How does Alison Carroll keep it cool in the desert? With hydration ambition to the max, and a lifestyle shop that couldn’t come from anywhere else. Inspired by the spirit of its namesake location and founded by Alison and her husband, Wonder Valley is a creative celebration of their dreamy-desert life in Joshua Tree – and a home goods store like no other.
We know Wonder Valley best for their signature olive oil, but their gorgeous new face product is destined to make waves with girls in the know. Bottled in the same stunning style as the culinary oil, we’re loving this versatile skin oil for desert dwellers and city dwellers alike.
We asked Alison to answer our Green Goddess Guide and loved her healthful solutions and serious stash of TCM-approved clean beauty. Find out where she stocks up on pheromone perfume and why she swears by her hot spring habit for glowing skin….
In a pinch I…
Apply a toner spray or hydrating mist (a great staple for desert living). I love Living Libation’s Rose Glow Complexion Mist, which I found through CAP Beauty.
Once a month I…
Go to the low desert for a soak in the hot springs.
Product that changed my skin…
Oils! Growing up in the ’90s with bad skin, it was all about astringents, chemicals and Ponds strips (!). It wasn’t until I first started experimenting with our olive oil as a base to apply on my skin, things really started to change. My skin felt soft, hydrated, healthy. I started making little vials for friends and my husband, tweaking the formula over the years trying to find something that was nourishing, had a matte finish, and a unisex scent. We just launched it: the Wonder Valley Face Oil.
Current Obsession:
Beautifying meal:
Bone broth fortified with some Maine-harvested seaweed or an avocado with Wonder Valley olive oil and a dab of yuzu koshu for heat – the most addictive snack.
Beautifying drink:
Turmeric lattes at home: heated cashew milk, blended until frothy with grated fresh turmeric, a little ginger root, honey and black pepper on top.
My go-to smoothie recipe:
Just toss all of these ingredients into a blender: almond butter, banana, coconut oil, berries, greens, cinnamon, , Sun Potion’s anandamide or chlorella and a dash of mesquite.
Always in my evening clutch:
An extra bottle of RTH ‘Yo’ fragrance – it naturally enhances your pheromones. It’s one of those great scents you don’t really notice on yourself but you get a lot of compliments on.
For ultra-glam effect:
For A Perfect pout:
Nars Red Square lip pencil, the perfect orangey-red.
Fave Beauty tool:
Weirdest beauty habit:
Oil pulling / tongue scraping in the morning.
In the shower I keep…
Neal’s Yard Orange and Honey Face Scrub; and Rahua Shampoo – hooked on both of these scents.
On my bedside table…
A stack of books, usually a health, a home and a food book. Right now that is Euell Gibbons’ Stalking the Healthful Herbs, Christophe Alexander’s A Pattern Language (a beacon for our house renovation), and Jessica Koslow’s Sqirl Cookbook.
After a long-night…
I always start my day with a big pot of green tea. If I’m being good, I meditate and hike in the boulders behind my house with my dog. If I’m being lazy, an Arrested Development binge.
Can’t travel without…
Vitamins and mascara.
On little sleep I rely on…
More sleep.
For glowing skin…
Drink water!
Most treasured beauty tip…
You are worth it. However difficult, expensive or time-consuming the process is, your health is essential. You are worth it.
