BEAUTY IS

With biodegradable packaging and plant-based and crueltyfree products, you might think that this salon is too focused on the big picture to notice your specific needs. On the contrary, intentionality saturates Earth Organic Hairdressing. When you arrive, your stylist will discuss your unique hair needs and find natural and organic solutions just for you. The same stylist will guide you through to the finished result, no rush, no surprises, just a naturally beautiful you. earthorganichairdressing.co.nz

Everyone deserves to make a statement, and every piece from Marc Bendall can be as unique and individual as the wearer. Specialists in bespoke rings, clients’ own materials and stones can be used to create an iconic heirloom. Also, in-store is the MB designer collection range of rings and jewellery, crafted to the highest standards by Marc, who has been perfecting his art for the past 40 years. Marc Bendall will be relocating in June! marcbendall.co.nz

Babyface collagen powder is simple to use and fits easily into daily routines. Stir two teaspoons into milk before frothing it for fresh coffee, or enjoy it mixed into your favourite tea, smoothie or cold drink. It is even fabulous sprinkled on oatmeal. It’s as easy as that! This high-quality collagen powder is all you need to have hydrated and glowing skin and hair for spring. Buy online now, and receive a free rose-gold long-handled teaspoon with your purchase. babyface.co.nz

The EndyMed Intensif treatment is ideal for brightening and lifting skin, improving skin texture, smoothing wrinkles, and treating acne scarring. It delivers radiofrequency deep into the skin with gold-plated needles. This triggers a regenerative response in the skin and stimulates the production of new collagen, softening deep wrinkles, tightening the skin, and improving vitality and radiance. EndyMed treatments have little to no downtime and are only available at the Skin Rejuvenation Clinic. skinrejuvenationclinic.co.nz

Multifunctional and skincare-infused, Aleph works in harmony with the skin to enhance your natural beauty. Aleph was born from the need to create beauty without harm, and ingredients have been chosen with the utmost care and are 100 per cent cruelty-free. Nourishing formulations that deliver an impeccable, long-lasting finish, Aleph is consciously crafted with premium vegan, natural and sustainably sourced ingredients.

Clean beauty. Clear conscience.

Emma Peters, Aleph Beauty founder

FEATURE

Beauty is a word that encompasses so many ideas, things, and opinions. Beauty is a concept that is debatable, can be controversial, and changes with time. So, what is beauty?

My perceptions of beauty have changed. Some years ago, beauty was something I felt I could never measure up to as I placed the bar too high. Society’s bar, that is!

I was not pretty enough, thin enough, and my character was certainly not what I thought was ‘beautiful’. I felt different, odd, and not quite right.

Was that to do with how I felt about myself or the importance I placed upon the opinion of others? Who knows, maybe it was a bit of both?

Regardless of the reason, I put so much store into trying to measure up to what society thinks is beautiful that I, in my mind, could not attain it.

Fast forward to today, all those perceptions I had of beauty and of myself have changed. Experiencing life does that, doesn’t it?

For me, beauty, true beauty, is not just skin deep; it goes far beyond the face, the body, and society’s ideal vision of it.

It is the people I love and those around me, the experiences I have had, the world I live in, and yes, it is life itself – which includes you and me!

I am beautiful the way I am, just as you are, and I believe that our uniqueness makes it so. Imperfections (what are those, and by whose standards are they measured anyway?) enrich life if you choose to embrace them as being part of the real you.

We all have a beauty that comes not just from our ‘outside’ appearance but also from ‘within’, and sometimes it takes a tragic event or life-changing circumstances for that realisation to happen, but when it does, as it did for me, it changes everything.

It was in 2015, when I experienced bullying that I had to reach deep within while trying to fathom out who I really was. This started my journey of self-discovery, which continues to this day. A journey through my dear mum’s passing in 2017 and my pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2020. Two years and two lots of six months of chemotherapy later, I am still here.

It’s in the small things that I now find beauty: waking each morning to a new day, glancing at my neighbour’s beautiful garden, and realising that I am alive; the laughter of children playing, a stranger’s smile, a kind word said. And self-acceptance when tracing the scars on my body, looking at the lines on my face, and embracing my greying hair. Instead of thinking of how I used to be, I feel fulfilled with the ‘me’ of today. What can be more beautiful than that?

Kia ora koutou – he uri o Tainui ahau, nō Ngāti Maniapoto. Ko Maureen Taane tōku ingoa, he wahine kaipakihi Māori ahau. He mihi aroha kia koutou katoa!

When I think about beauty and what is beautiful in my life, I think first of my whānau and friends, and secondly of Papatūānuku and the natural world around us.

I’m lucky enough to have people that have my back as fiercely as I have theirs.

This has been the most challenging decade of my life, personally and professionally.

We’ve operated stores in four locations, in the aftermath of a natural disaster, through the chaos of demolition and rebuilding, mourned with our city after a terrorist attack, and worked tirelessly to survive during a pandemic. We’ve had to dig deep.

We’ve navigated through my cancer diagnosis and recovery, threats to the well-being of whānau members, and the grief and loss of several precious people, including the pou tokomanawa of our lives, our Pāpā Uekaha.

Beauty is sometimes just survival.

Our Pāpā often spoke about beauty. To him, one of the most beautiful things in the world is showing manaaki – caring for and loving people without judgement and a reciprocal relationship with Papatūānuku.

It’s a view that’s helped me navigate many roadblocks, including the recent challenges of running a business in accordance with traffic light protocols that didn’t always sit well with ourselves and others.

Maintaining lines of clear communication while upholding the well-being of your people and customers – it’s a form of manaaki that’s similar to parenting.

Beauty can be an uncomfortable topic to talk about – kāore te kūmara e kōrero ana mō tana reka – a kumara does not speak of its own sweetness. But if you bring it back to a place of love, it’s much easier.

What is beauty if not an expression of love?

To me, a person that is beautiful is one who stands in their own power.

The daughter who brings her considerable skills to the table to fight for equity and justice.

The sister with the sparkling energy flow, who uplifts and inspires others with her honesty and truths.

The brother with an insane musical gift who also shares the grit and backbone required to get there.

The partner who elevates your well-being as their top priority, as well as the maara outside.

The friend who is a sister and is there before you even realise you need her.

The Māmā who supports you unconditionally and leads with aroha.

The Pāpā who continues to hold you with love from beyond the physical realm.

A whānau who tries to live in the light – Nāku te rourou nāu te rourou ka ora ai te iwi – with your basket and my basket, the people will live.

I look for beauty – and find it – in acts of service and love.

Beauty is reciprocity and kindness and organising resources to assist others.

Beauty is sometimes not pretty at all.

Sometimes beauty is rage and action in the face of injustice. Standing up and speaking truth to power.

Beauty is summoning courage when your instincts are to flee.

Beauty is opening your eyes to a new day when it’s easier to keep them closed.

Beauty is sometimes deeply complicated or as simple as picking up a feather that has drifted down in front of you. Seeing a rainbow out your office window, the sound of tamariki playing outside. The perfect avocado and the chirp from your cat when you walk in the room.

A slice of sunlight on the floor and the sense of a presence that’s just gently there.

Beauty is goodness; however it finds you.