Summer is almost over—and your souvenir? Heels that bear a close resemblance to the dry, cracked pavement your flip flops and sling backs spent the better part of the season pounding.

Podiatrists call the cracks on our heels “fissures.” You call them ugly. But appearances are the least of your worries. Those fissures are actually tears in the skin that, if deep enough, can invite infection. Cracks happen when the skin on the heel both dries and thickens; the weight of our bodies then presses down on that thick, arid surface causing it to crumble.

The best offense is a good defense, so, next summer, try to keep feet buffed (use a pumice stone every few showers) and moisturized. If the damage is already done, you can attack those battered bipeds using two tactics.

First, abrade (scrape) the thick surface of the heel, loosening up dead, dry cells and thinning the outer layer. Use a pumice stone, foot file or other hand-held exfoliating device to rough up skin every day.

Then, apply a rich moisturizer. Keep your feet out of flip flops and opt instead for a closed shoe while your heels recover from their summer love.

 

From deep shades of aubergine to fun, flirty lilac, purple reigns supreme this fall.  Whether you love soft lavender eyes or dramatic purple lips, the plum palette offers flattering shades for every skin tone and style.

The eyes have it with Nars eyeshadows in shades like Lulu, Night Fever and Strada. To create a sweetly smoky eye, apply a lighter shade from the lash line to the brow bone and then use a darker tone from the compact to line the upper and lower lashes. For a striking nighttime look, I love the rich shades of the Chanel Les 4 Ombres in Vanites #08.

The fall lip is dark and dramatic. Sweep on rich colour with Nars Shrinigar lipstick. If you find the colours too bold, blot lipstick with a tissue and add a layer of clear gloss. For a more muted daytime look, try Strawberry Fields gloss from Nars.

Get cheeky with Chanel’s Joues Contraste in Plum Attraction, which is part of their fabulous new Fall collection. Apply lightly over the tops of cheekbones for healthy looking, natural colour.

Don’t forget to tip your nails in the season’s hottest hues. I love Chanel’s Paradoxal for a subtle daytime look and the rich, dark purplish tones of Jade Rose for evening glamour.

From dark and dramatic to sweet and simple, here’s a roundup of fall’s hottest eyeliners and how to use them:

Easy to use and versatile, eyeliner pencils can be smudged for a soft look. Gosh Velvet Touch Waterproof eyeliner is a makeup-bag staple, I love the wide range of colours, from gorgeous gold, green, blue, purple and orange to basic brown and black.

Powders and shadows are easy to apply and create an even softer line around the eye. Use a thin, stiff, flat brush to apply to lash line. Dampen brush for deeper colour.

Liquid liners come with a felt tip or brush applicator that can be used to create a precise, dramatic line of colour. L'Oreal Lineur Intense Brush tip liquid liner is one of my favourites: the applicator is small and the formulation is water-resistant.

Longwearing gel liners are the most difficult to apply; use an ultra fine brush or an angled flat brush for the best results. Bobbi Brown Long Wear gel eyeliners, available in a wide assortment of colours, are popular with my clients—look for the latest shade, Denim Ink.

Application tips:

·         Keep top line thicker than the line on the bottom. Smudge it as much as possible on bottom.

·         Line the inner corner to outer corner to make eyes open up. Make sure line is thinnest at inner corner of the eye and thicker as it moves outwards.

·         Connect top and bottom liner at the outside corner. Eyes will appear small and rounder if it’s not connected.

Do not apply liner on the inside rim of the eye—it can cause injury, risk infection and make the eye appear smaller.

 

 

Available in Canada and the US for two decades, Retin-A, a brand name formulation of Tretinoin, is a time-tested and widely available anti-aging product. A derivative of Vitamin A, Retin-A was originally prescribed by dermatologists to treat acne. However, its efficacy in the fight against fine lines and wrinkles was quickly realized by the beauty industry, which began marketing Retin-A as a powerful anti-aging ingredient.

Retin-A works simply: when applied topically it improves the blood flow to the skin, improves cell nutrition and increases the turn over of dead cells (decreasing clogged pores), resulting in younger looking skin.

