beauty – nina melin

Budget Buy – It’s all in the Mix(a)

The French pharmacies has always been a good place to stock up on products that gives a lot for the bucks. And this little find, a body lotion from French apothecary brand Mixa does just that.

No fancy branding or packaging. No glossy magazine ads. Just a product that delivers what it says. In this case a good amount of moisture.

The brand offers a few different takes on their body lotion, for sensitive skin and very dry skin.

The one I’m using is said to also give firmness. I don’t know to what extent it does that to be honest. But it leaves skin soft and nourished. It’s silky texture is also absorbed quickly.

So the USP in this case is crystal clear. No fuss, just moist. For six pounds.

Nowadays you don’t need to go to Paris and fill up your suitcase with hard working bathroom staples like this. You can find this and many other French apothecary brands at a wide range of British resellers like Boots and Sainsbury.

P.s. For those in need of more moist to fight off really dry skin the Mixa Cica Repair is the way to go. D.s.

Mixa Body Lotion, £6.49, Ocado.

Weekly Winners – Women Wonders

It’s of course all about women makers and shakers this week.

1.Nothing says spring as blooming Magnolia trees. Actually it’s one of my favourite “flowers” and if I had a daughter there’s a big chance one of her names would be Magnolia.

Last weeks heat wave gave nature a super boost and the wonderful pink and white buds began to open up. I took a few branches indoor to enjoy this short time of the year to it’s fullest.

The woman behind the vase (not in the photo though;-)) is my favourite Swedish designer Carina Seth Anderson. I will soon write a post about her new store in Stockholm. (Unfortunately she has no webbshop and I haven’t found a British reseller online.)

Pallo vase size Small from Skruf’s glassworks, 3000 SEK, Artilleriet.

2. Since I discovered L.A-based brand Building Block some years ago it’s been on my bag brand radar.

Founded by sisters Kimberly and Nancy Wu back in 2011 they do their own take on minimalistic chic. Add a touch of playfulness and utility style and you pretty much got it.

A good showcase is this new ETC Sling, made of two small detachable bags that also can be used separately.

And as it happens it fits perfectly into the new trend with XXS and XXL bags. But this sling is a little bit bigger and more practical than the 5,2 cm high fingerbag “Le Mini Chiquito” by Jaquemus’ that’s been the talk of PFW.

Unfortunately this special edition of the ETC Sling is just available through Building Block’s own US web store. That means a hefty charge for customs and taxes as always when buying from the States (in this case $80). But I think it’s worth it this time.

It also comes in a black version that will be available from European resellers.

ETC Sling, Special Edition, $295, Building Block.

3.Yes, it was lamp love at first sight when I spotted this Uplighter lamp by London based ceramist Paola North.

She makes lamps, tiles and vessels inspired by antiquities like Greek and Roman pottery that’s been exposed to the test of times. Rough surfaces and primitive shapes are her trademarks.

Paola’s other designs are also worth checking out at Alex Eagle’s concept store. She’s another creative woman who’s personal mix of fashion, interiors, arts and craft sent her store straight into my London Black Book.

Paola North, Table Up-lighter Lamp Long, £395, Alex Eagle

4.I stumble upon New York-based artist Brooke Holm the other day when visiting COS’ new store at Coal Drops Yard. It’s the new shopping destination at Kings X here in London that I wrote about earlier this year. Every month this COS store features different artists.

On display right now are some of Brooke Holm’s striking photos from her Sea Lake series. These are large, aerial photographs of Lake Tyrell, one of Australias largest salt lakes. The colours and patterns of the lakes are beautiful in a calming, almost meditative way. The landscape looks like an abstract painting.

Sea Lake by Brooke Holm.

5. This time of the year my skin is as far as you can get from a glowing post-holiday tanned one. When I try to pull my face up from the trenches every morning there’s a little bottle and a stick that somehow always does the trick.

The Magic Foundation and the Magic Away Concealer from make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury are the new cornerstones in my routine on days when I wear make-up. Starting with the foundation and then continuing with the concealer under the eyes my face transforms without looking like I got a thick cake layer on. It’s looks quite natural and fresh.

The redness I got on the cheeks nowadays and those dark circles they covers very well and normally the cover lasts all day. You can apply a little bit more to the areas that needs more cover and much less where it’s not needed.

As the last base step and later in the day as a quick touch-up I also apply a tiny amount of her powder on the nose and eye-lids to prevent shine.

Magic Foundation, £32, Magic Away Concealer, £24, Airbrush Flawless Finish, £34, Charlotte Tilbury.

Weekly Winners – Going Green

My quest for green always reaches a peak late winter. So this week I’m going Hulk in every way.

1.Conservatory Archives, my favourite London florist is growing. The tiny shop on Hackney Road now has spun off at Lower Clapton Road.

