Multi-hyphenate powerhouse and face of Vaseline, Linda Mtoba is celebrated for her charisma and authenticity. Gracing our cover for the second time, this time it’s her glow that captured our attention. Cue Vaseline Cera-Glow, the star of the new premium range of products.
The weather makes way for a beautiful shoot at the picturesque 12 Apostles Hotel & Spa overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Set against the backdrop of Table Mountain, it’s the perfect location for our Mind/Body issue. And at the heart of this breathtaking scene, Linda Mtoba stands radiant, wrapped in the gilded embrace of a dress that flows like liquid sunlight. Her skin – luminous and ethereal – seems to catch the light in all the right places. The Vaseline Cera-Glow range has found its muse. She moves effortlessly, shifting between poses like a tide responding to the moon’s call. The lens captures her at just the right moment – glistening skin, confidence pouring from her like the waves. It’s more than a photoshoot; it’s a celebration of self, of presence, of glow. I observe her taking up space in her second look, a blue Dolce & Gabbana suit. It’s giving, “the world is my oyster” and the waves are in agreement that the stars have aligned. I last caught up with Linda when she appeared on the cover of our Disruptor’s issue in 2022.
I find a moment to conduct the interview as she changes her hair for her third look. Three years later, I ask her how has she been. “I’ve been fantastic, living, thriving and glowing.” Describing her current era as being “in her glow”, she says it comes from within and radiates outwards. Beyond her striking looks, her confidence is still her best asset. Letting us in on her journey to confidence, she shares that it’s a never- ending journey. “Sometimes it’s high. Sometimes it’s low, on some days you fake it, work through it, and then there are times when imposter syndrome shows up.” As someone who is always in front of the camera, confidence plays a huge role in how she shows up. “I absolutely have to feel confident because the camera won’t say you’re having a bad day or going through something, so you just have to put on your smile. When your skin looks good, it’s one step in the right direction. My skin is already doing one job for me, all I have to do is show up. If your skin is glowing, you’ll naturally glow as a person. It comes from inside and radiates outside.”
As a mom to a five-year-old, it’s only natural that her body has gone through some changes, so it’s expected that her relationship with her body will ebb and flow. “It’s the place that holds my soul, and all that I am so I treat as such, with love and respect, but I do think that I can do better for it in terms of living healthier for myself because it holds so much of me. How can I not want to always have it looking its best or redesign it somehow? I can always do better.” Looking at Linda, it’s hard to imagine she has bad days considering that she always shows up with a smile and commands attention when she walks into a room. How does she navigate being in the glaring public eye? “I tell myself that I’m human, the same way the next person looks at me is the same way I look at them as a human. Humans are flawed, they’re not perfect, our bodies are perfect the way they are, but the human eye tells us that our bodies are not good enough in certain ways. That being said, it’s about embracing those flaws and just seeing them as part of my body. Once that’s done, it removes a lot from how the world must view me because I view myself as the goddess that I am, and that’s how you should view yourself, too.”
This sparks my curiosity about her approach to wellness. She explains: “Whatever I do, I do it well. As long as I’m doing something and forging forward for a better tomorrow, it is well!” Practically speaking, would this also take the form of daily affirmations considering she’s intentional about how she speaks to herself? “Absolutely! If you don’t talk to yourself first, you’ll end up listening to other people. You need to believe in yourself and have confidence first before anyone else can say anything to you. The world will try to convince you of many things and you must be confident in yourself first. You must know yourself first. Those are my affirmations.” With winter fast approaching, I ask her to drop her skincare routine for all the girlies who’d still like to achieve a glow through different seasons. “My skincare routine changes in the colder months. In summer, I need my skin to have more of an even glow, and that’s when I’d reach for my Vaseline Cera-Glow. My skin is always glowing and I get compliments all the time!” she gushes as she shares that she couldn’t wait to tell everyone about being the face of the product, but had to be so quiet. “The time is here and I can finally share that my skin looks like this because I’ve been using Cera-Glow.
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