Jessica Gomes
On her morning routine:
“My routine is very simple and very quick. And it’s whatever I can do while travelling. I’m pretty low-maintenance, so my morning ritual consists of splashing my face with warm water using a flannel, then I use my Equal Beauty wipes, apply a serum, then put on an SPF. I’ll cleanse with either the CosMedix Purity Clean if I feel I really need it, or I’ll use my Equal Beauty wipes. If I’m in the shower, I’ll use CosMedix, because I love tea tree, and I love the medicinal feeling it gives me. I feel super clean after that. I don’t use any heavy exfoliants – I don’t like products that scratch my skin.”
On beauty treatments:
“I keep it really simple. I don’t do any laser or anything like that. I just do a bit of a micro and light thrapy whenever I see Melanie Grant when I’m in town, which is probably once every second month.”
On hydration:
“I’ve discovered in the last five years that a serum is very important, because it’s about hydrating, not moisturising. It’s about giving your skin a drink, not glazing it with moisturiser, because that’s not penetrating into the skin, into the cells. I tried the heavy moisturiser and it didn’t work for me; I wasn’t seeing a significant difference in my skin texture. That’s when I discovered hyaluronic acid and different types of serums, and I realised how transforming they were for the skin – especially when the ingredients are potent, active and mixed with vitamin C.”
On starting her own business:
“I hit a point, it was when I turned 30 and I had a realisation that my 20s had passed and I couldn’t fuck around anymore. I really need to take a stand and be brave. It’s hard to make changes when you’re so used to running on autopilot with something that’s working for you. You’re doing well, but you realise something is missing.”
“I almost had that feeling that I needed to go back to school, to learn something, start studying and get busy with other things. Feed my mind. It was really a point where I was like, ‘What it is that you want to do, Jess? Because you’ve had everyone telling you what to do in your 20s, and a lot of outside influences at play. I just wanted to be like, ‘Okay, that’s all the things that make up my current career, but what is it that I really want to do?’ And that’s when I knew I wanted to start my own business, and I wanted to discover the beauty world and get into film again, because that what I started doing when I was ten or twelve years old.”
“Hyaluronic acid always fascinated me. I researched a lot, because it was an ingredient that really worked for me, and I thought, ‘Hey — where is it from? Is it natural? Is it made up? Is it organic?’ I learnt a lot about organic products, and tried a lot of things. There are certain products and ingredients that work really well with each other, and that was something I learnt when formulating Equal Beauty. I learnt that there are all these ingredients that super charge when combined, and become active for the skin, which means they really work.”
“I don’t like to use ingredients and products that are going to confuse me (and my skin), because there’s a lot of communication out there about products. I get really flustered and overwhelmed with it all, as I’m sure most women do. My main aim is to keep my products to a minimum, especially because I travel. I don’t want a whole cosmetic bag full of stuff. I want it to be simple, exactly what I need, that I can throw in my handbag. That’s why I started Equal Beauty – to create simple, luxurious products that work. I was always attracted to the beauty world, and I loved reading all these little beauty sites, and I loved researching products. That’s how Equal Beauty started.”
“I’m all about intention. When I started Equal Beauty, I didn’t want it to be clutter, because I knew that there was a saturated market. I wanted to make something that was meaningful, and that was going to create change, and make women feel good.”
“I’ve always had a mantra, which is to be gentle with [my] skin. That’s something Fumi, my facialist, has taught me; we need to be really gentle with our skin and not be aggressive, because our skin is very sensitive. And the skin on our face is very different to the rest of our body, so she’s always like, ‘You must be gentle with the skin on your face.’ Fumi has always taught me to be careful with massage. You want to be gentle. You don’t want to be aggressive with your skin, because it’s where all the toxins release. That’s when you can get breakouts, if you massage the wrong places too strongly, so I don’t do any of those facial massages that people do now.”
“One of my favourite creams for moisturising is Chanel’s La Solution 10, because it’s fragrance-free and only has ten ingredients, so I feel safe using that every day.”
“I’ve learned that moisturising doesn’t necessarily mean hydration, but staying hydrated means being moisturised. I love serums, and hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C. They hydrate, and hydration is the key to anti-ageing and supple skin.”
