Observer on Sunday: Skincare products are a dream come true

(Published in the Observer on Sunday, 16 September, 2012)

Inspired by her tropical surroundings, Cayman resident and skincare guru, Tara Walker, has been blending to perfection her own line of luxury skincare products.

Sported by celebrities such as Sienna Miller, Tara Walker’s Dream is formulated with the highest quality natural botanical and marine ingredients to help maintain healthy, beautiful skin.

According to Tara, this decadent skincare regime helps aid skin hydration, brightness and texture, while diminishing the visible signs of ageing. It can even be used to soothe skin stressed by sun exposure, environmental assaults and medically based treatments.

“Everything is natural,” Tara says. “There are no synthetic ingredients or chemical additives. There are no animal derived products or added fragrances. Wherever possible, I also try to use ingredients which are organic.”

While Tara blends the oils herself, one look at this skincare line and it’s quickly apparent that this is no cottage industry. The products are beautifully packaged and heavenly to use.

Tara means business and she’s ready to take on the skincare giants. Indeed, when many women her age are kicking their feet back and enjoying their retirement, Tara Walker is hard at work marketing her luxurious skincare range to the world.

Originally from Canada, Tara settled in Cayman 12 years ago after selling her textiles business in the Philippines.

She says it was a dream come true to move to the Caribbean, but quickly realised that retirement wasn’t for her. “I’m a workaholic,” she says. “My mind doesn’t ever stop. I’m always working, creating. I can’t sit still.”

With a passion for natural beauty, Tara had spent the best part of the last 20 years creating her own serums and creams. Indeed, she says she would often spend her spare time researching essential oils and their benefits, sharing her advice with her employees in the Philippines, for everything from acne to colds.

“The factory was always fragrant,” she says. “There would always be small bottles of essential oils everywhere.”

With her factory sold and time on her hands, Tara soon got to work on creating the cornerstone of her skincare line, the Rejuvenating Dream Serum 100+ Concentrate.

This powerful beauty elixir is blended from more than 100 botanicals sourced from across the globe, each oil having been painstakingly chosen by Tara for their ability to help keep skin healthy looking, nourished and radiant.

Having been carefully blended by Tara, the serum is then sent direct to Italy, where the skincare products are manufactured and packaged in multidose capsules, ensuring the creams and serums maintain their potency and purity.

Oils such as cranberry seed and lavender help with tissue regeneration; bilberry and shiitake extract assist with skin lightening; sage leaf extract and rosehip oil provide anti-aging properties; marula oil and barley extract sooth dry skin; while wheat germ and buriti oil provide the skin with nourishing vitamins A and E.

“Each oil has different benefits and I have researched and tested them all”, she says. “I’m always experimenting.”

With the serum perfected, it became obvious that to be taken seriously a capsule line was needed.

Tara got to work creating a line of six creams, serums and balms, which were tested by a UK formulator to meet stringent regulations. Two years ago, Tara Walker’s Dream was officially launched, and orders have since been received from across the globe – from Singapore, to the UK and Canada.

Tara’s philosophy is simple. “Everyone can look beautiful,” she says. “I always say to people, look at what God gave you. Use it and make the most of it.

“A good skincare regime is so important, particularly as the face gets so much abuse from daily aggressors, such as the sun and pollutants. Anybody can make their skin look good; it just takes dedication and the right products.”

Having created the line, her next challenge is getting her brand to stand out in a crowded market place.

“It’s a very secretive business,” she says. “To find your way around the beauty industry is a challenge. There are so many products out there to compete with, but they don’t have the quality of ingredients.”

Tara Walker’s Dream products are available at Eclipze Hair Design & Day Spa, Camana Bay.