Say hello to Unfiltered, a fresh beauty series where you’ll get an exclusive glimpse into the dressed-down beauty routines of our favorite celebrities and content creators. They’ll reveal their guilty-pleasure beauty practices, the five-minute-routine product lineup they can’t live without, the one good-skin tip they’ll be forever thankful for, and so much more. To bring every conversation full circle, we ask each celebrity to send us a selection of self-shot, filter-free photos of their choosing to capture the essence of their Unfiltered beauty philosophy.
Up next, we’re getting to know Canadian fashion model and founder of Cay Skin, Winnie Harlow. Below, she’s answering all of our rapid-fire questions and sharing the products she never leaves the house without, her best beauty hacks, and more. Enjoy!
(Image credit: Courtesy of Winnie Harlow)
Are there any lessons that have translated from your career as a model to running a successful sun care brand?
The lesson I took from modeling was to never take no for an answer. I’ve carried that through my whole life. I wanted to dive into the modeling industry early on when I was 18, and I got a lot of no’s from agencies in Toronto. It pushed me to ask, “Why not?” I’ve kept that same mentality in my approach to business with Cay Skin. I don’t like the word “No.” Maybe “later,” or “not right now,” but no is not an option!
You’re always photographed with extremely smooth, glowy skin, whether you’ve been professionally shot or in a selfie. What does your skin and body care routine look like to maintain that?
I love to take baths, exfoliate, and use vitamin C. I’m really a skincare junkie. The thing I learned from my mother growing up was that SPF was the most important step in my routine. It’s evolved into such a beauty thing lately, but it’s always had a role in how I take care of myself. It has a role in staying healthy, but it is related to beauty too. You can age gracefully and protect your skin.
Can you share how your beauty routine has evolved over the years? You mentioned the importance of SPF, but how else did you get to your understanding of beauty today?
A lot of research. I’m someone who loves reading reviews, going on blogs, and obsessed with watching YouTubers review products. [My routine] has evolved from typical drugstore products. I’m from Canada and one of our drugstores is called Shoppers Drug Mart. I shopped there nonstop. When I was young, one of the things I always tried to do with beauty was to figure out a specific way to do my makeup or skincare that could work for me.
It goes back to never taking no for an answer. For example, I got my belly button pierced when I was 16 and got a small keloid on the side of it. I did some research and found that hydrogen peroxide daily was a solution, and it changed my life. When my friend went through the same thing, I knew how to help! I’ve always shared my beauty fixes with family and friends.
Let’s say you’re in a time crunch and have to leave the house in five minutes. What are the staple beauty products you’re taking along with you in a bag?
If I had five minutes to get ready, the quick things I would do are my eyebrows, blush, contour, and a lip. So the products I would put in my bag would be Cay Skin’s Isle Lip Balm. because that’s my favorite. I would also put the SPF Body Spray. I love applying SPF as a body lotions prior to my SPF body spray, and taking the body spray with me for touchups on the go. I would apply the SPF at home and use the spray on the road!
(Image credit: Courtesy of Cay Skin and Winnie Harlow)
Is there a favorite brown lip liner you’ve been loving to use lately?
I go between a few, but I use a brown shade from Make Up For Ever and a mix of the MAC lip liners in the shades Stone and Cork. Stone is a little bit too cool and Cork is too warm for me, so I like to mix the two shades together. If you see me, I’m usually wearing that mix and then a layer of Isle Lip Balm SPF 30 in Nude Ting on my lips because that’s my go-to lip combo. If. The Make Up For Ever shade has a similar look to the MAC lip liner combo. I would love to find one someday that’s a little warm and a little cool!
What about beauty tips and tricks you can share?
Growing up, I wanted to be a beauty YouTuber and I would practice my makeup. If you look at the makeup I wear on my Instagram right now, 90% of the pictures feature looks I’ve done on myself. My skin is also always changing which is something I don’t think most people know about vitiligo. I’m always relearning when it comes to getting my makeup done. Someone who’s done my makeup for the last decade can see me after a year and notice a new spot of vitiligo.
There are always questions about if I want to conceal it or leave it, but makeup is a personal thing. Makeup artists who work on people with vitiligo will ask me how I do my makeup, and I always encourage them to ask them because it’s personal. It’s like having darker skin—just because you work with one person who has dark skin, doesn’t mean that another wants their makeup the same.
Are there any other products you’re loving right now?
There’s a content creator from Canada named Farah who launched a skincare brand a while ago that went viral some time ago. Last year, they relaunched the brand with The Reset Renewal Fluid Cream using vitamin C, niacinamide, and ceramides for a great lightweight, all-in-one moisturizer. Because Cay Skin SPF is very moisturizing and I like the look of it on my skin by itself, if I’m going to use an additional product, it needs to be light enough to go underneath. I put it on first and then go in with two finger lengths of SPF. My skin just glows with those two.
I want to hear more about your brand. Can you share what inspired you to create Cay Skin?
I have always understood the importance of my family since I’m of Caribbean heritage. But growing up, I hated the smell and the feeling of SPF! Even though I always used it, I never enjoyed the experience. The same feeling lasted through adulthood. One time, I was shooting on the beach and they didn’t want me reapplying SPF because it wasn’t looking good and we wanted bomb shots so I went without reapplying SPF. I definitely felt the effects of it and got the worst sunburn I’ve ever had in my entire life.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Winnie Harlow)
Filling that space meant a lot to me because of the health benefits of the health benefits of using SPF, but also for the beauty aspect because I wanted products that were both skincare and sun care. SPF was being left out of the conversation about skincare. I always wanted sunscreen to be important to everyone—just like washing your face. I also wanted to share the amazing island-based ingredients I’ve been taught about growing like aloe vera and sea moss. I can tie in my heritage and make it true to me.
I love that! Growing up, I didn’t like having to wear SPF in front of other people because of the white case it gave me. What do you hope customers can take away from Cay Skin?
I want everyone other the sun with every skin tone, type, and condition, to have an SPF that works for them. That has always been my main goal when it comes to Cay Skin! I have so many exciting ideas coming to the brand and I’m constantly brainstorming. My team is incredible. I hope that we can create new innovations for SPF. I would also like to work on the SPF regulation for the US since there are so many products around the world that we don’t have access to in America. Learning all of this through having a business has been so enlightening.
What are you most excited about in regards to Cay Skin launching at QVC?
I’m really excited for a new demographic. When I say SPF is for everyone, I truly mean it’s for everyone, and I don’t want any age group to feel left out. It’s never too early or too late to start using SPF and I’m excited to speak to a new audience about the importance of SPF.
Finally, what is your Unfiltered beauty philosophy in seven words or fewer?
My Unfiltered beauty philosophy would be “health is wealth.” Holistically, internally, and outwardly. When you focus on the health of something first, it’s going to be beautiful whether it’s your hair, skin, insides, or nails. It’s the same for planting which is something I really love. My grandmother always had a garden in the backyard and we bonded over the idea of pruning (getting rid of what’s no longer growing) for the plant to flourish. Sometimes you just have to let it go for things to grow!
Shop Winnie Harlow’s Unfiltered Beauty Edit
Cay Skin
Isle Lip Balm SPF 30 in Nude Ting
Cay Skin
Deepwater Nourishing Lip Mask
Cay Skin
Deepwater Hydrating & Soothing Body Crème
Cay Skin
Mineral Sunscreen Sheer Melt Drops SPF 30
Cay Skin
Cay Skin Isle Glow Face Sunscreen Moisturizer SPF 45
Farsáli
The Reset Renewal Fluid Cream
Farlsáli
Unicorn Essence Antioxidant Serum
