MOVING / Hello New Love Aesthetics

It has been exactly 6 years since I wrote my first post on Love Aesthetics and my digital brainchild was born. It is the project I've been involved in for the longest amount of time in my life. My blog has lasted longer than high school. Though Love Aesthetics has slowly been growing into a thing on its own and has outgrown the format of just a blog.

Thank you all for reading and being with me all these years. The best thing about running this blog has been meeting so many of you talented readers and making a lot of new friends. There is a Dutch expression 'stok achter de deur' which literally translates into 'stick behind the door', which means a threat in the most positive sense of the word, an extra motivation for doing something. So thank you all for stopping by each time (and leaving all the lovely comments, I've read each single one of them), you have been my 'stick behind the door' to update Love Aesthetics, to keep the ideas coming and to push myself to deliver better quality each time. I can honestly say that I love you!

Please do come and take a look at our new digital place! There are a lot of new updates waiting!
I've been working hard on it the last month together with Fleur Glansbeek and can not be more excited to finally invite you over!








/ NEW WEBSITE !
http://LOVE-AESTHETICS.nl

B E A U T Y / 'Stories Cosmetics

You might have already heard that &OtherStories is opening a store in Amsterdam this fall on Heiligeweg. What might still be a little underrated about them is their cosmetics department. It is great. There is just so much effort in it; from the scents to the colors matching their clothes and don't get me started on the graphic design on their packaging, I love the simplicity of it. Another great thing is that they take some responsibility for the environment; most of the packaging is fully recyclable and if you bring back your empty make up/skincare packaging to the store, you get a 10% discount off your next beauty purchase.

When visiting them in Stockholm last October for the Co-Creatives project, I got a box filled with their skin care products. These are my three favorites, very happy about having them available closer to home soon.

/ Moiré Anti stress serum
My favorite thing about it is its fresh, unisex, clean laundry type of smell. Has a really smooth consistency and is absorbed quickly into the skin.

/ White nail polish
Applies like a dream, hardly leaves any streaks and has great coverage. Two things that are extremely rare in white nail polish. Though it chips of quite quickly, so you have to apply a good quality top coat over it to keep your nails white for a couple of days.

/ Plush Balm
Super rich, fragrance and paraben free lip balm. I've also been using it on my hands (which can get so dry in winter) a couple of times when I had no cream in my purse.

B E A U T Y / Spot On Nails

Who has time for long complicated manicures?
A dot on the moon and one on the tip of the nail with a nail pen and you're pretty much done. I applied it only to my index and middle finger and painted the rest of the nails solid white. It is amazing how two tiny dots opposite to each other can create such a visually graphic, balanced and elongating effect.

nail polishes: Hema

B E A U T Y / NYE Hair: Slicked Back Glitter

This is what I'm planning to do with my hair on the last night of 2013 to celebrate and say goodbye to this fantastic year. It's still unsure what I'll be wearing on NYE, but I can already foresee that it will be something basic and plain. Instead of adding accessories, I like to experiment with cosmetics instead. Doesn't mean it requires much time (if only we had more time), special skill or many products; just one simple, radical plan; like covering every single hair in sparkles! I love to put tacky, cheap things in a different context.

Here's what I did
1/ Apply a big blob of gel on your finger tips and run it through the roots of your hair. Repeat until the front and top part of your hair are looking evenly 'wet'.
2/ Comb your hair to the back, distributing the gel even more.
3/ With a soft brush smooth out the hair from front to back with long strokes and put it into a low ponytail.
4/ Let it dry for a couple of minutes.
5/ Take out the hair tie. I love how the low ponytail creates a wave in the back and gives this hairdo a lot of shape. But you could also straighten it out at this point.
6/ The party you've been waiting for. Spray the glitter all over!


It was close to impossible to capture the millions of sparkles in a photograph, some of it became visible with a flash. But trust me, this is something that must be tried and seen in real life, I'm not exaggerating when I tell you it is about ten times more sparkly.

need:
comb
soft brush
a bit of gel
hair tie
glitter hair spray

B E A U T Y / Bare Essentials

/ As you can see I'm not that fond of labels. Bare containers and bottles look less cluttered and more uniform on my shelf.

