As a creative consultant for some of the world’s biggest cosmetic and fragrance brands, rewriting the visual language for names including Byredo, Gucci and Chanel, Nellie Eden’s professional life revolves around future-facing experimentation and boundary pushing. But her own middle-parted fringe and long, dark hair have remained an instantly recognisable trademark that she has no desire to update.
‘I am known among friends as having had the same hairstyle from the age of two,’ she admits. ‘I feel completely naked without my fringe – it’s not even that I don’t like my forehead, it’s just who I am. Even on the few occasions where I’ve gone a bit blonde or cut in a bob, I’ve always gone back.’
Eden’s formative relationship with her appearance took steps that most can relate to: a teenage predilection for ghd hair straighteners; an ill-advised foray into dip-dye inspired by Alexa Chung. But it wasn’t long before she was carving out a reputation for making beauty trends her own – or eschewing them entirely. ‘At university in Sussex, I would draw on freckles – and that was not a thing at the time, even though it’s a huge TikTok trend now. Everyone thought I was mad, but I was always just having a good time.’
As our discussion progresses, it becomes increasingly evident that joy and play are the threads that stitch each of Eden’s visual iterations together. She cites her muses as everyone from Capote’s waspish ‘swans’ to Chloë Sevigny and Rihanna, defining her aesthetic as ‘a bit funky and very girly’.
‘I’m obsessed with films and books that study and try to capture girlhood,’ she explains. ‘I’m not interested in presenting in a hyper-sexy way. I don’t do red lipstick. Even now, at 34, I put Hello Kitty ties in my hair when I’m wearing a Bottega blazer – offsetting grown-up pieces with a sense of playfulness is what makes me feel comfortable.’ This youthful approach is reflected in her make-up – or rather, lack of; she generally goes bare-faced, save experimenting once a month with a colourful eyeshadow for a friend’s birthday party (although as an observer, she’s thrilled to witness the wider resurgence of blusher – ‘it gives that fresh, pretty, milkmaidy finish that I love’).
The impact of ageing does play on Eden’s mind: ‘I don’t mind getting older, but I’m looking at my skin and asking, “When did that happen?”’ She adds: ‘I’m starting to get greys for the first time, I can feel my hair texture changing. The hair will be the real challenge because so much of my identity is wrapped up in it. But maybe that’s fine. My husband can’t wait until I go grey – he thinks it will be really elegant. I lust after women with beautiful white or silver hair, so I’m quite excited about how that change will look.’
For the moment, she’s working on preserving its condition as much as possible, as its glossy finish is not something that comes naturally. ‘The whole beauty industry is moving towards healthier hair, nails and skin, which is so positive,’ she says. ‘I don’t feel good unless my hair looks healthy.’ Her recent discovery of the TRESemmé Lamellar Shine collection – and the Finishing Oil, in particular – has supported this mission: ‘I sometimes avoid oils because my hair is very heavy anyway, but this oil doesn’t add any weight, it just gives a kind of retouched polish.’
TRESemmé Lamellar Shine Shampoo
TRESemmé Lamellar Shine Conditioner
TRESemmé Lamellar Shine Leave-In Cream Serum
TRESemmé Lamellar Shine Finishing Oil
Eden used her recent wedding (in Tuscany, to product designer Andu Masebo) as an excuse to dabble in more chameleonic pursuits, sweeping her thick hair back into a slick ballerina bun (‘although I still had my fringe out, of course – good grief’) and sporting a smokey eye and nude lip applied by close friend Isamaya Ffrench.
‘I wanted everything to feel really raw and chic,’ she explains. ‘The one thing that bothers me about my hair is that it can get glamorous really quickly, just by the nature of its texture and quality. I didn’t want the princess hair with a big dress. The bun was something I never thought I’d do, but it was so liberating to have it all off my face and neck. I was so far out of my comfort zone already, so I just went for it.’
Special occasions aside though, her signature look is here for the long haul. ‘Even today, I travel with a round brush for my fringe,’ she says. ‘It’s so much of how I think of myself, it’s crazy.’
Discover the TRESemmé Lamellar Shine range now at boots.com
