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Shampoo
Beauty Supply Outlet
1568 Yonge St., 416-929-6533
While salons might charge exorbitant sums for a wash and cut, they make their real money selling product. The Beauty Supply Outlet isn’t technically wholesale, but salon-quality Goldwell shampoo sells for several dollars less than anywhere else. $14 for 300 mL of Goldwell Rich Repair.
Check out three products that allow you to live the good life for less »
Consonant, 2479 Yonge Street (Image: Supplied)
The place: The clean, sleek storefront of Consonant Skincare’s first Canadian flagship location sits just north of Eglinton at 2479 Yonge Street. The very white space radiates a relaxed, spa-like atmosphere that almost demands a white terrycloth bathrobe and slippers. Products are carefully displayed along the walls with precision that would make even the most O.C.D. customers happy (of course, this might mean standing and straightening out of place items if you work there, since people like to read the labels). The cleansers and tags state the scent, colour and notable features of the products they accompany, and a nearby sink invites the consumer to try before buying. The building also houses Consonant’s offices above the street-level store, so consumer feedback can be heard and considered.
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A model gets her closeup backstage at Greta Constantine (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
While the clothes always take center stage (or runway, as it were) at fashion shows, the beauty component is an equally important aspect, helping tie the looks together into the designer’s cohesive vision. We went backstage at Greta Constantine—not only to scope out the half-naked male models—to give you the skinny on how the makeup artists and hair team get the models (normally a haggard bunch) looking catwalk ready. Hair was styled by Hair on the Avenue under the supervision of Colin Ford, director of education at L’Oreal Professionnel. Ford says “the clothes are both structured and unstructured and kind of androgynous,” so he wanted a similar look to the hair. It reminded us of a woman who vacations in St Barts: very sleek on top with a tousled look at the ends. The team achieved this by using L’Oreal’s Mythic Oil, a nutritive oil, on the ends and Lumicontrole, a cream wax, at the roots for shine. Though it took the stylists fifteen minutes to achieve the look, they told us anyone could do it at home in only five (but, of course they’d say that).
We were not permitted to eat these pigments. (Image: Lia Parsley)
We recently had the opportunity to take a party bus to MAC headquarters (all the way up the 404), where, as some people may find surprising, their entire product line is manufactured in one of two factory facilities. Some may also be surprised to hear that MAC has been manufacturing its makeup on home turf (in Markham) for about three decades. We certainly didn’t know that, nor could we imagine prior to this visit that any global style brands were born next to Pacific Mall. Take a look at how the stuff we apply to our faces gets made—right in our backyard— in a gallery after the jump
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There’s always been some debate about how much makeup is too much, and in this video we found, it seems directors Lernert and Sander wanted to push the limits of how much can be pancaked on before a waif model suffers serious skin damage. After nine hours and 365 layers of different kinds of makeup, doesn’t she look, um, amazing? Who doesn’t like looking like their face has melted?
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Purple Reign
Not quite a hat and not quite a hair clip, the fascinator is spring’s most regal fashion statement, thanks in large part to England’s newest princess-to-be, who is often photographed with one perched atop her head. At Lilliput Hats on College Street, requests for fascinators have doubled since the royal engagement was announced in November. And unlike china or mouse pads emblazoned with the royal couple’s heads, this is the kind of matrimonial hysteria we can get behind—if only for the opportunity to play dress-up with coquettish netting and decorative feathers. $70. Lilliput Hats, 462 College St., 416-536-5933.
A client receives arty pink tips at Tips Nail Bar (Image: Paige Dzenis)
We all know the post-manicure mantra: “Don’t rummage through your purse, and forget whatever’s in your pockets.” Even if we make it home smudge-free, the best polish job is bound to chip within days. We’ve noticed that soak-off, UV-cured gel lacquer is quickly becoming the norm at some salons across the city — thin layers of colour are applied to the natural nail, exactly like polish, except that each coat is cured under a UV lamp, making it instantly dry to the touch.
Tips Nail Bar, WowWow Nails, The Ten Spot and Ritual are among some of the best practitioners in the city, and with two leading nail polish companies producing their own soak-off gel systems (OPI has Axxium and CND makes Shellac), we can pick a Pantone and replicate it on our nails (and a gel lacquer manicure stays shiny and chip-free for longer than two weeks). Unsurprisingly, a nail technician at Ritual said nail polish is “so 2010,” which means we can keep our hands in our pockets until there is an unnecessary 2010 revival.