/ Some of you have send me messages about skin care routines. It is pretty basic and straight forward, I just try to keep my face 1/ as clean as possible, 2/ hydrated and 3/ protected against the sun (by adding some extra sunblock to my day cream).

/ A little over a month I've been testing out this new Kiehl's cream, and I can't let it go unmentioned. Specially during busybusybusy times where I tend to have less sleep, this little bottle has been a lifesaver in the morning. When really stressed, I like to take an extra minute or two to apply it and really massage it in, it makes your face feel completely awake and fresh again.

nail polish: Hema
cream: Skin Rescuer by Kiehl's
glass container: iittala

B E A U T Y / 50/50 Nails

Thought I'd give the two toned, half arsed half and half, or how I like to call them; 50/50 nails a try. I love how it still gives a bit of an idea that the tips of your nails are painted (which I usually find too girly), but in a more simplified, radical and less 'pretty' way. I used my favorite (non-)colors; light grey and white and instead of a glossy topcoat, I chose for matte.

// Start off with the lightest color as a base, in this case white, and paint your entire nail with it.
// Let it dry completely, to be sure give it an extra 10 minutes, else the tape will rip off your fresh polish.
// Cover one nail at the time with scotch tape, paint it and peel off the tape right away to get a straight line.
// Finally add a layer of topcoat.

B E A U T Y / Double Parted Ponytail

Seen double partings on a lot of runways; Gianfranco Ferre, Ann Demeulemeester and recently also at Barbara Langendijk among others. (Also looks fantastic with dark hair) But never have I come across someone on the streets with two partings like this. So I thought I'd give it a try as a variation on my usual middle parting with low ponytail. Loving how easy it is to get this graphic symmetric look.

how to
/ Find the center of your hairline and from there make two diagonal partings.
/ Now you've created a triangle of hair on the top of your head, pin this up into a little bun.
/ Comb the rest of the hair downwards into a sleek, low ponytail and secure it with a hair tie.
/ Take out the little bun and comb this top section of hair backwards and secure it with another tie over the existing ponytail.

two hair ties
comb
bit of gel or hair spray

B E A U T Y / T-Strap Nails

T-straps are much cooler on nails than they are on shoes.
Love the graphic look and how the lines visually elongate the nails. Tutorial is pretty straight forward: draw a straight horizontal line across the moons of the nails and then connect it with a vertical line to the top of your nail with a nail art pen.

bracelet: Topshop

B E A U T Y / Keeping Bleached Hair Alive

When I was 10 years old I dyed my hair for the first time. On the rare occasion that my mom went to the hair salon, she took me with her one time. We went to the poshest salon in town, not the type where you bring your kids. (hippie-mom not being the type who likes getting her hair done, I know you're reading mom.) Chez Henri was a place where all the clichés of French hair dressers were a reality. While my mother was getting a wash on the other side of the salon, Henri himself came to me and asked; what is it that you want? I answered red-purplish hair. With no further questions asked that was what I got. Meanwhile the ladies next to mom asked each other; who takes their daughter to the salon and lets her do whatever she wants with her hair? To which mom calmly answered; that would be me. Making the rest of the 15 minutes they had to sit there with wet hair utterly awkward for them. After that day and seeing how hair can instantly transform you, I saved up all my allowances and had enough money every other month to buy a new color, I tried out every hair-coloring-kit available in the drug store. this pretty much went on until getting these colder tones between grey, blue and lilac, that I've stuck to for the longest and feel most myself in.

So after reading my little hair resume, you could almost say that I'm an expert with 15 years of experience that learned everything the hard way (=Dyes gone wrong, hair breaking, hair falling out). That doesn't necessarily make me qualified to give you actual advice on how to bleach and dye your hair, but I could give a few tips on how to take care of it. Which is a question that is asked at least a few times a week. First off, when going to nearly white it will damage your hair. A lot. Afterwards you will have to treat your hair entirely differently than before. These might seem like very small useless tips, but if you apply them all they will have effect and keep delicate, damaged and bleached hair healthier.

