We don’t hide our unabashed love for Emma Watson around here. Well, at least I don’t. In the past five years, the actress stepped away from the spotlight to pursue a degree in English Literature from Brown University, became a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, started an online feminist book club called Our Shared Shelf, and travelled around the globe to promote education for young women, leading the “unstoppable current” of feminism she once spoke of. Bottomline: homegirl can do no wrong. In fact, I could write an entire dissertation on how much I appreciate her existence, but I‘m not allowed to shan’t.

Since we’ve already raided her book shelves and her eco-friendly wardrobe, Emma was kind enough to share her extensive supply of natural and organic beauty products in an interview with Into The Gloss, and boy was there a lot to take in. Apart from fulfilling my own voyeurism quota for a day, the interview shed light on her inspiring efforts in leading a more sustainable lifestyle; and in a bid to further emulate her mindful approach to beauty, I decided to give a few of her favourites a go.

Let me preface this by mentioning that I’ve got sensitive and acne-prone skin. Yes, it’s a double whammy that’s plagued most of my teen years and it’s gradually gotten better, save for the occasional hormonal breakout. Hence, choosing the right beauty products for myself is akin to conducting a science experiment. Even after inspecting the ingredient list, I still have to cross my fingers and hope my skin doesn’t freak out, so it should come as no surprise that my distrust of mainstream products led me to cleaner, greener formulations.

MV Organic Skincare Rose Plus Booster
£72.00, available on cultbeauty.co.uk

I’ve actually heard plenty of great things about the Rose Plus Booster before her interview came out, but Emma’s recommendation gave me the final push, so I surrendered my money in the hopes of gaining calmer and healthier skin in return. Having used it for about two weeks now, it’s safe to say that I’m absolutely hooked on this stuff. I use 2 to 3 drops of this nourishing oil blend at night and my skin drinks it up instantly without looking like a greasy landscape.

When I pat this on, the aromatic combination of rose and geranium essential oils just makes it a biblical experience. And after letting it sink in for a few moments, the redness on my cheeks, around my nose, and from the mild breakout I had is significantly reduced. Even my acne scars have lightened over the span of a few days thanks to the rosehip oil in the formula. It’s a real game-changer for me, guys – it’s not a placebo effect. It comes at a hefty price for 35ml, but the brand truly doesn’t budge on the quality and a little goes a long way. I’m already dreading the moment I have to shake the very last drop out of this tiny bottle, I really am.

Heritage Store Rosewater & Glycerin Atomizer Mist Sprayer
$9.49, available on iHerb.com

In the last couple of years, I’ve gone through bottles and bottles of this rosewater spray, so when I spotted mentions of this product on a few Instagram captions (I check The Press Tour account daily for updates – my boyfriend thinks I’m entering stalker territory, but I’m not… I just really admire her), I was thrilled. This item here is used to prep Emma’s skin before makeup, which you could do, since it works as a hydrating toner too, but I love using it as a setting spray or a makeup refresher. A few spritzes of this makes everything look more hydrated and glowy.

Agent Nateur Holi(stick) N°3 Deodorant
$35, available on naturallybetterco.com.sg

Searching for a good natural deodorant isn’t easy. Not at all. They’re either ineffective at tackling odour, or they’re way too harsh for sensitive skin (mine hates sodium bicarbonate and overpowering essential oils). While this one by Agent Nateur contains sodium bicarbonate, it didn’t irritate my underarms at all, but unfortunately, it didn’t do much to prevent odour. This may be the best natural deodorant Emma’s found thus far, but it just doesn’t work in such high levels of humidity. The formula contains heavy coconut oil and avocado butter, which makes it a pain to wash off as well. I think I’ll stick to my Crystal Essence one for now.

The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain in Pink Hibiscus
$24.90, available from The Body Shop stores

I’ve owned a bottle of this over a year ago now, and another landed on my desk a couple months back, so after Emma mentioned loving the Red Pomegranate shade (we don’t have that one in Singapore), it definitely jumpstarted my use of this lip and cheek stain. I don’t use this on my cheeks because my face is pink as is, so I’ll dab it across my lips and blend it out with my fingers.

I’m gonna agree with Emma on this one – it definitely makes me look livelier in a swipe. However, she says, “I like that you can kiss someone while you’re wearing it and it’s not going to come off.” Hate to disagree, but it definitely fades on my lips after a smooch. Then again it depends on how passionate the kiss is… I digress. Sorry about that. Do give this one a try if you’re looking for a quick flush of colour with moderate lasting power.

Jane Iredale PureBrow Brow Gel in Clear
$32, available on zalora.sg

My brows are pretty much the pillars of my face, so I’ll carve time out to groom and style them. Trusty brow pencil aside, I’ve never actually considered other brow products, until I discovered brow gels. My favourite used to be the Urban Decay Brow Tamer, which does a decent job at defining and holding my brow hairs in place, but with daily use, it started drying out the skin around my brows. So when I found out that Emma uses a natural, clear brow gel that’s readily available on Zalora, I added it to my virtual cart faster than my brain could process it. No regrets here at all – it’s a much more hydrating formula than I’m used to because of the glycerin base, but it does the same job and it’s even made my brows grow thicker too. 

John Masters Organics Sculpting Clay Medium Hold
$38, available on budcosmetics.com

Though there isn’t exactly a mention of this sculpting clay in her interview, I spotted it in one of the images in Emma’s feature and did a double-take. My senior writer can vouch for my excitement when I noticed it. Emma may not even have cracked open the jar to try out the product, but hey, it’s sitting right there in the mix, so I’m just gonna assume we have a styling product in common. I’ve got a close-cropped haircut (the one you see on most teenage boys and middle-aged men in Singapore) that tends to get a little frizzy on top in the morning, so I’ll use a pinch of this to tame and prevent it from getting too poofy. 

If I had to pick only one, I’d recommend you go all out and splurge on the MV Organics Rose Plus Booster, but if your wallet doesn’t allow a decision this rash, then give the Heritage Store Rosewater & Glycerin Spray a go. Evidently, Emma’s beauty routine has done a number on my own, but it’s only fuelled my desire to obtain and try out new and exciting green beauty products, so watch this space.