Chat with Alja Perne
It’s always nice to be in the company of a successful influencer and founder of The Base Label. Her relaxed energy is infectious and generates optimism. That makes her very special, as does the fact that she is a person who knows who she is and what she wants. She has successfully poured her flair for aesthetics and sophisticated fashion style into her own sustainable fashion label, The Base Label, with which she is writing an enviable career story. For Alja, no day is the same as the last, living a busy life, by being a wife to Luka and a mum to her soon-to-be big brother Liam. First and foremost, Alja is not only our go to style inspiration, but also an inspiring reminder to follow your goals, relax and always listen to yourself.
All these are more than excellent reasons why she has become our brand ambassador for The Royal Affair. In December, she will be joined on this journey by some other extraordinary women, whom we hope will inspire you as much as they have inspired us. They all have different personalities, and consequently different stories, but they all share a passion for feeling good in their own skin!
Before that, read the following conversation…
1. Alja, what is your favourite beauty ritual?
For sure the time when I go to the hairdresser to get my hair professionally washed and blow-dried. I feel like I’ve been reborn!
2. When do you feel most feminine?
I feel most feminine when I’m well-groomed or comfortable in my own skin.
3. In difficult moments, I lean on…
In difficult moments, I always say to myself that it could be worse and I’ll get over it.
4. Have you always liked your hair?
I never quite liked my hair. I have naturally wavy hair, and that is different from beautifully curly hair, so of course, I would like to have straighter, longer and lighter hair. In short, everything I don’t have. (laughs) Since I’m happier with their color, I’ve gotten quite used to them. I keep my hair straight and long most of the time and don’t experiment with it much.
5. Where do you get the most inspiration? Do you ever have a problem with the lack of it?
I don’t have that problem. I feel like I usually have too many ideas, and then I can’t put them into a few fashionable pieces. Every day I have an idea, so I don’t have a special ritual where I sit down and look for inspiration. I keep finding it in life, in people, on Pinterest and so on.
6. The last bad day and the last good day you had?
This answer might be a little more job-related. So, looking at it from a business point of view, there have been a lot of bad days recently because production is overloaded and as a result I can’t get certain things done, maybe I can’t run a certain campaign, or the material is late, etc. So it’s more from that point of view, because my plans are being canceled all the time, these are now everyday things that I have to deal with, and they’re putting quite a strain on me. I have a good day when, for example, everything is sorted, everything is published as it should be, and I can finally breathe a little. I am a person who does not worry too much about certain things and I often think that things will be sorted out. Of course, sometimes I get thrown off track, but I don’t take it to heart so much.
7. What is the affirmation you say to yourself most often?
Everything will be ok, don’t worry too much it could always be worse. Just last week I also started writing a gratitude journal (The Five Minute Journal) and we’ll see how it goes.
8. The most interesting hairstyle you've ever worn?
My natural hair color is very dark, so I’ve always wanted to be blonde. In high school, there was a period of yellow hair that resembled shades of chicken. I don’t know if it was because hairdressers didn’t know how to do blonde like that back then, or if I didn’t go to the right ones. Later I wanted to go back to brown, but it turned out reddish-greenish. I always knew what hair color I wanted, but the execution did go as planned. Outside of that, I didn’t experiment with my hair.
9. Which of your personality traits are you most proud of?
Perhaps on my determination or perseverance.
10. Can you share with us a moment when the royal affair products brightened your day?
I really like their scent, which is soft and gentle. I used hair mask a lot on my holiday at sea, where I would put it on my dry hair and then wash it off when I went swimming. It really came in handy, as my hair was mostly salty and sensitive at that time, and I also had more time for this beauty ritual on holiday than at home, so I really enjoyed it.
11. What is beauty for you, what do you see it in?
I like minimalist things, both in interior design and in hair and make-up, so I always stick to the »less is more« principle.
Quick 5:
- Hair mask or conditioner? Conditioner takes less time. (laughs)
- Early mornings or late evenings? Early mornings are the best, but I rarely get up early. If I manage to do it, it’s my favorite part of the day!
- Talking to a friend or writing your thoughts in a diary? Talking to a friend!
- A walk in the city or a wander in the woods? Maybe both, because I love the city, and nature suits me for the weekend.
- Hair pinned up or down? Hair down.
