Breakfast Television Toronto - How to Decode Your Beauty Labels

Airdate: May 21 2026
The average woman owns 40+ beauty products, but keeping on top of what we own and when we started using it – that's a whole different story! And while using expired makeup can seem harmless it can actually mean breakouts, skin rashes, or just a product that's lost its efficacy. Here’s your guide to keeping your beauty musts as safe as possible! 

Code 1: THE LITTLE JAR symbol: aka "PAO = Period After Opening" 

• What it means: The “Period After Opening” symbol indicates a number + M = months the product stays good after you break the seal.

• Common ones: 6M (mascara, liquid liner), 12M (foundation, lipstick), 24M (powders, eyeshadow).

• Why it matters: Preservatives break down once air hits it. A 24M foundation opened you’ve been hanging on to since 2016? Toss it.

• tip: Eye products are the strictest — any change in smell, texture, or color = done, regardless of the number.

• Expert Hack: Write the opening date in a Sharpie on the bottom of your product, or snap a photo of it on your camera roll so you can refer back and know you opened it.

Code 2: The Mobius Loop.

• What it means: You can recycle some, or all, of the packaging. 

• The chasing-arrows triangle with a resin number (1, 2, 5 = usually yes; 7 = usually no)

• Expert tip: Explore  brand-specific take-back programs like TerraCycle, MAC’s Back-to-MAC, Kiehl's.

Code 3 — The Best Before Date Stamp.

• What it means: BBE “Best Before End” date — the product has a shelf life under 30 months even unopened. Look for a date next to it. 

• Expert tip: Often this date stamp appears only on the exterior packaging or box, not on the actual product itself so be sure to use your sharpie and write on the product when you started using it, or again create a “Beauty products” photos folder in your phone, and snap a photo of the product. That way, you’ll have a record of when you started using it. 

Code 4: Leaping bunny certified logo
For those that want to shop consciously, this symbol indicates that the product is cruelty free according to LeapingBunny.org. 

Expert tip: There are other governing bodies out there but in my research, Leaping Bunny is the most thorough. 

Code 5: Seal of Acceptance from the Canadian Dermatology Association.

What it means: With this seal of approval from the Canadian Dermatology Association, you can have peace of mind that your SPF is vetted, and it is living up to the claims on the label.  

This seal is a useful one to be on the lookout for, especially as warmer weather is upon us and you’re shopping for sunscreen.

Personalized Perfumes, Skincare Stocking Fillers, and Affordable Makeup Finds for Every Beauty Lover on Your List

Best Value Gift Sets
Everyone is looking for the ultimate bang-for-your buck deals right now and Sephora has lots of amazing value sets this holiday season.

First Aid Beauty makes giving the gift of skincare easier than ever with this  FAB Skin at the Disco set,  full of skincare staples. The set includes five beloved First Aid Beauty skincare products to help you smooth and visibly brighten your skin. Normally valued at $175.000, it’s just $75.00 CAD at Sephora Canada.

The Ultimate Healthy Hair Power Couple by Briogeo is the ideal gift set for those wanting to restore and maintain the health of their hair this holiday season. This set includes an award-winning duo of scalp-revival shampoo and a deep conditioning mask. While it’s valued at over $100.00 CAD, this set is available for o $78.00 CAD. 

Sephora Collection’s Holiday assortment offers really great beauty at a really great price. These sets are budget-friendly and there is truly something for everyone.
The Sephora Collection Mini Mania is the perfect skincare stocking stuffer consisting of six Sephora Collection mini skincare products to enhance your daily skincare routine. This mini set is available for only $34.00 CAD. I love the sleek vinyl pouch it comes in - great to reuse for travel. (Product is: Sephora Collection Mini Mania) 

TheSephora Collection Wishing You Blockbuster Multi-use Makeup Palette is a large palette with 88 shades for eyes, cheeks, lips, and eyebrows retailing at $48.00 CAD. This multicolor and multipurpose palette will allow any makeup lover to create an infinite variety of looks for the holiday season.love to give gifts that make you seem really generous - and that’s definitely the case with this mega makeup palette. It’s a really great gift at a great price. It’s fun for a makeup novice or makeup pro alike.

Personalized Perfume:
Customized gifts always go so far in showing a loved one that you put in the extra effort. A very special way to do this is with personalized fragrance! Buy the bottle, and you can get a custom engraving done on the spot. 
The YSL Libre Eau De Parfum is the perfect gift for any fragrance lover on your list. With Sephora Canada’s FREE Custom Engraving service, you can personalize a fragrance or select other products purchased at Sephora with engraved initials, a name, or a special message of your choice. Within minutes you’ll have a gift that will be all the more meaningful. 

