Nane Feist
“Over time, I’ve become more accepting of my own beauty; more open to definitions of beauty outside of the mainstream.”
Nane wears vintage Levi’s denim and vintage top from Studio Travel
Start the day right:
“My morning rituals are so important to me as I believe that mental and physical health go hand in hand. After being to introduced to meditation over a year ago by a friend of mine, I’ve been doing that every morning, and I really find that it helps me to focus and improve my quality of sleep, maintain inner balance and clear headspace. I also need some kind of exercise, breakfast and a strong coffee before starting my day!”
Nane wears vintage Levi’s denim and vintage top from Studio Travel
Life as a green thumb:
“I have a lot of plants in my apartment and I garden all summer long on my patio. I grow my own herbs and vegetables, my grapevine and lemon tree. Oh, and my fig tree grows the best fruit too! Harvesting and cooking with self-grown products is so rewarding. You waste less and only use what you really need.”
“I eat an unusual amount of lemons a day and besides that I believe in a balanced clean nutrition. If I have cravings I don’t deny myself.”
“At night I first cleanse my skin with Bioderma Hydrabio H2O. Twice a week I exfoliate with Santa Maria Novella’s Face Cleaning Powder. When diluted in water it makes an amazing facial mask too. I also like to dry brush my face in the evening after cleaning it’s the most relaxing and so soothing, I’m using the Cleaning Face & Neckline Brush by Buly and apply their Açaí cold pressed oil after.“
Products pictured: Weleda Skinfood and Byredo La Tulipe
Her ultimate beauty splurge:
“Have a hot oil treatment at David Mallet’s salon in Paris, it is heavenly! I also love face massages and get them once or twice a month – lymphatic face is my favourite.”
Nane wears vintage Levi’s denim and vintage top from Studio Travel
Define your personal style:
“Contemporary mixed with vintage.”
“My parents have shaped me the most. They have been married for over 40 years, are liberal, open-minded and tolerant. They have always been a wonderful example of togetherness, loyalty and forgiveness.
Nane wears vintage Levi’s denim and vintage top from Studio Travel
Signature scent:
“Smoke and Orange Flower by Perfume H – they are lingering and pure scents.”
Nane wears Matteau Square Malliot and vintage skirt
“I blend pure cold pressed oils like chia seed, rose, coconut pulp oil, lavender, pomegranate seed, apricot, açai and vitamins A,C, E. I have to say that I think it is important to take note of where your skin is before applying products robotically. I always carefully monitor my skin’s condition and adjust depending on the seasons, my travel schedule, and just its general condition. “
Products pictured; Olio e Osso no 3 Crimson, MAKE Beauty Succulent Mist, MAKE Beauty Universal Stick and Make’s Celeste e Verde eyeshadow Palette
“My favourite NY spot is the Cloisters. The gardens are an easy and beautiful escape from the NYC tumult. I also love the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. I go to the Carlyle and Monkey Bar for it’s old- fashion atmosphere and charm. My go to restaurants are June and Rucula in Brooklyn, Raul’s and Estella in the city.”
Nane wears Matteau Square Malliot, vintage skirt and Martiniano High Glove Shoe
“I keep it rather simple when it comes to makeup. I love multifunctional products like the RMS Living Luminizer and MAKE’S Bronze Pot Shade 1 for cheekbones and eyes. RMS’ Un Cover-Up is my favourite, its lightweight and contains coconut oil. MAKE’S Universal Stick and Olio e Osso no 3 Crimson are my go-tos for cheeks and lips. If I want to go more vibrant I use Nars Barbarella lipstick and Make’s Celeste e Verde eyeshadow Palette and their Strawberry Hill eyeshadow is my absolute favourite!”
Nane wears vintage Levi’s denim and vintage top from Studio Travel
“I love face massages and get them once or twice a month. A lymphatic face massage is my favourite.”
Products pictured: Aesop Fabulous Skin Oil and Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream
Growing up in Germany:
“With Cologne being one the most important cultural centers in Germany I had such fantastic access to world-class contemporary art and music. I also am very grateful for how easy it was to access to nature in Cologne as I was able to develop a relationship with nature which is very important to me.”
“I exercise daily. Sometimes 15 minutes at home in the morning, sometime two hours, as long as I get my daily body activity in I’m happy. It’s all about treating your body kindly. I walk and bike a lot in the city, go to yoga classes 2/3 times a week and I want to start rock climbing. I like to change things up, change between cardio and deep core stretching, indoor and outdoor activities.”
Nane wears vintage Levi’s denim and vintage top from Studio Travel
Products pictured: Essie Nailpolish
“In the morning I wash my face with Maryse’s enzyme-refine cleansing balm. I love the texture and it leaves the skin feeling hydrated and plump. I follow up with the Succulent Mist by MAKE, I press and release it onto my skin. When my skin feels still damp I apply One Love Organics Vitamin C Moisturising Facial Serum. Right now I am using Buly’s 1803 Rose De Mai Oil which I massage into my skin with my rose quartz or jade roller.”
