What better way to start off the year than with some tips from a top wellness expert. Leanne Lovatt, founder of salon skincare brand Heritage Healers, talks about being balanced, calming and clearing your complexion, and ageing gracefully.

What’s your own skincare routine?

“I start with four drops under the tongue of my personal wildflower essences - I’m taking the fire blend at the moment. I then run some water in the sink and add a few drops of the fire aromatherapy blend, which contains vetiver, myrrh, ylang ylang and neroli. I let a face washer soak in it while I cleanse my skin, and I then remove the cleanser with the aromatherapy-infused washer. Next, I use the Refreshing Lotion, followed by one of my Intensives serums, then eye cream and moisturiser. It’s a ritual I’m religious about.”

What’s your top skincare tip?

“I apply my eye cream on my lips, above the lipline, and on the throat and décolletage. It’s especially great for the lipline, which becomes such a problem zone for women with age. It’s a great way to give the line-prone skin here extra nourishment. That’s the reason I packaged our Essential Eye Cream in a larger jar - so you have the option to multi-task it.”

What’s the best thing you’ve ever done for your skin?

“Recently, it’s been to step up the hard-hitting facial treatments. Glossy ones are all well and good, but when you reach your thirties and beyond, you need more serious skincare for real results. I follow our Superceutical programme – a mix of the oxygen therapy, and the Goddess Facial, which we launched into salons recently. It uses a natural form of muscle relaxant to target dynamic wrinkles and stress lines, as well as a choice of vitamin C, caviar or whitening actives.”

What’s the most common skin question you’re asked?

“Wrinkles, baby. Nobody wants to age. I tell them, you need to get serious. It’s not just about what you use at home - it’s also about following programmes. If you hit skin ageing intensively, you can push it way back. It takes work. But it is possible to age beautifully with beautiful skin.”

What’s your stance on cosmetic surgery?

“Look, each to her own. But I’m really not a fan. I especially hate that caught in a windblower look. I’ve seen so many facelift and eyelift disasters. I personally don’t advocate cosmetic surgery because I know that if people do commit themselves to high-performance treatments, they’ll get better results than if they do cosmetic surgery. And there’ll be less stress in body. It’s so much better to learn how to age gracefully.”

What else would you never do?

“Have my skin peeled. Years ago, when fruit acids were brought onto the market, I had a treatment and it literally burnt my skin. My skin is too fine for this approach. But I believe in general that peeling isn’t necessary. Think about it - our face is exposed every day of our life to so many aggressors, so we really should focus on regenerating and rebuilding, not peeling it back further. You may get good results in the short-term, but in the long-term, you’re actually damaging your skin because you’re stripping it of its acid mantle and protective factor. I see so many women with pigmentation issues and skin thickening, due to years of such skin abuse.”

Any other skincare crimes you see?

“Laying in the sun baking skin. It’s still happening! I love the beach and I love to swim. But you have to load up on sunscreen, take a hat, and wear long sleeves.”

Any skincare crimes you want to admit to yourself?

“I can honestly say, I do textbook skincare. I had really bad acne in my early twenties. I’m talking cystic acne. It was on my face, décolletage, back. For a long time, I would not go out in the daylight. When you’ve experienced such severe acne, you become quite nutty about your skin and neurotic about your routine.”

Can you tell us more about your experience with acne?

“It all happened in my early twenties, when I suffered an emotional trauma. I’d had really good skin before. But suddenly my skin broke out and just kept getting worse. I was fanatical about deep-cleansing treatments. Specialists put me on antibiotics and then Roaccutane. But the pimples kept on coming. What’s more, the medication made my body feel like it was breaking down. Eventually, a friend into natural therapies told me I had to get to the cause level. I tried a number of natural therapy modalities - Chinese herbs, kinesiology, iridology, you name it … Then I came across flower remedies. Within two months, 80% of my acne had subsided and I just felt overall so much better.”

So that’s why you went into flower essences yourself?

“That’s right. I already had a skincare business. But I did every course I could on flower essences and introduced it into my salon. We made up mixtures for a variety of problems we’d see - rosacea, psoriasis, stressed, eczema, acne…. We were inundated with demand. I really believed that the future of the beauty industry was to bridge the gap between inner and outer, which is why I brought out my wildflower essences. I also added remedies into the skincare, so we can work from inside and out. We also touch on other natural beauty modalities, such as aromatherapy and ayurveda, and everything has an organic base.”

What are you most excited about in beauty right now?

“The wellness movement. When I started 18 years ago, I kind of felt like I was on another planet. But I love that mainstream has now embraced the concept of wellness. Everyone understands that the way we feel affects the way we look. We’re moving away from superficial skincare.”

What other natural therapies do you yourself do?

“I’m very much into TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), which I do weekly. I also have a chakra balancing treatment weekly or fortnightly to keep my energy levels clear and balanced. The key is to try a number of therapies until you find the one that resonates for you.”

How do you treat yourself?

“I go to a wellness retreat once a year. Most recently, I went to Gwinganna in Queensland. It’s an ideal way to recharge. In between, I look after myself by walking on the beach and swimming in the ocean every morning, and doing a couple of Body Balance classes a week. And I take time out once a week for a home spa treatment. I add Dead Sea salts, my wildflower essence, my aromatherapy blend and some crystals into the water, light some candles, and then sink in and bliss out. Sometimes I’ll also have a glass of wine by my side. Never forget that great food and wine are also part of a good life.”

Finally, what are your some of your other favourite beauty buys?

“I’m obsessed with fake tan, which I apply weekly, I use Ella Baché - the spray for my torso, and the original cream for my legs, because it’s the most natural finish for legs I’ve ever found. I love mineral makeup – right now I’m alternating between i.d Bare Escentuals and Jane Iredale (call 1300 850 008). My all-time favourite lipsticks are Christian Dior (from department stores), they’re just so creamy and nourishing. I also wear Dior fragrance – J’Adore. Unless it’s winter, when I switch to Lancôme Poême (from department stores).”

For more information on Leanne and Heritage Healers, see Heritage Healers.