(UPLIFTING MUSIC) I'm Rachel Hunter, and this time I'm on a journey through the Americas, to discover more secrets to health, well-being and long-lasting beauty. Natural make-up. That is so crazy great! Beautiful. Oh my God. That's somebody's face. (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS RAPIDLY) This time I'm in Alaska ` one of the most extreme climates in the world... That was a super mistake not wearing really thick socks. ...and one of the most beautiful. WHISPERS: Look at those mountains. I send my taste buds on a wild Alaskan adventure... So what part of the moose is in that? ...and discover fashion here comes in all shapes and sizes. When you don't care what other people think, I mean, that is kind of what Alaska is about. (BOTH LAUGH) Copyright Able 2017 (RISING ELECTRONIC MUSIC) I'm in Anchorage, Alaska, where beauty stretches for miles over the rivers, mountains and glacier-carved valleys. I've come here to explore one of Mother Nature's most extraordinary settings, and, of course, learn beauty and well-being tips from the people here. Alaska was voted one of America's happiest states. So what makes people here so cheerful? I think that a big part of it is that you have to have a certain positivity to live here and to really enjoy it, so I think the people who move here and stick it out are the people that have that positivity and can say, 'Yes, it's dark for 17 hours, but we're gonna have a lot of fun.' In Alaska they're known as the happiest state in America. Uh-huh. I would say it's inherent to our culture ` cos you go hiking, you go fishing; you get out and you go dirt-biking. So being active is a part of the big, wild life that Alaskans live. It certainly looks like there's plenty to smile about, even in 5 degrees Celsius. It's like the fridge, you know. It conserves the beauty. Today I'm meeting local comedian Justin Hoyt, who spends a lot of his time trying to make people laugh and feel good. Maybe he knows why Alaskans are so happy. It's still a very small community, and that's how most of Alaska is. Yeah. You have to be nice to people, because you never know when you're going to need their help. But the same report that measured Alaskans' happiness also found they didn't feel very good about their appearance. In my experience, there's not really much of a fashion in Alaska. Right now, are you in your casual look, day look, night look, evening look? Like, what kind of thing would you say that you are in right now? This is my all-day attire ` for any experience. For any experience? Yeah. No, I love your whole look. You look so awesome. There seems to be no pressure about that. Like, there's onesies; there's people with tights that should be sometimes covered that are exposed. But, I mean, people just wanna be warm and comfortable, right? Yeah. That has to make people happy too. Yes. But I'm not sure he's convinced I've got the Alaskan look right for the conditions, or the town. So, what would you suggest I get into? Well, I mean, are you warm right now? I mean, how are your legs? I mean, I feel like, yeah, this is the most` Yeah, so let's give that 'legs' a different look. Absolutely. Oh my God. As I expected, there's puffers galore ` in every size, colour and shape. Even the kids are wearing them. I think this kind of a thing ` puffer skirt or down skirt. I don't know what to call it exactly. I just call it a down skirt. It's a puffy down. Down skirt. Puffy down skirt. I think you need this one. You need that. And you need this. Excuse me. One more? This is, like, the finishing. I am going to be a down condom after this. I don't even know whether I got the sizing right. You need something that pops. You need something that'll make it pop. What we do up here is we kinda just add on to what we have. Just gotta be prepared for everything. Everything. Yeah. I'm ready. Yeah. I'm ready to go. OK, trying puffer. OK. Oh, that's good. We now have the bronze or the rose gold. What do you think? It looks so good. That's what you were missing ` something that popped. Oh my God, wait, boots! Yeah. You look like a normal hunter goin' out, ready to skin a moose at a moment's notice. Literally, I'm a Hunter. (CHUCKLES) So is this getting close? Yeah. You're looking great. Is this very typical? I think you're very Alaska. I do actually feel quite cheerful. You look great. It's fun! It's great. That actually looks really good. (LAUGHS) I know, right? That's what I was thinking. Are you kind of into that? Look good? You're like, 'Uh, yeah.' Do you think you need a longer one? Mm! OK, apparently, this is... fitting in. Um, I'm not too sure about that, to be honest. But we'll... see. Maybe Justin was just having a laugh! (FUNKY MUSIC) I've only just got here, but it's obvious Alaska has a very strong sense of identity. I love its individuality and distinctiveness, and that's something many of the people here want to preserve. Hello. Hi! 