Libby Whaley of Epsilon Hair. Photo/Swift and Click
Tauranga is well known for attracting newcomers for its stunning weather, natural beauty and laidback lifestyle, but it's also becoming a wellness hub and a health haven. Indulge meets three women who have recently moved to the Bay and created their own business around their health and beauty passions.
LIBBY
WHALEY, Epsilon Hair
Libby Whaley is the picture of vitality, with glowing skin, sparkling eyes, and a joie de vivre that's evident as soon as you meet her.
It's hard to believe that just a few short years ago, Libby was struggling with her health - her skin was riddled with eczema and dermatitis, and she suffered from crippling endometriosis and exhaustion, which was starting to affect her mental health.
As one of Auckland's top hairdressers, Libby was dedicated to her career. Trained by top salon Sevilles, Libby worked for the business for 15 years, including six years as owner of the Ponsonby salon.
It wasn't until the salon began working with a new range of products - one of the first high-end ranges free of parabens and sulphates - that Libby started to notice an improvement in her health issues. She was stunned when her dermatitis cleared up for the first time in years.
"I couldn't believe how much better I was feeling," Libby recalls. "I was spurred on by the connection, and began to research the link between chemical products and the issues I was having with my health.
"This sparked a new passion for health and wellness, and I gradually changed all the products I was working with in-salon, as well as the products I used on my own skin and hair at home."
She didn't stop there - Libby also overhauled her lifestyle and diet, now eating a predominantly plant-based diet.
The result was a complete turn-around in her health - and a new passion to share her new-found knowledge with others. It was the start of her journey back to Tauranga, where she grew up.
"My dream was to return to the Bay and open a hair salon that used only ethical products, and was focused on wellness," Libby says.
My vision was a salon that is an eco-sanctuary and enhances wellbeing, is environmentally-friendly and kind to staff and clients.
"Honestly, when I imagined this vision, the right place to do it was absolutely Mount Maunganui. There are so many people here that are interested in health and wellbeing, and doing things a different way. The community has embraced Epsilon with open arms."
Epsilon is Epsilon Hair - Libby's dream salon, which came to fruition when it opened at the end of May at the new Mount Central enclave.
"I truly believe that wellness is a blessing to be nurtured, and that health and beauty go hand in hand," Libby says.
"Healthy living and sustainability are at the centre of everything we do at Epsilon - from the products we use, to the drinks we offer clients, and recycling practices.
"Everyone on the team genuinely cares deeply about our clients' wellbeing, and we really strive to provide a holistic service that energises them and leaves them feeling refreshed and empowered."
She's living proof that health doesn't need to be sacrificed to look great.
"I feel great, I'm doing the job I love and helping others look and feel amazing - I feel so lucky."
MELANIE-JANE ROGERS, Beauty Tofu and Kalon.
Melanie-Jane Rogers lights up when she talks about the 'sisterhood' of women she's met since moving to Mount Maunganui.
Having lived most of her life in big cities in Australia, Melanie-Jane, known as Mel, was looking for a change of pace after spending a year volunteering overseas. She felt an affinity with Mount Maunganui the first time she visited.
"I loved that the Mount had a really relaxed vibe, and it felt like a real place with real people. In other places I have lived, that authenticity with people is lacking. But I feel like as soon as you are here, you are meeting 'real' people. It's definitely a different vibe to be living in."
It was also a perfect fit with Mel's business and lifestyle goals. Having worked in the skin industry for years, as a makeup artist and paramedical skin therapist, Mel was developing a new passion for holistic living.
"I was seeking a change from the rat-race of working fulltime. Even though I loved what I did, I'm also passionate about yoga and living a holistic lifestyle.
There's such a sisterhood of women here doing amazing things. We all bounce off each other, and it doesn't feel competitive.
"I did my yoga teaching training, and travelled for a year doing volunteering. I lived in orphanages in Indonesia and volunteered fulltime at a women's rehabilitation centre for sex trafficked women in Cambodia. I taught the women how to make beauty products like masks that they could sell in local markets, as a form of trade they could use to work in a spa instead of having to go back to the sex industry."
