We love New Zealand, and once the trans-Tasman bubble is put into play, we can’t wait to hop over the pond and visit our friendly neighbours to the East. While we wait for that to happen though, we’ve managed to get our hands on a beautiful New Zealand skincare brand, Okana, which we couldn’t wait to try out.
Made using totally natural, vegan-friendly ingredients, Okana was born from the founder’s struggles with problematic skin. Vibs Amin had tried what felt like every product on the market to no avail, which is when she turned to the home remedies used by her family for generations. After experiencing great success using these concoctions on her own skin, she began experimenting and creating new products, before launching her skincare line, Okana.
The Kiwi-made range features only natural products that are made from four to seven fresh ingredients you can easily read and recognise. Seriously, suss the ingredients list for Okana’s products, they’re so clean you can actually eat the formulas! (Not that they’re for eating though, this beauty juice works topically, so don’t waste it in your stomach).
Featuring delicious-sounding products like Mango and Apricot Sorbet Cleanser and Avocado Smash Body Butter, Okana’s website reads more like a fancy brunch menu than a skincare brand. But that’s exactly what it is. Each product uses potent plant-based ingredients that have been proven by world-class testing to be effective, proving you don’t have to sacrifice clean formulas for results.
We were lucky enough to be sent Okana’s Radiant Skin Gift Box to try out, which houses their entire facial range. After trying it out for a week, we can say our skin is definitely feeling glowed up and soft, and we are loving how beautiful the formulas feel and smell. One of our fave products is the Berry Blend Natural Night Moisturiser, which uses antioxidant-rich berries, macadamia oil and apricot oil to restore and rejuvenate your skin while you sleep, and actually smells exactly like a berry smoothie. Yum. Another fave of ours is the Cucumber and Lettuce Toner, which uses the juice from cucumber and lettuce to refresh and nourish your skin with naturally-occurring collagen and vitamins A, C and E. As well as using this as a toner before we moisturise, we also love popping this one in our handbag for whenever we need a quick freshen up on-the-go.
For us, a real highlight of the range is the double cleansing duo. The two cleansers on offer, Mango and Apricot Sorbet Cleanser and Natural Apple Juice Foaming Cleanser work together at the end of the evening to really get your face clean after a long day running about. The sorbet cleanser comes as a solid oil that melts when you warm it up by rubbing it between your fingertips and is amazing at getting off makeup. Once all your makeup is gone, you then use the foaming cleanser to properly clean your skin, without drying it out.
If you’re keen to try some natural, vegan-friendly skincare products that are designed and made in New Zealand, you can check them all out on Okana’s website here.
