Through public appearances, recounted tales of fan encounters, and almost a decade’s worth of interviews throughout her career, I’ve reached my own armchair conclusion about Emma Watson, which is that she’s exactly the kind of person you’d be wildly envious of to the point of hatred if she weren’t so cool. Not like, Gone Girl “cool-girl” cool, but smart and interesting and… fun? I don’t know if any of that is true, by the way — I just think I want to be her friend, even though she’d probably be a little annoying at non-vegetarian restaurants.
After reading Emma’s recent beauty confessional on Into The Gloss, where she divulged her totally clean, green approach to makeup and skin care, I was genuinely stricken by how — don’t roll your eyes — relatable she came across. That’s when I realized: I am insufferable when it comes to ingredients and sustainability and animal-friendly ethics in beauty. I’m evangelistic about beauty the way vegans are about… veganism. Emma and I have so much more in common than I thought. (You can roll your eyes now.)
Not content to simply share a few products in common with the star, the natural progression then was for me to convert to her beauty routine entirely. Considering I’ve already detoxed my armpits and have been brushing my teeth with charcoal for a year, I thought taking it to the next, most Emma Watson-approved step would be the perfect way for me to go. With Emma as an example, I decided to experiment with some of her top picks for all-natural stuff to put on your face — and now they’ve become some of my favorites, too.
I have always enjoyed scrubbing the ever-loving shit out of my face, a practice that is not only frowned upon but also genuinely harmful to one’s skin. This is something that Emma Watson doesn’t do, so I decided that I wouldn’t, either, no matter how satisfying it feels to exfoliate away your uneven texture and the first layer of your epidermis.
This creamy, gentle crowd-pleaser of a cleanser is the exact opposite of the more aggressive ones I’m used to, and I love it. A quarter-sized amount massaged over a dry face, then rinsed away with lukewarm water, leaves my sensitive, oily-ish complexion feeling balanced and clean, not irritated, almost like the skin of a person who exclusively uses products formulated with no more than ten organic, all-natural ingredients. Like this one! I use it at night to take off makeup, then I reach for the brand’s Exfoliating Cleanser in the morning. A winning combination, in my book.
Évolué Gentle Cleanser/Makeup Remover, $42, available at Évolué.
“[RMS is] an amazing brand,” Emma said during the interview. “I’m pretty obsessed.” Guess what? Me too! This game-changing concealer, which the actress says is one of the few components of her everyday makeup routine, is also one of my favorites — because it contains mainly certified organic ingredients like coconut oil, beeswax, and jojoba oil, is actually good for your skin, and masks imperfections without looking makeup-y. It is, however, definitely one of those products that works best for people who already have pretty good skin, like Emma. (And me. JK.)
RMS Beauty “Un” Cover-Up, $36, available at RMS Beauty.
Emma claimed that this exfoliating scrub makes her skin feel moisturized enough that she can skip the body lotion after she uses it in the bath. I do not have a functioning bathtub, but I do hate using body lotion, so this wasn’t a hard sell for me. Not too harsh but not so gentle as to be ineffective in sloughing off dry skin, this refreshing formula (so minty!) strikes the perfect balance — and it doesn’t leave my skin covered in an occlusive layer of oil after rinsing, like many other “hydrating” body scrubs do.
French Girl Organics Sea Polish, $38, available at French Girl Organics.
Not only does Emma use this dry shampoo, but she says she “swears” by it — how’s that for a ringing endorsement? I winced at the price tag initially; it’s a bit steep for dry shampoo. After giving it a few tries, though, I’m a believer. It smells sexy and expensive (as it should), it absorbs oil and debris as well as I'd expect it to, and it makes my hair look shiny and healthy and voluminous even when it’s dirty. But what makes it worth its price is that the eco-friendly non-aerosol dispenser is actually economical — because you dispense only a little bit of product at a time, the bottle lasts forever.
Rahua Voluminous Dry Shampoo, $32, available at Rahua.
I cheated here. Emma said she likes to use the Sister& Co. Raw Coconut & Activated Charcoal Tooth Whitening Polish, but I just could not get down with the coconut oil-based formula enough to stick with it. I was, however, already using a different activated charcoal toothpaste, which is more like a traditional toothpaste and therefore more appealing to my traditional sensibilities. I’m not sure how it stacks up to the one Emma uses, but hey, it’s the same idea — and in my experience, the charcoal really does work to absorb stains.
Curaprox Black Is White Toothpaste, $29.99, available at Curaprox.
“It’s something I always wear because A) it doesn’t really look like makeup and B) I tend to get very pale,” Emma said of this affordable pot of color. “It makes me look healthy and less exhausted.” I’d love to look healthy and less exhausted, but unfortunately this product isn’t going to be the answer to that. It’s not the stain’s fault — it’s me. I’ve tried many a formula in my day, and just can’t seem to figure them out; I always look like a patchy, red-cheeked Cabbage Patch Kid. For now, I’ll stick to my RMSLip2Cheek in Beloved, which I think Emma would approve of regardless.
The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain in Red Pomegranate, $16, available at TheBody Shop.
Like this post? There's more. Get tons of beauty tips, tutorials, and news on the Refinery29 Beauty Facebook page. Like us on Facebook — we'll see you there!
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Why Bella Thorne Does ALL Her Own Makeup
Chrissy Teigen Is Cooking Up Something Special With Becca Cosmetics