Who I am
I'm a small town girl. I hail from the South Waikato originally. My maunga is Wharepuhunga. My awa is the Waikato. My waka is Tanui. My iwi is Raukawa. My hapu is Te Huri and my marae is Pikitu.
Every time I visit my home town and my marae, I feel a deep sense of belonging. I have only just come to realise this as I’ve gotten older. I think I took it for granted for so many years.
There is a groundedness I feel when I walk through those hallowed gates. There is a humbleness of the people there. It's kinda cool to look round and think, “wow, I’m related to everyone here.” There is a willingness to work together, to look out for each other, to connect.
This understanding is why my kuia looked at me several years ago and said, “it’s time to bring your children home, Carey-Lou”. She’s right. This is a place to ground your soul. I wish everyone had a foundation like this.
I guess that’s why when I was looking for native botanicals for my skincare, I was instinctively drawn to a company that valued not just natural actives, but tikanga and respect for Papatuanuku - Mother Earth, in the harvesting of these taonga - treasures.
Aotearoa has so much to offer, so much uniqueness.
I chose our tui for her beauty and uniqueness. She is only found here in Aotearoa. She boasts the most beautiful plumage. She vocalises like nothing else. She has a rush of wings that announces her arrival. She flies high and rarely comes down to the ground. She is a presence you cannot ignore.
I had hit that age group a few years back where I thought, heck, I would like to keep looking as good as possible as long as possible. And I didn’t think that my - at the time - over 50 face was that awful. I also thought that many other women over 50 had beauty of their own. It didn't need comparison with a 30 year old. There is a dignity, a confidence in those over 50 that transcends mainstream beauty.
So I studied formulating and cosmetic chemistry. And I made something I couldn't find anywhere else - skincare that actually works for the face I have now.
I want to disrupt the beauty script that we have to chase the impossible and spend a fortune trying to continue to look youthful. I am not interested in that story. Mature beauty is to be desired.
We are not declining - we are just getting started. There are women in their 50’s to their 80’s pushing boundaries of expectation and proving that age is a superpower rather than a limitation.
How exciting is that!
Tall Tui is not a humble offering. It’s your war call. Your summoning to a movement that celebrates mature beauty without mourning what we have left behind.