Side effects can include mild skin reddening, itching or burning. It can also increase sensitivity to the sun, so be sure to use a good moisturizer and a high SPF sunscreen. It’s a good idea to consult your pharmacist or doctor before beginning use of any products containing Retin-A.

Retin-A’s less potent, over-the-counter formulation, retinol, is available in many brand name beauty products. Ask your Murale Beauty Master and they can help you choose one.

Using a pea-size dab for your entire face, apply a thin layer of product to freshly cleansed skin at bedtime. Use once every three nights (or once a week if skin feels irritated) for a couple of weeks, then every other night. Eventually, work up to every night if your skin is not irritated. You should see a noticeable difference in your skin in about eight weeks.

Scorched summer tresses: heat, humidity, beach and sun exposure can leave your hair dry and fragile.  Forget that. Here’s how to get beautiful, end-of-summer hair.

Warm weather, lazy days at the beach and lively outdoor patios may be the hallmarks of summer pleasure, but heat, humidity and sun exposure can leave hair dry and fragile. If you’ve got scorched summer tresses, here are some fabulous fixes that can be incorporated into every step of your daily routine for smooth, hydrated hair.

Get proactive: When you’re heading outside, treat your tresses to products designed to protect hair from sun and chlorine exposure. I like Sunshield Spray from Oscar Blandi. Infused with grape seed extract and antioxidants, it preserves hair colour and adds moisture and shine.

Clean and protect: Select a shampoo specifically formulated to help repair damaged hair. Fekkai has a fabulous line of summer hair care products. My choice? Marine Clean Detox Shampoo, it moisturizes and detoxifies chlorine residue and other impurities and has a delicious tropical scent.

Lock in moisture: For daily use, try the Fekkai Beach Comber Leave-in Conditioner, which contains marine peptides and sea algae to detangle and moisturize. Another terrific product is Oscar Blandi Sheer Gloss—leave it on 3 to 10 minutes under a shower cap, then rinse out to seal hair cuticles and add gorgeous shine.

Repair & rebuild: For deep conditioning therapy, try the Fekkai Advanced Care Overnight Hair Repair, which replenishes and renews damaged hair while you sleep, or the Intensive Shea Butter Hair Mask—it has a smooth, buttery texture and smells divine.

Finishing touches: Once you’ve cleaned and replenished your hair, use finishing products that add extra moisture. Oscar Blandi Hair Serum helps reconstruct the intercellular structure of hair and strengthens the cuticle while fighting frizzies and adding shine.

Self tanners: Of course you want to extend your summer glow. Here’s how how the products are formulated—and a few recommendations to consider.

A sun kissed glow may look healthy, but these days we’re all aware of the potential dangers of prolonged UVA and UVB exposure. Instead of sunbathing, many health-savvy consumers use self-tanning products as a safe and effective way to get that warm, golden glow—straight out of the bottle.

The active ingredient in sunless tanning products is dihydroxyacetone (DHA), which is normally used in concentrations varying from three to five percent. The DHA is incorporated into a glycerin and mineral oil base to form a white cream that, when applied to the body, turns the top layer of skin (stratum corneum) an orange-brown or golden shade. The colour is not permanent; it slowly fades as the top layer of skin is sloughed off.

A reminder: these products stain all skin surfaces they come in contact with, including palms—ever seen someone with tell-tale glowing orange hands?  Some manufacturers provide gloves for application; if you don’t use them, be sure to wash the self tanner off your hands as soon as possible. Self-tanners can also accentuate skin irregularities, so prep your skin with an all-over exfoliation before you apply a self-tanning product.

For sun-free summer colour, I recommend the Clinique Self Sun products. Fragrance free, oil-free and non-acnegenic, they come with clear and concise instructions. Clarins also makes a great “whipped cream" textured formula. For best results, always use the appropriate formulation for face and body. Allergic dermatitis from these products is rare, but be sure to do a patch test prior to application. 

Liners, primers, glosses and sticks—the lexicon of lip products is extensive. To help you pucker up this summer, here are some tips on how to use the hottest new lip products and a round-up of the best shades of summer 2010.

 

To lay a flawless foundation for lip product application, start with a lip primer. Primers provide a smooth surface for colour application and help lock colour in place. I love the Benefit Lip Plump Primer—the creamy consistency helps fill in lines and contour the lips, and the neutral shade provides a clean base for colour.

