Ponsonby’s newest nail bar promises to level up your manicure experience (and your Instagram feed); Sabrina Carpenter is the new face of Prada Beauty; This new 10-day wellness programme looks set to overhaul your health; Aleph adds a tinted SPF to its selection of hybrid makeup; Nutritionist and health coach
Welcome to Viva’s Beauty Insider, our fortnightly column where beauty editor Ashleigh Cometti unpacks every movement within the industry.
Check back every second Thursday for the latest instalment, or keep your finger on the pulse by heading to our @Nzhviva Instagram for updates as they happen.
Read on for every important beauty announcement worth knowing this week.
Visit Valet, Ponsonby’s aesthetic new nail bar
It appears Ponsonby’s iconic fire station at 182 Ponsonby Road is fast becoming the inner-city suburb’s beauty hub.
Just shy of two weeks ago, newcomer Valet opened doors to its aesthetic new nail bar, which is sandwiched between local fine fragrance maker Miller Road Fragrance and hair, beauty and nail salon, Inco Studio.
A metres-long marble bench sits proudly near the front door, where clients can enjoy signature, premium or express nail services with complimentary tea or Allpress coffee.
Booth seating situated behind sheer curtains offers intimate groups the chance to pamper in private, while a “Press For Champagne” button is wholly gram-worthy and practical for keen imbibers.
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Advertise with NZME.Further inside, cosy bench seating and plush cushions make for a luxurious pedicure experience, with clients able to soak their feet in one of the in-built basins set against marble tiles.
Treatments range from Builder Gel, Polygel, Dipping Powder or Apres Gel X which offer maximum shine and strength without causing any unnecessary damage to natural nails.
Men are also catered to, with pared-back options including signature or premium manicures or pedicures (sans colour). Children under age 12 can try a handful of treatments too, like colour or gel manicures or pedicures for a little treat.
One service noticeably absent from the menu? Acrylics. The Valet team believes that acrylic nails not only release harmful chemicals that can weaken natural nails, but are also toxic to breathe in. Instead, builder gel or Gel X is offered as a non-toxic alternative that promises to achieve a stunning finish without any perceived health impacts.
Prices start from $25 for an express manicure with polish, and range up to $120 for extra-extra-long stiletto soft gel tips. Extras are also available in the form of nail art, French tips, full chrome, chrome tips, cateye and airbrushed ombre colour, depending on your preference.
Valet, 182 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby. Valetnails.co.nz
Sabrina Carpenter collabs with Prada Beauty
Few pop stars can say they’ve experienced such a meteoric rise in the space of the year as Espresso singer Sabrina Carpenter.
A brief recap: In 2024 alone Sabrina opened Taylor Swift’s billion-dollar Eras Tour, released her Short N Sweet album and took it on tour, hard-launched her relationship with Saltburn actor Barry Keoghan, collaborated with Erewhon on a now-viral smoothie, and now has been tapped as Prada Beauty’s newest ambassador.
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Advertise with NZME.Speaking to Vogue, Sabrina gushed: “I’ve been a fan of Prada for so many years. I’m excited for what’s ahead,” adding she’d been dropping Easter eggs to her fans about the collab for a while.
The Disney alum first wore Prada Beauty’s Astral Pink Lip Balm in her Please Please Please music video (which promptly sold out) and later donned its Monochrome Soft Matte Refillable Lipstick in the shade Tonka in the opening credits for Taste.
“It was so fun to drop little hints for my fans,” she says.
“My music videos are such a labour of love, so I love incorporating elements that are authentic to me and add to the overall storyline. One of the reasons I’m excited about launching this with Prada Beauty is because their products emphasise some of my favourite features and give the perfect level of glam that makes me feel feminine but still sophisticated.”
After having dialled in her signature beauty look – demi-matte skin with a statement lip, flushed cheeks and ultra-fluttery lashes – it’s little wonder Prada Beauty fell in love with Sabrina, too.
Byre shakes up the local wellness scene
Ceremonial-grade matcha has been on our radar for quite some time, but no one had thought to fuse the good green stuff with adaptogens to boost mood, energy and healthy hormone regulation – until now.
Qualified nutritionist and health coach Renee Brown has spent the past six years blending her own elixirs at home, looking to an array of medicinal herbs and adaptogens like mushrooms to restore what she calls her “glow, sparkle and energy.”
