From hot new fragrances, to gorgeous eyeshadow palettes, to must-have nail polishes, we rely on Dave Lackie, Cityline beauty expert and editor of BEAUTY the guide, to keep us in-the-know when it comes to the latest and greatest products on the market.

Each month Cityline.ca brings you Dave’s Faves, where Dave will share his insider beauty finds — and one lucky viewer will WIN them! Be sure you’re following both @CitylineCA and @davelackie to be the first to know about this monthly contest!

Dave’s Faves for August

MAC Nail Transformations & Nail Lacquer Collections

MAC now sends a nail team backstage during fashion weeks in Milan, Paris and New York each season. Out of that experience comes an innovative “transforming” group of products that creates a clear leather topcoat, a blackening topcoat and sheer pearl transformers. One product will instantly double your current nail polish collection. My favourite is “Shadow”, the sheer blackening topcoat.

Within the MAC Studio Nail Lacquer line, the formulas have been completely reworked with cleaner ingredients and better performance. You’ll notice brighter shine, fewer chips and longer wear. Available in 30 fashion-forward shades.

Clinique SMART Custom-Repair Serum

This is Clinique’s big launch for fall and it represents the latest in skincare technology. Clinique Smart offers ‘lock and key’ science which means only the ingredients your skin needs are activated within the formula. It adapts to each person’s different needs. How does it do this? Damaged cells send out specific signals within the body. This new serum receives these signals and then activates the ingredients your skin needs to repair itself and turns off those you don’t need. It helps reduce the appearance of dark spots, evens skin tone, improves radiance, firms and lifts skin.

Calvin Klein pocket spray gift-with-purchase offer

If you’ve ever traveled for work, you’ll know that it isn’t easy to pack your favourite fragrance. Regular-sized bottles are too big and fragile to make it to your destination intact. This month, Calvin Klein introduces a brilliant solution: credit card-sized pocket sprays. These flat atomizers allow you to take your favourite Klein scent with you anywhere you go. Better yet, they are a free with the purchase of a large Calvin Klein men’s spray this month at Hudson’s Bay.

BECCA Cosmetics

When BECCA Cosmetics was created over a decade ago, the luxury brand’s mandate was to offer a multitude of complexion formulas with a commitment to shades for all skin tones. I kind of think of it as the next Laura Mercier. The Ever Matte Shine Proof Foundation is perfect for anyone with oily skin. The Shimmering Skin Perfector is another standout. Good quality products.

Prada Candy Florale

Miuccia Prada’s latest fragrance is a sweet confection with a wisp of floral notes. Think of it as a bouquet of flowers sitting atop an ice cream counter in Italy. It has notes of limoncello sorbet, peony, caramel and honey.

YSL Le Teint Encre de Peau – Fusion Ink Foundation

Arguably the most common question I get from Cityline viewers on Twitter revolves around foundation. It is the most difficult makeup step to get right. Add in that stress, diet and changing seasons all make skin more sensitive. For that reason, I’m really excited about YSL Le Teint Encre de Peau. It is the lightest foundation I’ve felt to date. But it offers very good coverage. The tagline is, “Feels like a feather, wears like ink.” It’s a great formula.

My NY DKNY

DKNY returns to its roots this month with a new fragrance for women called My NY. It’s a fruity-gourmand scent with notes of raspberry, freesia, Egyptian jasmine, patchouli, vanilla absolute and creamy musks. It’s young and sweet. UK singer and actress Rita Ora is the face.

For a chance to win Dave’s Faves for August, valued at $891, you have two ways to enter: 1) Follow @CitylineCA and @davelackie and RT @CitylineCA‘s contest tweet on Twitter. 2) Leave a comment below telling us which of these products excites you most and why. If you do both, you will be entered twice!

The latest issue of BEAUTY the guide is now available — click here to check it out!
www.davelackie.com.