In Her Glow Era: Linda Mtoba on Skincare, Self-Love and Showing Up

Our Mind/Body Cover Star, Linda Mtoba shares her skincare routine, approach to wellness, showing authentically, and finding balance as she continues to blaze trails

The gorgeous multi-hyphenate is intentional about feeding her soul and showing up authentically, and she affirms that what we listen to, matters. “Secondly, balancing work, life and personal responsibilities is important. People like to be booked and busy, but I do like to be booked, busy and rested. And also have time for my family.” Linda also notes that all of these things demand a lot, so being able to pull back and pour back into your cup also matters. “I’m also loving my night time routine. I like using certain serums on my face to ensure that it looks good. Lately, I’ve been trying to wake up in the morning by doing ice baths for my face. Very nice!”

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Senior Brand Manager at Vaseline, Vanessa Mhango takes us behind the glow

Affirmations come up as Linda shares that moisturising her skin is a deeply personal process for her. “That’s when I speak to myself the most. It’s an intimate process; it’s just me and my skin. That’s when I have those moments of speaking to myself and my skin. I’ll be like ‘Oh! New stretch marks, where did you come from?’ It’s in those moments that I’m able to appreciate my skin, observe it more and look at that glow from within to be able to spot what it might need or where it’s doing well. It’s a moment where I have those skin-deep conversations with myself.”

Our Mind/Body Cover Star, Linda Mtoba on her approach to wellness, self-care and showing up authentically, Image: Niquita Bento

Being the cover star of our Mind/Body issue, Linda is also intentional about adding to the mental health conversation. Her advice? “Take some time for yourself. The world will pull you apart – make sure you’re holding onto yourself. If you feel overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to vocalise it. Say, ‘I’m overwhelmed, and I need to be underwhelmed by something.’ And most of the time, that means pulling back to yourself.” So, does balance exist? “It does, but on a very strange scale,” she muses. “I think we all have different scales. I could be balancing work well but feeling off in another area. Balance is there, but it takes work. I imagine myself juggling many scales – some steady, some wobbly. As long as I feel afloat, I know that even if one is tipping over, another is catching it. It’s not fair or realistic to expect everything to feel balanced on just one single scale.” Her message to women struggling to embrace their changing bodies? “This life is yours. Do what makes you happy. If you’re making changes, let them be for you – not for anyone else, not for society’s expectations. If you want to live a healthier lifestyle, do it for yourself. If you’ve climbed the corporate ladder but feel tired of climbing, it’s okay to take a break. You only have one life, and it’s yours to live.