This still remains an anxious moment every time. When a new product, after a long time tweaking and fine tuning, actually roles off the production line. Around three years ago, I began to think about developing a body cream. As, in fact, with all my products, it came about because I needed it myself. I could still find mild, fragrance free products for the body, but trying to find a cream or lotion with a balanced combination of enough antioxidants, soothing and barrier repairing substances seemed to be like trying to find the proverbial needle in the haystack. And, so, I decided to develop my own product with a firm wish list. I knew what I wanted, but could that be made…?
The link between diet and skin problems has long been ignored by doctors. However, what we already knew, and has now become evident, is that nutrition and your skin are not detached from each other. Sugars, for example, cause spots and wrinkles. Antioxidants, on the other hand, can protect your skin. Which nutrients come out on top of my list of favourites?
“If you really want to know the age of a woman, look at her hands, don’t look at her face. The face may trick you, but the hands never do.”
That melancholy virus always takes a hold of me just before the New Year. It is such a cliché phrase, but how time flies! When I was telling a journalist recently that I have four children, I suddenly realised that they aren’t so little anymore. My oldest is at secondary school now and regularly borrows my shoes…which I’m not always so happy about!
My blog is not so young anymore either: I wrote my first one 6 years ago in 2009. Even though I have the impression that, over the last few years, people are becoming more and more conscious about their choice of skincare products, there is still a lot of work to be done in ridding the world of all these cosmetics myths. As I believe that I will one day succeed, I would like to share with you an interview I gave for Gezond-nu, about myths and facts in the cosmetics world.
Kris Verburgh of ‘De Voedselzandloper’ can be proud of me: for years I have started my day with a bowl of porridge oats and almond milk. If I am to believe him, this will give me healthier veins, lower blood pressure, better metabolism and more energy. I do believe him, but I also enjoy it anyway. What many people don’t realise is that porridge oats have been used for centuries to treat skin problems. People suffering with eczema or burns would sit in a bath of colloidal oatmeal: the powder which is left after oats have been ground and refined. This relieves burning, itching and redness.
It is already a few years ago that I met Marianne van der Gaag and Freek Koster of Touché Models. We started talking about our work as well as other things and we just clicked. It happens sometimes with people! Although, at the time, we didn’t have any concrete ideas, we did agree that, at some point, we would like to do something together. We kept in contact and now, at long last, it has happened. Yesterday was the launch of Freek and Mariannes Modelhouse, and I am thrilled, in my expert capacity, to be able to make a blog or vlog there each week.
I was asked by Tros Radar about the truth and nonsense with regards to special shampoos. You can apply all sorts of substances onto your scalp under the shower: caffeine to counteract hair loss, keratin for fuller locks and vitamins for healthy hair. But does it really work?
No other subject within skincare causes so much confusion as the application of sun cream. Inaccurate reports on the internet and in the papers, false product claims and unfounded regulations have led to us all going about it in the wrong way! And as a result of this; lying on our beach towel in the sun probably causes more damage than if we’d put on no sun cream at all. To put it simply, we spend too much time in the sun because we think we are protected, which we are not. Therefore giving us a false sense of security!
Vitamin E miracle or marketing?
It is no longer a great secret that anti-oxidants are an essential part of my skincare products. Everybody is, of course, familiar with Vitamin C, which I have written about previously in my blog. But another heaven sent gift is Vitamin E. Quite some miracles are being attributed to Vitamin E cream, such as the disappearance of scars, just as snow melts in the sun. But is this really the case, or is it mainly intended to entice us into buying all those expensive pots? Time for the truth…
It’s no surprise that I am rather particular about the products which I put on my face and body. But seeing as beautiful skin not only comes from the outside but also the inside, I make sure that I pay the necessary attention to my diet as well.
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