Hajra Yamin’s mass of curls is the first thing you notice about her. Luckily, she has an impressive body of work that backs up the beauty of her hair with some serious brawn.

We saw her in drama serials Tabeer, Baandi, Naqab Zan, Ehd e Wafa and the recently concluded Jalan among many others. In 2016 the actress made her television debut and in 2018 she ventured into movies with Maan Jao Naa. This was followed by Pinky Memsaab the same year, for which Hajra received rave reviews.

These days Hajra can be seen in drama serial Be Adab, in which she essays the character of Sheena, who’s an ambitious girl, willing to go to any extent to fulfil her dreams. She’s also gearing up for her third film, titled Fly, which is written and produced by Asma Nabeel and tackles the subject of breast cancer.

We caught up with Hajra Yamin, this time for details on her look rather than her work, and picked up some interesting details on her beauty routine.

The secret to all skincare

“I like to stick to the basics, and that includes a good moisturiser, sun block and vitamin C serum with hyaluronic acid,” Hajra says, adding that the secret to her smooth skin is all in the genes. “My mother has amazing skin and hair, so the credit goes to her. But moisturising your skin as much as you can makes all the difference, so make sure you moisturise and keep your skin hydrated,” adds Hajra.

The actress also admits to being a sucker for home remedies/desi totkas.

“I am obsessed with Multani mitti (fuller’s earth) so in summer I use it mixed with rose water and milk, while during winter I go for Multani mitti and almond oil mask. You can also add sandal powder or some organic turmeric to the mix,” she shares.

Hajra also firmly believes that whatever you eat shows on your skin, so she tries to eat organic foods as much as possible. “I have cheat days and I have a bit of a sweet tooth so it’s difficult to curb those cravings. But despite that I do try to eat clean as well as drink lots and lots of water. One thing I have been doing since many years is that the minute I wake up, I have ginger tea with lemon on an empty stomach and one cup before going to sleep. It works wonders.”

Hair care regime

When it comes to her hair care routine, Hajra whittles it down to just keeping it well moisturised.

“I make sure to deep condition my hair. Apart from that, I don’t use much shampoo,” she shares. “I don’t follow the Curly Girl Method religiously, however, I prefer using chemical free products on my hair, which is why I use conditioners more than shampoos with strong chemical formulas to cleanse my hair.”

Hajra’s makeup essentials…

Even though Hajra loves makeup, she feels that too much of it doesn’t look good on her and so she tries to keep it minimal and as natural as possible. According to her, makeup that she usually uses on shoots is not very different from her everyday makeup. Speaking of essentials, the actress shares, “That has to be a good concealer, tinted lip balm and volumising mascara. Having said that, I feel that focusing on your skin is much more important than just putting on layers of makeup. If your skin is good, even minimal makeup looks great.”

Favourite cosmetics

“I love MAC face and body foundation, it’s very light and blends in your skin perfectly. The consistency is so nice that I have not been able to move on from it. Also, I swear by MAC HD translucent powder; this product has saved my life as well as The Body Shop lip and cheek stain,” she reveals. “Also, I really like our local cosmetic brands, especially contour palette and brow gel by Luscious. For concealing my face, I like Kryolan concealer stick. Besides, I swear by Masarrat Misbah and Luscious lipcolours. And lastly I used tinted lip balms as a blush; it gives a nice, natural shine,” says Hajra, adding that she is obsessed with tinted lip balms, specifically Labello lip balms, cheek stains and moisturisers.

As for products she can’t live without, she reinforces that she, “Can’t survive without lip balms and a spoolie/eyebrow brush. Because I have thick eyebrows it helps keep them neat and brushed.”

Makeup hacks

“One of the best tips that I have learnt backstage is that less is definitely more. Please don’t use makeup to transform yourself but to enhance what you already have, so don’t forget to love yourself.”