Rose Hermansen

Even if it sounds like a cliché, I believe that less is more when it comes to beauty. All the people I know, regardless of age, gender, and what time of year we are, are always most beautiful when they have the least amount of makeup on, and are wearing their own lovely, healthy, moisturized skin. Of course, we all have periods when we want to cover redness or impurities, but in general, I believe that the skin is best without too much product and makeup. I feel my skin can breathe better without too much on it.

The Danish weather can be harsh on the skin, especially in winter, and my skin can become very dry, so I use products that provide a lot of moisture. I generally stick to products without perfume, parabens and preferably organic. I also prefer to eat organic food and I feel when it comes to what you put on your skin, I would like to follow the same philosophy. When I became pregnant I was aware of what was actually in my products, and the habit has followed me ever since.

Everyday routine:

I haven’t always been good at cleaning my skin, but with age I can clearly feel the importance of getting my skin properly cleaned both morning and night with first warm, and then cold water. Then I use the Cleanser – Purifying Milky Face Wash from Honey. Before I apply a small amount of The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA, an extremely moisturizing cream that keeps the outer layer of the skin well moisturized and protected and consists of amino acids, fatty acids, ceramides, glycerin, amongst other things.

After moisturing, I sometimes use Honey Hydra Serum (morning or evening), or Woods C Vitamin Oil followed by The Chill Cream from Mantle (morning and evening).

When in the shower I always wash my body with Dr Bronner soaps (I love the lavender one), it makes me calm and even though I have a small bathroom it gives me some kind of spa feeling). Sometimes I also clean with Daily Foaming Cleanser from Woods Copenhagen.

If my skin needs a boost I love the Intense Hyaluronic Mask from Woods Copenhagen. A few times a week I do a little massage to my skin with the ‘Contouring Facial Roller’ from Woods Copenhagen, I really feel like how it tones and lifts my skin, I normally do it while my son is in his morning bath and he thinks it looks very funny when I roll it on my face.

For my hair, I only wash and condition with simple products with no perfume, parabens or hormone-disrupting ingredients. I wash my hair approximately 3 times during the week. I like to let my hair dry overnight, it seems to behave better when it’s not blow-dried, and in the morning I brush it through with a Mason Pearson brush (BN4). I don’t use hair styling products, but sometimes I’ll use a little of my day cream on the top (where there is fluffy baby hair) and at the ends. I think it’s nice when the hair doesn’t get too heavy from products. Right now I like to wash my hair with ‘Tea Tree’ Shampoo from Mac Urth with organic sandalwood for softness and shine in the hair. The sandalwood oil originates from a reforestation project in Western Australia, otherwise I wash it with ‘Neutral shampoo’ (Danish brand).

A bit of concealer can be nice to cover those ‘mum’ dark circles under the eyes. I use the ‘Duo concealer’ from Nilens Jord. It is easy and has two options, a creamy one, and a hard stick. I like it best when the concealers are not too thick but give thin coverage on the skin. During these dark months it feels good to get a little colour on the skin, here I also use Nilens Jord products, ‘Mineral powder, Canvas’, and a bit of cream red on the cheeks called ‘Cheeks and Lips’ in the colour Cranberry. I like Nilens Jord, it’s without suspected hormone-disrupting substances, essential oils, and perfume. I like to finish by putting a little lip balm on the cheekbones and eyelids, it gives a fresh look. I often change them out when using one up, these days I use one from Kiels. I never really use mascara because I always end up smearing it all over my head when I’m working, but if I’m going out I like to give my eyes a little more definition with a bit of mascara and maybe a brown liner.

My primary source of exercise is my bicycle, which I use every day when I have to drop my son off at daycare, go to work, run errands or go to dinner with friends in another part of the city. It is my primary mode of transport and I love it. In addition to this, I am probably a very active mother who rolls around on the floor and play and slides down the slide on the playground. I would probably say that exercise is an integral part of my everyday life, but I do not do an active sport or have a fitness membership. I wish I had more time to stretch out my body, hopefully it will come to me this year.

My boyfriend and I never really buy takeaways, but cook all our food from scratch. This is something we both cherish and see as a huge quality and not least a lifestyle philosophy that we know what we put in our body and how it is pre-fabricated. We don’t eat meat, but we do eat fish and eat primarily organic. When it comes to body and mind, I believe in a holistic approach, and here I think food plays a big role. In addition, we often enjoy a glass of good red wine and prioritize being social, and often eat a lovely dinner with good friends or family. I’m not very good at eating fruit, but I try to eat what’s in season. In the morning I always drink a large glass of water with a big squeeze of lemon, then I feel my body wakes up and is ready for the day.

It is only late in my life that I have opened my eyes to a good massage. I don’t think I ever thought about having to pamper myself like that and have always found it very expensive. My good friend and work partner Caroline introduced me to a local massage place and now it has become a tradition that we go there a few times a year. After I became a mother a space like this is extremely needed. It’s totally underrated and everyone should give themselves the gift of a good massage every now and then.

I love Le Labo’s fragrances and at the moment I’m really happy with Baie 19, both my boyfriend and I can use it.  In general I’m happy with unisex fragrances.

Laughs and fresh air everyday.

Lipbalm.

The absolutely most beautiful hotel I have ever stayed in is called ‘The Newt’ and is located in Somerset, England. It is an old manor house with surrounding old farms and has been transformed into a hotel and spa. Their spa department is completely lavish and, not least, extremely beautiful.

In Copenhagen, we have the worldwide ancient spa firm ‘Aire’, located in the cellars of the old Carlsberg Brewery. Definitely worth a visit.

For facials, I like to go to Ara’kai Beauty, a skincare and beauty space in Copenhagen with a focus on nourishing treatments.