27/04/2026
The Magic of Magic Balm: A Legacy of skincare, beauty & magic making.
Every jar of Magic Balm carries a history that spans decades, continents, and generations of beauty expertise. Our story isn't just about a product; it’s about a lineage of care, resilience, and the pursuit of the perfect, natural remedy.
The London Roots
It all began in the 1960s. My mother, a former model, transitioned from the spotlight to the other side of the industry, opening a renowned beauty salon named Secrets in Barnes, London. In an era when her salon was a sanctuary—strictly for women—she had the finest skincare ranges for the elite, Royal, rich & famous.
It was there she discovered Angela Wall.
The legend of Angela Wall—a celebrated actress of the Second World War—is one of ingenuity. Facing wartime rations, she turned to a chemist to formulate her own skincare, crafting a secret stash that became so coveted she began producing it for her inner circle. Recognising its brilliance, my mother eventually acquired the brand. As I was growing up living above the salon, I was her apprentice, learning the alchemy of these formulations firsthand.
Resilience Through Transformation
I followed in my mothers footsteps and graduated from the Chelsea beauty school in 1989.Life has a way of leading us on winding paths and after falling in love with my N.Z husband whilst in London I moved to new Zealand with him. From the bustling streets of London to building my own successful salon in Auckland in 1999, the beauty industry has always been my home.
I eventually sought to honor that heritage by bringing a high-quality, natural skincare range to a wider audience. However, the path of business is rarely linear. Following a difficult corporate takeover that left me with a hard-learned lesson, and a poignant move to Arrowtown to care for my mother in her final years, I found myself at a crossroads.
The Birth of Magic Balm
After my mother passed, and while running my salon here in the beautiful Southern Lakes, I realized something was missing. My clients needed that one, essential hero product—the kind of "skin food" that defined the Angela Wall legacy of my youth.
I decided to recreate that magic, but with a modern evolution. I stripped away the complex, synthetic ingredients of the past to focus on what truly works. Magic Balm was born from a commitment to purity: 100% natural waxes, butters, and oils.
Why It’s Magic
When you open a jar of Magic Balm, you are using a formula refined by decades of experience and distilled into its purest form. It is a tribute to the women who came before me—my mother and the legacy of Angela Wall—and a promise to you: simple, honest, and effective skincare that feels like it was made just for you.
A Family Affair: The Next Generation
For the past 26 years in Arrowtown, I have been supported by the wonderful ladies I’ve worked with at Oddfellows Beauty Lodge, but the magic has truly come home to the family.
My adult sons have become the heartbeat of this next chapter. They have worked alongside me, packaging products and encouraging me to share these potions with more people. I’ve always been a maker who creates by intuition, and when it came time to write down my "secret" formula, my son Tane was skeptical. To test my consistency, he measured 20 pots as I made them—each one a slightly different batch. To his amazement (though perhaps not mine!), I was within 3% of each other on them all. We now have the exact recipe captured, and the magic continues to evolve.
We’ve since expanded the range to include:
Body Balm: A lush blend of our base Magic Balm with added oils and fragrances.
Tallow Zinc Balm: Our newest creation for sun protection and extra care for wounds.
Coming Soon: A beautiful, scented Tallow balm.
Today, the work continues to grow with the help of my other son, Nemo, who has officially taken over the design and administrative side of the business—a huge relief, as it lets me get back to what I truly love: making my potions.
