Whoa, your skin is amazing—what’s your secret? That’s the question we’re asking cool Canadians in our new Skincare Diaries series. Read on for all their glow-getting tricks, from the products they use to the wellness rituals they swear by. After all, skincare is so much more than skin deep.

For Léa Bégin, beauty and mindfulness go hand in hand. “Self-care isn’t selfish,” insists the makeup artist turned entrepreneur. That’s the feel-good philosophy behind Beauties Lab, the charming shop and spa she opened last year. It’s nestled in the historic Château Saint-Ambroise, right along Montreal’s Lachine Canal and brims with good vibes and clean beauty gems.

“People come here to get a better understanding of green beauty, to take makeup classes or discover emerging brands, get a facial or just talk about self-love,” says the founder. Those chats used to take place on her pink velvet love seat, but in the last few months, she’s taken her business online, offering virtual beauty consults. 

Eager to know how she takes care of her own gorgeous skin, we asked Bégin for a full rundown of her routine, from her natural remedies for acne to her favourite ways to unwind—including eating hotdogs in her bathtub. Let’s just say the woman knows how to live.

How did you first become interested in skincare? 

“I started at about 12 years old because I got acne at a very young age. My goal then was just to purify my skin as much as possible. Nothing glamorous—just a lot of washing my face with Spectro Gel! Then, at 14, I decided I wanted to become a makeup artist, so my interest in skin grew from there. I’ve been researching skin ever since. I love to learn.”

How would you describe your skin?

“My skin is quite thick, except for around my eyes, and I tend to get oily on my T-zone. For the past two years, I’ve noticed the area above my lip gets darker than the rest of my face in the summer. It really annoys me, but if I protect it really well from the sun, it’s not as bad. I also use vitamin C every morning and bakuchiol at night, which is a botanical alternative to retinol. That helps, too. Sometimes, I get really sick of dealing with acne. My hormones were thrown out of whack after I quit the pill and got a hormonal IUD. I do everything I can in terms of lifestyle—getting enough sleep, managing stress, eating well, seeing a naturopath; and skincare—getting facials and sticking to a routine, but I’m also learning to let go and accept that it can’t be perfect.”

What’s the best skincare advice you’ve ever gotten?

“Don’t overdo it. Our skin gets aggravated when we try to do too much, which will only make matters worse. We need to know how to listen to our skin and give it love. Less is often more. My facialist Nastia taught me that.”

What’s your typical routine?

“In the morning, I wash my face with Omy Laboratoires’ Active Vitamin Cleansing Foam and some lukewarm water. Next, I apply Blume’s Meltdown oil for my breakouts followed by Étymologie’s Probiotic Vitamin C Serum. I top that off with my Omy Laboratoires custom day cream. It contains active ingredients that were chosen specially for me—my name’s even on the jar! After that, I gently dab on some Age-Repair Eye Cream from Grown Alchemist and finish things off with a tinted BB cream with SPF 30 from Coola. I like to apply it with a large makeup brush, then set it with Coola’s SPF 30 setting spray, which I keep in my bag for touch-ups throughout the day. 

At night, I wash my face with the same Omy foam, then I smooth on Étymologie’s Bakuchiol Cannabis Sativa Serum, followed by my custom Omy night cream and my Grown Alchemist eye cream.”

What else do you do for your skin?

“I’m a huge fan of masks. I love the Advanced Repair Mask with neem honey from Malaya Organics to calm my skin, the Probiotic Glacial Clay Mask from Étymologie to purify, the Crystal Waters mask from Salt by Hendrix to hydrate and Grown Alchemist’s Enzyme Exfoliant. I usually mask twice a week. Sometimes, if I have the ingredients on hand, I’ll make my own with Greek yogurt, egg whites and raw honey. I also like to massage my face using stones and movements inspired by traditional Chinese medicine. Sometimes I’ll do some Face Gym massage techniques as well.”

What are some of your favourite wellness practices?

“I love getting massages. I used to only get one twice a year, but then, as I got older, I thought, ‘Why only do it twice a year if it makes me feel so good?’ So now, if I can, I try to get one facial and one massage every month. It’s the best treat. I also see an osteopath, acupuncturist and kinesiologist. They’ve all become allies in my health and well-being. Now, during isolation, I’ve replaced this with virtual life-coaching sessions with a spiritual guide who does tarot readings over Zoom.”

Any last words of advice?

“Perfection is boring. Do what feels right and take good care of yourself in order to be able to take care of others.”