'My name is Ebba Davidsson [@tiny _bro], I am 18 years old and I’m a student. I live in Lund in southern Sweden, where I also grew up—it’s quite a small town, but there’s a big university that attracts a lot of international students which keeps everything interesting. During the weekends, I try to stay awake as an underpaid waitress at a local café. My life as a student is all about too little sleep, too much coffee, late-night makeout sessions with random people, and getting my shit together afterwards.

It shows in my bathroom cabinet—it’s like a window to my soul where you can find classy oil treatments next to unicorn temporary tattoos and blue hairspray. However, I’ve come to the point in life where we are all meant to end up—longing for a green juice and the perfect makeup base. For me, beauty has finally become something meditative, related to health rather than vanity. It is no longer about looking for anything that will make me look older, or figuring out how to keep your hair from sticking to your lip gloss—which is still a mystery to me.

I always look forward to the morning. I hate getting up but since I’d rather have sufficient time to get ready, I wake up early to do a quick yoga routine and then stand in the warm light of my bathroom mirror while drinking coffee and listening to music. About five years ago, the monopoly on Swedish pharmacies ended and new skincare brands like Avène, Nuxe, and Eucerin flooded my shelves, so I've been exploring those products more and more. I usually start off by scrubbing my face gently with a damp towel before moisturizing with Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Facial Lotion. I like it—it’s light and smells amazing without any synthetic fragrances.

In Sweden, the cold climate is harsh on your skin during the winter. Mine is combination, but still sensitive, and I’d rather have it a little too shiny than dried out. So I’ll rub oil on my face after having washed my makeup off with Avène Gentle Milk Cleanser or ACO FACE’s Cleansing Lotion [ed note: not available in the US]. This coming winter I’m counting on REN Omega 3 Optimum Skin Serum Oil. I use the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse on the rest of my body and on the ends of my hair when it’s still wet from the shower.

If my skin is gloomy, extra oily, or whatever else that makes me frown when stepping in front of the mirror, I’ll prep with The Body Shop’s Warming Mineral Mask. It is not the most extraordinary miracle worker, but it effectively brightens, tightens, and leaves the skin matte which is exactly what I need. And it only takes five minutes, so it is ideal to do while I’m making my breakfast smoothie or doing a happy finally-Friday dance.

I started to really trust minerals and coal in skincare products after I went to Iceland and bathed in the naturally warm Blue Lagoon spring and covered my skin with its nourishing mud. It completely changed the way I think about beauty—I felt connected to my body in a very natural, easy, but powerful way. My mom believes I was an Icelandic sybil in a former life and I don’t feel like denying that.

My makeup routine is primarily about covering up the dark circles under my eyes. I find light pink wax/coal pens to be more lasting than liquid concealers that end up as smudgy lines if I smile in school. My pen favorites are often labeled as waterline brighteners or eyebrow lifters, but I use them to highlight the undereye area, around the nose and right below the brows. It makes a huge difference for me. The Isadora Eyebrow Lifter Highlighter Pen [ed note: not available in the US] is a great budget option.

I also use a pen to contour my face or instead of a bronzer. It’s a light brown wax pen that I put on my eyebrows as well, to make them appear denser. I guess I really like working with pens because of the fact that they are multi-functional and take up minimal space.

My goal with my lips every morning is to get them swollen and pink like Scarlet Johansson in Lost in Translation. They look sore in a good way, like she’s been kissing someone too passionately. I scrub mine with my toothbrush before applying a thick layer of Aquaphor.

I rarely use any makeup on my eyes, but if I want to dress my face up I’ll do a cat eye and put some Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Lashes Mascara on my lashes. Rhinestones are great fun too!”

—as told to ITG

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