Thin Lizzy developer starts Hawke's Bay skincare venture

Corbin Rd creator Wendy Nowell-Usticke with Lara Morrison at skincare launch in Napier on Thursday. Photo / Supplied.

Wendy Nowell-Usticke spent 16 years in Auckland developing the infamous Thin Lizzy range, but wanted to start something a little closer to home.

She's moved back to Hawke's Bay to start a new venture, Corbin Rd, a new skincare cleansing system made from kawakawa and 12 other essential oils; but better still, the range is environmentally-friendly.

It includes a restorative cleansing balm and a silk exfoliating cloth, which is used to remove dirt, oil and dead skin cells, as well as clearing skin congestion.

Nowell-Usticke said the point of the new range was to remove impurities from the skin, while restoring, encouraging strength and suppleness and renewing its vibrancy and radiance.

A launch was held last week in Napier encourage natural skincare lovers to get on board and give the product a try.

"Cleansing should be basic and it should be simple. With this product I've been trying to work with local ingredients and reduce the footprint which is where the kawakawa came in, along with kiwifruit oil and a bit of lavender," Nowell-Usticke said.

The product is for all skin types, but also works well for acne-prone skin as it contains plenty of anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial products.

"On top of that, it's also anti-ageing, which of course is my favourite. Kiwifruit has got your vital vitamin As and Cs, you've got vitamin B and Omega 3 and also Vitamin E which comes from wheat germ, so this all works at a cellular level to improve your skin and make it stronger.

"We use 13 different oils and there's no silicon and no alcohol - it's all 100 per cent natural and 100 per cent botanical. Once the cleanser does its magic, the silk cloth is to physically remove the product from the face while giving it that amazing exfoliating treatment."

Nowell-Usticke said the whole Corbin Rd range was about sustainability and didn't want to use anything that could cause damage to the environment.

"No one wasted anything when I was growing up, everything was re-used. Now we're in an age where the norm is just to chuck everything away and it doesn't break - but we can't actually afford to do that. I didn't want to do that with the cloth, so it's 100 per cent natural.

"Your face may go a little red from using it, but that means it's stimulating the blood flow which ups the radiance factor even further."

For more information on Corbin Rd or to purchase the product go to www.corbinrd.com.