Beauty Routines

Today we present you with this delightfully delicious interview with our lovely friend and beauty blogger Yael Beck Nada.

Yael is: Married and a mother of two . Beauty obsessed . Norwegian born . Lives in Israel…

Please, tell us a bit more about yourself, Yael.

I was born and grew up in Norway, but moved to Israel by myself at age eighteen, straight after finishing high school. I have lived here in Israel more or less ever since, with the exception of studying for my master degree in Norway and working in Miami, Florida for a while.

What role does beauty play in your life?

I suppose I was a bit of a tomboy as a young girl and didn’t really take much interest in how I looked. Today, however, I am quite beauty obsessed. I thoroughly enjoy my beauty rituals, simple as they may be. They allow me to rewind and, as a mother of two small toddlers, these are often the only times in the day that I manage to relax completely and and tune into my own needs. It frames my day, in a sense, as it is one of the first things that I do when I wake up and one of the last things that I do before I go to bed (when things go according to plan, that is!).

I love testing new products both within skincare and cosmetics and tend to switch things up quite a bit. However, with limited time for self care it is always good to have an idea of what works well for one’s skin and to what products can always be trusted to deliver. A major plus in my book is if they are also easy to get hold of.

Do you have any childhood beauty memories that stand out?

I remember vividly watching my mother in the bathroom as she was leaning towards the mirror, applying her typical ‘80s light blue, frosted eyeshadow. Those were times when all I cared about in this world was playing football outside with my brothers and our friends. I don’t think I had much of a concept of how I looked those days at all. I remember wrinkling my nose as I asked her why she was putting that stuff on her face. She said she did it because she liked it. When I still wasn’t convinced about the soundness of that, she said that some day I would understand. Words of truth, these days I think I must drive her nuts at times, with all my beauty talk!

I also remember how my journalist father would bring my mother and me Ahava moisturizers back whenever he went to Israel to report back home about the situation in the Middle East. I thought those creams were sooo good. However, I got the ultimate proof of having entered womanhood (at least in my own eyes) when he at some point bought me what I think must have been quite an expensive “adult” Oriflame cream and [drum whirl…] my first lipstick! I was in heaven. In retrospect, that dark, brownish red lipstick must have been way too intense on my young innocent self, but that didn’t matter as it made me feel like a real lady while I was wearing it up in my room. I remember daydreaming that the guy I was into would see my like that in real life and 💖 (how could he possibly help himself?) 💖 fall head over heels in love with me...

What are your skincare routines these days?

Let’s start with evenings. I try to always remove my makeup before going to bed. I say try, as I often tend to fall asleep while putting one (or both!) of my children to sleep and then I wake up in the middle of the night, disoriented and still in my makeup. I usually manage to gather enough strength to remove my makeup with my trusted Cetaphil cleanser, but not always (brushing my teeth, flossing (always!!!) and removing my contact lenses sometimes get prioritized). Then I put on some serum and a night cream. These days I am using a Balea Q10 serum and an extremely greasy night cream by the same brand (and both ridiculously cheap!), both of which I asked my husband to get me at a local DM drugstore while he was in Germany for work recently (where the products are basic but mild and overall way cheaper than they are here in Israel). That stuff is truly as greasy the classic blue Nivea one that my mother used to slather on our sore cheeks sometimes when my brothers and I were outside playing in the snow during the cold winters in Norway. My favorite night (and day!) cream, however, is the CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion, which I order online through iHerb.

In the morning, I usually just splash some cold water in my face and apply a few squirts of a calming and moisturizing SebaCalm serum for sensitive skin. It seems to soothe my skin (I tell myself that it reduces the appearance of zits as well, because why not?) and I like the feel of it. After that, I put on whatever moisturizer I have at hand (usually the same night cream that I applied the evening before), a rosehip seed oil if I have one at hand and then I finish up with a solid SPF. As a born and bred Scandinavian living in sunny Israel, sun protection is key. Once a week or so I try to use an exfoliator and then follow up with some moisturizing face mask.

