Set in the Gold Coast hinterland, Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat almost throbs with sub-tropical vegetation, holding a special sort of magic. As marie claire drives through the retreat’s gates to shoot the incredible Robyn Lawley, the face of beauty brand INIKA Organic, a sense of deep and restorative calm washes over us.
The setting is entirely appropriate. Gwinganna, a sanctuary known for welcoming urbanities ready for a respite, is a place of change. A destination where people can ditch bad habits, learn healthier ways of living and give themselves a place to hit the reset button. It’s fitting, then, that we’re here. Because a while ago Lawley, too, hit reset on her life. It’s also what drove her to form a partnership with INIKA Organic, a certified vegan and organic makeup and skincare brand.
“I went vegan over six years ago for health reasons,” she tells marie claire while at the retreat. “I was shocked when I found out pretty much every makeup and facial product has animal [related ingredients] in them.” INIKA, which drills down on ingredients to get rid of formulation fillers and chemicals without losing out on performance, was a natural fit.
“I wanted to follow the philosophy of veganism and INIKA’s products are vegan and cruelty-free and they’re also halal. It’s the standard that I believe in, so I wanted to be the brand ambassador.”
Lawley uses both the skincare and mineral-based makeup in the range, and counts the Phytofuse Renew Night Cream and Adaptogenic Cleansing Oil as regulars in her daily routine. “I’ve been in this industry a long time; I’ve tried every product you can imagine,” she says.
“I wouldn’t use a product if it didn’t work.” The brand has just released a new serum foundation that Lawley has quickly taken to. “It’s groundbreaking – there’s nothing like it,” she says. “It’s organic and you literally use a few drops and your face is fully covered.” Lawley’s move to veganism was brought on by a severe case of lupus, leading to a stroke that could have ended her life.
“Veganism saved my life. It put my very aggressive lupus into remission.”
The episode forced the statuesque beauty to look closely at how she fuels her body. What she found out would drastically change how she lived. “My whole being has changed,” she says.
“Veganism saved my life. It put my very aggressive lupus into remission.” Lupus, an autoimmune disease that can affect joints, skin, blood and organs such as kidneys, heart and lungs, was debilitating, says Lawley. “I had years of injections and treatments from doctors, but it was just a bandaid. It’s not the cure. Then a doctor named Dr Brooke Goldner contacted me, saying she could help cure my lupus.”
Sceptical at first, Lawley eventually went on the program, which involved a “huge” amount of green cruciferous vegetables and omega-3s, such as flax and chia seeds, to help stop the inflammation. “Your body can’t produce omega-3 naturally. The only way to get omega-3 is to eat it,” says Lawley, who consumes it in daily smoothies to keep her lupus at bay. Her other saviour is staying active. “I love exercise,” says the model, who demonstrated her impressive flexibility and strength on set with backbends and yoga poses. “
Yoga is everything to me. It’s so amazing because it’s so buildable. I can do it anywhere; I don’t need a gym, I don’t need trainers. I can literally do it right here. And I can get better; there’s so much growth.” Being fit and flexible is obviously also an advantage for her line of work. “If you want the ability to use your body, you have to stretch.”
For the past five years, Australian-born Lawley has lived in upstate New York with her partner and their nine-year-old daughter, Ripley. She says being surrounded by forest soothes her – “I’m a bit of a tree person” – and she wouldn’t consider a move back to the city. “We did LA for a bit and then back to New York. My daughter has had such a beautiful upbringing because she’s spent it in nature.” That is perhaps why Lawley has loved the setting at Gwinganna so much.
The shoot for marie claire meanders through the tree-dense compound, which, despite the rain, has a nurturing and genuine sense of healing in its energy. It’s Lawley’s first time at the retreat and she plans to return. “The view is so beautiful and I love just walking around with all the trees,” she says. “My room is incredible and I love the steam room in the spa; I kept going back in there because it was just amazing.”
With decades of modelling under her belt, Lawley is the consummate professional. Has she changed over the years? “I feel very confident in my size now,” says the 188cm-tall (6ft 2in) beauty. “Now, more than I did when I was in my twenties. I feel more defined by what my body can do.”
Age has changed her too. “You get to your mid-30s and you’re like, I just don’t really care about so much about what people in the fashion world think,” says Lawley. “It can eat you alive.” Instead, the model and mother is branching out and focusing on other things. “I’m trying to have a more relaxed philosophy,” she adds. “I want to help the environment and I want to help the animals more. Those are my goals now.”
We’re offering TWO lucky winners the chance to indulge in a 7-night Ultimate Wellness Retreat at Gwinganna and receive $1,000 worth of exquisite INIKA Organic products. Enter the competition here.
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