TheGucci Flora Gorgeous Gardeniais another beautiful fragrance option. It is a signature floral scent: a delicious potion of joy built around the gardenia flower, blended with solar jasmine absolute, cheerful pear blossom accord, and sweet brown sugar accord. The perfect festive scent for the holiday season.
Product to try: (The YSL Libre Eau De Parfum and the Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia) 

No Beauty Buyer's Remorse: Beauty Editor Approved Budget-Friendly Picks for spring 2018

Aveeno Positively Radiant Body Lotion & Exfoliating Body Wash. $11.50 (wash), $14.50 (lotion). Available at Shoppers Drug Mart.
Traditional Chinese medicine has used soy for thousands of years to reduce the appearance of blotchiness and discolouration, but AVEENO scientists devised a way to process soybeans that retains the integrity of the proteins to provide immediate and long-term skin benefits for brighter, more radiant looking skin is now available for the first time in a body lotion and body wash and works to visibly improve the look of tone, texture, dullness, blotchiness and brown spots — to leave your skin looking fresh, awake and radiant. Formulated with Active Naturals Total Soy Complex, the new body wash is enriched with natural exfoliants to gently wash away dry, dull skin while the new body lotion contains rich emollients lock in moisture for a full 24 hours to leave skin softer and smoother!

Garnier Skinactive 3-in-1 Soothing Balm (rose one). $21.00. Available at mass market retailers. With 96% Naturally-Derived Ingredients. New high-performance skincare formulas to soothe, refresh and mattify skin. Free from parabens, silicones, dyes, sulfates and mineral oil. 3 ways to use it (Day, Night Cream + Mask) with one main natural ingredient for each skin type. Aloe Leaf Juice for Normal to combination;  Green Tea Extract for Oily; Rose Water extract for sensitive dry skin

John Frieda Dream Curls Air Dry Waves Styling Foam $12.99. Available at mass market retailers.
The newest innovation from John Frieda, it's a lightweight non-sticky foam that enhances waves for a tousled look for summer. Dispense into palms and work through we hair from root to tip, scrunch a bit and let air dry. John Frieda updated the Dream Curls line to now included Abyssinian Oil, which provided light, non-greasy frizz control to nourish without weighing down

Jergens Natural Glow Instant Sun Sunless Tanning Mousse. $13.99. Available at mass market retailers. Create flawless, natural-looking colour instantly with this airy mousse that applies evenly and dries in just 60 seconds. Colour is visible instantly and will develop over the next four hours. Works with your skin tone to mimic the colour results you would get from natural sun, with no orange hues.

Beauty Blender, Beauty Queen. $20.00. Available Sephora (online only) and beautyblender.com.
Replace all your makeup brushes with this one tool. Wet squeeze bounce. Main thing people don’t know is that it needs to be used wet. Wet with water, squeeze out water, bounce foundation, BBcream, for flawless results. Category creator - first elliptical shape, aqua-activated material, reusable makeup sponge. First reusable sponge. No microwave

6. L’Oreal Paris True Match Lumi Glotion $19.99, L’Oreal Paris True Match Lumi Glow Amour Glow Boosting Drops $18.99,  L’Oreal Paris True Match Lumi Glow Nude Highlighter Palette $20.49.  Available at mass market retailers. . 
3 levels of glow:  adding a glowing look to your beauty routine. Customize your highlight - from beginner to a more expert application. Glotion *low intensity can be put on its own for a healthy glow use it as a primer or use it on top to highlight. 4 shades (white one is a bit more purple - more charismatic) other three more natural glow. Works on any skintone. Glow boosting drops has medium intensity. Apply on cheekbones, cupids bow or mix in with foundation. Glow nude highlighter palette is high intensity as an all in one. Also using as eyeshadow and sunkissed look overall.

Holiday 2017 Hottest Beauty Gifts!

Never too early to start your beauty holiday shopping for your loved ones - or grab some new beauty musts for yourself  *adds to cart*. Here, a few of my holiday favourites!

Oral B Genius 8000. $269.99. Available at Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart and Amazon.ca.

Give the gift of a super bright smile. This Oral B Genius 8000 -- now in Rose Gold!-- comes with three brushheads and has a stylish travel case.  It has a new whitening setting and whitening brush head as well as a pro-clean mode. The app encourages you to brush for a full two minutes -- just like dentists recommend -- people who brush manually often only brush for less than a minute. Makes a great gift for someone looking for a beautiful white smile. It has whitening mode to get that bright white smile for the Holiday season. Pair it with Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste to get your whitest, brightest smile. It has 7 benefits in one and contains fluoride to help protect against enamel erosion - super important when we're indulging a lot during the holidays. 

Crest Pro-Health Clean Mint Toothpaste $4.96. Available in mass retailers in Canada

Silk’n Titan $299.99. All major retailers including Shoppers Drug Mart and London Drugs.

