Maya Jama might just be one of the most relatable celebrities out there, thanks to her fun aura that makes everyone want to be her friend.

Remember the time she had a chat with a poor bloke who was fobbed off by a random woman giving out the wrong number, only for it to be Maya’s?

That reads in her approach to beauty too. She’s just like the rest of us.

‘I was the spotty teenager, oily in my early 20s when I hadn’t learned which products to use on my face yet, and then as you get older your skin learns what it responds to. But I’ve gone through trial and error.

‘I used to use coco butter on my face and other things you just shouldn’t do,’ she admits.

But now she’s the head of her own skincare brand, designing products for time-poor people who aren’t always bothering with a five-step skin routine.

Maya says: ‘I’ve always been obsessed with skincare since being a young girl because my mum was into it so from 11 I was copying her, using her products. We’d have pamper Sundays and things like that.

‘Then I moved out and was living in London, and I’ve always had a busy life where I probably wasn’t spending enough time on my skincare and was constantly knackered – late nights, early mornings, all of that – so I’d have just an ongoing supply of face masks on me.

‘I’d use them on the way to work in the morning under my eyes to wake me up, or if I’ve not washed my makeup off for a couple of days and my skin is dry, I’d put a mask on to get the last minute glow.’

People would always ask what products she’s using when she would wear them on trains or share them on social media.

After looking into the cost of key skincare ingredients, she decided ‘we’re kind of getting ripped off’, realising the best ingredients don’t have to come with a high price tag.

That is how her brand, MIJ Masks, was born, and now it celebrates it’s first birthday.

Maya Jama’s beauty heroes

Maya’s favourite beauty products need to work to keep up with her busy lifestyle.

She wears a MAC pot concealer, calling it her ‘favourite makeup item in the world’.

‘I’ve been using it since I was in school – that’s my saviour with the coverage.’

A Kiehl’s under eye serum is another favourite, as depuffing is a big concern for Maya.

This Shane Cooper cream also has a place in her bathroom cabinet, as it ‘gives a tightening effect’.

To massage skincare products in, her own MIJ Rose Quartz Roller is her tool of choice.

‘Whenever I have an undereye mask on, I use the jade roller to push in the extra ingredients by rolling from the middle of my face outwards.

‘A makeup artist taught me about a year ago to do that for about 10 minutes.

‘I’m quite a swell head in the morning – I don’t know if it’s water tension or puffiness, so I like to do that,’ she says.

As we all pride ourselves on our enhanced skincare routines, many wouldn’t care to admit the times cleansing gets missed and makeup instead gets slept in. But Maya has been there too – and will happily own it.

‘I’m sometimes bad with skincare and sleep in makeup – but I’ll try to make up for it by using my masks and I’ll arrive on set with them on,’ she says.

When working late, she’ll do a mask before bed too. ‘I keep my undereye masks in the fridge to keep them cold as it helps with depuffing the eyes.

‘I used to use a big spoon I kept in the fridge to do it and then found out there were actual tools like Gua Shas – I was late to the party.’

Maya Jama’s biggest beauty fail

‘Don’t use olive oil as sunscreen,’ Maya says – a past beauty faux pas of her own, which has health implications.

‘I had no SPF sun protection education as a child, so I used put any oils to get as tanned as possible as quick as possible.

‘Learning that all skin tones need to use SPF, that was a big lesson. When I was younger I was told darker skin tones didn’t need it – it was only in the last six or seven years people were like “you need it too”.

‘I still don’t use it daily, but I’m trying to get there.’

As for the future, Maya wants to think about the single use product issue, which is something she’s become more aware of since launching her brand.

She recommends putting the packet with leftover serum inside in the fridge to use what’s remaining the next day, in the meantime.

There’s also the hope of developing an eyebrow and eyelash growth product using castor oil, as big brows aren’t going anywhere even if the skinny trend is edging back into fashion.

‘I’m just giving away my secrets,’ she jests.

We can’t wait to see it.

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