Behind The Beauty with Shahili Gomes-McCoy
- Apr 29
- 6 min read
The first thing that I noticed about Shahili Gomes-McCoy was her skin.
You would think that would be obvious for someone whose work focuses so deeply on beauty, but it wasn’t just in the way you would normally expect. Gomes-McCoy is stunning, yes, but with a radiance that feels easygoing, rooted, and utterly her own. It’s the kind of luminosity that comes with being completely comfortable in your own skin — through the good and bad. This assured sense of who she is is the direct influence of three countries — Sri Lanka, where she spent the first eighteen years of her life, then the UK, where she did her undergrad at the Manchester Business School and master’s degree at Imperial College, and then Copenhagen, where she did a year abroad whilst at business school.
“I loved growing up in Sri Lanka,” Gomes-McCoy tells me. “It’s a tropical bliss with honestly the most stunning nature, and (I would say) the best beaches in the world. The people I find are also the kindest. Looking back, that mix of Sri Lankan warmth, London energy and creativity, and Nordic calm really shaped how I see identity and aesthetics. Sport was a huge part of my life growing up. I competed internationally in synchronized swimming as part of the Sri Lankan national team, which taught me incredible discipline, as well as grace under pressure.”
Today, Gomes-McCoy is based in Abu Dhabi and moves seamlessly between multiple creative identities: co-founder and creative director of The Design Collective, a platform dedicated to championing South Asian creativity and independent brands, a mini version for kids called Ceylon Born and an interior decor store, Gandhara, that she runs with her mum, and their family villas, Villa Republic.
When you look at the worlds she has built — whether through design, community, or the quiet rituals of beauty — you realise Shahili Gomes-McCoy’s work isn’t just creative expression. It’s a deeply layered culmination of the stories that have shaped her, and which continue to ground her work and, of course, her perspective on beauty.
What does your beauty routine look like? How would you describe your beauty philosophy?
My routine is all about simplicity, especially after navigating eczema flare-ups for years. I am also incredibly lazy when it comes to long routines, so I really try to keep it as simple as possible. For skincare, I keep things gentle but effective: Skinceuticals CE Ferulic in the mornings, Cicapair™ Intensive Soothing Repair Cream and La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 to calm and repair, and CeraVe’s hydrating cream cleanser or the cream cleanser from iS clinical for a cleanse that doesn’t pick a fight with my skin barrier. Sunscreen is a forever essential, usually Supergoop’s Unseen or Beauty of Joseon’s Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh sunscreen.
Makeup has to let my skin breathe. I usually use Glossier Future Dew as a base and the Glossier tint as my everyday foundation. I probably have blush blindness — my husband can attest to this — and I go crazy for the Tom Ford shade and illuminator. Haircare is also very simple for me, I lean into my heritage: Inde Wild Champi Hair Oil or the HoliRoots Oil from Fable & Mane for weekly oiling rituals that remind me of home. For styling, a little Kevin Murphy wax keeps my short hair uber slick.
Being a synchronized swimmer on the Sri Lankan national team when I was young shaped a lot of this. I learned early on how important it is to really care for your skin and hair beneath the glam. Waterproof makeup, tight buns, and chlorine were a way of life, so restoring and protecting my skin barrier was critical, given hours and hours in the pool and hot sun.
The one product that you cannot live without.
The Cicaplast Baume B5 from La Roche-Posay. I have tubes everywhere — drawers, purses, travel bags and glove compartments in the cars.
Your beauty inspiration and the family rituals you remember growing up.
Hair oiling was a weekly ritual, mainly because my hair was so dry from being in the pool for hours as a child. Warm coconut oil was gently massaged into the scalp with slow circular movements. Growing up I really didn’t like this ritual to be honest, I found it too time-consuming and I didn’t like the oil in my hair. I now value it a lot more.
The women who inspire me most are the ones who feel effortlessly powerful in their natural state. Honestly, any Sri Lankan aunty with glossy hair, a great sense of personal style and that signature confidence counts as a beauty icon for me.