'Today I've been invited to lunch by Denali Whiting, who grew up in a remote Alaskan native village. You're from, basically, the middle part of Alaska, right? North-west ` along the coast. OK. So it's above the Arctic Circle. Wow. It's not connected to the road system. You have to fly in and out. I say that I'm Inupiaq Eskimo. The word Eskimo ` is it very much used in the culture up here? Well, it's kind of controversial, especially lately. The term Eskimo, some people don't like it at all, because it's not an aboriginal term. We didn't decide, 'Hey, we're Eskimos.' Somebody named us. Yeah. A former beauty queen, Denali keeps her origins and culture alive through her food, health and beauty choices. Do you still eat, with those traditions, as well ` do you still eat walrus and seal? Depending on the seasons, and following the migration of the animals. We get caribou, musk ox, a lot of different birds. We're on the coast, so we get a lot of different kinds of seals, belugas, walruses. There's so much good food. Yeah, and it's a whole process` My God, it's amazing! Yeah. It's traditions. ...not just` It's how you survived. Food is one of the biggest things of our culture, because you have to learn how to prepare to go out and hunt. Native people's right to hunt seals and other marine life is protected by law in Alaska. So I really stick to that diet, because I knew that it was good for me; I knew that it was super healthy, especially the fish and the seal oil and a lot of caribou and moose. You know, what a lot of people do is baked chicken and vegetables, which doesn't really taste like much, compared to, like, a juicy moose. It's just a cycle of yumminess. (LAUGHS) I saw a moose yesterday. I don't know how I feel about that. (CHUCKLES) About now, I'm wondering if I should've accepted Denali's lunch invitation. Next ` I take a wild food adventure maybe a little too far... This is the most different diet that I have ever tasted. ...and go hunting for some of Alaska's nutritious cuisine. I can't watch the decapitation. I'm in the spectacular state of Alaska, where I'm about to sample the food of their indigenous people. Maybe we'll start with salmon eggs. And they're so good with seal oil. Denali grew up eating seal, moose and caribou. And today she's offered to share her native Alaska diet with me. This is one of my favourite snacks. Now, seal oil... The seal oil is the rendered blubber from the seals, and you use it as a preservative. Like, this jar has the black meat, which is the seal jerky. And it has little strips of the seal that hadn't rendered all the way. OK, so, um, they're like the salmon eggs that you get in sushi,... Mm-hm. ...but they're boiled. But they're boiled. Yeah. OK, here we go. (BOING!) That's really salty. (CHUCKLES) It's very very fishy. Um,... it kinda takes your breath away. I'm like (GASPS). Should I grab a couple more snacks? Yeah, sure! OK, I'm gonna leave the salmon` boiled salmon, but I do have` That was pretty impressive, that taste. OK. So, this is what we call tuttu paniktak, and 'tuttu' is caribou; 'paniktak' is basically dry meat, like a jerky. OK. And I eat this with seal oil. I'm gonna eat it with my fish eggs too. But if you wanna try some of that... (CURIOUS, COMICAL MUSIC) This is, like, raw, indigenous food that I'm eating right now. Mm. This is probably the most different diet that I have ever tasted on Tour of Beauty so far. But I shouldn't be worried. The Alaskan native diet is highly regarded for its nutritional value, because it's high in protein and low in carbs. With it being so potent with probably a lot of nutrition and fats, it's quite rich, isn't it, in taste? And so you don't need a lot of it. So I've got some soup, which is probably a little bit more mellow, and it'll help wash down the taste. OK. But I made it with ground moose meat. Oh wow. (CAUTIOUS MUSIC) So what part of the moose is in that? So it's kind of all of the different parts all grounded up. It's just easier this way. And you get more of the meat out of it. Right, right. SOFTLY: This is the seal oil? Yeah. Oh wow. That is just something else. I'm excited about` I'm not excited to eat moose, but, you know,... Yeah. ...we were going for it today with seals and salmon eggs... You've already had seal oil. ...and caribou. 'But this could be a bit more to my taste.' Well, this soup is really really good. It's pretty amazing. You have been so generous with your time. And the food has just been... entertaining, with seal oil, I've gotta say! It's just been an honour, so thank you. But there's one Alaskan native tradition I'm less afraid to try. OK, here we go. Here's a ray of sunshine. Oh my God, I feel like a peacock. Created in Denali's home town of Kotzebue, the main part of the coat is made from Arctic ground squirrel, and the fur on the hood from wolf and wolverine. I use some mittens and maybe some caribou legging pants. (LAUGHS) Yeah! (LAUGHS) Denali has been so generous in allowing me to wear traditional clothing. I feel very very honoured. It's not something I would wear, but I don't think you can really judge... someone else's culture. The Alaskan native diet might not be for me, either, but I'm determined to get outdoors here and catch something a bit more to my liking, and it's a food Alaska is famous for. I have always wanted to catch a salmon in Alaska, because it is one of your most incredible fish. Oh, yeah. The salmon, they come up from the ocean. So that's about 800 miles away. Fishing guide Zac has promised me we'll land wild Alaskan salmon in super-quick time. The nutrients