HO HO HO | Sohum Grande Vegetale Soap Cakes

TALK ABOUT a no brainer gift idea. I'd be chuffed if I ripped down my stocking from the mantle Christmas morning to find it stuffed with these beauties from Sohum. They remind me of another favourite brand of mine, Nesti Dante (I even hid a giant bar from my husband in my luggage, bought in Trento, Italy, and carried it all the way to California via various African countries, trans-Atlantic planes, rental cars, campgrounds and more things than I can list here. That's how much I love it).

I think the Sohum Grande Vegetale Soap Cake in Fleur Anise and Caramella would do just fine for the festive season... or Muskette... or Tuberose... Hell, I want them all. 

They're triple milled and thus give a super creamy lather. Plus, some have new Grande Vegetale candles (Pomander, for one) in matching scents. 

A soap + candle duo would be a sudsy, scented hit of a Christmas gift, in my humble opinion, for sisters, friends, girlfriends, mothers-in-law et al.

Check out the rest of the Melbourne-based Sohum range here.

TRAVEL TALES | New Zealand's top beauty brands part II

WE STARTED to tell you about all the cool Kiwi brands on our trip yesterday. Here are the rest, in no particular order yet all as fabulous as the ones listed yesterday:

New Zealand's best beauty finds continued

Art A Face is a small nature-meets-science skincare range with things like potent vitamin C serum and colostrum (see my thoughts on the stuff below). Every product page lists the full ingredients.

Electric Body is now being stocked by the House of Fraser Apothecary in the UK. It's hero ingredient is colostrum, something I don't quite feel comfortable having in my beauty products yet. Like placenta. But the range also focuses on the bio-availability of the things we put on our skin (meaning, according to the website, that our skin will actually know what to do with the ingredients once applied to our skin). The brand founders believe you can replace all of your skin and bodycare products with just three products (check out theirs here).

Trilogy has become pretty popular in the last five or so years. Their championing of the rosehip (and their award-winning rosehip oil) helped make facial oils something that people with acne-prone complexions would use. The Everything Balm is really wonderful for absolutely everything and the fuss-free men's range brings New Zealand's natural beauty ethos to your husband's dopp kit.

Linden Leaves focuses on aromatherapy for the body and home. They also do things like a gold range that uses 24k gold leave in it's facial mists, soaps, lotion and oil. Their variety of products and scents is vast and there's a little slice of New Zealand here for everyone and every place... even the guest bathroom.

Antipodes skincare is made with "bioactive botancial ingredients" and "protein-rich formulations" free from the same nasties that many of the brands here are also free from. Their strapline is superior skincare, responsible earthcare".

Hema is a gorgeous, tightly edited range of hand-blended organic oils from facialist Margaret Hema, based in Wellington, New Zealand. The actual formulations are a trade secret, but we know they contain  New Zealand certifed organic avocado oil, New Zealand certifed organic Pacific Blue Lavender, East Cape organic manuka essential oil, New Zealand certifed organic Totarol, UMF 15 active East Cape manuka honey, New Zealand certified organic borage oil, New Zealand certifed organic evening primrose oil, New Zealand meadowfoam oil, New Zealand organic calendula oil and New Zealand certifed organic olive oil. All oils have a 9-month shelf life. The design of the bottles and logo are both gorgeous. Next time we're in New Zealand, we know where we're booking a facial.

Sans is a body and haircare range from Stephen Marr and Lucy Vincent-Marr. Called new generation ceuticals, the site features a sexy video with a bathing girl to introduce you to their brand. Highly active yet free from harsh chemical additives, Sans boasts fifteen simple products, a clean crisp lemon verbena-meets-vanilla scent and a look that's a bit Le Labo-meets-Fresh. Only available in New Zealand... for now.

Dr Wendy's 100% Botanical Skincare uses cold-pressed oils and active aromatics. ALL synthetic ingredients are banned. Available for both professional and salon use the site is refreshingly honest and says, for example, when you can use a product for two purposes instead of suggesting you purchase two separate things.

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Other fun New Zealand beauty bits? World is a bit like New Zealand's Colette too so check it out if you're down there. And Lancome is the new home to a Kiwi who goes by the name of Aaron de May. He's their global creative director.

