LESLEY FANNING, 31 YEARS OLD, IT CONSULTANT

St. John’s, Newfoundland

ON HER BEAUTY PRIORITIES

“I would say my beauty and skincare priorities are taking off my makeup before bed, exfoliating/moisturizing, showing my brows love, trying to get 8 hours of sleep and drinking a lot of water. Makeup wise, my priorities are doing what works for me, not just whatever is ‘on trend’ or copying others.

ON INVESTING IN HERSELF

I just love how having a beauty routine makes me feel – I’m investing in myself. I think that’s the whole point of wearing makeup/skin/hair care and whatever else. Also with regards to makeup, what girl doesn’t get excited trying new things that make them feel pretty? I’m not saying I need to wear makeup to feel good, I’m just saying that I enjoy it. Lastly, the older I get the more I realize how important self-care is. I mean, I always knew it was important but I didn’t always follow through. For example, I used to shrug off wearing sunscreen and now I can see the effects of the sun on my skin. Consequently, I am now actively trying to make sure I’m doing whatever I can to protect my skin and reverse any damage that may have occurred.

ON WHAT SHE CANT LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT

My mom never used to leave the house without a lipstick. She said she felt pretty well naked without it and I can confidently say I have since followed in her footsteps. I cannot leave the house without something on my lips; whether it is a tinted balm, lipstick, or lipgloss, there always has to be something on them! Other than that, I typically won’t leave the house without a bit of blush and a well-moisturized face.

TOP 5 BEAUTY PRODUCTS

I use Aveda Thickening Tonic to double the thickness of my hair and give it a bit of a coarser texture that I love. When I was younger, I had such healthy, long, thick blonde hair. My Mom was against me coloring it drastically so the only thing I could get away with was a few highlights here and there and I think that is what led me to go a little crazy with my hair once I got older and moved away. I chopped my hair off, dyed it a bunch of colors and would get my roots done after seeing only a centimeter of root growth.  All of this really damaged and thinned out my hair. Over the last few years, I’ve learned to embrace my natural hair color and only get few highlights maybe two or three times a year which has really helped in getting my hair get healthy again. The thickness is still not where I want it to be though so this product helps give me it and more – I seriously love it! I always use this spray on freshly washed towel-dried hair every 2-3 days. I’ll spray around 8-10 pumps of product all over my head from roots to tips then will comb the product through and blow-dry and style as normal. It is a little bit annoying that I have to use a lot of product to get the desired effect but the cost is so worth it for me – money well spent! Plus, the reason you have to use a little extra is because it’s made up of all natural ingredients so I can’t complain too much about that. Also, this spray smells amazing and the scent stays between washes.

I use Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion to dry out any blemish overnight – I swear it’s magic! Honestly, I use it on everything. If I see a pimple starting to form, I put it on. If I have an existing pimple, I put it on. It seems to work on all kinds. To use this product I dip a Q-tip into the bottle touching the very bottom and then spot dot onto the blemishes. I leave it on overnight and then wash off in the morning with my normal routine. For me, it works immediately. I will go to bed with a pimple and wake up with it nearly gone. If it isn’t completely gone, it stops it from getting any redder or bigger- it’s a savior! I love that this works, works fast and is super easy to use. The only negative about this is that it does dry your face out if you use it too much and it has a strong smell. I wouldn’t use this as a daily thing or a preventative treatment- just spot treatment! The bottle costs around $17.00 and it lasts for a long time. Honestly, this little bottle is something I couldn’t be without after using it. I’ve tried a lot of blemish spot treatments over the years and this one is the only one that works and works immediately. You only need a small amount so one bottle goes a long way. I’ve had this bottle for three months and used it probably 15 times and I haven’t put a dent in the bottle. This product does leave little pink dots on your face so I will only apply this before bed or sometimes during the day if I’m lazing around and won’t be seeing anyone. My boyfriend has gotten used to this look now! [laughs]

I love Sephora Eye Masks for various reasons: they are inexpensive, easy to use, super comfortable, come in a variety of types, and feel very spa-like to use. They come in convenient small packages that I find are great for traveling. You simply peel off each patch and place one c-shaped mask under each eye. You really can’t mess up the application. I leave them on for about 15-20 minutes before removing them. I toss the patches in the garbage and massage any excess product into the skin. There is no need to wash your face after using them too, which is a bonus. I tend to use these masks whenever I want to relax or need to de-stress or my eyes are strained and tired. I get really bad migraines and the majority of my pain is behind my eyes and I find that when I use these masks, they help soothe them and help me relax. I also use them when I am over tired and have some puffiness, when I travel and need to look more awake and brighten my eye area, or when I am feeling the effects of having a glass too many of red wine the night before. I typically feel a cooling effect when I first put them on. I find the $5 I pay for a mask to be totally worth the price. I am always weary of spending too much money on masks, especially for eyes because I feel like most of the time it’s all mental in terms of believing if they work or not. However, these make me feel relaxed, soothe my eye area and are very moisturizing. That’s worth $5.00 to me!

I use my Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer daily and can usually get about 6-7 months out of a single tube. I have sensitive combination skin and love this tinted moisturizer because it’s lightweight, absorbs into the skin fast, and doesn’t break me out.  I’m not a big foundation person. Anytime I’ve ever tried one I end up feeling too covered up and like my skin can’t breathe. This moisturizer doesn’t feel like makeup yet still gives me a light coverage that evens out my skin tone and hides redness.  I use this after I apply my face moisturizer. I will usually dab a spot of product on each cheek, forehead, and chin and then massage it in with my fingertips. You could probably build it up enough to get medium coverage, but if that is what you’re looking for you might want to try something else. The shade I use is a little darker than my natural colour so I get a bit of a glow and it has SPF built into it. Anyone who knows me knows how much I like a tan! I can usually get about 6-7 months out of a single tube. 

I have been using Becca’s Beach Lip and Blush Tint in the shade ‘lychee’ for a month now. My only regret is that I didn’t start using it sooner! I use this product daily, either with makeup or without.  I love this product because it’s easy to use and takes me two seconds to get a natural looking glow. Since using it, I can be out of bed and out the door in a matter of minutes. Well, actually I can’t forget to curl my lashes and put on mascara, but otherwise, it is all I need to feel good and get my day going [laughs]. To use this product, I shake the tube or roll it around in my hand so that the oils in it are well mixed to ensure they won’t all come out in the first squeeze.  Once I’ve done that, I squeeze the tiniest, and I meant the tiniest, amount onto my hand and dab it onto the apples of the cheeks.  You need to be careful with how much product you use because it is very easy-to-do with this product as it is very pigmented.  You can keep building the colour to get the look you want, but I’m always striving for that flushed, pinky look that I never seemed to get until now.  I find using any left over product on my lips will give me the perfect shade of pink. Amazingly, this product is water resistant so the colour really does last all day on my cheeks, which is a big plus for me especially now that we are heading into the summer months.  I find this does, however, need to be reapplied on the lips around the 5-hour mark if I have been eating or drinking. This is totally worth the price. I get two products for the price of one, a lip tint and a cheek tint. It’s only $25!”