‘MY BONE BROTH inspired us!’
Ahappy culinary accident brought Maxine Laceby, 56, and her daughter Darcy, 25, together to start Absolute Collagen, a brand that now has a dedicated following of ‘Absoluters’ all over the country
At 49, I decided to do a fine art degree
and did a project about how women of a certain age are perceived. It made me realise how insecure I was about the way I looked, so I gave myself a talking-to; I reassessed everything, and one of the first things I did was to start making my own bone broth. I noticed that when the liquid settled, a jelly would form on top, and this is where Darcy came in. She was studying food science at the time, and together we discovered that the jelly was collagen. It went from there – the stars aligned, and our brand was born!
I am really good at knowing what I’m not good at.
I came up with the idea for Absolute Collagen, but the business grew because we put good people in the right places. I champion and listen to young people – we can learn a lot from one another. I’m an accelerator-to-thefloor type of mother and Darcy is all about details – that’s why we work so well together.
Maybe I should say ‘low-maintenance’, but I’m quite lazy!
So my favourite product from our line is the Absolute Collagen Marine Collagen Oral
Supplement (1), £33.99, because it covers everything: hair, skin and nails. As far as skincare goes, I love Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream, from £29. I’m also a huge fan of cleansing. My top product is Elemis Pro-collagen Cleansing Balm (2), from £27. It feels like a mini spa experience at the end of each day. And Darcy has introduced me (and everyone in our office!) to SPF. I like La Roche-posay Anthelios Uvmune 400 SPF50+, £19, and won’t leave the house without it on.
Unlike Darcy, though, I’m definitely a makeup person.
Something I’ve recently found myself getting quite obsessed with is Jones Road Miracle
Balm (3), £36. And I find that although it’s not cheap, it lasts a long time. I also love a little bit of Victoria Beckham Beauty Satin Kajal Liner in Olive (4),
£26, on my eyes.
I have a perfect relationship with my hair.
Since I gave up dyeing it, it’s so damn easy! I use our Absolute Collagen Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner, from £15 each, and I also love John Frieda Frizz Ease Dream Curls Curl
Reviver Mousse (5), £6.99, which I’ve used for years. I used to think washing my hair was a real hassle, but 1
I’ve changed my outlook. I now see it as my time. Nobody can get to me when I’m in the shower, which
I quite like!
Mum and I get on incredibly well.
She’s able to stand back and trust me to do what I do, which is operations and logistics. We’re not like mummydaughter best friends; it’s more that we have a lot of respect for each other, which is, I think, why it works between us.
Skincare is what I love the most.
I’m obsessed. Unlike Mum, I prefer an acid or vitamin C cleanser to a balm. I love to try new products as much as possible and at the moment I’m using
Whïnd Oasis Fresh Dissolving Jelly Cleanser (1), £32. I also love our
Absolute Collagen Maxerum Collagen Boosting Serum (2), £26.99, and then, as Mum said, I’m all about the SPF.
Ultra Violette Supreme Screen Hydrating Facial Skinscreen SPF50+
(3), £34, is one of my favourites. I also really believe in eye creams – in my opinion, what’s in your moisturiser should not be going near your eyes! One I’ll often recommend is Cerave
Eye Repair Cream (4), £13.
Rather than in the bathroom, I like to have me-time in the kitchen.
In the morning, I love having a moment with a cup of tea while taking supplements.
Obviously I love our collagen because I know we have such a high standard for everything we do – we’re constantly looking at new ways of improving things with every batch. And the earlier you start taking collagen, the better -- I notice a difference in the smoothness of my skin and it also makes my hair less frizzy.
Hair is where I’ve had one of my worst beauty fails.
I let Mum do some blonde highlights for me when I was younger – she was in a rush, and the end result was that I looked like Marty from the movie Madagascar… he’s a zebra. Today I’m more low-maintenance with my hair. It’s naturally curly and I like using Bouclème Curl Defining Gel (5), £15, to define my curls.
My sister is working with us in the business now.
She’s very good at what she does, although our approach to beauty couldn’t be more different. While I love skincare, she’s into self-tan, lips, eyelashes and nails. But what we all have in common is a love of water. As a family we’re pretty obsessive about it – it’s the only thing we really drink, which a lot of people find weird!