Today I want to welcome the gorgeous Nathalie from Berlin. She runs the eco- and health-conscious beauty blog Beautycalypse. Nathalie is a self-confessed geek, sci-fi, fantasy and computer game fiend who has a background in writing and photograpy who now works as a media and digital strategist.

Nathalie is on a mission to combine both her beauty and perfume obsession and her ideal of toxin-free, good-for-you products. Her credo is “I believe that you can only make better choices by being aware and having access to knowledge. I believe that there’s no beauty without kindness, intelligence, freedom or community.”

Regular readers may also know her because she did an interview with Barb Stegeman of The 7 Virtues here on OT. Today let’s hear more from Nathalie…

A good day starts with… the birds chirping, the sun shining through the curtains, and me looking into my sweetheart’s beautiful bright blue eyes.

I’d never leave the house without… clothes on and my smartphone. Everything else is actually optional! 😀

As for beauty or perfume, I never go out without a dab of toxin-free, gorgeously “retro” packaged Wolkenseifen Deo in their limited edition scent version – a perfume so deliciously cosy and powdery, you want to cuddle up inside that very jar! Loving the completely clean and super-powerful formula.

I always feel good when… there is a connection between people, when ideas are born, plans forged, knowledge shared, progress made, issues resolved, problems fixed and beauty acknowledged. This is when I’m the happiest.

My favorite thing in the world is… enjoying life with all my senses is the first thing that comes to mind.

But then the next favourite thing in the world is actually talent. When I have the luck to experience talent from near or from afar – perfume or science, acting or writing, painting or singing, you name it – I truly feel blessed.

The next thing I want to buy is… perfume-wise, it will be Green Love.

I only just discovered this small vegan and organic brand from Sweden, and fell in love with their perfume oil Wild Strawberry. It’s a green, lush, tart and yet a sweet fragrance. I love it to bits.

Next I need to check out more of their fragrances, and I think Jasmine Deluxe, Black Knight, Men’s Cologne and Cacao Truffles are calling my name.

I also happen to need a new desk! But since I look for something very specific in design (either completely sci-fi, or wooden and heavy like in a fantasy world of Harry Potter or The Elder Scrolls) and ethically manufactured, I feel like this journey will last a while. Maybe your readers happen to be design mavens and in the know? I’m glad to hear suggestions! 😉

The place I always come back to is… my family’s long gone summerhouse. In my imagination, I see the impressive dark pinewood, hear the owls sing at night, feel the wind in the birch grove, smell the rain on the surface of a small, green, willowy river, and taste the sweetness of wild raspberries and strawberries that grew simply along our, the children, secret paths in the forests. Summers and winters alike were magical there.
I don’t think the place still exists today, and I would be sad to see what it has become, so I’m only coming back there in my dreams.

My personal style is… reduced to ethical options but with strong aesthetics, with extravagant, edgy elegance meeting high functionality. I believe that you can only make better choices by being aware and having access to knowledge. I believe that there’s no beauty without kindness, intelligence, freedom or community. Among my favourite designers are Graz’ own Lena Hoschek., des artistes, manomama from Augsburg, Germany and Anthracite, a super-talented designer from Berlin who offers custom designs like a sci-fi business suit for me.

My favorite perfume… used to be Humiecki & Graef Bosque; everything Monsieur Ellena would come up with except Un Jardin Après La Mousson; Tom Ford’s Violet Blonde; Thierry Mugler’s Womanity; Cadjméré by Parfumerie Generale; Fiori di Capri by Carthusia; Insensé by Givenchy.

I also loved Forever by Jean Patou to bits; a sparkling, “roaring twenties” cocktail of berries and pineapple in bed with sandalwood. Despite the name, they discontinued it. Another discontinued darling is Cristobal by Balenciaga.

Right now I’m exploring organic and ethical fragrances, which is quite an interesting journey. My daytime favourite is Spearmint Single Note by Balm Balm. It’s a stunningly well-done, scintillating, faceted soliflore.

