From beauty routines to life crises, Catriona Gray tells all in this exclusive interview
Catriona Gray is often seen as a ray of sunshine, a spark of hope and an embodiment of confidence. Overflowing with humility, she candidly opens up about her journey toward growth and confidence in an exclusive one-on-one. We know now that her appearance and her aura are mere reflections of her heart and values, and that is what makes her one of the most beautiful people in the universe.
Beauty is different for everyone but is usually composed of external and internal factors. Starting with the former, it goes without saying that Catriona has skin that many dream of. We know that a normal day for her starts early and ends late, yet she still manages to commit to her skincare routine. Our question is: how?
“I totally understand the struggle,” shares Catriona. “Some days, you wake up and you’re like, ‘Hindi ko kaya (I can’t do it)’ or late at night, you just want to get straight into bed. But I try and set myself up for success.” She makes her skincare readily accessible; if it’s out of sight, then it’s out of mind, so keep the things important to you within your view! She isn’t the biggest fan of an overwhelming, multi-step routine either and suggests sticking to products you know will work. “That's why I really like the Cetaphil Bright Healthy Radiance line,” she adds.
We caught up with the host, advocate and creative during an intimate Thanksgiving event by The Beauty Edit featuring Cetaphil. If there’s anything that the beauty queen and her trusted skincare brand want to convey, it’s the message of being bright about skin. Learn to love your skin and embrace it as it is, while taking steps to maintain that healthy glow! Skincare doesn’t have to be complicated, and that’s one of the things that Catriona loves about the Bright Healthy Radiance line.
Catriona notes the importance of having a good cleanser. “I wear makeup almost every day. I really notice if I don’t clean my skin well enough [because] I break out.” She uses the non-stripping Gentle Renewing Cleanser. She follows this with the Perfecting Serum that sits beautifully under makeup and the Brightening Day Protection Cream infused with SPF.
On days when Catriona has special events coming up, she adds the Instant Radiance Mask as a pamper step to help achieve luminous skin. Her skin is prone to scars and acne marks, so using these products targets her concerns. Indeed, you can achieve your dream skin without feeling overwhelmed with too many steps.
True beauty goes beyond skin deep. Although we wish that life had a step-by-step guide similar to our beauty routines, we know that there are layers to everything, and life is not as simple as it seems. Moving towards this, we delve deeper into the internal aspect of beauty and confidence by looking back at the past year.
2023 gave Catriona challenges that tested her strength, just like everyone else. She tells Wonder, “I have what I call my little [crises] maybe two to three times a year; it’s because I’m a creative. I also did a personality test and I’m an Advocate [or] INFJ. For those who are not familiar, [it means] I need to feel a sense of purpose in what I’m doing.” She needs to see that she’s able to execute a vision or “feel like I’m building towards or allowing [my work] to affect something other than me.” This is why she loves doing her Raise Your Flag series. “I love doing community work. Those are things that make me feel fulfilled and also like I’m doing something with my life. But two or three times a year, I will have [crises] where I’ll go to my team and [say] ‘I don’t like [or I’m not satisfied with] what I’m doing.’”
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The advocate has learned to embrace these challenges and see them as a way to check in with herself since she chooses what actions to take based on her values and not on what everyone else is doing. She feels gratitude for these challenges, stating that “My best push out of my comfort zone comes from those moments.” It’s a lesson we can all learn.
Focusing on what’s ahead, the New Year is fast approaching. Indeed, we don’t have to wait for this occasion before we make resolutions, but it’s an easy way to press restart! Catriona shares that her resolution for 2024 is to prioritize her health from a holistic point of view and to work on the ways she measures her sense of fulfillment. Needless to say, beauty and all its aspects go hand-in-hand with health, both physical and mental. She has a lava walk and a slow-mo turn that everyone’s probably tried, but this wasn’t always easy for Catriona to achieve given her condition. “I have scoliosis, which is a curvature of the spine, so I have chronic back pain. That is my normal, I have chronic back pain all the time.”
Being a multi-hyphenate, Catriona has a lot on her plate. “When I get busy, I don’t have time to do my mobility or pilates or [see a] chiropractor, so [I allow my health to suffer]. Next year, [my resolution is to really] prioritize that time. I need to schedule it in for myself and not allow it to be an afterthought.”
Catriona gives this reminder to everyone, “We are more than our work. We are more than our job titles. We are more than how many jobs we are able to complete in a year.” We need not be measured by our productivity, especially when we end up putting our health on the line. “[Our work is] not all that we have and can offer to the world.” Catriona remains positive as she strives to become a better version of herself.
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On that note, we ask how she feels about being seen as a symbol of positivity. Noticing how she smiles and gives thanks whenever called such, her answer comes as no surprise: “I don’t see it as pressure nor as motivation; I think it just stems from an organic place of me loving what I do.” Catriona proceeds to gush about her job, saying that she loves meeting people, experiencing new things, partnering with various brands and working for different causes. She explains, “I feel like my energy is really amplified through that. I don’t think you can fake that—you can’t fake positivity.”
With everything happening around the world, Catriona acknowledges her privilege. “In a way, that’s a privileged position—to find something that I love—because I know that people sometimes just have to work [to] make ends meet or pay the bills,” she says. “[But hopefully], in a perfect world, we all find the balance of finding something that puts food on our table, but also maybe something on the side that also refills us and refills our soul.”
Things may be much different in a perfect world, but this is the reality. What matters is we do our best and try anyway. So if you’re a person who’s still on the journey towards finding confidence and contentment, Catriona has a special message for you.
“Embrace the journey because [it] really is a journey, it’s not a destination. A lot of us look up to our idols or our inspirations or public figures and think, ‘Wow, they must be so confident.’ I know people look at me that way, like, ‘She must be so confident, she never has an off day.’ No, [that’s] absolutely not [true]. There are days I’m still working on self-doubt; I’m still working on quieting the critic within my own mind,” admits Catriona. “I feel like it’s part of being human and we need to give ourselves more grace, especially when it comes to embracing [ourselves] because our bodies are ever-changing as we grow older, as we change, as we go through different phases of our [lives]. It’s constantly changing, and what society’s telling us is beautiful or accepted or embraced is [changing as well], so [it really is] a journey.”
Catriona further adds, “[There are ups and downs], but you just need to remember [that] knowing the value of loving yourself is a very powerful thing. And it’s okay if you feel like you’re not there just yet, but as long as you’re slowly moving forward, then you’re on the right track.”
Words Kyla Villena
Art Macky Arquilla