/W A S H I N G
I only wash my hair twice a week. The process of washing, drying it, styling it is often is too demanding for bleached hair. Also washing hair washes out the natural oils coming from your scalp, making the hair dry.
/H A I R T I E S
Always use hair ties without a metal part. After switching to softer ones I noticed a lot less breakage at that awkward ear-height.
/T A N G L E S
Always try to avoid tangles. Every time you brush and detangle you have the change of breaking and damaging a few hairs. So tie your hair up before going to sleep, when it is windy outside, or just whenever you can.
/L O W H E A T
Classic one; avoid using heat on your hair. If you have to, put your straightening iron or blow drier on low heat.
/C U T I T
This is probably the maximum length of my hair while being bleached. The terminal hair length has to do with the speed your hair grows versus the speed that your hair breaks. Obviously with bleached damaged hair it will break more. So find out what your length is and keep it at that or shorter to keep it looking healthy.

nose piece:Maison Martin
Margiela
tee: Hema

BEAUTY | Marble Manicure

I have a little obsession going on with marble lately, specially in objects around the home. I love how luxurious yet natural it is.
Last week I tried out a marble pattern out on my nails. It took a bit of experimenting, but I got it down after a few tries.
Having it only on a couple of nails keeps it subtle and not too decadent.


Marble Nails
/ white nail polish
/ light grey nail polish (I didn't have light grey so I blended a bit of white and dark grey together)
/ dark grey nail polish
/ topcoat nail polish
/ thin nail art brush (or if you don't have that like me, an old nail polish brush from which you can cut half of the hairs.)


01/ Coat your nails with white polish
02/ With the thin brush apply the first veins with a bit of a zig zag motion, it doesn't matter if it turns out sloppy. See second picture.
Keep an image of actual marble close to use as a reference to guide you when shaping the veins.
03/ When the light grey 'draft' of the marble has dried, trace these lines with the dark grey polish, like shown in the third picture.
Just let your brush go along the light grey lines. These thinner dark grey lines will add a lot of depth to your marble.
04/ When the darker veins are almost dry, apply a layer of shiny topcoat to make it all blend together.
That's it!

BEAUTY | Lipstick Question Answered

jacket: Eudon Choi
top: Thomas Tait
bag: Jil Sander
image for SHOWstudio-tumblr


Even though only a fraction of my lip is visible, this picture brought in a lot of messages about which lipstick I was wearing.
So here's a quick update with the answer! It is a almost matte but not dry, opaque in an unreal color; Airborne Unicorn by Limecrime.

BEAUTY | A Minimal, Stripped Down French Mani

clear cuff: DIY

Cutting about half of the hairs of an old nail polish brush gives you sort of a fine liner brush.
Experimented with a couple of shapes and ended up only outlining the shapes on the nails that were already there.
I think this stripped down version of a french mani turned out really cool! (honestly I really dislike the classic french mani)
Bonus points for the fact that outlining the moons and tips of a nude nail with white polish is half as quick as an actual french manicure.

BEAUTY | Rose Gold Nail Piercing

A manicure that is on the edge of bad taste and tackiness.
But I think that one single rose gold ring per hand through a white nail looks pretty badass.
This gives me so many high school flashbacks.
One tiny piercing on its own is cool enough, so I don't even bother putting on any more jewelry around my wrists or fingers.

How to get the hole through your nail:
Lay your hand on a flat surface with your palm facing up, and from the back of your nail carefully 'screw' the pin through with a bit of pressure. If you keep turning the pin between your index finger and thumb you'll get a hole after a minute or two. Be careful not to poke it through as it can cause cracks in your nail. Then put a tiny ring through it, which you can get at any shop where they sell jewelry parts and beads, I got my rose gold rings at Beadies Amsterdam.

BEAUTY | Paper Clip Bun

polo neck top: 5inch&up for Nelly, gift from Sandra

Besides using them for -obviously- clipping papers and documents together, or decorating my walls, I've found yet another function for my spring clips. Perhaps a variation on the pen-in-hair, large paper clips are another office accessory perfect to make buns with.

