These made-in-India multitasking beauty products will save you time in the morning
To snuggle under the covers and delay dealing with reality
Two types of skincare users emerged during the lockdown period. One group used this time to finally indulge in extravagant routines with masks, polishes, steaming and supplements. The other lot used this time as a skin break. Alright, alright, we’ll call it like it is. We slacked off a bit. All the beauty products we used to protect and recover our skin from external stressors and air pollution didn’t seem necessary while we were stuck indoors. We got lazy.
Now that the time has come to go back into the world, it’s going to take some effort and planning to get back into the full routines we were previously accustomed to. But what if we could cut the time we used to previously spend in half, by relying on Indian brands making multitasking beauty products that do the work of 3 products in one. How’s that for an upgraded reintroduction to a proper skincare regime?
If you’re a newbie who gets overwhelmed by terms like layering your products, skincare acids, contouring and ‘trans-epidermal water loss’ then let these be your initiation into the beauty world. These multitasking beauty products will become your new favourites, replacing the need for different doo-dads while providing the same benefits.
Multitasking beauty products are really a win-win situation in our eyes. Use the time saved by cutting that 13-step Korean-inspired routine in half to focus on the most important beauty tip of them all (according to He-Who-Never-Ages, Pharrell Williams) — sleep.
Less is more with these 10 multitasking beauty products that are proudly made in India
1/9  Green Tea Revitalizing Face Mist by Plum, ₹175 This green tea face mist from Plum gives a great zing that shakes you out of your post-lunch sleepiness. The glycerin and aloe juice are hydrating and soothing to the skin, while the ginger root extract is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredient. According to the brand, this mist is better suited for combination and oily, acne-prone skin. It’s got a hint of glycolic acid which is a resurfacing chemical exfoliation ingredient that gently sloughs off dead skin and increases cell turnover. Green tea is one of the mightiest reserves of antioxidants that you can apply on your skin that prevents cell damage from free radicals, soothes the skin and improves the appearance of damage caused by sun exposure. 2/9  Blink Balm by Enn’s Closet, ₹600 Lockdown started a whole range of DIY experimentation when it came to easy home hacks for the skincare products we had run out off. One of those tricks was an old dadi tip of rubbing castor oil on our eyelashes and brows before bed to help them grow and thicken. It didn’t end well, with stinging eyes as the oil got all over the place (including the pillowcase). Blink Balm stepped in as a more refined version of this messy technique. It’s got the castor oil we sought along with a blend of calendula, olive, almond and rosemary oils. There’s no mess since it’s in a balm form, just rub your fingertip in the product to warm it up and glide across your lashes and brows for fuller growth and better circulation from the grapefruit seed extract. 3/9  Hustle by d’you, ₹3,200 We know you gasped at the price tag but hear us out. This multitasking beauty product is like four different steps in one with excellent ingredients. It lives up to its name. It’s got peptides for anti-ageing and skin protecting, niacinamide for sebum regulation and pore refinement, powerful blend of antioxidants including vitamins E and three kinds of vitamin C as well as resveratrol. There’s arbutin to lightening hyperpigmentation and polyglutamic acid to hydrate and nourish the skin from within. If you’ve been eyeing an expensive Korean essence, then this serum has those fermented ingredients as well as panthenol and skin-loving oils. 4/9  ABC Cleansing Gel by Dr Sheth’s, ₹499 We know it sounds strange, but this exfoliating cleanser by Dr Sheth’s packs the most gentle of punches. It cleanses the skin with a mild but effective coconut-based cleansing agent that won’t irritate sensitive skin. But this multitasking beauty product also manages to give you that exfoliation you desire with 2.5% glycolic acid (AHA), 2.5% lactic acid (AHA) and salicylic acid (BHA). Together these work to exfoliate the upper surface of our skin as well as deep into the pores. The addition