The products I swear by in my 20s

Like most girls in their early 20s, I had exactly one signature makeup look and I wore it everywhere with alarming confidence. My Lakmē 9-5 Eyeconic Kajal was practically glued to my eyes. It survived 7 a.m. lectures I barely stayed awake through, crowded local train rides, bunking lectures and heading out and my kajal wouldn't budge.

Back then, I genuinely believed kajal could fix almost everything. Bad hair day? Kajal.Running late because I forgot to apply kajal? Kajal. Didn't sleep because you binge-watched an entire series instead of studying? Definitely kajal.

The funny thing is, while I was obsessing over eyeliner and kajal, skincare barely existed in my vocabulary. I might be god's favourite child to have survived all the skin mishaps.

I'd wash my face... occasionally. Moisturiser and sunscreen were my long distance relatives I never knew existed.

Then adulthood arrived...and some common sense.

Nothing humbles you faster than balancing deadlines, long commutes, pollution, stress, makeup, late nights and wondering why your skin suddenly refuses to co-operate anymore.

I'd spent years buying makeup while completely ignoring the basics. My everyday routine didn't need fifteen different serums or products. It needed consistency and a handful of everyday essentials that actually worked.

I became smarter in this niche and made better choices.

Some mornings, especially when I was rushing to meetings or beauty events, the POND'S Instant Coverage & Glow BB+ Cream became my shortcut. It evened out my skin, looked natural and made me appear far more awake than I actually felt after staying up to finish an article the night before...or scrolling through reels.

Instead of chasing every trend I saw online, I started building a collection of everyday essentials that genuinely made my mornings easier.

Somewhere along the way, those rushed five-minute mornings turned into my favourite part of the day.

These days, my everyday routine isn't about trying to look perfect. It's about giving myself a few quiet minutes before emails, deadlines and WhatsApp notifications take over. Funny how growing up changes your priorities. I once spent half an hour perfecting winged liner but couldn't be bothered to wear sunscreen. Now, I wouldn't dream of stepping out without it.

The older I got, the more I realised consistency beats having a shelf full of products you barely use. My routine today is simple, and honestly, that's exactly how I like it.

My current everyday routine looks something like this:

• LAKMĒ 5% Niacinamide & Vit C Water-Light Sunscreen Gel SPF 50: It's lightweight, doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy and sits beautifully under makeup, so I have zero excuses to skip it.

• POND'S Hydra Light Hyaluronic Acid Complex 2% Serum: One of those self care products I instinctively reach for after cleansing because my skin always feels fresher, healthier and hydrated afterwards.

• Minimalist Vitamin B5 10% Moisturizer: My latest favourite for days when my skin feels tired, dehydrated or simply needs a little extra TLC without feeling heavy.

Besides falling in love with skincare , somewhere I also fell in love with everyday essentials - lippies.

The LAKMĒ 9TO5 HYA Beach Edit Lipstick + Liner Duo has become one of my favourites because it takes the guesswork out of matching lip liner with lipstick, especially on busy mornings when I'm trying to get out of the house on time. And for days when I want something comfortable that lasts through interviews, coffee runs and dinner plans without constant touch-ups, I find myself reaching for the LAKMĒ 9TO5 HYA Matte Beach Edit Lip Gloss Stain.

It's funny because the little girl who once spent entire afternoons staring at her cousins' makeup bags now gets to test beauty launches for work.

I spend my days interviewing dermatologists, speaking to founders, attending beauty events, trying new formulas and writing about products for a living. If teenage me knew that one day I'd have spreadsheets filled with skincare launches instead of chemistry notes,she'd actually squeal with happiness.

Beauty has stopped being just makeup or skincare for me.

Every product reminds me of a different chapter of my life.

I've stopped trying to keep up.

Instead, I keep coming back to the same everyday essentials because they work for me. They've survived career milestones, stressful deadlines, bad skin days, good skin days and every version of me that's existed throughout my early 20s.

If there's one thing I've learnt, it's that the best life essentials aren't always the most expensive or the most talked about. They're the products you repurchase without overthinking because they've become part of your everyday routine.

For me, it all started with watching the women in my family enjoy beauty for what it was: a small moment of happiness in an otherwise ordinary day.

Turns out, they were influencing me long before influencing was even a thing.