My best pick for date nights is a custom blend by The 7 Virtues: 2 whiffs Noble Rose of Afghanistan, 2 whiffs Afghanistan Orange Blossom and 2 whiffs Middle East Peace. It makes a lush, woody, spicy white flowers explosion.

When I travel I always… keep a diary; draw; take a horrendous lot of pictures; explore as much as I can – and I also get informed about the place in advance.

To relax I need… basically nothing. To relax I need to meditate and to sleep, and I can meditate and sleep under any circumstances! I can cuddle up and snooze away in trains, in planes, at a party. But if I can choose à la carte, I prefer a cosy bed by an open window; a firm mattress; fresh, crisp, cool, lavender-scented linens.

When I have a bad day… I suffer to the fullest, clutching to the knowledge that it will come to an end.
When I’m angry, I always avoid sharp objects and heavy machines 😉

I like to gift people with… artisanal products they wouldn’t discover otherwise. Example?
If it’s chocolate, I pick Blyss. If it’s tea, I head to Paper & Tea in Berlin, the best source of fantastic teas and tea accessories in town. If it’s wines, it’s my latest “crush”, really gorgeous histamine-free and vegan wines that most allergy sufferers can enjoy, Eller Finest Selections from Rhine Hessen.

I find my inspiration… I wish I could say something sweet like “in nature”!
I happen to find inspiration in my mistakes and flaws and in mistakes and flaws of others.
But hey, then it’s even partly true, because nature means constantly evolving and learning. Only efficient, elegant solutions pass the test of time.
Mistakes and failures are rigid, effective teachers.

Something I would never want to miss… A chance. My entry. My vocation. My loved ones.

My last mistake was… eating a cinnamon topped waffle on a Christmas Market in Dresden.
I’m allergic to wheat, but I grew so angry and frustrated over the fact that food options for people with allergies/food intolerances are next to nil at a Christmas market!
It then took a month to get rid of all the bad effects. Meh…

In my fridge there is always… gluten-free soy sauce; a glass of jam that’s never even half-finished because I don’t like jam; rice-coconut milk; tomato pulp and mustard; fine virgin oils that need to be refrigerated; lime and lemon juice, pomegranate juice, and applesauce.

On my nightstand I keep… only my iPad Air, and it’s not a real nightstand, because I don’t have any. But my iPad is my world: books, blogs, notes, drawings; it’s all there.

The perfect weekend starts with… a tabula rasa on a Friday night. Nothing’s more satisfying than the feeling of having accomplished everything scheduled for the ending week.

My role model is… Oh, that’s a hard one. Let me see.
I don’t think I have one. I admire a few people for their talent in art and business; but I don’t have an idol, an icon, or a role model.
The American actress Mae West is damn close to being one though.

Something I always want to be asked in questionnaires like this is…
I think this questionnaire is pretty sophisticated as is!

What I personally like to learn from interviews are books people read, their current playlists, the TV shows they love, things like that, to get inspired. So here are mine:

Books I read now:
Christopher Moore Fool, Anthony Horowitz The House of Silk, Ryan Holiday Trust Me, I’m Lying, Debra Lynn Dadd Toxic Free.

Current playlist:
David Bowie Next Day and Diamond Dogs, Zemfira Spasibo, Loreena McKennitt The Visit, Charlie Wilson Hobo, Mylène Farmer Avant Que L’Ombre.

TV faves:
Firefly, Sons of Anarchy, True Blood, Game of Thrones, The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, Castle, The Mentalist.

What are yours? 😉

Nathalie is an impressive woman with strong ideals and opinions to which she adheres. We need more people like her to change our world, little by little. I take a lot away from this interview, like her travelling style, all those tips about sustainable clothes and products and the sense I get of her drive and power and will to change the world she lives in.

Which of Nath’s answers was most memorable for you?