Susie Ma Takes Us Inside Her Beauty Bag
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58 seconds ago
The skincare entrepreneur gives us full access to her daily routine
When Susie Ma was just 15, she mixed up a big bowl of her grandmother’s body scrub recipe, hand-poured and jarred it, and then went to flog it at Greenwich Market. She sold out on her first day. Years later, that business took shape as Tropic Skincare. Those in the UK will remember Susie from The Apprentice – in 2011, she came third place on series 7 of the show, but won the favour (and investment) of Lord Alan Sugar. Tropic Skincare has only grown in the years since, and with Susie taking back full ownership of the business in 2023, the brand is now back to being entirely female founder-led.
Being the face of a skincare brand, Susie takes her own routine just as seriously as her business. She follows the same thinking as her formulas: gentle, consistent care over dramatic quick fixes. (It’s a lesson in patience she credits to her grandmother.) But, above all, she believes it’s about feeling good in your own skin. ‘Your skin isn’t supposed to be completely poreless and flawless. You’re a human being. Beauty is for you, not anybody else. If you feel good about yourself, don’t let somebody else’s idea of beauty change that,’ she tells C&TH.
Below, Susie talks us through her own beauty essentials, her daily rituals and the best piece of skincare advice she’s ever been given.
What’s Inside My Beauty Bag? With Susie Ma
Susie Ma
Let’s start with the bag itself – describe it for us.
It’s actually very simple: a white canvas Tropic makeup bag. I’m not someone with a beautifully curated designer beauty case. I tend to take my whole makeup bag everywhere with me, usually thrown into my rucksack.
Do you have any non-negotiable beauty rituals?
A facial massage. I do it morning and evening with my hands rather than any fancy tools, and I’ll spend a little longer on it at night. I love how it helps to depuff my face and just gets everything moving. I’m pregnant at the moment and definitely notice more puffiness, so it’s become even more important. It also forces me to spend a few minutes properly working my skincare into my skin rather than just quickly putting it on and rushing off to do the next thing.
Let’s break down your routine. Tell us about the products you use on a daily basis, and how you use them.
In the morning I start with Tropic’s Hydrating Cleanser, followed by our exfoliating toner, Juicy Greens, and my two go-to serums – Rainforest Dew and Glow Berry. I’m particularly obsessed with Glow Berry at the moment because pregnancy has made me more prone to pigmentation, and it really helps to even out my skin tone. I then use our Skin Re-Leaf Moisturiser and finish with a new tinted SPF 50 that I’m currently trialling. It gives me a lovely dewy finish, instantly makes me look more alive and doubles as my makeup base.
At night, I use our oil-based Radiance Cleanser to remove my makeup, then repeat most of my morning routine before adding Tropic’s Lashful Lash Serum and Eye Lift. I often massage Eye Lift around my eyes with the cooling applicator while I’m in bed journaling.
My final step is our Tamanu Balm around my eyes and over my lips. Tamanu oil is great for skin repair, so I love using it at night when the skin naturally goes into repair and renewal mode. It keeps those delicate areas feeling soft and nourished, and seals everything in before I go to sleep.
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Which item instantly makes you feel made up and ready to tackle the day?
Concealer. I don’t always sleep brilliantly, so I sometimes get dark circles under my eyes. There’s something psychological about looking in the mirror and seeing yourself looking tired – suddenly you feel more tired. The minute my dark circles look brighter, I instantly feel better.
What’s the most expensive thing in your beauty bag?
My most extravagant beauty purchase is probably a very expensive LED face mask that cost around £1,600. I bought it years ago and it still sits in my bedroom staring at me. You have to sit there with your eyes closed and I’m terrible at doing nothing. My brain immediately starts thinking of all the other things I could be getting done.
And the most luxurious?
For me, luxury isn’t really about an expensive product, it’s having the time to actually enjoy my routine. I’m a mum, I’m running a business and life is incredibly busy, so self care can quite easily end up at the bottom of the priority list.
Being able to take a little longer in the evening – massage my face, do my skincare properly and journal in bed – probably feels more luxurious to me than any extravagant product.
What about the hero product you can’t live without, and have used for years?
Our Tamanu Balm, without question. I’ve been using it for around eight years – actually since before we launched it, because I was using it while it was still in development.
I use it for everything. Around my eyes and lips every night, but also on little scrapes, dry patches or anywhere my skin needs some extra TLC. Even if I’m going away somewhere and taking virtually no makeup or skincare, I’ll always have an SPF and Tamanu Balm with me.
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Tell us about a beauty trend you love…
Make-up minimalism. I love that we’ve moved away from feeling as though we need ten-step contouring routines and layers and layers of makeup just to leave the house. I really like that fresh ‘clean girl’ aesthetic, where skin actually looks like skin. Healthy, dewy skin rather than completely flawless, poreless skin. It’s okay to see a blemish or a freckle. For me, beauty should be about healthy skin rather than perfect skin.
And one you can’t wait to see fall out of fashion?
Those incredibly matte, long-wear liquid lipsticks that leave your lips looking and feeling really dry. I’ve never understood why lipstick needs to survive for 24 hours. I much prefer lip products that feel nourishing and comfortable and enhance your natural lips rather than looking like a layer of paint. Give me something buttery and hydrating every time.
What’s something you did beauty-wise in your youth that you’d never do again?
Where do I start? Like so many people my age, I massively over-plucked my eyebrows. I had those incredibly thin, early-2000s eyebrows and then drew them back in really dark. Why did we do that?
I also went through a phase of contouring without really knowing how to contour. I put it absolutely everywhere and brought it far too low down my face, so rather than looking beautifully sculpted, I mostly just looked muddy. Neither will be making a comeback in my routine.
The best piece of beauty advice you’ve been given?
Something my grandmother taught me was essentially to treat your skin like a piece of silk. Be gentle with it.
I think we can become obsessed with chasing dramatic overnight results, whether that’s using the strongest possible active or constantly doing intensive treatments. I’ve always believed much more in consistency: using effective ingredients regularly, respecting your skin barrier and looking after your skin for the long term. It’s a little like nutrition. A crash diet isn’t the answer; eating well consistently is. I think skin is the same. Gentle, consistent care wins in the end.
What’s your beauty philosophy?
Less is more – but also, stop comparing yourself to other people. If I follow somebody on social media and notice that their content consistently makes me feel inadequate about myself, I unfollow them. So much of what we see online is edited and filtered, and it can create this completely unrealistic idea of what we’re all supposed to look like.
What item do you think should be in every beauty bag?
SPF. Always. You never know when you’re going to get caught out or need to top it up during the day, particularly if you’ve been outside, exercising or sweating. Of all the things you can carry around with you, protecting your skin has to come first.
More From Susie
Keep up with Susie Ma on Instagram (@susiematropic and @tropicskincare) or over at tropic.com.
