REAL LIFE MADE SIMPLE
1 The breakfast benefit
Not everyone’s got the time to spend making a healthful breakfast, but there are ways to easily get your nutrients. Oatbox is a subscription service that delivers a month’s supply of healthy morning meals to you while giving back to your community, too. There’s oatmeal mix for when you’re feeling cozy, a granola to sprinkle on top of yogurt (or to snack on!) and even oat bars that are perfect for munching on the go. This Canadian company has also gone above and beyond with its Thank You rainbow boxes and a special contest to recognize frontline workers across all 10 provinces during the Covid-19 pandemic. The limitededition box is also meant to be shared as a care package with a message of optimism that can be sent to loved ones in any province. In addition to all that goodness, Oatbox has an ongoing relationship with the Breakfast Club of Canada to help feed children facing food insecurity. You can’t get a mandate more Canadian than that!
Oatbox Breakfast SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE, from $35/month, oatbox.ca.
2 Pit Perfect
If trying out a natural deodorant has been on your to-do list, now’s the time to try L’occitane's formulation, made without aluminum, alcohols and phthalates. With nourishing shea butter, non-sticky and super-absorbent tapioca and corn starches, baking soda to neutralize odour and essential oils like verbena that also smell delicious, it's an expert all-in-one package.
L’OCCITANE Verbena The Incredible
Deodorant Recipe, $24, loccitane.com.
3 COCKTAIL IN A CAN
Now you can enjoy your favourite bar cocktails from the comfort of your own patio! We love Social Lite Vodka’s new Gin Soda. This super-satisfying drink is made with premium Canadian gin and a squeeze of lime. Bonus: Each can has only 100 calories with zero sugar or carbs!
Social Lite Lime GIN SODA, socialitevodka.com.
4 WELLNESS ON POINT
B.c.-based B Yoga and Hudson’s Bay have teamed up to create these beautifully designed wellness products to bring dependable and stylish function to your yoga and meditation practices.
5 Get your GRILL ON
Although this barbecue may catch your eye for its good looks, it’s also amazingly functional. With a durable ceramic grill construction, you’ll benefit from efficient heat circulation and precise temperature controls. Plus, it’s portable, so you can grill up a storm wherever your heart desires.
6 Get glowing
Summer's best beauty look is a healthy glow. To instantly boost that radiance, look no further than this double-duty serum from Laneige. Apply it after moisturizer and sunblock to quickly illuminate the skin and give your complexion added hydration.
LANEIGE Glowy Makeup Serum, $43, sephora.ca.
7 Make the cut
We love the newest innovation from Cricut. The Joy cutting machine is both lightweight and compact, perfect for the DIY dabbler or crafting connoisseur to whip off quick, fun everyday projects and more! Create your own design and the machine takes care of the rest.
8 SPLISH SPLASH
Perfect for hot days, Avon’s Aqua Bomb moisturizer is refreshing, cooling and ultralightweight. Plus, it provides serious hydration without leaving your skin feeling sticky. Need more hydrating power? Try the luxurious Moisturizing Bomb. BELIF The True Cream Aqua Bomb, $50, avon.ca.
9 BREAST FRIENDS
Raise your hand if you remove your bra the second you get home. We know so many bras are made to look good, but how many of those actually feel good? The truth is, many women feel constant discomfort from their ill-fitting, tight underwire bras, and we’re not okay with that! Known for its incredibly comfortable nursing bras, Canadian brand Bravado has now designed everyday bras that respond to a woman’s shape, movement and fluctuation. Two new styles, the Muse and the Sculpt, both offer ample support, a luxuriously comfy feel and a stylish design. Bravado Muse BRA, $52, bravadodesigns.ca.
10 Clean dream
Pick up crumbs and suck up cobwebs in hard-to-reach nooks and crannies (like down the side of your range or fridge) with Shark’s new super-slim, lightweight cordless handheld vacuum that’s sleek enough to store on your countertop.
11 Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!
Brita’s new Soho fivecup pitcher provides you with the same fresh-tasting, clean water you get from all the brand’s pitchers, with the benefit of being specially sized to fit small-space fridges like those in dorms, condos and offices. Brita Soho WATER PITCHER, $20, amazon.ca.
12 LOVE YOUR LIPS
Beach breezes and summer sun chapping your lips? Keep them soft and supple with one of these luscious lip scrubs.