These creative and inspiring women share their personal approaches to self-care and beauty and how they embrace their mixed heritage

Upbringing.
I grew up in Depford, South East London. My mum’s parents moved from Jamaica to the UK just before Windush and my dad is African American. There’s also Italian and German in my family.

Self-care journey.
My parents always encouraged me to be whoever I wanted to be and to embrace my hair and features. I think because of that, subconsciously, I don’t really wear make-up and chose quite masculine clothes because I don’t feel like I have to be a super feminine girl. I used to have an afro and I’ve never straightened my hair.

Hair and skincare rituals.
These days I’m zero effort. I shave my head once a week to keep it fresh looking. I moisturise and I drink lots of water. I love water. Having a shower is my favourite time of day, whether it’s washing the sins away from a crazy night or just waking myself up. It’s a ritual thing, it’s cleansing, it’s purifying. And I love being by water – the beach, the lake, even the canal!

What makes someone beautiful?
Identifying beauty is kind of my whole job. I gravitate toward people who have a natural rawness. I find it beautiful when people are themselves and are unapologetic about it. If they’re confident in their body, no matter of their shape, size or skin tone and just own who they are, then that’s key for me.

Tytiah wears Cos top, Hanro bra, Celine trousers and her own jewellery

Upbringing.
I was born in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands. My dad is second generation Jamaican, his dad is Cuban-Jamaican and both my mum and dad have Irish and Scottish roots.

Self-care journey.
Where I grew up was a melting pot of cultures so I didn’t have much of an identity crisis about being mixed race. Both sides of my family were very liberal. I actually struggled more when I moved to London, where everyone is so vocal about their race and background. I was working as a model and being told I couldn’t be in that conversation because I was so light skinned. It made me think a lot more about my identity and the circles I mix in.

Hair and skincare rituals.
I’m very low maintenance. I don’t do much with my hair, although I do bleach it! On my skin it’s just micellar water and toner that includes salicylic acid as I have oily skin. I also use a cleansing soap my friend has developed made from charcoal and tea tree oil, which gives me a nice glow.

What makes someone beautiful?
Someone appears beautiful to me if they’ve got a voice that they’re not afraid to use. They have an opinion and they share it with the world. That to me is being beautifully brave. I also really admire people who are honest about their looks and how they put themselves together. It’s about a natural beauty and being true to yourself.

Ellie wears Talia Lipkin-Connor corset top, GmbH jeans and her own jewellery and shoes

Upbringing.
I grew up in south London and was adopted by white British parents. My biological mother was from Guadeloupe and I’ve been told my father was Irish.

Self-care journey.
Being of mixed heritage and having been adopted by white parents had an impact on me growing up. We lived in a very white middle class suburb so my blackness kind of got dulled down. It was almost as if I was passing as white in an environment within which western ideals of beauty were the norm. I just wanted to fit in and my parents didn’t have a clue. It wasn’t until I moved to New York when I was 22 that I embraced a different kind of beauty and culture. Now I know that beauty is personal. It’s about a woman’s strengths and her imperfections. You’ve got to believe in yourself and be proud of it. Just because society has pre-determined ideas about what’s beautiful, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have validity too.

Hair and skincare rituals.
Hair is a very personal thing and I’ve found it hard to know what to do. It was only a few years ago that I learnt from the hairdresser Vernon François to not fight my curls and to keep my hair as natural as possible. That was life changing! I use his products and sleep with my hair tied up so as not to damage the curls. I have super sensitive, dry skin and find that REN cleansers, toners, eye creams and oils work well.

What makes someone beautiful?
The sun! I know that’s controversial because we’re meant to stay out of the sun but for me personally, a day in the sunshine really makes me glow. And feeling loved and being loved by someone else makes you feel beautiful too.

Kate wears Cos dress and her own jewellery