Do you think having grown up in Norway has affected your approach to beauty and perhaps also your fashion style in some way?

When I grew up in Norway, girls and women would usually take most of their self care into their own hands. I am talking about things such as manicures, hair removal, eyebrows, facials, hair coloring, etc. I am not sure to what degree this is still the case in Norway these days, but in Israel today I think it is quite common for girls and women to have cosmeticians who perform at least some of these services. I still like to take care of stuff on my own, with the occasional exception before special events, such as my wedding. Often, Israelis seem surprised when they hear this.

I also think Norwegians in general have a very healthy and active lifestyle, with lots of outdoors activities. Hence, I often think of a healthy and strong body and natural, glowy look as a beautiful one and talks of diets, calories and thinness are less appealing to me. I am also into the Scandinavian fashion sense (minimalist, comfortable and effortless, functional, high quality fabrics…), although I also need it to be feminine, and sexy (which I think Israeli women are quite good at). I guess I want the best of both worlds?  

Are there any beauty products that you miss from Norway?

Not really. If there’s the occasional Oil of Olay product or something that I’d like then I can always buy it online. What I do wish we had in Israel, and which I enjoyed very much while I was in Miami, was chains such as Sephora, CVS, Ulta and Whole Foods [long sigh!].

What is currently on your beauty wish list?

That list is terribly long and might be enough for a few good years of shopping! But a few things in particular come to mind. Skin care wise, I would like to get my hands on a good vitamin C serum, which might help to brighten some dark spots that I got blessed with during my pregnancies. I would also like to try The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid; some reputed Kiehl’s products, such as their Midnight Recovery Concentrate and the list just honestly goes on and on. I am still breastfeeding, so I am careful with what I put on my skin these days. When I first got pregnant, I learnt to appreciate focusing on active ingredients (specifically, those not harmful to the fetus) when choosing my skin care products and worry less about brands, packaging, etc. It is the inside that counts for me when it comes to skincare (although I do appreciate tasteful and delicate packaging, but that’s merely a bonus)!

When it comes to makeup, there’s MAC’s Hot Tahiti which I think is the most flattering - as well as the most sheer (and hence effortless) - red lipstick for me and their strobe cream; the epic Dior Addict Lip Glow; the whole range of the Glossier products [I am eagerly awaiting the day when they will start doing international shipping]; I would like to try Chanel’s Illusion D’Ombre and I’d really like to try out Bobbi Brown’s foundation stick (any stick product speaks to me, as I like things to be effortless and quick!).

What do you do with your hair?

I am very low maintenance when it comes to my hair. I basically wash it with whatever shampoo I am using at that moment, maybe twice a week, and then use Batiste dry shampoo according to need. I do not own a conditioner. I am crap with styling (or rather, I do not know how to style hair whatsoever), which is luckily a non-issue now that my hair is short. With all the hair loss that followed the pregnancies, it just felt good to “start over”, with healthy and short hair. Now, I just let it air dry and brush it when it’s almost dry. Beyond this, I tend to get highlights and cut, maybe once or twice a year and that’s it for hair care.

What’s in your makeup bag?

There’s my Clinique Chubby Lash Fattening Mascara (in black), because I am allergic to most mascaras and Clinique works well in that sense. Then there’s Maybelline’s Color Tattoo cream eyeshadow in “Creamy Beige” (not sure if this is the same one as the “Tough as Taupe” one on the website?), which is a great neutral just-smear-it-all-over-my-lids (and, in the case of my hooded eyes, also a bit above!) shade. I also have MAC’s pro-longwear paint pot in “Painterly” which I often use as an eyeshadow base, or just on its own - and it double duties as a concealer whenever I wish to cover something up. I prefer to wear warm brown colors on my eyes, as they usually make my eye color pop the most. I use MAC’s “Coquette” eyeshadow to fill in my brows  (that’s what you get for growing up in the ‘90s when the use of pinsette was rivaled only by the toothbrush … - if there’s one beauty advice I’d like to pass on to my daugther, it would be not to touch her eyebrows...) and set them with Maybelline’s “BROWdrama” in the shade Dark Blond. For my lips, I have a lip liner by a German natural cosmetics company called “Alverde” in the shade “Pretty Mauve”, which I use both as a liner and to fill in with after applying some lip balm. One my cheeks these days I wear MAC’s Mineralize Blush in “New Romance”, a Lumi Magique highlighting pen from L’Oreal (I am not into contouring, but love experimenting with highlighting) and a Physicians Formula Nude Wear Touch of Glow Foundation in the light shade, which I am very happy with but hardly wear at all (I think I need a stick foundation if I am to be bothered with wearing foundation on the regular).

