Amber Olivier thought she needed a suitcase full of skincare for her Thai getaway. Turns out, her skin had other plans. Between the sea, sunshine and chilled vibes, she discovered a simpler approach to beauty and the inspiration behind her brand.
There are people who pack light for a holiday, and then there is Amber Olivier.
When her partner told her not to pack too much for their trip to Thailand last year because they could get whatever they needed there, Amber did what any committed skincare lover would do.
“I ignored him and arrived with a suitcase filled with skincare!”
The irony? She barely touched it. Apart from the SPF, obviously. Instead, she spent her days swimming in the ocean, being outdoors, feeling the sun on her skin and enjoying that delicious holiday feeling of having nowhere else to be. Somewhere between the salt water, sunshine and slower pace, she noticed something rather unexpected. Her skin looked incredible.
“It genuinely looked like I had a beauty filter on in real life,” she laughs. “And I remember thinking, why does my skin look this good when I’m doing absolutely nothing?”
It was a simple question, but Amber couldn’t shake it. Perhaps what she brought home from Thailand wasn’t just holiday memories, but the beginning of a completely different way of thinking about skincare and, ultimately, a new chapter in her own life.
BEFORE THE OCEAN
Before Love Umi, Amber was firmly planted in the corporate world, working in business development and account management in technology. She was comfy there, building a career and climbing the corporate ladder, but there had always been a little voice wondering what it would feel like to create something of her own.
“There was always a part of me that wanted to build something of my own. I wanted the freedom to create something from nothing and make decisions based on my own vision.”
Eventually, she decided she’d rather find out than spend years wondering. “I realised I would rather take the risk and try than spend years wondering, ‘What if I had?’”
Away from work, Amber is happiest doing the simple things. Cooking, travelling, being outdoors, playing golf, doing yoga and discovering new places with the people she loves. Her friends and family describe her as passionate, determined and yes, a little bit of a dreamer.
“I’m happiest when I’m doing something that makes me feel present rather than constantly thinking about the next thing. Life is short, and I want to enjoy it while I’m building something meaningful.”
FROM A SUITCASE TO A SKINCARE IDEA
Amber had always loved beauty and skincare, although she wouldn’t exactly call herself a skincare guru. Her bathroom shelf, on the other hand, was having none of that, with products for just about every skin concern and a morning and evening routine that could take a while. Sound familiar?
“There’s nothing wrong with a complicated routine, but it wasn’t really aligned with how I wanted to live. I became more interested in simplicity, wellness and the idea that less can actually be more.”
Back home, she started wondering if she could recreate that fresh, balanced feeling she’d experienced beside the ocean. Soon she was talking to labs and chemists and discovering the rather less glam side of creating skincare, from formulation and textures to stability and testing.
Then there was the ingredient that really brought the ocean story to life. Unrefined Celtic sea salt.
“Sustainably harvested from the coastal waters of France, it is naturally rich in magnesium, zinc, calcium and more than 60 essential minerals. Unlike heavily processed salts, it keeps its natural mineral goodness and is raw, mineral-dense and pH-friendly.”
In other words, a little piece of the ocean with plenty going for it. For Amber, it was the perfect meeting point between nature and modern skincare.
“I didn’t want to create another skincare brand where you look at it and struggle to understand what makes it different. I wanted that connection with the sea to be something you could immediately understand.”
And so Love Umi began to take shape. A simple daily skin ritual designed to detoxify, hydrate and restore balance to modern city skin.
Proudly vegan, cruelty-free and eco-conscious, Love Umi uses responsibly selected, naturally derived ingredients. The range includes the Ocean Sand Bar exfoliating bar, Ocean Mist Spritzer hydrating tonic and Ocean HydraGlow elixir, all created around the idea of making skincare feel less like a chore and more like a little ritual.
A LITTLE PAUSE
For Amber, ritual doesn’t need to be complicated. It is about taking an ordinary moment and making it count.
“I hope people feel like they’ve created a little pause in their day, even if it’s just for two minutes.”
And in a city like Joburg, where everyone always seems to be rushing somewhere, two minutes can feel surprisingly precious. Between work, traffic, deadlines, family and the endless stream of things we’re apparently supposed to be doing, a small moment of calm can be enough to reset the mood.
Perhaps that is the bigger idea behind Love Umi. Not adding another complicated task to your bathroom shelf, but changing the way you feel about taking care of yourself.
BEAUTY WITHOUT THE PRESSURE
Amber’s ideas about skincare have also changed the way she thinks about beauty itself.
She wants women to stop feeling as though they are constantly being asked to fix themselves, to look younger, smoother, thinner, more polished or somehow more perfect.
“Beauty should be about caring for yourself, not criticising yourself.”
And then comes a line that feels like the heart of her philosophy.
“Self-care shouldn’t come from a place of ‘I don’t like myself, so I need to change.’ It should come from ‘I love myself, so I’m going to take care of myself.’”
For Amber, seeing something that once existed only as an idea sitting on a shelf is still surreal.
“I remember the conversations, the samples, the decisions and the late nights that went into creating it, and then suddenly someone is holding the finished product in their hands.”
Her ambitions are big. She would love Love Umi to become a globally recognised South African skincare and wellness brand, with experiences, collaborations and spaces that extend beyond skincare. But she still wants to be right in the middle of it all.
“I want to keep creating, travelling, meeting people and building something I can be proud of.”
And perhaps that is what makes Amber’s story so relatable. Five years ago, she never imagined she’d be building a skincare brand. Today, she’s learning as she goes, taking risks, trusting her instincts and becoming comfortable with not having every answer.
“I’m learning to let go of the need to have everything figured out. Not knowing what’s next doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path.”
Maybe that was the real lesson waiting for her in Thailand.
Amber arrived with a suitcase full of skincare, convinced she needed all those products to look after her skin. She left with something much simpler. A reminder that sometimes less really can be more, that taking care of yourself should feel good, and that the best things can happen when you stop rushing long enough to notice them.
And sometimes, you don’t need another product, another plan or a perfect answer.
You just need to put down the suitcase, step into the water and see where the tide takes you.
Summer skin reset with Amber
Keep it simple
Gentle cleanser, moisturiser and SPF. That’s your starting trio.
Don’t overdo it
More actives don’t mean better skin. Too much exfoliation can leave your skin irritated and unhappy.
Listen up
Jozi’s weather can be unpredictable, so adjust accordingly. Dry day? Hydrate. Sunny day? SPF, SPF, SPF.
The golden rule
Stop jumping from product to product because social media told you to. Give your skin time to decide what it actually likes.
Amber’s glow-getter
Sleep. Water, nourishing food, movement, less stress and getting outside all count too. And most importantly, stop touching your face!
Shop Love Umi products at Stylish Scissors, Little Falls, Roodepoort. Details: loveumi.com, or follow @loveumi on Facebook and Insta.
Text: RIALIEN FURSTENBERG. Image: MEGAN BRETT.