Nane wears vintage Levi’s denim and vintage top from Studio Travel
Nane wears Maryam Nassir Zadeh dress and shoes
On her inside-out hangover cure:
“Fresh turmeric and ginger, a lot of water and my Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask.”
Nane wears Maryam Nassir Zadeh dress and shoes
“Don’t try to please people’s expectations, it’s impossible! So just stay true to yourself.”
Nane wears vintage Levi’s denim and vintage top from Studio Travel
“I practice Kundalini and Bikram yoga. The focus on both mind & body strengthening, helps me to remain grounded, focused and connected to myself. I travel a lot, so yoga is really important for my spine and posture.”
Nane wears vintage Levi’s denim and vintage top from Studio Travel
“To me you cannot define femininity. Every woman I know carries their femininity in their own way and I find this fact so inspiring. I try and embody my own femininity through strength and self-realisation. Femininity to me is most powerful through having a big open heart and support of other women.”
Nane wears Maryam Nassir Zadeh dress and shoes
“I have a lot of hair so I don’t need to wash it more than twice weekly. I feel it’s best to keep my hair natural and embrace scalp oils. I use Davines Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner they smell beautiful and are an amazing quality. I apply the F. Miller Hair Oil on damp hair. I sometimes mix my own masks with coconut, jojoba and avocado oil and leave it on damp hair for an hour sometimes overnight.”
Nane wears vintage Levi’s denim and vintage top from Studio Travel
“My mother had the largest influence on my values. I would say she is the one who taught me my words to live by; the one who taught me the importance of modesty and self-respect.”
Nane wears Maryam Nassir Zadeh dress and shoes
“I started my modelling career in Paris and within 6 months I went to live in Australia, Japan and traveled all over Europe. Modeling was my ticket to freedom and I am so grateful for all the places I could visit and wonderful people I meet through this job. The biggest challenge for me was how rapidly I had to learn to become independent, self-sufficient and alone. Being away from friends, family and my beloved everyday routines proved to be the biggest obstacles for me.”
Nane wears Maryam Nassir Zadeh dress and shoes
“I like to take it easy on Sundays. After waking up, I usually open up all windows to air out my place. I brew coffee, water all my plants and head to the farmers market to buy fresh produce for the week.”
Nane wears vintage Levi’s denim and vintage top from Studio Travel
On her earliest memory of beauty:
“I’ll always remember my mum having beautiful red lipsticks. She still wears a red lip every day.”
Nane wears vintage Levi’s denim and vintage top from Studio Travel
Nane wears vintage Levi’s denim and vintage top from Studio Travel
On the products she can’t live without:
“My eyelash curler, my eyelashes are terribly straight. MAKE’s Succulent Cream is always in my bag.”
Products pictured; Oulan Bator Incense and Make’s Celeste e Verde eyeshadow Palette
It’s almost impossible to imagine how much a model really travels until you’re in the middle of a month-long email back-and-forth with one. Let me set the scene for you:
The first time I make contact with Nane Feist it’s early November. She tells me that she’s been super busy with travel and is soon taking off to Paris where her career as a model began many years ago.
She punctuates her sentences with double exclamations (!!) and signs off with a smile emoji and two kisses (xx). Her rare, unexpected and unfaltering kindness beam through each email (no ‘as-per my-last-emails’ here).
We touch base again on November 20. “I’ve been traveling non-stop,” she writes. “I’m going to Argentina tomorrow…”
At this point, I’m exhausted just keeping up with her whereabouts from my desk. For someone who seems to constantly be on the go, the New York-based model strikes you as unbelievably earthy – and, at this point, I simply have to know: what’s her secret to staying grounded amidst a constant rush of new cities, faces and the inevitable jet-lag that follows?
In a word: nature. Growing up in Cologne, “one of the most important cultural centers in Germany,” she not only developed a love for contemporary art and music but for the snow-capped mountains and river Rhine that carves through the city center. “Now I live in NY, keeping my connection to nature is challenging,” and she goes on to explain that, from her sunlit home in Carroll Gardens, she tries to travel Upstate when she can. But it is gardening – dirty hands and all – that has allowed her to, quite literally, put down roots.
“I get so much pleasure from keeping my plants healthy, watching them grow – digging my hands into soil makes me feel relaxed and happy. Harvesting and cooking with things you’ve nurtured is so rewarding. You waste less and only use what you really need.”
This last time, as she signs off with love from Buenos Aires (“off to Uruguay the next day!!”), I find myself searching flight sales and typing “how to grow vegetables” into Google.
If being as well-rounded and balanced as Nane Feist means you find yourself lining up for her prescription of Kundalini yoga, morning meditation and one of the best home-blend facial oils we have ever seen, sign us up!
Words, Rose Howard. Images, Chloé Horseman.
