With the longest winter in history almost behind us, I was thrilled to say goodbye to the unsightly world of dry skin and chapped lips for a sampling of Sephora’s HOT NOW beauty products for spring. Armed with Toronto’s most fabulous drag queen and SDTC’s newest contributor, Donnarama, off we went to Queen West resto Nyood (pronounced “nude,” did you know? We did not….) for the beauty bash! 

The first item that caught our eye(lash) is the Diorshow 360 Mascara, which has a revolving, double helix brush that spins (!) and promises to thicken and curl lashes. While I was quite mesmerized by a beauty product that could do all the work for me AND double as a plaything (did I mention it spins?), Donnarama called me a “lazy bitch” and slapped me when no one was looking. She then moved on to Peter Thomas Roth’s Laser Resurfacer with Dragon Blood, which had the most unreal red tint. It felt incredibly silky on my skin, especially in contrast to the giant drag hand that had shamelessly smacked me moments ago.  

Next, we were drawn to the BUXOM Waterproof Smoky Eye Sticks, which are available exclusively at Sephora, and come in eight snazzy shades. The best part – they’re chunky enough to give you that perfect smoky eye AND pointy enough to use as a liner. Thank you built-in sharpener! Donnarama decided that Courtney Love would probably love these. Could there be a better endorsement? 

The next product blew our minds. Josie Maran’s Agan Matchmaker Serum Foundation is formulated with Chameleon Pigments that adjust to your skin colour while providing medium to full coverage. Unfortunately, it failed to adjust to the original colour of my shirt after I spilled a delicious Prosecco-infused martini on it, but as far as our faces were concerned, the results were nothing short of magical. 

Continuing on, we caught a whiff of Jennifer Aniston’s debut fragrance named accordingly, Jennifer Aniston. “This reeks of desperation, but in a good way,” was Donnarama’s definitive review. After a couple moments to breathe, the beachy scent with tones of citrus and rose water grew on us. Sadly, Brad Pitt wouldn’t agree.  

As the evening concluded, we found the All Nighter Setting Spray, a collaboration between Urban Decay and Skindinavia that rocked our world. An oil free mist that’s formulated to keep makeup in place for 16 hours, “it’s like hairspray for your face!” quipped Donnarama. With wedding season ahead of us, this is a great product for brides who otherwise planned on ruining their faces with tear-stained chunks of mascara goop and eye shadow.