Throughout this period in her life, Renee sought to make these elixirs part of her daily ritual, a mindful moment in her day that allowed her to shift from feeling sluggish and stressed to calm and revitalised in as little as 20 minutes.
It was with this in mind that Renee launched Byre (pronounced “by-ray”), a wellness offering that encompasses adaptogenic elixirs, wellness tools and rituals to help others fall in love with self-care.
“Through Byre, it’s my hope to inspire you to not only take care of yourself, but revel in the process of self-care as a ritual, as a daily non-negotiable,” she says.
Byre launched yesterday with its hero product, the High Vibe Matcha, $85, which sees organic ceremonial grade matcha powder blended with a selection of medicinal mushrooms, herbs and adaptogens in functional doses so you can feel the difference. Think ashwagandha for calm, reishi for immunity, lion’s mane for focus and red maca for hormones and energy.
The unique blend promises a slow-release energy boost that improves focus, mental clarity and eliminates stress while supporting mood, adrenals and metabolism.
The launch is flanked by a handful of chic matcha ceremony accessories, including a milk frother and gold scoops to elevate the ritual even further. Not to mention its classic Pure Matcha and a selection of refills and sample sachets.
Aleph reveals new tinted SPF
Trust Aleph to be totally in step with its consumers (it has been for a while), and now the local makeup-slash-skincare brand has unveiled its most requested product yet: a tinted SPF.
The new Aleph Smoothing Skin Tint SPF20, $92, is a three-in-one lightweight skin enhancer that lends a sheer wash of colour to skin, nourishing with skin-loving ingredients while also offering broad-spectrum protection against harsh UV rays.
A qualified makeup artist herself, Aleph founder Emma Peters worked extremely hard to get the formulation right, especially when it came to creating a product that wouldn’t leave a white cast on deep complexions.
The no-nasties formulation is brimming with plant-based actives to smooth skin and blur common skin concerns like enlarged pores or pigmentation, both now and over time.
Non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide offer PA+++ rated protection against UVA, UVB and blue light, while plant-based stem cells help to counteract the effects of photoageing and powerful lipopeptides step in to stimulate collagen production to restore the skin’s bounce and glow.
Not to mention a laundry list of other buzzworthy ingredients, including low molecular weight hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and the Imortelle Flower (revered for its soothing and rejuvenating properties).
Available in three shades – light, medium and dark – the new Smoothing Skin Tint is designed to work in harmony with other Aleph products in the range, and the team love it layered on top of The One Reset/Restore Moisture Cream and Serum/Primer, with a little Concealer/Foundation to spot correct.
Available from selected independent retailers or Alephbeauty.com.
Are you ready to hit reset?
Recognising the pressures of modern life and the depletion that comes with it, wellness advocate and model Esther Cronin sought to help women find their equilibrium once more with the launch of her new wellness platform – Ready & Reset.
Driven by her own quest to find a healthy balance between wellness, beauty and confidence in her own life, Esther leaned into wellness practices including yoga, meditation, Pilates and nutrition – and now channels this knowledge into The 10-Day Reset, a 10-day programme which takes a holistic view to reset both body and mind.
Across a 10-day period, expect a naturopath-approved meal plan brimming with simple-to-follow recipes to help nourish the body and restore energy levels, coupled with daily movement in the form of targeted workouts filmed by Esther to guide you at every step.
But it’s not just fitness and nutrition that comprise this comprehensive plan, mindfulness, meditation and massage also feature to help you feel centred and connected once more.
Plus you’ll have real-time access to Esther for support and motivation throughout the process, alongside connecting to a WhatsApp group for additional peer support.
Limited intakes are available between now and the end of the year, visit Readyandreset.com for more information.
More on beauty
From local launches to Viva team test drives.
New Zealand Brand Bowie Launches At-Home Micro-Needling Tool For Glowing Skin. The trio behind new local beauty brand, Bowie, share the inspiration for their micro-needling tool with Ashleigh Cometti.
How To Build A Low-Waste Beauty Routine. Overwhelmed by plastic piles, Madeleine Crutchley trials a low-waste beauty routine for one week.
Fire & Ice Facial, Review: Would You Try Cold Shock Therapy On Your Face? It’s affectionately known as the “red carpet facial”.
Is The Shark Beauty Hot Brush Worth The Hype? A Beauty Editor’s Review. Can it really transform tresses in the face of humidity? Viva beauty editor Ash Cometti found out.
