Cosette's Beauty Pantry

Hello everyone! It's that time of the year again; time for  Christmas gift shopping ! Finding the perfect gift   for everyone on your list can be very time-consuming. When shopping for Christmas gifts, I always choose vegan and cruelty-free gifts.  Many of you ask me about cruelty-free makeup and what it is exactly. Here's what you need to know:  Vegan makeup  describes makeup that hasn't been formulated with any animal products or byproducts.  Cruelty-free  means that the product itself hasn't been tested on animals and that any raw materials used in making it weren't tested on animals, either. A product can be both, or one but not the other.  Not all vegan products are cruelty-free and not all cruelty-free products are vegan! Palettes are pretty much a no-brainer when it comes to beauty gifts. They are pretty and have tons of shades. Makeup palettes vary in shapes, sizes, tones and prices. However, not all palettes are created equal, so I’ve created a list of the

  Hello everyone! Over the years, I've had many readers and  Facebook Page   followers ask me skincare and beauty related questions. Very frequently, I get similar questions again and again. So I thought it would be beneficial to share some of these FAQs in a new series.  The first question in the Q&A series comes from a Facebook follower who sent me this message: "What is the difference between a face oil and a serum? Do I need to use them both? How do I choose between a face oil and a serum?" This is a great question! Both serums and facial oils can serve a purpose in your routine. Some oils are now marketed as serums which can be somewhat confusing. Facial serums are used to target specific skin concerns (such as wrinkles, fine lines, dullness, dryness, acne, irritation and redness) whereas face oils are primarily intended to nourish, protect and moisturise. For this reason, serums tend to be more expensive than oils.  Some of the things serum can do include: Trea

Hello everyone! Sustainable , zero-waste beauty routines have become one of the biggest beauty trends as of late. Thanks to increased awareness, the beauty industry is finally waking up, with more consumers demanding cleaner, sustainably packaged beauty products. Even if you’re not ready to commit to a  zero-waste lifestyle  just yet, it’s easy to tweak your skin, hair, and makeup routines to benefit the planet. Luckily, many beauty brands are rising to the challenge with waste-free packaging and ethically sourced ingredients.  Here are a few simple ways to make your routine  greener and cleaner . Cut down on plastic. Buy products with eco-friendly packaging. Go package free. Choose recyclable packaging. Choose refillable packaging. Recycle or re-use your product containers. Use eco-friendly ingredients. Avoid microplastics. Do not use single-use products. Reduce your water usage. Shop from brands that give back to the planet. Concrete examples: Switch to a sustainable bamboo toothbru

Hello everyone! It has been raining for days so I can finally say that, autumn  weather is here ! There are many reasons you may feel the need to change your skincare products: breakouts, dryness, sensitivity, etc. A common reason for updating your skincare regimen is seasonal change . As the environment around you changes, so should your skincare routine.  Does your skin need some extra TLC after summer?  (related post) No matter where you live, the autumn months are generally cooler and drier than summer.  Malta, the island where I live, remains very humid throughout the year, thanks to the surrounding sea.  This is how autumn weather affects your skin: Cooler temperatures increase the skin’s proneness to dryness and dehydration .  The skin may experience more irritation, redness, and inflammation due to the weather conditions like wind and rain.  If you live in low humidity: Low humidity levels can aggravate skin conditions like eczema and rosacea . In dry weather the skin produce

Hello everyone! Today I want to share a little heck with you.  A week ago, I started using Johnson's Baby Chamomile Shampoo instead of my regular facial cleanser.  I always favoured a foaming face wash over a milky or creamy cleanser.  I used it a few times as an eye makeup remover and decided to try and wash my face with it and see what happens.   Some of the products out there are too harsh and strip all the natural oil from the face.  I also tend to be a little sceptical of products with very long ingredients lists.  Here's the ingredient list of    Johnson's Baby Chamomile Shampoo : Aqua, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Polyquaternium-10, Coconut Acid, Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, PEG-150 Distearate, Sodium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, BHT, Sodium Benzoate, Parfum  Johnson's  baby shampoo is  free from dyes, parabens, phthalates, sulphates, alcohol, and soap and  has been

Hello everyone and Happy New Year!  In this first post of the year, I want to share with you some of my favourite hair care products.  As I previously told you; I've been wearing my hair, exclusively, in its naturally wavy/curly state (2c/3a) since June 2019.  Using a curl cream or a leave-in conditioner is an important step in my curly routine, one I cannot skip.   Here are the four (4) hair creams I purchased and repurchased in 2020... The reason I use four different leave-ins is that I rotate between them, and use the cream that my hair needs on that particularly wash day.  Your hair should maintain a balance between moisture and protein  and finding and  maintaining the balance between  these two is critical for achieving and  maintaining   healthy   hair.    Neither  protein  nor  moisture  can work well without  the  other. When my hair feels a bit dry and is in dire need of moisture , I use the   Garnier Fructis  Aloe Vera Air-Dry Cream .  This product is very moisture-ric

Hello everyone! Today's post is a  nails of the day .    I haven’t posted one of these in ages!   You can view previous  NOTD  posts  here .  This is what I'm currently wearing...  This pretty nail polish colour is called Party Princess (07) by Essence .   I did not know it is this sheer until I applied the first coat.  The first coat coloured my nail a sheer pink with some glitter.  I thought it looked super cute… for little girls, that is!   I applied a second coat of nail polish, and this time it looked much better.   This nail polish is pink with glitter, very girly and pretty.   I don’t hate it but I think it’s perfect for little girls that want to feel like a “Princess”!  What do you think?    Even though I'm a grown woman, I'm still going to keep using this nail polish and enjoy my sparkly manicures.  ✨ Do you wear glitter nail polish?  Leave a comment below and let me know! Have an awe

Hello everyone! Today I want to share my number one secret for moisturised, plump, soft, and glowing skin .  It's neither a fancy face cream nor one of my usual DIY recipes .  It's actually something I never   thought   I'd use on my face at all.  Years ago I wrote about the many benefits of vegetable glycerin in a post titled: Vegetable glycerin for glowing skin!  and I also shared a recipe for a DIY make-up setting spray  containing glycerin as a key ingredient.   I've also been using glycerin soap on and off in the shower for quite some time but I never used it to wash my face with, until recently.   I had a new, unopened jasmine glycerin soap in my bathroom and since my face was a little dry I decided, on a hunch, to try the soap as a face cleanser.  I used it at night before I went to sleep and let me tell you I was shocked at how soft and hydrated my skin was after just one use.  The next morning my face was visibly plumper and my s