By Sarah Willcocks
In this great southern land we are blessed with seemingly unending natural beauty. We have the obvious good looks of beachy Bondi, the lushness of the Top End’s dew-drenched rainforests, and the epic aesthetic of our ancient forests in Tassie. However, I manage to find beauty in odd places; in the desolate plains of our rusty deserts. I think our parched countryside has a faded beauty like a movie star from a bygone era (though I will rejoice in the day our farmers’ pastures are evergreen once again). I appreciate that Australia’s natural beauty is often offbeat.
As are the beautiful residents of our fair country.
Our beautiful people range from the iconic ‘bronzed Aussie’, to a new wave of lovelies championing pale skin (let’s all cheer for the wonderful invention that is sunscreen) with just a smattering of unavoidable freckles, to the myriad of beauties that prove that Australia doesn’t have just one homogenous face (model Rachel Rutt springs to mind). With a flurry of Aussie skincare companies creating interesting products packed with botanicals and organic ingredients, and even a few championing our natural resources to keep our skin looking radiant, there’s no excuse for us not to look our best as a nation. Innovative, natural, non-animal tested Australian beauty therapy? You bloody beauty.
PS I think Cate Blanchett and Rose Byrne are among the most beautiful (famous) Australian people – feel free to disagree with me or nominate your own choices in the comments below.
1. Bloom has been advocating the use of botanicals in skincare for a sweet sixteen years already. They are famous for their lip-glosses, however it’s their new pamper packs that I’m gravitating towards at the moment. The packs feature the sketchy illustrations of Australian artist Kat Macleod, who also creates the mixed-media collages for Michi Girl and has featured in numerous fashion magazines. You can get mini treatments specifically for hands, hair, face or body, but since I’m greedy I’ll stick with the total care pamper pack. It features a lightweight lotion for the face, butterfingers hand cream and a vitamin body cream.
2. Absolutely Gorgeous products tick all the boxes. They are chemical free, not tested on our animal friends and use fair trade, organic ingredients and sustainable packaging. This is especially important for young or sensitive skin so be sure to check out their Squeeky Clean Baby Bath set. The kit features bath wash, a soft washcloth and luxurious goat’s milk soap (which is meant to be full of nutrients and gentle on skin). C’mon it even includes a rubber ducky…how could I resist?
3. This Smooth Skin Exfoliant from Stem Organics had been certified 78% organic and is even fine for use by vegans. The ingredients list spans the earth and sea. Bamboo extract is included to provide a gentle scrub for the face, while sea kelp soothes and even our native Bottlebrush aids in decongestion of the skin (who knew it could do that?)
4. Ahhh, Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays. I’ve drifted off there in my mind many a time just at the mere mention of the place. Back in reality though, I must be content to enjoy this Silver Shimmer Soufflé by new beauty label Coast to Coast which was inspired by Whitehaven’s glistening sands. I’m a sucker for anything silver (I’m a bit of a magpie at heart, I think) and this crème leaves a subtle glint on the skin without leaving you looking like a Twilight vampire caught out in the sunshine. Divine. Soothing organic aloe and refreshing grapefruit oils are simply bonuses.
5. Minty Foot Fudge might sound a bit strange at first but once you see it, it bears a striking resemblance to peppermint ice-cream (my all-time, hands down favourite) so it must be good. Aura designed the rich cream to pamper stressed out toes with moisturising organic avocado oil, shea and cocoa butters, and spearmint and tea tree oils to make your feet smell good enough to eat.
6. Did you know one of the richest sources of antioxidant vitamin C in the world is contained in our own native Kakadu Plum? That’s the star ingredient in Li’tya’s shave foam for men, since the blokes deserve to be treated to great skin too. Li’tya means “of the earth” and the label bases their products on Aboriginal Dreamtime philosophies and insists on using natural, oft-overlooked ingredients that stem from resources Australia naturally produces.
7. Sanctum Australia makes their certified organic and vegan skincare range in the fittingly gorgeous surrounds of Byron Bay. I’d love to recreate a day spa experience at home with their trio of Body Polish, Body Detox and Body Balm. The polish in particular is refreshing – it includes ground coffee, salt and macadamia seed to scrub down to fresh, soft new skin.
Image credits: 1. Bloom 2. Absolutely Gorgeous 3. Stem Organics 4. Coast to Coast 5. Aura 6. Li’tya 7. Sanctum Australia