Here you can linger in an abundance of greenery. There’s also a little café cum deli that serves up delicious Matcha and Chocolate mousse-like cheesecakes.

Quirky details, vintage furniture and lighting adds to the charm.

A must for every greenery and plant lover.

Conservatory Archives, 3-5 Lower Clapton Road, London.

2.Italian fashion deluxe brand Bottega Veneta is making waves with new Artistic Director Daniel Lee. He previously held the position of director of ready-to-wear design at Celine, a protégé of Phoebe Philo. So he knows a thing or two about timeless, sophisticated elegance.

In the autumn of 2017, I visited a Bottega Veneta event at Chiswick House, London, where craftsmen and women where showcasing the brands high level of craftsmanship. It’s one of the few fashion houses that has stayed true to the artisanal heritage, when many other ones these days goes for a quick fashion fix. It will be interesting to follow Lee’s approach in this matter.

The new collection of oversized bags with their classic Intrecciato leather pattern now blown-up to XXL proportions and the are close to this years hottest bags so far in MHO. Some of the styles sold out straight away in their webbshop. So seems I’m not alone here…

The first AD-campaign has also created a lot of buzz with it’s modern, cool attitude and perhaps foremost for the fusion of fashion and some desirable furniture. (The armchair with leather armrests, yesss please!)

These green sporty, oversized leather shorts is the perfect mix of cool and elegance. A timeless dream ticket that never goes out of style.

Shorts in green nappa, £ 2095, Bottega Veneta.

3. Every morning I’m waking up on the green side with a wheatgrass super green shot. It comes packed with vitamin A and C, which help to maintain healthy vision and contribute to normal brain function.

It also helps the immune system, antioxidant protection and skin rejuvenation. The wheatgrass is produced with minimal processing.

Cheers and Good Morning to that!

Organic Wheat grass powder, Green Origins, £5.99, Ocado.

4.On my wishlist for some years now, LA-based ceramist Eric Roinestad’s work has it’s own, unique expression.

He mixes the spirit of California folk modernism with the designer’s own Scandinavian heritage. I think I could decorate a whole room with one of his pieces as the starting point.

Ceramics, Eric Roinestad.

5.Normally I’m quite beige and boring when it’s comes to eye make-up.

But this dark, moody green shadow from Danish, organic beauty brand Kjaer Weis had me thinking outside my usual greige box.

Photos Kjaer Weis

The refill system is brilliant and part of the brands sustainable philosophy. The range is free of parabens, silicones, petrochemical emulsifiers and synthetic fragrances.

Made in Italy, almost all of the products have been Certified Natural or Certified Organic by Italian standards.

Cream Eye Shadow Sublime, €43, Kjaer Weis.

The Week Winners – Reload and Refresh

So finally the longest month ever has come to an end. Here in London February is somewhat hard to put a hashtag on. It can be winter for sure like today. But it’s also a month when the first signs of spring pops up. Like what the snowdrops are literally doing right now. So this week I’m going all in on fresh new finds and re-starters with a mindset focusing a head on warmer and brighter days.

1.Pale and dull late winter skin – I’m looking at you. So it was a nice little find, this gel mask from Sanctuary. It promise to bring some well-needed face glow and the formula comes with a “trio of vitamin C super fruits”. For all of us that don’t want long procedures in our daily skin regime this is perfect. Just put a thin layer on dry, clean skin before jumping into the shower. One minute later rinse off.

It’s not gonna turn your face into your best post-holiday one after the first try. But it adds some kind of freshness and after using it on a regular basis for a couple of weeks it has given me some of the most sought after beauty goals right now – GLOW. And with that price tag, it’s a no brainer.

Sanctuary Spa 1 Minute Daily Glow Vitamin C Radiance Face Mask, £9.29, Amazon.

2. I’m right now re-decorating our micro sized study to better suit my work needs. (More on that soon!) And when you have your own new vintage design web store of course some of the favourites stays in the house. So for now this find, a design classic from Swedish high-quality manufacturer Ateljé Lyktan, is not going any way.

It was designed by Anders Pehrson, who is more known for his Bumling lamps. The so called Simris was made for the Olympic Village at the games in München back in 1972.

I was a little bit surprised that they opted for a Swedish brand instead of a German one. But I guess things like that happen from time to time. Like now when Japanese high-street brand Uniqlo, not Swedish H&M, is designing the Swedish Olympic teams clothes for the games in Tokyo 2020.

But back to the lamp. It has a nice padded leather foot and chromed steel stand. It’s big for being a work desk lamp, so it’s quite a statement on a small table in a small room. But I’m keeping everything else quite simple to have more of a clean slate-space when working with different projects.

Recently Ateljé Lyktan re-issued the lamp both, the desk and the floor version. So if you can’t find a vintage one you can go for a new instead. It also comes in white. Just don’t get why they put a red cord on it. But you can probably exchange that.

Simris lamp by Atelje Lyktan, from £294, Scandinavian Design Center.