Click on to see our rundown of the best manicure specialists in the city »
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There were some sore toes and bruised egos backstage at LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris last month, and not because models had to walk the runway in small shoes. Rather than work directly with the artists provided by sponsor L’Oréal Paris, a coterie of labels—we hear Pink Tartan and Line were among them—quietly brought in their own makeup experts to provide their brand’s beauty direction and supervise its execution. When a non-sanctioned manicurist was spotted working on a model’s nails, a Fashion Design Council of Canada (FDCC) representative reportedly insisted, “Everything that touches the skin must be L’Oréal.” Really? We’re pretty sure blue lipstick does not fall into the beauty brand’s extensive repertoire.
Yonge Street’s poshest stretch, from Ramsden Park up to the Summerhill LCBO, has two strong suits: food and decor. Locals from the tree-lined side streets keep the shops going during the week, while the weekend brings floods of shoppers from further afield. Here, our list of 23 essential restaurants, food shops, furniture stores, clothing boutiques and beauty parlours along tony Toronto’s main drag.
Toronto-focused television already has its place in fiction, from the mind-warping fantasy of Being Erica to the gang’s-all-here approach of Metropia. So when The Hills collapsed in Lauren Conrad’s absence and a trashy void needed to be filled, Toronto stepped up with the racial stereotyping of Lake Shore. Or that’s what we thought until we saw The Avenue.
Local production company Fisher/Morris had dollar signs in their eyes after meeting Gregory Gorgeous, a flamboyant, back-treading gay caricature from an undisclosed Ontario suburb, and stuck him in the show. The Avenue is a Toronto-based Web series that has generated some early interest after only five heavily scripted Webisodes (everyone seemed to be talking about its coming finale on Twitter last night). Here, we go back to the beginning to recap the first installment, following the show’s five vacuous wannabes as they tear up over snubbed non-contracts, difficult gay men and the trials transplants face when trying to “make it big” in the dark, mean streets of semi-privileged Toronto.
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The place: Wednesday night’s opening of John Allan’s spa for men took place at The Bay’s flagship on Queen Street (just like so many things seem to these days). Occupying a corner of the third floor, the guys-only spot offers treatments for the shopping-weary fellow. The view doesn’t offer much serenity (it looks out over people who either can’t afford a membership or don’t want one), but we still think an accessible Toronto boys club is worth celebrating. Once The Bay gets its decent restaurant, we’ll never leave.
BEAN SPROUT
All winter clothing and outerwear is 30 per cent off at this kids’ clothing shop. 565 Mount Pleasant Rd., 416-932-3727, beansprout.ca.
CABARET
The vintage shop is offering 50 per cent off dresses, men’s suits and jewellery. 672 Queen St. W., 416-504-7126.
DANDI MAESTRE Read the rest of this entry »
Accessory designer Dandi Maestre has a knack for bold, statement-making jewellery (antler necklace, anyone?). While she sells on-line, we’re heading to this pre-holiday pop-up shop to ogle the goods in person. From $40. Until Dec. 22. 386 Huron St., dandimaestre.com.
Toronto’s latest grooming trend: a half-shorn head
The follicular fad of the moment is a study in contradictions. On the one hand, an asymmetrical cut sends a sort of unkempt, punk-rock “I don’t give a crap about my hair” message. On the other, it’s a carefully considered vanity statement that requires weekly maintenance to keep looking artfully irregular instead of lazy and lopsided. Coupe Bizzarre, the Queen-West-by-way-of-Montreal mop shop, has been hacking uneven locks for years, but over the past couple of months, the ’do has invaded the mainstream. It’s not only the under-30, south-of-Bloor set that’s bidding a bold adieu to balance; we’ve spotted everyone from Rosedale matrons to Riverdale preschool teachers and suburban soccer dads sporting the style. If aesthetic perfection is the goal, the half-buzz is a tough cut to crack (science dating back to the days of Plato holds symmetry as a universal sign of beauty). But this look isn’t about the laws of attraction; it’s about subverting expectations and signalling unadulterated attitude. Read the rest of this entry »
Organic cotton towels from Amy Butler are $25
The place: As the giant tub in the centre of the store and the glass ducks floating around the perimeter would suggest, bath concoctions are everywhere. But washing up isn’t about Mr. Bubbles and soap crayons anymore—it gets the grown-up treatment at Jacob and Sebastian, a new beauty boutique at Queen and Bathurst.
The stuff: Aside from bubble bath accoutrements, look for Nuit Divoire candles ($35) that smell like a crackling fire (a fitting accompaniment to the Rogers fireplace channel for cramped apartments), handmade toothbrushes (who knew?) from Alan Stuart ($10) that come in op-art patterns and look great next to tubes of Marvis (the toothpaste that’s less Shoppers Drug Mart and more Drake General Store), and Curpon pillow cases ($40) that claim to reduce wrinkles. We’re skeptical but can’t argue with the methodology—it’s a whole lot less scary than this.
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