Made in Vancouver Awards: Introducing Our Head Beauty Judge

We’re thrilled to introduce this year’s head Beauty Judge for the 2020 Made in Vancouver Awards! Janine Verreault is the editor-in-chief of BCLiving and Simply Beautiful Living magazine as well as the brand manager for the lifestyle subscription box, Simply Beautiful, and Evalina Beauty. And she’s well set up for this year’s MiVA judging: she has spent years testing beauty products on a regular basis for the Simply Beautiful subscription box as well as for Evalina, and enjoys being a champion of independent Canadian beauty brands. 

Janine shares a few of her favourites around Vancouver.

Perfect Vancouver spot

The False Creek Seawall. I like starting in Yaletown, walking towards Science World, ending at Granville Island then Aquabus-sing back to Yaletown. I call it “the walk.” It’ll give you your 10,000 steps and then some!

Best place for a drink on a Tuesday night

At home. On my couch. With a delicious glass of Sauvignon Blanc and maybe some takeout from Tasty Indian Bistro in Yaletown.

Vancouverite you most want to meet

In my job, I’ve been fortunate to meet a lot of celebrated Vancouverites, but I think I’d most like to sit down and get to know Michael Bublé. He seems like a good time.

Best neighbourhood in the city

Yaletown. People have a lot of preconceived notions about what Yaletown is, but I’ve lived there for 17 years now and it is an incredibly magical place to raise a family. Plus, you’re steps from the ocean and have the greatest selection of restaurants right in your backyard.

Best restaurant in the city

Minami is my absolute favourite because I am such a huge sushi fan. The food is consistently delicious and innovative. I also love sake and enjoy the flights Minami offers. Oh, and Ancora – their sushi is so fresh and wonderful too!

Best thing you ate this year?

Always the Aburi Salmon Oshi from Minami, but I also recently had a chicken roll  from Small Victory Bakery that blew my mind—beautiful pastry, tons of flavour, a touch of spiciness—I love when something that seems so ordinary ends up being a delightfully delicious surprise! Their bacon croissants are amazing too.

The hidden gem more Vancouverites should know about 

There’s a Vietnamese restaurant on Nelson Street between Richards and Seymour that is one of our go-tos. I had to look up its name because it has about 100 neon signs blinking on the façade: 24 Train Express Noodle House. Their spring rolls are some of the best I’ve ever tasted, the pho is great and I often crave their lemongrass beef on rice.

What’s a perfect treat-yourself day?

A facial at Skoah, some shopping at the Cross, a walk around the Seawall and stopping to eat whenever I’m hungry.

Perfect hangover food?

An A&W Mozza Burger and onion rings.

Where do you go hunting for your new favourite lipstick?

The Nordstrom Beauty counter. It’s my favourite place to makeup shop for sure!

What do you think makes Vancouver’s design and style scene stand out?

We’ve got this cool laid-back West Coast indie sensibility, but are major players on the world stage—just look at Aritzia and Herschel and Native and Fluevog—I could go on and on and on!!!

How has the indie beauty category shifted over time here?

There’s more of a focus on clean ingredients and eco-friendly packaging. And that doesn’t mean simpler or more basic products or branding—it’s much easier to find natural products these days that still give you that feeling of luxury, which I love! 

Ready to enter our 2nd annual Made in Vancouver Awards? Submit your entry today—deadline is March 13!