In honour of International Women’s Day, we wanted to celebrate the remarkable achievements of local female entrepreneurs. Here is our interview with Vee Mistry, world-renowned facialist and esthetician and founder of Canadian brand SKINBYVEE. Combining innovative skincare and advanced technology, Vee’s unique facial massage technique and personalized approach offers the ability to feel confident in your skin. The unique SKINBYVEE® Face Therapy treatments, which focus on each client’s skin needs while encompassing a meditative and holistic approach to deliver an experience like no other, can be experienced at the Etiket Spa in Toronto. The brand’s Gua Sha Cryo Sticks, which are exclusively designed tools that can be used at home, will help those struggling with rosacea, acne, premature aging, and pigmentation concerns.
1. How did you come up with the idea for your brand?
The brand SKINBYVEE was always based around sharing real knowledge about how to look after your skin from a deeper rooted and scientific approach. Through my facials and the very specific layering technique of skincare ingredients to modality choices, the goal was to give clients a lasting approach, never just a quick bandaid fix that was temporary.
2. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur? (What were your motivations or aspirations at the beginning?)
Entrepreneurship is in my blood. I come from a long family history of entrepreneurs. My Granddad, dad and uncles had a very large manufacturing business in the UK for over 40 years creating women’s clothing for high street and department stores. As a little girl, I grew up knowing that owning a business was in my blood. To be creative without limitations. To achieve the great dream. SKINBYVEE is my second business. I opened my first way back in 2009-2015 a full spa in the Yorkville area where I went on to sell it.
3. What impact would you like to have on people, other women, society in general?
I want to be the place where people can come to find real information. Know that there is no judgment. I have their best interest in mind and no matter how large or small the budget may be everyone is able to get their best skin. I want to give people confidence in themselves, allow them to have choices and beauty is not about fitting into a mould of what society tells us it should look like. I want people to know that getting older is a privilege and not something that has a sell by date. I want us to all have a place where we lift each other up and know that sharing will not make the slice of our pie smaller but more importantly we grow stronger together.
4. How do you manage work-life balance as an entrepreneur? (Do you have strategies for managing stress and preventing burnout?)
The older I have gotten the better I have found this work life balance to be implemented into my day to day. I like to switch off from emails and social media by the time I’m home after a work day. I want to be present for me and my family. I also love making regular time for dinners and drinks with friends. I feel energized by being around others who can often offer me an angle to life that I may not necessarily have considered. I split my time between my Toronto and Miami home and so being in Miami I always go for a long walk at the end of my day. It allows me to connect with my thoughts and how my body is feeling. Working out is a key part of my day to day as well so I love doing things like Pilates and getting those 10k steps in.
5. Are there any women who have inspired you in your professional or personal life, and if so, why?
I get inspired by stories of resilience and so recently I watched DVF’s documentary as well as Celine Dion’s documentary and truly loved their approach to their career and how they never wavered.
I have a few amazing friends who continue to inspire me as I listen to what they see in me, as sometimes we are so close to the project and we don’t see our own potential. Those couple of women in my life always push me to know to be greater and keep striving. I am very inspired by both my daughters (24 yrs and 19 yrs). They have taught me about creating boundaries, knowing that I am equally deserving of career opportunities and they have taught me that I can be great at both my career and as a mum and don’t need to choose.
6. As a woman entrepreneur, have you encountered any unique challenges? (This could be related to gender, stereotypes, or social and economic barriers).
Yes, I have and continue to experience the challenges around being direct and confident and often find people still get uncomfortable around me. I know I am very assertive, I know what I want and I stay in my lane and go out and strive for that. This can sometimes make it challenging as people are not always welcoming for me to join their friend circle, which can sometimes get a little lonely.
I still have to say that there is very much a clear divide in what is accepted by women and what men can do in the workforce. When it comes to work-life balance, and making work choices there is still an undertone of what’s acceptable for men over women and that’s a shame but I think it’s a forever battle that women will be forced to fight for.
7. What advice would you give to young women who want to start their own business but are hesitant due to fear of failure or perceived barriers?
Fear is your first failure so don’t focus on failure or success: just go out and do what you have to do. Know that the beauty of owning your own business is you are able to pivot and there are no rules to say success is acquired by these few rules. Don’t listen to the noise, more than often the ones that are telling you how you should do things, they themselves don’t own a business or have never done this. And lastly, the best lessons are learnt from the projects that didn’t quite go the way you thought they would. Learn from those lessons and no, they are not mistakes but opportunities to be successful.
8. How do you define success?
When I hear my name being mentioned in rooms I have never entered. When people and companies reach out and want to work with us and when we get opportunities that the young 20-something-year-old me only dreamt of, that is my definition of success.
9. Can you share a defining moment or success that you’re particularly proud of in your entrepreneurial journey?
In 2024, we were approached by British Vogue magazine to feature our SKINBYVEE Gua Sha Cryo Sticks. That was truly a pinch-me moment as I fellow Brit girl I read through those magazines growing up, and so having my tool featured in the magazine was mind-blowing. In 2025, I was profiled in Forbes magazine and seeing my career written about in the pages of Forbes was such a proud moment. And finally, last year and this year, we got two amazing inquiries from two extremely high-profile celebrities for me to do their facials and that was a jaw-dropping moment.
10. If you could give one golden rule to an aspiring female entrepreneur, what would it be?
Stay true to your vision and dream. Don’t listen to the noise. Know that this ride is a roller coaster of emotions and don’t get disheartened. There will be tests daily but approach them as a positive lesson and remember to always have fun.