TRAVEL TALES | New Zealand's top beauty brands

RECENTLY MY husband and I went off the grid in a rented 1991 Toyota camper van, driving around New Zealand's countryside hopping from winery to winery, staying in a wild bird santuary, hiking around Anchor Bay, relaxing at Hot Water Beach, polishing our heels in the black sand beach at Piha, eating endless Persimons in Matakana, floating in the sulfurous, steamy waters around Auckland... it was an unintentionally healthy getaway jam packed with wellness (even our jam was made from grapes right off the vineyard), nature and pretty fantastic natural beauty products. Yes, I made a point of stopping in every chemist I could find and they were chokka with manuka honey products, thermal clays and all sorts.

The movies (Eagle vs. Shark) and TV shows (Flight of the Concords) that make New Zealand look and sound boring and bitty are wrong. Well, they're wrong if you like beauty (and wine).

So have your pen at the ready because you'll want to jot down these names for the next time you're on the hunt for new beauty game particularly if you've gone more organic with your beauty. You'll notice most brands are niche, eco-aware, free from some common nasties in mainstream brands, locally or sustainably sourced and quite proud of their Kiwi heritage.

NEW ZEALAND'S FINEST BEAUTY BUYS

Skinfood (although I did find this Korean brand called Skinfood too) is a super affordable range that retails at Waitrose. I started using it when in graduate school back in 2004. Standout ingredients include coconut palm, essential orange, avocado oil, sunflower oil, witch hazel, manuka honey, aloe vera, lavender oil and tea tree oil. The second ingredient in their Light Moisturiser is Aloe. All the products are unisex and, frankly, get the job done at a great price point and without a ton of the nasties.

Snowberry is high-end natural skincare with stand-out serums and cleansers. It's stocked in chi-chi places like Colette. Branding done by Rob Ryan, ingredients like Algae Extract and Pullalan, bio-active peptides, Phytic acid and Totarol.

Karen Murrell makes skincare, bodycare, men's grooming products and cosmetics that are certified organic. Her range of natural lipsticks is gorgeous. Even the packaging (including lipstick tubes) are biodegradable (starting just 100 days after thrown away). All contractors ensure they use ethical working conditions and all of her products are free from parabens, artifical colourants and fragrances, petrochemicals, harsh detergents, talc, TEA and other toxic ingredients. 

Living Nature was created by New Zealand's only Miss Universe. It's one of the more ubiquitous Kiwi brands. There are dozens and dozens of SKUs and many of their skincare and cosmetics have won Natural Health Magazine Awards in the 20 years since they launched. They're certified organic by the German body BDIH. 

Evolu Botanical Skincare is a gorgeous range. Every product starts from a base of the evolu essence, which is pure botanicals and New Zealand spring water. Plant extracts and bioactives are added to this base alongside 100% pure cosmetic grade essential oils. Evoluve is free from parabens, petrochemicals, minerals, phthalates, sulfates, artificial colours and fragrances. The only animal products used are beeswax and lanolin. Shop by skin type or condition.

Huni is all about the Manuka Honey with proprietary honeycomb packaging. Ingredients are sustainably harvested and it's anti-ageing products have been tested in independent trials to diminish the signs of ageing.

Kio Kio body products use no parabens, petrochemicals or derivatives or propylene glycol, PEGS, silicones, GMOs, artificial colours, synthetic fillers, isothiazolinone, DEA or TEA, IBPC, harsh detergents or surfactants. The water used in its products is from New Zealand alpine ranges with high amounts of skin-nourishing silica. The four scent are Pacific Tiare & Ti Kauka, Rainforest & Koromiko, Frangipani & Puriri and Citrus Petal and Tarata (all very New Zealand-South Pacific).

Parrs manufactures many of the products you see in the chemist at the airport in New Zealand, from Wild Ferns manuka honey products to thermal mud products, tea tree oil, New Zealand lanolin and items from the mineral spa waters found there too.

We'll finish this bad boy tomorrow with 8 more amazing Kiwi beauty brands that you have to know about! Until then, check out our favourite new French beauty brand!

READ PART II of the best New Zealand beauty brands...