Three different types of energy: LED, Radio Frequency and Infrared

 This anti-aging device using the same technology developed for leading dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons, but redesigned for you at a fraction of the price! Used twice per week for 10 weeks (15 minute treatment time), the Titan is a breakthrough technology skin tightening device that activates your body’s own natural restoration process. For the first time ever, 3 forms of energy (Infrared, LED, and Radio Frequency) have been harmonized to penetrate deep beneath the skin, tightening elastin and strengthening collagen, to reveal tighter, younger looking skin on the face and neck. Simply apply a water-based gel on the skin so the device can conduct its energy to the skin and select the setting that works for you. It doesn't hurt and can be used on any skin type.
 

Smashbox Travel Primer Set. $28.00. Available at Shoppers drug mart and Sephora.

Smashbox is the primer authority and this kit contains three of our most-loved and best-selling primers – Classic Photo Finish, Pore Minimizing and Primer Water - all in travel size. Great gift for anyone on your list since you don't need to worry about shade preferences, colour matching etc. Love the package too - Smashbox collaborated with editorial illustrator, Ana Strumpf  - who turns photos into new works of art with her playful sketches.

KNOW Cosmetics No Bleeding Lips, $20.00. Available at Shoppers Drug Mart, Hudson’s Bay, Beauty Boutique.

This invisible lip liner is your lip colour's BFF for the holiday season (hello, mistletoe moments!) It can help stop bleeding can be worn with any shade of lipstick (including liquid) and perfect for holiday lip looks. 

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Core Restore Collection. $10.97 - $12.99. Available at Mass retailers.

The John Frieda Luxurious Volume collection is perfect for those that fear flat hair.  The formula is made to strengthen hair from inside out and my fave is the Clear Conditioner - first of its kind - it detangles and weightlessly absorbs into hair without coating it.  The Advanced Protein Volumizer - apply this to wet hair and blow dry to get the full effect, this treatment strengthens hair from within to create soft, touchable volume. 

Dove Shower Foam. $7.97. Available in mass market retailers.

Advanced new formula and self-foaming pump. Light and airy foam with NutriumMoisture technology (a blend of moisturizing ingredients including stearic acid, a fatty acid found naturally in your skin) leaving it feeling light, hydrated and healthy. A first-of-its kind body wash from Dove

Fall Beauty UpgradeS - new products to refresh your routine

This amazing straightening brush heats up in less time than it takes to pour your coffee (think paddle brush meets ceramic flat iron). In 30 seconds flat it peaks at 400º so you can manage frizz, flyaways and get on with your day. Plus, the shine is next level. 

Infiniti Pro by Conair Ionic Straightening Brush, $69.99 - $89.99. Available at drugstores & mass market retailers across Canada.

Revamp your brunette with the in-shower Colour Deepening Treatment. It lets you go from dull to deep in just five minutes. It instantly bonds to damaged areas to produce an all over colour, up to one shade darker. Works on both colour treated and natural hair - I always use between regular salon visits to blend away greys.  

JOHN FRIEDA Brilliant Brunette Visibly Deeper Colour Deepening Treatment and Brilliant Brunette Visibly Deeper Colour Deepening Shampoo and Conditioner, $12.99 each. Available at drugstores & mass market retailers across Canada.

Soothe shrivelled skin with this tag team body wash and moisturizer - the coconut scent (just as gentle as fragrance free) lets you pretend the weather is balmy even when it's not. 

Aveeno Skin Relief Gentle Scent Coconut Lotion and Body Wash

It's red wine season, so I need a trusty whitening toothpaste. This Arm & Hammer version has baking soda and a zingy fresh mint flavour that gives you whiter teeth in five days. 

Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant Clean & Fresh Toothpaste & Arm & Hammer Battery-Powered SpinBrush $3.99. Available at drugstores & mass market retailers across Canada.

After the summer, i need to perk up dull skin and tackle fine lines. This contains brightening vitamin C and glycolic acid so it's brightening and anti-aging in one! 

L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Peel Pads, $18.99; L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Daily Lotion SPF 30, $31; L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Dual Overnight Moisturizer, $31; L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Scrub Cleanser, $12.99. Available at drugstores & mass market retailers across Canada.

Bold lipstick is back - shades like Bordeaux, oxblood and poppy ruled fall runways so there's never been a better time to find your perfect red. Love this wardrobe of 16 reds from Shiseido - flattering colours that have staying power to keep the same, perfect lip throughout the day. 

Shiseido Rouge Rouge Lipstick, $38. Available at Shoppers Drug Mart, Sephora and The Bay. 

Micellar cleansers act like magnets for dirt, oil and makeup. I love that these wipes aren't saturated with oil, so your skin feels fresher and fully clean with no residue left behind. Simple is all about treating sensitive skin kindly, so these wipes are tough on makeup not on skin. 

Simple Skincare Micellar Make-Up Remover Wipes, $10.99. Available at drugstores & mass market retailers across Canada.