“My hair is very healthy, actually. I’ve got a lot of it, so I just kind of keep it simple. I use the Kevin Murphy MAXI.WASH if I’ve got a lot of hairspray in my hair from work. I use a lot of his products — the hairspray, shampoo, and conditioner. Then I’ll just do a coconut oil mask if I need it.”
“I would say my style is very clean, simple, and sharp. Jeans, a t-shirt, a good pair of shoes, a nice handbag. If I like it, I’ll buy it, but I don’t go overboard, I just keep it pretty simple. I like to be comfortable in what I’m wearing, and I like things that I can pack easily, that don’t need ironing.”
On how the modelling industry has changed since she started:
“Social media has had a huge impact on the modelling industry. But in a good way, I think! It’s pretty amazing how you can be your own publicist now.”
On makeup:
“I love keeping it really natural; as natural as possible. I use a Shu Uemura eyelash curler a lot. That’s one of my staple things. I have a Chanel black mascara. Black mascara I love. I actually really love Jessica Alba’s Honest Beauty balm, too. I love always having a glow. And I also love, when I’m doing an evening look, to do a smokey eye. I love Charlotte Tilbury’s La Dolce Vita because I love the burgundy. I usually do that with mascara, and then do a nude lip.”
“I find it hard to find products that complement my Asian features, in a way. And there are certain things that don’t suit me. I don’t like using heavy foundations. I would rather use a tinted moisturiser as my foundation. Little things like that. I’ll use like a Sisley tinted moisturiser, which I love. Or sometimes a Laura Mercier one.”
“To be honest with you, I don’t really have a certain product that I go back to. I kind of just chop and change in between, because I don’t go out and buy makeup. I go out and buy beauty products instead.”
On her diet:
“It’s pretty simple, I’m not too crazy about what I can and can’t eat. I am very good with my food portions. I think it’s all about self-control. I love to eat all things that are from a good source. I’m a foodie, for sure.”
On Equal Beauty:
“I feel like I’ve reached a point in life where I can say I’m a business woman, and it feels good, I’ve worked hard to get here. I feel like I’m living in my truth, by creating something I believe in, and that I know is doing good things for women’s skin. I’m also able to express myself in ways I haven’t been able to before – in the past I’ve felt frustrated because you can often feel like you’re being misinterpreted or you feel like you’re not publicised in a true way.”
On what she would change if she had her time over:
“Nothing – everything is learning. Looking back, I feel I made the best decisions I felt were right for me at the time, so they were the right decisions.”
In the same way that some people are born short or tall, blue-eyed or brown, some people in life are just born cool. Their innate understanding of style and simplicity is something that cannot be taught (all attempts to do so read as cheap imitations), and it’s hard to picture they’ve ever thrown together a tragic, trend-heavy outfit, or felt the hot, red flush of embarrassing oneself in public.
Jessica Gomes is one of those people. The model, actor, and beauty entrepreneur had her start as a swimsuit model for Sports Illustrated in 2008. Her traffic-stopping looks propelled her into the pages of publications like Vogue, Glamour, Italian GQ, and Teen Vogue before she went on to become the brand ambassador for David Jones, joining the likes of fellow professional good looking people, Megan Gale and Miranda Kerr. Now, at 32, she’s the proud founder and face of inclusive beauty brand, Equal Beauty. Her effortless energy translates perfectly into the natural brand, which stands as the antithesis of the over-complicated beauty industry.
Like all impactful brands, Equal Beauty was created with a product in mind that Jess herself would love. Simple, minimalist beauty products that speak to a woman’s sense of self. To her, creating a brand that was “meaningful” and that “was going to make change, and make women feel good” was of high importance. The trajectory of her career is mirrored by her progression from girlhood to womanhood; Jess created Equal Beauty upon reflecting on where she was in life, and where she wanted to be heading into her 30s. As a successful model, it can often be easy to fall into a space where you’re told what type of person you should be, the products you should use, and the type of people you should work with, and in starting a business that aligns strongly with her own set of ethos, she’s been able to regain control. To take such a leap into the unknown is brave.
Aside from being courageous, Jess is mindful, driven, and most importantly, kind. We hung out in the natural beauty’s beautiful Los Angeles home, where we chatted with her about the lessons she’s learned since starting Equal Beauty, her shifting perceptions of beauty, and her flawless style. Thanks, Jess!
Words, Madeleine Woon. Photography, Dana Boulos.
