As women we love to look our best - who doesn't? Whilst we demand high performance products, more and more consumers are becoming increasingly concerned with the ingredients used in the products placed on our skin. Established in 2006 by Rohan Widdison, NVEY ECO was born when the Director of Helene Abicair College of Advanced Beauty Therapy saw a missing link in the market for mineral makeup. Interestingly, whilst Australia's first and only completely certified organic makeup range launched in '06, consumers were only cottoning on to the benefits of mineral makeup and therefore the brand first rolled out overseas. Now NVEY ECO is back home, with an effective certified organic skincare line to complete the range and Australians are embacing their homegrown brand. Excited by its quality products and affordable prices, we chat with Rohan about the brand ...
Could
you tell us about your professional background before NVEY ECO? Before NVEY ECO, I was supporting my mother in
developing her namesake Melbourne-based beauty college, Helene Abicair College of Advanced Beauty Therapy.
Here, I spent most of my career developing skills in non-practical beauty
application and techniques, and also how to educate the future legacy of beauty
therapists that will one day set new standards in the industry with their
education. Now I am currently the director of Helene Abicair while researching and developing new formulas and
products for NVEY ECO.
How
did NVEY ECO eventuate? NVEY
ECO
came from a desire to develop and bring to the world a true, certified organic
makeup brand that could bring to life the makeup artistry values and styles
that I had longed for during my decades in the beauty industry, combined with
organic formulas that would nurture and care for my client’s and student’s
skin.
You
sound extremely busy! NVEY ECO
launched in 2006 but its success has mainly hailed from international markets.
Why is this so? Internationally, Australia has not experienced the
tremendous demand and growth for natural and organic makeup and skin care like
Asia, Europe or the U.S. For NVEY ECO,
a majority of growth has occured overseas where we’ve been awarded and
recognised by makeup artists, beauty editors and celebrities for our high
performance colour and quality ingredients. Focusing our efforts back to
Australia had always been on the agenda once the market recognised the need and
demand for higher quality, more nurturing cosmetics.
Now
that NVEY ECO is making waves in its home country, what other plans do
you have for the brand? Our plans for the future involve expanding our
retail distribution so we can engage with consumers one-on-one to educate them
about our professional quality cosmetics, but also the benefits of
transitioning away from harmful ingredients like Talc, Parabens, GMOs, SLS and
other chemicals that don’t naturally occur or process in our bodies. We see
tremendous growth happening with our makeup and skin care ranges and the
ability to reach more consumers through a wider retail market is definitely on
the cards.
In
2012 NVEY ECO launched its extensive certified organic
skincare line. How has it been perceived? The extensive NVEY ECO skin care range has been a
long-standing dream of mine which took years of research and development. Our
approach has been unique as the range focuses not only on the ingredient’s benefits,
but also how effectively these ingredients can be delivered to the cells of
skin. The Ecological Optimum Bioavailability method developed with the NVEY ECO
Skin Care is unique in that it ensures effective delivery of ingredients, the
purest, most organic and natural active ingredients, and a soothing, comforting
experience for the skin that carries on throughout the day.
Although
NVEY ECO products are made from completely natural ingredients, their quality
is second to none. How important was it to offer quality, pigmented products? Very. The focus for
NVEY ECO has always been on providing high performance colour cosmetics and
long lasting coverage likened to that of professional quality makeup – but with
an ethos of being true to nature with 100% certified natural and organic
ingredients. Just because a makeup range is certified organic, doesn’t mean the
colour should fade, dull, or perform less than any other lipstick, foundation
or mascara. Our extensive research and development searches high and low for
the highest quality ingredients that create truly aspirational colour quality,
application and wearability.
Adopting
a belief in natural makeup and skincare, do you practice a ‘green’ lifestyle? With all the travel
I do, I would be hard pressed to say my lifestyle is entirely green. But I do
often walk and take public transport in Melbourne instead of driving about. As
for other organic and natural lifestyle choices, I have become quite interested
in homewares and fabrics that are made from organic or natural materials. There
are many up-and-coming brands in Melbourne that make linens and pillows from
eco-friendly textiles that I like.
In a
few words, how would you describe the NVEY ECO consumer? They dare to play
with colour, care for their skin, but can’t resist a bold lip or bright
shadow. They care for the environment, but won’t compromise on quality.
We love
NVEY ECO’s professional, hard working products. What are your top 3
picks?
1.
From day one, the miraculous Erase
Concealer has erased blemishes, redness and dark circles without feeling
cakey, oily or heavy on the skin. It’s light enough to conceal, but also duos
as an illuminiser under your foundation and a prep for the lips to bolden the
colour.
2.
For a skin pick-me-up Intensif Tonifying
Mist instantly revives my skin (especially with all the travelling and jet
lag).
3.
Any item from the Forte Skin Care
range. I’m lucky enough to have very balanced and even skin, so I compliment my
skin care regime with this rang for normal skin types. I particularly recommend
Cellular Renewing Eye Care, which I
use before bed to reduce tired lines around my eyes after working all day in
the lab.
What
beauty trends do you predict this Autumn/Winter? The Autumn/Winter
focus is on creating a luxe, milky smooth complexion with a very light, crème
foundation, which creates a light sheen and flawless finish to the look. As for
colour, the bold, wine coloured pout is already represented on the runway, but
I see that trend fading into Winter with more focus on creating interesting
finishes and stand out colour on the eyes. There has been some very stand out
shadows happening abroad that I think can really translate in Australia – like a
light smoky shadow, but around the bottom and outer lash lines as opposed to
the traditional lid.
Who
would you most love to see using the NVEY ECO range? We already have
some wonderful international celebrities fawning over NVEY ECO, but if I have to choose one it would be Rose Byrne. Not
only is she Australian, and evolved as an actor, she has also evolved in her
beauty and fashion statements that she makes on the red carpet.
Finally
Rohan, what makes you feel Spoilt? Besides seeing
people truly embrace natural beauty with NVEY ECO, a nice
glass of vintage champagne always makes me feel Spoilt.
Click here to view the entire makeup and skincare range on NVEY ECO's website.