Mahalia’s daily beauty rituals: Dream Matte Mousse, Ozark and feeling cute

For this month’s instalment of Daily Beauty Rituals we’re lucky enough to have Leicester-born singer-songwriter Mahalia in the hot seat. The 23-year-old, who’s just announced details of a UK and Ireland wide tour this summer and recently dropped her woozy track​Letter to Your Ex, that reminisces on a meddling ex-girlfriend, is one busy bee. Known and loved for her frank approach to documenting the less-than-Instagramable sides to heartbreak, love and loss, Mahalia almost swore off music entirely after experiencing toxicity in the working environment with her old label. Coming back to music with newfound confidence – but distinctively on her own terms – means this year is full of promise. We sat down with Mahalia to chat about relaxation, bad sleeping habits and the cult product that is Weleda Skin Food.

I wake up at… Right now? 6am. I’m jet-lagged AF. I miss 11am wake-ups.

The first thing I do is… Run for a wee. That’s usually what wakes me up.

My skincare regimen in the morning looks like this… If I remember, I’ll wash my face and put on all my serums, but sometimes it’s a splash of water in the shower and go.

My favourite morning products are… Z.O Hydrating cleanser and Weleda Skin Food.

Because… They make me feel fresh. I must admit, if I don’t do my skincare in the morning, I don’t feel as cute.

My worst beauty habits are… Not taking my makeup off. I thought I’d gotten better since school but I’m still pretty shit sometimes.

My favourite feature is my… Mole above my lip. I always thought it was ugly because boys said they couldn’t kiss me with it. Now it’s my favourite thing.

My first beauty-related memory is… Using my mum’s mascara. When I tried to leave for school, my dad dragged me back inside to wipe it off. I didn’t use makeup again for about five years… that and Maybelline’s Dream Matte Mousse.

Do you work out? I mean, no comment. LOL.

Are you taking any supplements? I don’t think I believe in supplements.

What’s for lunch and why? Anything I can get my hands on today. It gets like that when I’m busy.

What’s your evening routine? I honestly don’t think any evening is the same as the next. I do the same stuff to my skin as in the morning, but other than that, I change it up.

How do you relax? TV helps me massively. I find it super hard to switch off in the evening but telly helps! I just started watching Ozark.

Do you listen to anything in the evening? Only my thoughts.

Burn any candles? Have a bath? I burn candles every evening, but never a bath! I always say I’m gonna have a bath and never bloody do.

What products do you use at night? The same as the morning plus the Midnight Recovery Oil from Khiels. That’s my favourite.

What skincare products do you swear by? Skin Food by Weleda is the best moisturiser I’ve had in a while. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter will always be the only thing I put on my body and the Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream.

What’s the best beauty hack you’ve ever learned and why? Using a cream blush on the cheeks, lids and lips. I’m sure people have a name for this. It’s my favourite thing to do!

What’s the last product you apply before you sleep? I think it’s Aquaphor Advanced Therapy healing ointment. I use this on my lips!

Bedtime is at… It could be 10pm, it could be 3am. It really depends on my mood.

How do you sleep… Terribly. I find getting to sleep super hard.

I’ve been dreaming of… Nothing. Sometimes I have kind of crazy dreams, where crazy things happen, but I can never remember them.

Who’s got your favourite face and why? My mum. Definitely. She’s got the best smile. The kind that really does light up a room.