What makeup do you wear when you go out?

This question makes me want to both cry and laugh at the same time. Let’s just say that the chances of running into me at some bar anywhere these days are rather slim. If I do go out go to a special event, I tend to wear pretty much the same makeup as usual, perhaps with the addition of some eyeliner (kohl and never liquid, as I don’t like any harsh lines) or perhaps instead a bright shade of lipstick (I tend to gravitate towards plum shades, but also like pinks and reds). I love lipsticks in general, they make such a difference and just thinking of them make me happy! I usually choose my lipstick colors according to the season and/or my outfit.

What’s on your nails?

Right now, I am wearing a really nice petrol blue shade called “Denim Dream” by an Israeli cosmetics company called GA-DE. I also love their “Black Cherry” polish. I do love more classic shades as well, however, and in particular I tend to go back to Essie’s “Mademoiselle” (a light pink hue) and this beautiful red shade called “Aperitif”. I love to experiment with colors on my nails and if I have a special occasion then I choose the color according to my outfit, but in general I choose them according to my mood and I always try to pick colors that compliment my fair complexion.

Body skincare regimen?

I try to put on a mild body lotion (I love baby lotions!) or maybe an almond oil when I get out of the shower.

What about perfume?

I am not wearing any perfume these days because I have very small children and I am still breastfeeding. But in general I like a combination of sweet vanilla and musk scents and sexier/darker/spicy fragrances and now and then I do miss wearing perfume.

Define your style with five words?

Classic. Feminine. Comfortable. Sexy. Colorful.

*Disclaimer: This is not a paid advertisement. These recommendations are coming to you straight from Yael's beauty bag of wonders :)

No turning back on Brexit

I was invited to take part in a live BBC Radio programme on Brexit on the day Teresa May triggered Article 50.

Here's my part of the programme, which took place during a large media event on Parliament Square in London.

It is hard, you see... apart from all the obvious political and economic uncertainty Brexit brings, for EU expats in the UK this new reality can feel like someone's just pulled the rug right under your feet. People are, understandably, upset.

We are all here completely legally and have been building our lives in the UK, contributing to the economy, diversity and culture. As humans we only have a limited period of time to make our mark on history and society and to put our life's efforts at risk, on the scale in which the current events have, is unfair to put it mildly.

However my experience of living in different countries has taught me that when you fall, you need to get up, keep your chin up and carry on. Moving to another country can be one of the most exciting and fulfilling experiences in a person's life but it does come with numerous risks and uncertainties. The EU has removed some of these uncertainties but hey, life still comes with no guarantees.

This interview has left a few of my friends, who know how emotional, direct and opinionated I can be at times, a bit surprised about how positive I am about my life here. And when I was first invited to take part in the show, I considered bringing up the topic of what Brexit can potentially mean to artists and the art world, which has not been discussed enough in my opinion. However, this is too complex a topic to cover in the few minutes a programme like this allows for.

So here's the truth - life in the UK has been good for my family and I guess also for most other EU nationals who want to stay here. If that weren't the case, I would have already packed my bags and moved somewhere else. Brexit is a hurdle, which has the potential of having catastrophic proportions, but it is a hurdle I hope we can overcome.