Ah yes, still perfect.

Burberry Beauty, Holt Renfrew, 737 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, 604-681-3121, www.holtrenfrew.com

In the early '90s grunge era “dirty beauty” meant nonchalance about hair care. In today’s green era, it means caring about toxins in our beauty products.

If 'ignorance is bliss' isn’t your motto, pick up No More Dirty Looks by Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt. The former Montrealers and journalists dig into the dirtiest ingredients and their risk factors, recommend less toxic products they’ve tested and provide home recipes for hair, face and bod. They also offer up a slew of sidebar beauty tips, like doing your hair wash routine backwards for better results.

We appreciate that the authors don’t hold back on the bad stuff, but remain even keeled. For instance, while hair dye holds many horrors, they won’t forsake all honey-blonde highlights.

$14.40 at www.amazon.ca
www.nomoredirtylooks.com

With the camel coats and chubby knits of the fall collections arriving in stores, visions of soft smoky eyes and flushed cheeks are beginning to dance in our heads.

On the latter we’ve fallen for the new Nars eye and cheek palette Only You ($75). Packed inside a sleek and secure zip-up compact, the palette is armed with four fab shadows, including a metallic neutral, matte black, golden espresso and aubergine, and loaded with its Hungry Heart highlighter and Orgasm blush.

Perfect for popping in your purse, it’ll take you from Donna Karan by day to Alexander Wang after dark.

At The Bay, 674 Granville St., Vancouver, 604-681-6211, www.thebay.com

A mayjah event + a group of girlfriends + one bathroom mirror=sharp elbows.

Avoid the drama and book your girlfriends in for a session at Rouge Make-up Lounge. The sophisticated space has seven stations and carries primo products (like Becca and Paul & Joe Beauté) that in-house make-up artists will expertly apply to your specifications.

Smoky eyes and red lips? That’s drama we can live with.

From $45 per person, Rouge Make-up Lounge, 1038 Hamilton St., Vancouver, 604-681-1118, www.rougemakeuplounge.com

If your Little Miss Pretty goes straight for your cosmetics bag the minute you turn around, you’re not alone.

Save your Chanel bronzer (and your carpets) from future make-up shake-ups by appeasing her with painted nails.

Hopscotch Kids' non-toxic nail polish comes in kid-friendly shades like Ice Cream, Bubblegum and Teddy Bear pink, and if she chews it off, no problem.

Now replacing that smashed Nars lipstick, that’s a problem.

Available online ($12.99) at www.raspberrykids.com