of Cica, or gotu kola as its locally known, calms any redness and irritation and the antioxidants infused in this blend help brighten the skin. Dirt, grime, pollution, dead skin cells filling up your pores – the only thing this can’t cleanse are the sins of your past. 5/9  PLANT REMEDY Calendula Healing Salve by YBP, ₹1,350 This one jar can serve as a soothing balm for multiple skin conditions. Whether you’re prone to extreme dryness and flaking or an angry red break out, even small scrapes and cuts. Raw cacao butter, jojoba oil and hemp seep oil help soothe the skin, nourishing it from within and strengthening the skin’s barrier by bringing down the inflammation. Ratanjot root extract present in this formulation has been used for its healing properties to treat fungal infections, eczema and psoriasis. The star calendula deeply nourishes the skin, soothing it like a lullaby after a tiring day. A true multitasking beauty product you can use on pretty much any part of your body. 6/9  Beet Tint by Ilana Organics, ₹1,220 As kids, we weren’t allowed to wear makeup. So we’d dress up in secret and emulate Poo from K3G in the mirror after finishing off an ice gola to successfully stain our lips. Ilana Organics founder Nikita Deshpande did the same with beetroots when she was younger and that childhood game has now become the brand’s lip and cheek beet tint. This sheer tint is made using beetroot powder, glycerine and honeysuckle extract to create a simple, light formula to give you that light sun-kissed skin. You can layer it and build up the colour and it’s a great addition to your no-makeup makeup looks. A light dab on the lips, cheekbone, even your eyelids will give you a gentle flushes look with natural ingredients that are also doing some good for your skin. Beetroot has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, glycerine functions as a fantastic humectant to hydrate the skin and honeysuckle can prevent skin irritation and boost the skins ability to fight off free radical damage. 7/9  BRASH by FAE Beauty, ₹750 Available in three different shades, BRASH is a unique product by FAE Beauty that serves as a volumising mascara as well as an eyebrow filler. We’d be lying if we said we’ve never run our regular mascara wand through our brows only to have them clump up and bleed over onto our foreheads. It sounds easy enough right? But the formula of a brow gel/pomade and mascara are quite different and can’t really replace each other. Well, now we won’t even really need to do that anymore with this 2-in-1 that was actually made for it. 8/9  SunProtect Gel SPF 40 with Vitamin C by SkinQ, ₹1,250 Cosmetic dermatologist Dr Chytra Anand has seen first hand the damage that UV rays can wreck on her clients’ skin. With her line SkinQ, she found a way to maximise a bottle of sunscreen so users can get the most benefit from it. It’s got broad-spectrum protection from UVA and UVB rays with SPF40 and it’s being supercharged by vitamin C, everyone’s favourite child in the antioxidant family. Vitamin C in this formulation boosts the skins ability to fight against free radical stress while repairing the skin from oxidative damage that can cause hyperpigmentation, dullness and irritation. This product is actively working to prevent UV damage to the skin, protecting it from environmental stressors and taking it a step further by repairing your past skincare mistakes.
9/9  Madhu Rasa Tinted Lip Serums by Forest Essentials, ₹1,295 This pocket rocket is a triple threat. Forest Essentials’ newest drop of Ayurvedic makeup glides across your lips smoothly with the hydration our parched lips need from coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter and sweet almond oil. It protects our lips with the addition of vitamin E which works as an antioxidant and fermented moringa oil which can help lighten pigmentation. Coming in four tints you get a buildable sheer pigment of lipstick along with the added benefits that each of the ingredients used as pigments brings to the table. In Anar Rasa you have the antioxidants properties of pomegranate, Gulaab Jal uses desi Gulab extracts which can deeply hydrate the skin and help combat fine lines, Misri Cardamom has the lovely pair of raw cane sugar working as a humectant and cardamom stimulating blood flow and the saffron in Coconut Kesar brings a natural glow to your complexion. Each of them has been carefully formulated to heal and protect the delicate skin of our lips. |