3. Adding some flowers, branches and plants is always a quick way to bring some spring freshness into the house. And this week I found (via) a lovely new collection of small ceramic vases from Swedish Lindform.

I already have a couple of their designs and one from the new collection would make a great addition. The family-runned company has a sustainable approach and says it’s producers in Portugal and Thailand has good working conditions and ECO-production.

The Spring catalogue has photos styled by Daniella Witte. Over the recent years she has turned into one of Swedens most sought after and influential stylists. No wonder since Daniella is really talented and her style is both contemporary and timeless at the same time.

Lindform vases, from £17 at Trouva. Photos by Daniella Witte.

4. Living in London of course comes with some perks. On of the best being the abundance of excellent restaurants and cafées. When it comes to eating out small bistros serving well-made modern food in inspiring, low-key settings are what I appreciate the most.

A little gem that ticks all those boxes is Jolene that opened last year. Situated in Newington Green in northern London it’s a little bit of the beaten track. But it’s sure worth a detour as the famous Rubber Man would put it. It’s the perfect place for a couple of lazy Sunday hours on a grey winter day.

The interiors are minimalist but with a warm, inviting feeling. The walls are painted in chalk colours or just exposing the raw concrete. Add to that simple, wood furniture. The food and the wine list follows that similarly “stripped-back approach.”

Jolene that also has it’s own in-house- bakery makes everything from scratch each day, including milling grains into flours which will be used in breads, pastries and fresh pastas. The daily changing menu will be written on the bakery’s blackboard.

The duo behind Jolene, restaurateur Jeremie Cometto-Lingenheim and chef David Gingell said in a statement when opening:

“We have decided to open a bakery restaurant that revolves around and relies on the grains rather than it just being another ingredient.”

What more can a serious bread lover like me wish for? Not much.

Jolene, 21 Newington Green, London, N16 9PU.

5. I’ve been on a hunt for a pair of loose, mannish, slouchy fitting camel or dark beige coloured trousers for so long I cant even remember for just how long. This week though I spotted what could be THE ONE’s .

They’re from Jil Sander, the now classic minimalist brand. I remember back in the 90s when their factory store was a mandatory stop on every summer road trip we did from Sweden via autobahn in Germany to southern Europe. The store outside Ellerau, in North Germany was a fashionist dream come true. This was before big, fancy outlet villages became big business in Europe.

This was the real stuff. A store in a warehouse at a factory in the outskirts of a small town. If visiting on a weekday you could see women sitting by the sew machines in the factory.

Fast forward two decades later, Jil Sander is long gone from her brand. But the brand has gotten a fresh restart with Lucie and Luke Meier, the husband-and-wife creative duo. And their collections are making waves.

There’s only one problem: You need a BIG budget to get access to their take on minimalist luxury. So right now I have not decided if this will be a major investment or remain just a dream.

But sometimes dreams do come through. Like they did in Ellerau twenty years ago.

To be continued.

Tailored straight leg pants by Jil Sander, £595 at LN-CC.

Enjoy your weekend!

Bag it: Summer Survival kit

When doing work in the city I almost always carry a big bag with me. The SLR-camera, an extra lens, the calendar and a water bottle and sometimes also my laptop comes with me. And of course all the small stuff like keys, cards, etc. So I’m not very keen on adding a make-up bag to the pack list.

But these three have become the summer essentials worth carrying around: The lightweight sun protection Darphin Intral, Lightweight Sun Protection, spf50. It’s absorbed quite quickly and leaves the face without a greasy look and no white film as often is the case. It also works as a make-up base and pollution shield (much needed in London). An extra star for the pocket-friendly size.

A muli-tasker is always welcomed and Tata Harper Volumizing Cheek & Lip Tint in Très Populaire works both for cheeks and lips although if lips are dry I use a lip balm first. Above all it’s is doing a great job as a natural looking blush and it’s easy to blend in.

The much-hyped Glossier are masters at brand building in every sense. But being hailed as one of the best “no-make up-make up” for Millenials made me skeptical. What works for the young and good-looking that looks equal stunning without a trace of any add-ons don’t say anything about it’s ability to give a murky middle-aged a morning quick-fix.

But I have to say that both their claim-to-fame-product, the eyebrow colour Boy Brow and this stick the Dew Effect Highlighter Haloscope in Topaz is delivering. The colour Topaz is really great for adding a sun-kissed glow to cheekbones and the eyebones.

The outer halo in the stick is infused with genuine crystal extracts for all-day enlightenment, with a solid oil core of vitamin-rich moisturizers for a hydrated, dewy finish. (On their website you can see how to apply it.)

Darphin Intral, Lightweight Sun Protection, spf50, £35. Tata Harper Volumizing Cheek & Lip Tint in Très Populaire, £34. Glossier Dew Effect Highlighter Haloscope in Topaz,£18.