Beauty, travel, lifestyle

My skin has always been a major issue. Not only do I have lupus and rosacea, but I have always suffered from acne severely. Therefor I've switched to natural products since a while now. And since I've been pregnant, I felt that it was important to nurture myself (and the baby) with natural products so that it won't do any harm to the baby. From my dear friend Sophie I got a Naïf Mom Set, with pregnancy body oil and pregnancy belly balm. Naïf is committed to a better world when it comes to social impact, responsibility, transparency and sustainability. All of their products are natural, sustainable and vegan. No ingredients that can harm people and the planet! And that's how I like it! Their packaging is made of bioplastic based on cane sugar. Together with the Plastic Soup Foundation, Naïf contributes to raising awareness of the effects of plastic on nature. So I was eager to try it, as you can imagine!

My skin has always been a major issue. Not only do I have lupus and rosacea, but I have always suffered from acne severely. I’ve tried so many things that were supposed to work, but none of them really made a difference. Once I switched to 100% organic products, my skin got a little better, but it still was horrible. At a certain point I became friends with Iris. She is a beautician and works with 100% organic products; Esse Skincare and she knew exactly what I needed. So I tried and tested the sensitive products from Esse.

Due to my seborrheic dermatitis, I’ve got a very sensitive scalp. Since I’ve been so enthusiastic about all-natural products for my face, I thought I’d try an all-natural shampoo and conditioner as well. So my dear friend Iris from KNAPPP Organic Beauty said I should try Africa Organics with Marula oil: “A good shampoo for daily use, for normal to oily hair. Contains natural, environmentally degradable cleansing ingredients that won't strip your hair. It also contains Rooibos as an anti-oxidant and Marula oil. Mint oil gives the shampoo a nice, fresh scent.” I tried and tested it and I’d love to tell you all about it!

For a period of time I had the opportunity to write reviews for WieWatHaar. This time I tried and tested the Milk_Shake series by Z.One. At the beginning of this year I was spoiled with a Z.One treatment, which was absolutely amazing for my dry, damaged hair. Afterwards I was given a nice set of products to test and make the treatment last longer. I received a Milk_Shake shampoo, conditioner and a very unique product, the Whipped Cream.

Recently a hairdresser had damaged my hair extremely by coloring my hair in extreme colors (pink and orange) for a photoshoot. Except my hair had to be dyed back into a normal haircolor. Result: dark hair at the roots and light, dead ends. I was desperate and almost planning to have it all cut off, until I was asked for a deep treatment by Z.One Concept. Yes, yes, yes please! I was so lucky! You can see the results below. If you want to read more about the treatment, check out my story on WieWatHaar .

Digifoto Pro organized a competition. The theme for this competition was: Extreme. I participated and won the Grand Prize!

For a period of time I had the opportunity to write reviews for WieWatHaar. This time I tried and tested the Glamorous Oil by Indola. I wasn't familiar with this brand yet. Indola is from the same parent company as Schwarzkopf (Henkel) and only focuses on the professional hairdresser. On their website it says: "Indola listens and understands the business of independent hairdressers, offers qualitative innovations that are perfectly suited to your needs." Got me curious! How about you?

This year Buro Blink sponsors the Youngblood Award again. An award for graduates of Dutch art academies. The jury, consisting of Vanessa Evers (professor of robotics, University of Twente), Gerben Willers (founder of art label All Together Now) and Josephine Bosma (journalist, media critic), decides who wins the Award. In addition, all 22 nominees during GOGBOT Festival will have the opportunity to exhibit their work to a large audience. I am also nominated for this award and with my graduation work I hang in TETEM kunstruimte , an investigative presentation platform in a rich network of creative makers and thinkers.