 

Lip liners help define the shape of the lips and create a barrier that stops lipstick from feathering. Coloured lip liners can help enhance the shade of your gloss or lipstick, as well as increase the time your lip colour stays locked in place. Perfect for use with soft shades and sheer glosses, Benefit D'finer D'liner is a clear liner ideal for defining the shape of your lips. I also love the Cargo The Reverse Lip Liner—it’s designed specifically for lip gloss, but can be worn with any colour.

 

Top colours for summer:
* Nars lipstick gloss in Coup De Coeur
* Bare Escentuals Sailor Girls Plumping Lip Polish—Fabulous 4 Pack
* Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm—go for red, crystal pink and coral tones

 

A plump, Angelina Jolie-esque pout is the preference for many women. But how to achieve it without painful injections? That’s been a problem for purveyors of pretty for a while.

 

Lip plumpers once relied on irritants to stimulate swelling, but those irritants had a number of adverse side-effects—namely burning and redness—and people with sensitive skin couldn’t use them.

 

New technology, however, makes fuller lips possible without the burn. Lipfusion uses marine collagen microspheres to swell lips to new heights. These spheres act much like a sponge: once applied, the body's natural water is absorbed by the spheres, which gradually expand. The product works in minutes and lasts for hours.

 

Dermaglow lip plumper uses hyaluronic acid to increase lip volume. Hyaluronic acid is a sugar compound present in all connective tissue in humans. It’s found in particularly high concentrations in the skin and is useful because it absorbs moisture. That’s why it’s such a critical ingredient in so many anti-wrinkle products and why it works so well as a lip plumper. Bonus: the Dermaglow product also cotains peptides that help smooth lip lines.

 

For breezy summer beauty on the go, choose smart, multi-use products that are quick and easy to use. Portability is key: look for smaller products that can be tucked into a beach basket or evening clutch. Here’s a starter list of smart double-duty products I love.

 

1. The Stila One Step PrimeColor gives all over radiance in one simple application.

Designed to react to different areas of the skin, it creates a balanced and flawless finish. For a naturally glowing look, my favourite shade is Kitten.

 

2. Follow with the One Step Makeup Foundation, a primer, foundation, concealer and powder in one. Its long-wearing formula corrects, conceals, hydrates and controls oil, as well as minimizing pores.

 

3. Another winner from Stila is the Crush lip and cheek stain. My favourite? The new Raspberry Crush shade.

 

4. For a natural, rosy glow, try Benetint lip and cheek stain from Benefit. It gives a fresh look that’s waterproof and kiss-proof! Dab a bit on your cheekbones and smooth upward for a healthy glow.

 

5. Short on time? Slather on some Benefit Rush Hour for fast and fresh lip and cheek colour.

 

6. For a cream-based formula that gives a sheer, smooth finish, add a little colour to your summer with Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for lips and cheeks. Make a splash in the season’s hottest new shades, Cabo Coral and Calypso Coral.

 

The eyes may have it, but they also take it—major abuse, often in the form of neglect. We fail to use sunscreen under our eyes and we forgo eye cream in favour of our usual moisturizer.

 

We aren’t kind to the skin that frames the windows of the soul. And we should be. The skin under the eyes is different from the skin on the rest of the face—it’s thinner than most other tissues, and that means it both absorbs and retains less moisture. It also has fewer oil glands. The net-net: that delicate under-eye tissue is drier and more susceptible to the effects of aging. Fine lines and wrinkles often will show up here before they do elsewhere.

 

In short, eye tissue is needy. And what it needs are its very own, special products. Preferably products that pack a punch—ones that are rich in hydration, as well as protection. Antioxidants vitamin A, C and E are found in many eye creams. One of my favourites is La-Roche Posay's Active-C for eyes. Murad moisture silk eye gel uses pomegranate extract, a powerful antioxidant.

 

Some eye products now boast caffeine and vitamin K, which are said to increase circulation to the area, keeping the tissue there plumper.

 

Whichever one you choose, be careful to wash your hands before applying so you avoid infecting the pot (products with pump applicators can minimize contamination).