Country Living – Beautiful inside and out

Unpacking my groceries during lockdown, I noticed a few items that were not on my list. They were purchased by my husband who was the nominated grocery shopper. There were two packets of warm brown home hair dye, a home waxing kit and red nail polish. Oh great! Hint, hint! Clearly I did not read the marriage “rally rules” and aging naturally and gracefully during those four weeks was not on the agenda for some. Obligingly, I banged on the hair dye and resurrected my inner 80s disco queen chick and glided on the nail polish like a pro. The home waxing though turned out to be a classic “Lemony Snicket’s series of unfortunate events”, and should have come with a warning label that home waxing is NOT similar to making sticky toffee apples for the Tapora school ag day.

Anyway, the whole event gave this middle-aged woman the paranoias that the old farm hack was “losing ground” and about to be traded in on a newer, revised model – better lift my end game. Shopping local was now more important to me than ever, so I put the call out for makers of handmade beauty products. As it turns out, we are somewhat of an epicentre for all manner of gorgeous handmade skincare products and the choices are overwhelming. Alison Wech from TLC Body Essentials came across my desk. She is a Warkworth local and Albertlander who married a Puhoi Bohemian. She tenderly makes herbal beauty products from her rural lifestyle block and applies them to her clients in her onsite beauty therapy salon overlooking manicured gardens . I am invited over for a facial to experience first-hand the texture and feel of her totally natural skincare and how she can help me with my little anti-aging dilemma.

Already a beauty therapist, Alison became disillusioned with many traditional beauty products and with a burning interest in natural skincare started experimenting with recipes while upskilling in herbal therapy studies. Many requests from clients eventually saw her eventually replace expensive products with her homemade natural skincare.

In her rural backyard, pretty garden gloves cover green thumbs working magic into the soil, as her land comes alive and bursts with the intoxicating scent of roses and lavender. All manner of holistic herbs like kawakawa, comfrey and aloe vera rise to the sun and inspire her products. Little buzzy bees make the honey in her hives and then components like olive oil, coconut oil, magnesium and colloidal silver are added to the potions. I can picture Alison gingerly preparing these products in her kitchen with that old Kenwood chef mixer, then applying them with honest love to her clients – anti-aging creams, skin tonics, foot scrubs, healing balms and cleansers. Parisian style beauty products on our doorstep with a price point that all the sisterhood can afford. My favourite is the body “whip”. It sounds a little salacious I know, but this moisturiser is like diving into an ocean of rose-scented marshmallows when you apply it to your body.

Alison is leather and lace. An incredibly organic soul with a calming demeanour, mixed up with a unique wild side that sees her sling her legs over a ER650 road bike and take to the open roads for freedom and speed. I have been using the products for a month now and I adore them for reasons too numerous to list. Honestly, this lady looks bloody amazing for her age so they must work. And just when you thought this little rural treat could not get any better, remember that waxing I mentioned? Well, she has our backs covered on that one too, girlfriends.

Julie Cotton
admin@oceanique.co.nz