About six months ago, Maiwe became a part of the Eat Dust & Girls of Dust lifestyle corner. To celebrate our new partnership, I was invited by my favourite clothing brand to spend a day at their Antwerp store to share my story with their customers. It rained cats and dogs that day, so I ended up spending a lot of time with the team and that’s how I met Teun. Skincare being the starting point of our conversation, Teun talked me through her life story, a story that’s closely intertwined with some serious skin struggles.

Born and raised in Maastricht, Teun moved to Antwerp to pursue her career as a musician. The transition to a new city wasn’t easy on her, and her skin reflected those struggles. Triggered by her personality, and moved by her skin story, I knew I needed to introduce Maiwe to Teun. I knew the products would be a perfect match for her reactive skin. ⁠

Shortly after we met I surprised her at her doorstep with a brand new Maiwe routine. A few weeks later I got that awaited message, one that made me smile so much. She was dazzled by the effect of Maiwe's products on her skin and felt so grateful for this change of routine.⁠

Teun is the type of girl one could easily fall in love with. Naturally beautiful, kind, wise, and extremely talented. After our first meeting at the Eat Dust store and her newfound love for Maiwe, we went out for coffee in Antwerp to exchange new ideas on life, music and skincare. Enjoy!

Hi Teun! You have just introduced your first EP, big congratulations! You mentioned the record is about showing yourself as you are, being open and unfiltered. Tell me more!

Yes, this is such an exciting time! My record, called Home is growing on me, is indeed about being an unfiltered version of myself. The songs are very intertwined with a personal journey I’m going through. I’ve made a shift to start living from the inside out, and shifting the focus from the importance of physical appearances to my inner world. This isn’t an easy thing to do, especially as an artist who performs on stage, where the way you present yourself and the way you look is very important.

To me, this change is very related to what I’ve been through with my skin. I suffered a lot from acne which inevitably leads to wanting to hide yourself. Not wanting to show the outside world how you look like, not even wanting to see yourself in the mirror. It’s a huge battle, it really messes with your self-image.

When the acne came up, I didn’t know where it was coming from, so I was forced to look at myself in a different way and accept my skin, just to be able to get on with my life and leave the house in the morning. I tried to put the focus on feeling good about who I am, more than on how I look. This means I would pay extra attention to what it is that makes me feel good from the inside out.

When you truly listen to what your body needs, you quite naturally start feeling better, and that helps to put the acne in perspective.

"I have never enjoyed using skincare products as much as I do now. And I’m getting so many compliments! People tell me my skin looks great, that I look so glowy, that my natural smell is back. You know, even my freckles returned!"

That’s so inspiring. Can you share a bit more about the role of music in your life?

Music works as an outlet for me, it’s a way to express how I experience, feel and see the world around me. I get inspiration from so many different things. My own feelings, stories of friends, things that happened in the past or are happening today, questions I might have and will probably never be able to reply. I’ll try to research those questions, to investigate them, knowing I will probably never find a fitting answer and feel in peace with that.

And how did you end up in Antwerp? In what place were you at the time?

I came to Antwerp with a dream but no plan. After four years in Tilburg, where I completed my dance education and built a strong foundation, I took a gap year to focus on making music. That year made one thing clear—I had to move to Antwerp to chase my dream in music. I think in hindsight I underestimated what it meant to ‘uproot’ myself, and create a new home, new ties and a new beginning in a different place. It wasn’t easy, the restlessness I felt in Tilburg came to some point of accumulation when I arrived to Antwerp. My skin really broke out then. Besides the physical appearance, it was also very painful to have these inflammations. I went to a Dutch skin clinic, and they really helped me to settle back my skin on the short term, while I got working on my body, as mostly my gut was completely out of balance.

"I came to Antwerp with a dream, but without a plan."

That’s probably around the time I met you and we started talking about Maiwe. Can you share a bit more about that first experience and how the switch to a natural approach has been ever since? 

Well, I met you at the Eat Dust store right at a time where I really wanted to switch back to natural products, as that feels much better to me on the long term. I really care about what I put in my body, about what I eat and put on my skin. For a while these very aggressive products helped my skin, but then they weren’t anymore, and still, I was super scared to make the switch and try new products. You never know everything would explode again and my skin issues would go back to the beginning. That’s the last thing you want!

But the way you talked about your products and how I could feel that you were so convinced that they would help me, triggered my attention and I wanted to give it a try. When I started using Maiwe, I immediately noticed how grateful my skin felt. My skin reacted so well, feeling soft and easy. Since then I just became a huge fan! I have never loved a skincare brand this much, I have never enjoyed using skincare products as much as I do now. And I’m getting so many compliments! People tell me my skin looks great, that I look so glowy, that my natural smell is back. You know, even my freckles returned! Maiwe’s products have changed so much for me. They are making me feel much more confident. Of course I believe that your inner world is determinant for how you look, so if your nervous system is ok your skin will have benefits. I believe that the products have supported that.

"Maiwe’s products have changed so much for me. They are making me feel much more confident. If your nervous system is balanced, your skin will benefit from it too. I believe that the products have improved my skin, also because they have supported my inner peace.”

Waw, I’m so happy to hear this. I’m curious: do you have a favourite
product?

I love them all, I can’t choose! But I have a weak spot for the Toning Mist and the Rosehip Oil Serum. This is my make-up, the natural glow, the nurturing feel, the way my skin immediately absorbs it. When I perform my routine in the morning, I’m ready to leave the house. I feel glowing and confident, and I really missed that. I’m so happy with it!

Rosehip Oil Serum 

"This is my make-up: the natural glow, the nurturing feel, the way my skin immediately absorbs it."

ROSEHIP OIL SERUM