Beauty brands you’ve tried, loved and would recommend to everyone.
From Sri Lanka, Spa Ceylon will always have a place in my heart. Their blends feel like stepping into an Ayurvedic spa, no matter where in the world you are. I love their body massage oils.
From the UAE, Huda Beauty nails that high-impact, party-ready vibe. From the UK, I love Charlotte Tilbury products. Victoria Beckham Beauty brings sleek, grown-up elegance, while Fable & Mane celebrates South Asian hair rituals with beautiful intention. From India, Inde Wild feels personal to me, especially their champi oil that connects me back to home. I also want to support my founder friend, Sandhya, with her makeup brand Mokae — an amazing eyeliner and mascara.
Any rituals or products you’ve carried with you across countries?
This is very boring, but it’s the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5. There’s another cream called Hope’s Relief that I use to help with my eczema, obviously not exactly a ritual, but it is a product that I need.
Talk to us about your eczema journey. What have been your biggest triggers and what advice would you have for someone going through something similar?
Stress and climate change have always been my worst triggers. Moving between countries didn’t help; the heat, dust and water in Abu Dhabi haven’t been good for me.
Dermatologists who actually listen have been lifesavers. Dr Sindhu of No Filter Clinic in London and Dr Shanika in Sri Lanka have had to deal with many phone calls, and they have been a huge support in helping me manage the flare-ups and also come up with solutions for pigmentation post the flare ups. What’s helped the most has been going fragrance-free in pretty much everything, restoring the skin barrier instead of stripping it and accepting that healing isn’t linear.
Advice for anyone dealing with eczema: your skin is not “difficult”. It is doing its absolute best to protect you. Be kind to it. Seek support. Celebrate good days. And on bad ones, remember that inflammation doesn’t get to define your self-worth. I know how hard this can be but I try to remind myself this on days when it gets tough.
How has the move from London to Abu Dhabi been for you?
London taught me edge and experimentation. Abu Dhabi taught me softness and celebration. London beauty is understated — “I woke up like this, please don’t ask questions.” As a mum, I live mostly in active wear (yes, Alo) when I am there. In Abu Dhabi, however, it is all about high-glow and high-intention — “I woke up, contoured, highlighted.”
I think the Emirati girls are among the most beautiful people I have ever seen. They are so fashionable and chic. The move also taught me a lesson beyond beauty. Not everyone who looks polished has good intentions for you. There is real importance in protecting your peace and choosing carefully whom you invite into your orbit. Energy is everything. The wrong people can drain you faster than a bad foundation match in August heat. The right ones make you feel grounded, radiant, and entirely yourself. Dubai, in particular, has reminded me of that.
A piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Don’t wait to feel fully ready. Founders don’t always have the full map and five-year plan. Yes, sure, that is very helpful, and some of course do! But start where you are, with what you have and build something that feels personal enough to defend when everyone else has opinions. Confidence doesn’t arrive before you begin. It grows through action.
Treat your people well. Team is everything. Hire thoughtfully, surround yourself with those who genuinely root for you, and protect that culture fiercely. Ask for advice. Seek mentors. Learn from the people who have already stumbled through the same challenges. At the same time, be the one who reaches back to help someone coming up behind you. Always try to open the door for others. There is always a ripple effect. I truly believe in a collaborative mindset over competition. There is so much room for each of us to thrive, especially when we uplift one another. Growing a business becomes a lot less lonely and a lot more beautiful when you build a community alongside it.
A beauty product that you’d like to create if you had the opportunity to.
I’d love to create a soothing treatment for people who live between humid heat outside and aggressive air conditioning inside. That combination can be brutal on skin and hair, especially when you’re dealing with sensitivity or eczema. I imagine something rooted in South Asian botanicals like coconut, neem and gotu kola, combined with clinical formulations.I would love for it to be both luxurious yet grounded in dermatology to make a noticeable difference in comfort and inflammation. My dream is a product that makes sensitive skin feel seen. Something that helps calm the storms so that irritation feels less stressful.
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