With a new perspective on life, Mel decided to set up home in Mount Maunganui, the home town of her partner at the time.
It was the perfect place to launch Beauty Tofu, a high-performance natural skincare range, which came to life after Mel met a local manufacturer who supported her vision. As the name suggests, all products are vegan, raw and cruelty-free.
Mel also runs Kalon Aesthetics, offering services including microblading, feather tattooing with organic pigments, and support with nutrition and skin care.
Mel says the Mount is a haven for women starting small businesses with a health and wellness focus.
"There's such a sisterhood of women here doing amazing things. We all bounce off each other, and it doesn't feel competitive. The women here have been so amazing, lending support when I'm having a bad day or struggling with something related to my business.
"There's a different lifestyle here. Friends in big cities are going out for big nights on the town, whereas here my girlfriends and I will go out for a glass of wine, and then go to yoga together in the morning."
While being self-employed is sometimes challenging, Mel loves having balance in her lifestyle, and both Beauty Tofu and Kalon - which means "beauty that is more than skin-deep" - are going from strength to strength. She's been invited to spend three weeks as a guest therapist at the exclusive luxury Amo Spa in Bali, and plans to write a lifestyle coffee table book, Becoming Beauty Tofu.
"I'm living my dream and can't wait to see where it takes me next," she says with a smile.
MARY ESTELLE, Blac Cosmetics.
As a successful international makeup artist, Mary Estelle was living the dream.
Having done stints in Australia and the United States, for 11 years Mary worked with major brands such as Smashbox and Clinique, and with top fashion designers including Trelise Cooper, Storm, Andrea Moore, Tigerlily and Yvonne Benetti.
Her work was featured in top New Zealand magazines such as Remix, Viva, Woman's Day, Bride & Groom and NZ Wedding; and she worked in special effects on numerous film sets including award-winning short films and TV shows.
But behind the success, Mary was feeling stressed, and was frustrated at her inability to get pregnant.
"I had a lot of work in Auckland and I would say yes to everything. I was really stressed out, and I wasn't getting pregnant - we were trying for two years."
It was infertility that set Mary on a path to creating a new business, and returning to her home town of Papamoa for a more balanced lifestyle.
In search of answers as to why she wasn't getting pregnant, Mary saw a naturopath, who found her hormones were 'out of whack' - her progesterone was low. Mary also discovered she had been living with undiagnosed endometriosis for 10 years.
"I started to research what endometriosis was, and what hormone imbalances can do," Mary recalls. "Something popped up in my research to do with parabens, which are preservatives found in almost all beauty products - makeup, body creams, lube, foundation, even baby cream."
As a makeup artist spending her days surrounded by these products, Mary no longer wanted to use them.
"Our skin is our biggest organ, and you are absorbing this stuff every day. Parabens have the same cell formation as the hormone oestrogen, so you are basically feeding your body oestrogen."
Mary began research into creating her own makeup range, which was paraben-free but also high-end.
The result is Blac Cosmetics - makeup that Mary and her business partner Krystal Hayward describe as "formulated by makeup artists for makeup addicts". The products are long-wearing but are also paraben-free, hypo-allergenic and allergy tested, non-comedogenic, fragrance-free and not tested on animals.
Last year Mary and husband Mark made the move to Papamoa, where Mary runs Blac out of a warehouse in her home. The new lifestyle changes paid off, and earlier this year the couple welcomed baby Daniel, now four months. Now Mary enjoys living a more balanced lifestyle, juggling Blac and makeup artistry with taking care of Daniel.
Our skin is our biggest organ, and you are absorbing this stuff every day. Parabens have the same cell formation as the hormone oestrogen, so you are basically feeding your body oestrogen.
The product has clearly resonated with Kiwi women - as well as being available online, it is now stocked locally at exclusive Mount Maunganui boutique Sisters, with plans to expand into Australia.
Mary says the Bay of Plenty is the perfect place to be running her business.
"Auckland can be really overwhelming, and there is a lot more competition. Here we are unique and there's been fantastic support from local women. It's really exciting."