A
Wellington woman's fresh take on natural skin-care has caught the attention of
London's beauty editors, and the city's beautiful people, says Carolyn Enting.
ACTRESS
Liv Tyler is her most famous fan, but it is the magic of Margaret Hema's hand-blended
oils, not her celebrity client list, that has beauty editors in London predicting
she will be the Next Big Thing in facials.
Like
Jo Malone and Eve Lom, the facialists of choice for Britain's beautiful people,
the Wellington-based Hema, 58, makes her own skin-care products, and after a visit
to London earlier this month she has signed an agreement to supply her products
exclusively for nine months to A-list London beauty treatment centre Triyoga,
as well as The Beauty Store in Glasgow.
While
in Britain she gave facials to an impressive line-up of beauty editors including
those from Tatler, Marie Clare, Harper's & Queen, and British Vogue - look out
for their rave reviews in future issues. Triyoga are keen for her to work for
them as a facialist for at least six months, but her Wellington-based clients
don't need to worry - she's not planning to leave just yet.
The
news of Hema's latest success will come as no surprise to fans in Wellington,
where she already claims cult status among the fashion and film industry set.
According to Triyoga's therapy manager, Victoria McClelland, the retreat whose
clients are said to include luminaries such as Kate Moss and Jude Law took on
the quietly spoken Hema because of the purity of her products and the fact that
they work on all skin types. 'We have been looking for 18 months for a skincare
range and treatment that fulfils our expectation of brilliance and one which retains
authenticity and fits into our holistic approach to well-being,' she says. Triyoga
tried out the product before committing to the brand, but its fame had already
spread to Britain. "A friend of our top yoga instructor went on a bus trip of
the South Island, and asked the woman sitting next to her what skincare she used
because she had beautiful skin. The woman said 'it's a product called Hema and
you can only buy it in Wellington'."
Hema's
official launch at Triyoga on August 6 was attended by 100 guests and held in
its largest yoga studio. Located in Primrose Hill, it's home of the 'posh bohos'
(London code for A-list bohemian), where girls are light on the make-up and heavy
on the Prada. Hema, dressed in vintage Zambesi, with bare feet, fitted right in.
Triyoga are very protective of their client list, and so is Hema. However, that
hasn't stopped people such as Liv Tyler, and fellow Lord of the Rings cast members
Elijah Wood and Miranda Otto, writing testimonials for her website.
Hema
has worked in the beauty industry since 1971, but it was her disillusionment with
the skincare products available that led her to develop her own range. With the
help of loyal clients such as Lady Rosemary Southgate, who were happy to act as
guineapigs, she has developed a unique range of seven products using New Zealand
ingredients including avocado oil, Pacific Blue lavender, kawakawa, flax and manuka
honey, that guarantee 'no stink or sting'. 'I always believed the skin didn't
need a lot. An oil, cream and spray is a skincare range and a mask is a lovely
treat. Skin is about the whole person. It is what you eat, what you think about
yourself.I believe it is genetic and from there it is a protective barrier to
stop the bits and bobs falling out,' Hema says.
It
is a sentiment that is echoed at Triyoga. 'We love the fact that the range of
products is only seven, which makes it much easier for people to manage. It is
also good to have a treatment that works as well for men as it does women,' Ms
McClelland says. 'It is a treatment for those who want more than just a beauty
treatment, as the skin is the body's largest organ we think of it more as a holistic
therapy to maintain good health. As one client's reaction to it was "it feels
like your skin can breathe again'."
Hema
products are available in Wellington from The Vault, Zambesi, Kirkcaldie & Stains,
Nature Unplugged, and Pure Beauty.
SICK
of those Peter Jackson films yet? Yes, Wellywood may still be "lording" itself
over the country after spawning the multiple Oscar-winning Rings trilogy, but
don't let the hype cloud your opinion. Not only is the capital the law of the
land, it's capitalising in other areas . . . At least 10 clothes designers have
the local fashion industry sewn up. The city's stocks in business, literature
and the arts are skyrocketing, and it has more food outlets population-wise than
the Big Apple - many of which have us eating out of our hands. No wonder 423,765
of us have settled down in the greater region. So cash in on Wellington's pool
of talent by buying locally made products. It's absolutely, positively the best
thing to do. Compiled by Kylie Walker
HER
PRECIOUS Want the "good oil" on Liv Tyler's beauty routine? Tolkien's elf princess
swears by beautician Margaret Hema's magic potions for her skin. Check out her
recommendation at www.hemaproducts.com. The Millennium face and body oil ($68)
and hydrating unguent masque ($70) are two products to rule them all . . . Available
at Kirkcaldie & Stains, Zambesi or The Vault Design Store.