inside the salmon are amazing, and, I mean, every time at the market, and there's an Alaskan salmon, I mean, that's what you want, because when you look at the conditions that they're in... I mean, this water is just beautiful. Oh, yeah, and go and compare this water to where all the salmon are farmed. Yeah. Oh God, no. Yeah. Go and compare the two, you know? There you go! I got one! All right, Rachel, make sure you keep the line nice and tight. There you go. Good job, Rachel! Your first Alaskan salmon! Yay! Great! I actually didn't have much lunch today. I feel bad killing it, but I gotta say I do love eating it. Oh yeah. All I need to do right now is just simply filet the fish so we can get two nice filets off of him and go cook him on the fire. I can't watch the decapitation. There's a lot of different ways to prepare these guys. You can smoke him; you can can him. How do you know this is a male? Cos you can see all the sperm ` his sperm sac ` right down there. Why is it near his head? Oh, go figure (!) Even though he's travelled a fair way, I've never seen it so pale. It's crazy, isn't it? Yeah, it does. 'Wild salmon are packed with good fats, minerals from the river and loads of antioxidants. 'And I can't wait to try it.' Straight off the skin there. Doesn't get much fresher than that. Um, this tastes very very different than salmon that you would get in the store ` wild salmon you get in the store as well. I mean, it's a lot paler, um, but, you know, it's 800 miles inland. It tastes different. It tastes different. It's very, kind of, subdued, in a way, the taste, isn't it? Usually I do, like, a dill and a honey over it so it gets that sweet taste... and bake it in the oven. 'Hmm. Moose, caribou, seal and salmon fresh from the river ` not sure wild food is my thing. 'But there's plenty to be cheerful about, anyway.' Look where I am. It's gorgeous. I mean, who doesn't wanna go fishing and then cook your fish on the side of the river? It's incredible. Thank you. 'OK, so my Alaskan animal adventure has taken many twists and turns so far. 'But I'm sure my next visit is gonna prove truly remarkable.' Hello. Hi. How are you? Nice to meet you. Rachel. Hi, Rachel. Mark. Mark runs a farm of domesticated musk ox ` an animal producing a fibre that's one of the warmest in the world. They're extraordinary-looking. I mean, they look very very ancient. They were roaming around with sabretooth tigers and woolly mammoths during the ice age. Their closest relatives would be goats, but it's been a long time since they've been anywhere near a goat. Well, I just can't even believe they actually are related to the goat, to be honest. I thought they would be more like a bull or... I don't know what. Can we go look at them? Absolutely, yeah. 'The musk ox produces a fibre called qiviut. 'It's rarely seen out of Alaska, but it's considered one of the country's best-kept fashion secrets.' Their fibre is incredibly valuable. It's eight times warmer than wool. It's one of the softest natural fibres. Cashmere is about 19 microns in diameter. This is 12 microns, 15 microns in diameter. This is a smooth fibre. So as far as textile goes, it's so much warmer. All these animals are combed. So in the spring, when they start to shed, we put them in a stall about the size of a musk ox. We go in there with them with an afro pick and we just comb the qiviut out of them. So clearly, when you've got a 1000-pound animal, it's awful nice to have a stress-free animal. Yeah, it is. Safety, this is Rachel. (CURIOUS MUSIC) Hi. It's not hay, honey. Oh, she's so close! Oh my God. (CHUCKLES) Here's the big boys. Ooh. Very handsome, aren't you? They are. They're pretty amazing guys. And these are the babies. These are these year's babies. So this is Arcadia. Arcadia? Yeah. Arcadia! Kenai, Zion and Yosemite in there as well. They're so cute! If you believe in reincarnation, I think I'm coming back as a musk ox. Maybe here on the farm. (LAUGHS) That's what I was gonna say! The only thing is I wanna come here to Alaska, to your farm! Right. What a gorgeous barn. 'Now for a chance to see a garment made from this extraordinary fibre.' OK, so this is the qiviut. This is the qiviut. The oil on it, eh? But it is considered hypoallergenic. There's no lanolins, which is what most people are allergic to. And as I mentioned, it's a smooth fibre, so there's no barbs or scales on it. And so next to your skin, there is absolutely nothing in the world that feels like it. Just feeling this right now... I mean, just for that split second here, I mean, the warmth that it actually makes your hands feel is pretty incredible. It's actually hot. It is! (LAUGHS) It gets hot fast. So it really is kind of like the super-duper textile, really. It is, yeah. It's an amazing fibre. This is just so delicately made. It's very very warm, but it is in an expensive fibre. A lot of them are lace, which has lent itself to become just synonymous with these beautiful, beautiful garments. I want a pet musk ox in my back garden. Oh, you have to move to Alaska first. 