BEAUTY | Silver Christmas Garland Manicure

Christmas decorations in all the shops and department stores can get pretty tiring.
Ripping them out of their context and finding new purposes for them is much more fun!

-nailpolish
-topcoat
-metallic garland
-scissors
-tweezers

Start of by painting your nails in any color and let it dry, I reckon that it'll also work well with black. Then cut off the thin strips from the garland. (no need to have such an OCD like me and place them all in a row like that) Apply a layer of top coat and place the thin silver foil strip on the nail with your tweezers. You can still move around the strip on the clear topcoat without smudging the color underneath. Let it dry and cut off the bits that are too long and are sticking out. Finish off with another layer of top coat. I will definitely stock up on bits of silver, gold, colored christmas decorations. Can't wait to experiment some more and applying them diagonally, horizontally, multiples, possibilities are endless!

BEAUTY | Black Lines On Nude Nails

Quicker than applying regular nail polish.
Cut off half of the hairs of an old nail polish brush, you can make it as thin of thick as you want. Dip it in some black polish and draw a line down the middle of a nude nail. I like the graphic elongating effect of painting only half of the nail and leaving the moons exposed.

*Must check out: Liza Chloe's striped nails, who did this almost a year ago! and Jayne's thicker version

BEAUTY | No Mascara

bomber: Acne
lipstick: MAC

Red lipstick feels like the ultimate cliche. It has so much female connotations it makes me feel uncomfortable, it just feels feminine in a tacky way. I don't own a single piece of red clothing. It kind of made me forget how pure a red pigment can be(why is my immediate association with red: tacky too tight dresses, roses, valentines day - and not: firetrucks and bloody horror movies just to name two other things). Though yesterday I wore red lipstick for the first time in years, and it felt like enough make up for one face, so besides some foundation I left it at that. It was also the first time in years -if not ever- that I didn't incorporate mascara into the make up routine. It looked a bit odd, which is good! Who else feels more comfortable looking a bit off?

BEAUTY | Long Faux Ponytail

jacket: thrifted
ear cuff: Local jewelry store(similar here)

Most probably, this hair used to belong to an indian girl who made a few bucks from it by selling it after a haircut. Strange that it is now on my head but it is a scenario I could live with. I'd rather not think about the creepier stories about how they collect this human hair for extensions, like cutting it off corpses in India. Oops. Well, getting back to the subject; as the chances that my hair will ever grow this long while keeping up the bleaching and coloring are none, I decided to get a few extensions and give them a grey rinse along with my own hair. It will also give my own hair a break from the hairdryer and styling iron for a couple of months.
Oh! Remember this DIY post from the Love Aesthetics archives involving some of human hair?

BEAUTY | Red Eye Shadow

dress: Topshop
eyeshadow: Matte cold red by Make up forever
make up by Laura Steenge

Laura Steenge is one of the most ambitious people I’ve met lately; she wants to become a make up artists. Though she is studying communication and design at the moment and not everyone around her thinks that working with cosmetics is a real career, Laura is determined to become one of the best make up artists around.

She e-mailed me a while back to ask if she could do my make up sometime, last week she came by my home and practiced her skills on my face. She even made a bunch of sketches of my eye with some of her ideas. Laura is completely self-taught and besides all the products of big cosmetic brands in her suitcase she also brought some unusual stuff like baby powder which she used to set the foundation, eye shadow, and make the lips a bit matte. According to Laura ‘baby powder is the shit’ unlike regular powder it is transparent, suits every skin color and holds a long time.

This red eyeshadow was my favorite look she did that day. But it weren't only her great ideas and maquillage-skills that impressed me but also her drive and clear vision of what she wants. Chase your dreams!

BEAUTY | Outlined Nails

Ring: part of this set

After seeing countless versions of outlined nails all over pinterest and trying to replicate them by outlining my nails with markers and nail art sets to no avail, I found out that I made it unnecessarily hard. By doing it the other way around and applying the color of the outline first as a base and on top of that the color of the 'inside' of the nail, the result turned out much better, I finished it off with a layer of matte topcoat. And though I really like how it turned out, plain white nails are still my favorite mani.