<a href="http://beautyeditor.ca/wp-content/uploads/vasanti_tinted_lip_balm.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5891" title="vasanti_tinted_lip_balm" src="http://beautyeditor.ca/wp-content/uploads/vasanti_tinted_lip_balm.jpg" alt="" width="148" height="300" /></a> Canadian makeup line <a href="http://www.vasanticosmetics.ca/can/" target="_blank">Vasanti Cosmetics</a> recently became available at Shoppers and Rexall locations—you may have spotted its swank blue and red packaging or read about it over at <a href="http://imabeautygeek.com/" target="_blank">Beautygeeks</a> or the now-on-hiatus <a href="http://www.sugarshockbeauty.com/" target="_blank">Sugarshock</a>.

Why should you care? Well, I was intrigued by the brand's initial concept of catering to women with South Asian or other yellow-based skintones (it was, after all, founded a decade ago by three Canucks of South Asian descent). But now they've re-launched with options for every ethnicity, so I just had to put a few products to the test.

On the subject of skin stuff, I tried the <a href="http://www.vasanticosmetics.ca/us/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=9&amp;Manufacturer=2&amp;Vendor=3" target="_blank">Face Base Powder Foundation</a>—and even on my not-very-yellowish Scottish skin, the colour was flattering and natural-looking. But I have to warn you—I'm only suggesting it for oily skin types. On me it was way too drying... maybe I'll revisit in the summer.  I'd give a miss to their concealer option, the <a href="http://www.vasanticosmetics.ca/us/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=26&amp;Manufacturer=2&amp;Vendor=3" target="_blank">Liquid Cover-Up</a>, which offers both too much liquid and not enough covering-up (and was also very, very yellow on me).

They have some cute colour options, especially the <a href="http://www.vasanticosmetics.ca/us/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=4&amp;Manufacturer=2&amp;Vendor=3" target="_blank">Tinted Lipbalm</a>, which SugarShock <a href="http://www.sugarshockbeauty.com/2009/09/lip-service-vasanti-cosmetics-tinted.html" target="_blank">also sang the praises of</a>. The <a href="http://www.vasanticosmetics.ca/us/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=38&amp;Manufacturer=2&amp;Vendor=3" target="_blank">Gel Lip &amp; Cheek Stains</a> are also pretty, but use them on your lips only—despite their claims, they're annoyingly not very spreadable on your cheeks, so you could end up with patchy bits.

Skip the <a href="http://www.vasanticosmetics.ca/can/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=12&amp;Manufacturer=2&amp;Vendor=3" target="_blank">Lipshine</a> lip gloss (non-sticky but too goopy) and the loose <a href="http://www.vasanticosmetics.ca/us/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=1&amp;Manufacturer=2&amp;Vendor=3" target="_blank">Shimmer Powders</a> (nothing against Vasanti here <em>per se</em>, but I just don't get the point of them, and there wasn't enough pigment to make them work as eye shadows).

<em>Available at select Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall Pharma Plus locations and online at amazon.com and vasanticosmetics.com.</em>