Up Close and Personal With Jessica Gomes, CEO of Equal Beauty

In town last month for a quick trip, international swimsuit model Jessica Gomes took time off her busy schedule and got cosy with BAZAAR at the St Regis lounge over freshly brewed chamomile tea. Sauntering into the space in a billowy embroidered Isabel Marant top, a pair of chic backless Gucci loafers, and nothing but a smile on her naturally radiant face, the chatty and effortlessly elegant 32-year-old Australian-Chinese beauty opened up about her new role as the CEO of her self-founded skincare line— Equal Beauty, how her jet-setting lifestyle has inspired her to kick off the brand, and her cheat day secrets in the interview below.

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Equal Beauty is… An Australian luxury travel skincare brand. I would say my products are very different because they are Australian-made, and made from the finest Australian ingredients. You can travel with all of them. And travelling is something that is a huge part of my lifestyle, so I wanted to create something that really embodied who I am.

Equal Beauty’s brand philosophy… Really embodies my beauty beliefs and embodies my story. I really love the idea that we are all actually beautiful, we all are equal. And I really love the meaning behind Equal Beauty.

“Luxury travel skincare” because… A lot of modern women travel a lot now. I feel like this is the regime that is perfect for that. That’s what inspired me to start my own beauty brand because I didn’t feel like there were many products out there that did cater for that.

What I wanted to create with the brand is… something that was easy and simple for the consumer to understand and buy. There is a lot of clutter out there and people don’t really know what they are putting on their skin. It's alcohol-free, paraben free, and there's no fragrance in it.

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And the products are… Super gentle and super calming. It’s meant to  just feel fresh, clean, hydrated, and glowing. And just from flying a lot or going in to super cold climates, to superhot climates...my sensitive skin really reacts to that - I can easily break out in red rashes. Equal Beauty keeps it all under control.

I created the products with… my chemist whom I met through a friend, actually. I had interviewed a lot of people especially in Los Angeles and when I came back to Australia, I found that chemists in Australia are really amazing in terms of their ingredients and the whole process.

One of the many compounds we created is… Polluscreen™ – literally a screen from pollution that holds in moisture. So it’s pretty much a combination of ingredients which actually protects the skin by creating a shield for the skin and locks in the moisture with hyaluronic acid. There’s also aloe, vitamin C and Australian water.

One product that could convert someone to use Equal Beauty would be… the Super Serum. Because literally, I’ve been using it and I see the difference in my skin. And we’ve done all of the testing and how much it actually changes people’s skin is amazing. So I would say this one is it.

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Between skin care and makeup… I’ve always been a skin care girl for sure. Because I think that if you are comfortable in your own skin, and if your skin looks great then everything else looks great.

My beauty top shelf essentials will be…  Equal Beauty, of course. I also really love the La 10 Solution De Chanel Cream because I like that it’s a minimal of ten ingredients and it’s fragrance free as well.

My beauty icons would be… Monica Belluci, Eva Mendes, and I really love Sienna Miller actually. I think she’s really wonderful. I also really like Margot Robbie as well.

As a fitness model…  It’s really important to live a balanced life style and eat healthy. I’m not saying you must only eat organic food and greens. And I love food. And don’t ever do anything in excess. Like don’t exercise in excess, eat in excess or like drink in excess. Always keep a balanced, well rounded life style.

My favorite body part of my body is… My face! I created a whole beauty brand to look after my face. I really did. I spent all my money on this and built it to take care of my face, so I would say my face is my biggest asset.

In my fridge, you can always find… Coconut water. I love coconut water because it’s super hydrating. It’s really important to keep your body and skin hydrated. And I just feel like this is a beautiful drink for your skin.

My cheat day secrets are... In-N-Out burger. And I love Shake Shack!

My beauty mantra would be… Beauty and happiness comes from within and the way you feel. I think that it’s really important to protect your happiness and always make sure you are looking after yourself. And I think that’s really something I like to tap into as my beauty mantra. I really love to just check in with myself. And always have a clean, hydrated, and protected face.

Equal Beauty is available at David Jones and Equal Beauty's website  

By Syed Zulfadhli