'Well, I just might.' Next, I meet some Alaskan natives who've created a skincare range from the ground, up. It sustained us, like, as food. It's amazing. And when it comes to natural beauty,... Oh my God, look! ...I discover the sky's the limit. That' pretty beautiful. * (LIVELY ACOUSTIC MUSIC) I'm enjoying Alaska. It's beautiful and extraordinary. But the climate is brisk. And in these cool conditions, it's not just warm clothes you need to give you protection from the weather. Alaska has very dry air, which is tough on the skin. Hello? Hey, welcome! Welcome to Alaska. The Sparck triplets are gonna show me how they make natural cosmetics to combat these conditions, and it all comes from the wildly nutritious land they grew up on called the tundra. Very laden with mosses and lichen. Wow. That's quite moist and bouncy. Yes. Yeah. It is a wetland. It is a wetland. It's spongy. It's like walking on a wet mattress. We basically have a trio of botanicals ` a flower, a plant and a berry. These are skincare ingredients you can literally eat. Right here is fireweed. This is the flower. The plant is from the wormwood family of plants ` Arctic sage. And the berries are? Crowberries. Incredible antioxidant strength for the skin. It's healed us; it's sustained us, as food; so you've got to imagine it's incredible for the skin. The sisters became convinced of the strength of these Arctic botanicals because they battle nearly 24 hours of sunlight in the summer. This is the array, the best of the Arctic. I'm so excited. Oh, very good. Are we going to go make something? Oh, yes. You're gonna actually help us mix some new facial moisturiser. OK, good. Pour this up until about... there. This much? Yes. So this is just a base, right, lotion? Yes. That's made with no parabens or` Or mineral oil, yeah. So it's very gentle; it's very light, and it mixes really well with our ingredients. Serums made from herbs and plants on the tundra are added to the basic formula. But which one will I choose? We'll see how this goes. I'm gonna add the teak wood first as a fragrance, just because it smells Christmassy. Right. Our audience for teak wood tends to be male. What does that say about me? (ALL LAUGH) And then you're going to open up our little magical elixir here. So this actually keeps microbes out. So it's antimicrobial. OK. And what you're pumping in there is our signature Quyung-lii. Quyung-lii? Which means 'the potent one', and it's an anti-ageing formulation. So do you think it's ready? Yeah, yeah. You did a lot of shaking there. So you're gonna tip it in, and you're gonna fill it all the way to the top. Voila. It's amazing. Thank you. There's your teak wood facial moisturiser, with the serum in it. That's amazing. Oh, it's lovely and light. It feels very silky. Thank you so much. You're very inspiring, so thank you. I've fallen in love with this place. Everywhere you look, you're reminded of nature's beauty. So it's no wonder it's in this region that you can witness one of nature's most extraordinary displays ` the Northern Lights. One of the best views is outside the city of Fairbanks. Like, you don't wanna take your eyes off the sky. Sometimes they come in super, super faintly, and then all of a sudden, there's these explosions of colour, so I'm hoping that's what I get to see tonight. (RISING MUSIC) Oh my God, look! (UPLIFTING MUSIC) Absolutely incredible. So, out of nowhere comes this beautiful glowing light that kind of goes in these waves. And then they turn into` There's pinks and greens, and it's super, super, super intense. It's pretty amazing what nature does, I mean, to produce these incredible colours in the sky. It's mind-blowing. The name of this light display is Aurora Borealis, and the different colours are due to the types of gas particles colliding. Some North American Inuits believe that when they see these lights, that it's the spirits of the dead that are playing football with the head of a walrus. It's pretty intense. I would've travelled the world to see this. It's just stunning. (REFLECTIVE MUSIC) Clearly, Alaska is visually one of the most beautiful places in the world. It's just stunning, and the Alaskan natives I got to meet here were wonderful. The Sparck sisters sure convinced me of their skincare. And spending time with Denali, whose indigenous culture has helped influence her food and beauty choices, was amazing. Now, I know a lot of people will probably go, 'Oh my God, I can't believe you put a fur coat on and did all that.' I do wanna experience what they experience as a culture. Despite all its nutritional value, most of the Alaskan wild food I tried probably won't make my dinner table. But what an experience to try it all! As always, it's the people who left an indelible impression on me. I've seen some stylish people here, and I've seen some people who just wanna keep warm. But I'm certainly convinced Alaskans are very cheerful. And, of course, we got a glimpse into these amazing Northern Lights that you see up here, just outside of Fairbanks, and they were just extraordinary. It's definitely one that was checked off the bucket list, that's for sure. God, look at them. Oh my God, she's just gorgeous. Very handsome, aren't you? What are you doing, gorgeous? Hi. God, that's an impressive animal. This makes me star-struck over anything else or meeting anybody else, because this is impressive. Do you like me? Oh my God. Oh my God. (LAUGHS) Copyright Able 2017