The Artist Collection by AndBloom

I'm Dee. I turned 50 last July and I'm almost 51 now. I worked as an international fashion model and saw a lot in this business. From there, I became a fashion photographer and did that for twelve years. A wonderful career where I worked with many amazing models. So, I've been in the photo and video business my whole life.

When I turned 40, I thought: I'm getting old. And that really affected me. It was because of the jobs I had done. I was always surrounded by beauty and worked with young models. Everything was about youth and perfection. When I turned 40, I really started having a problem with myself because of that. It stirred something inside me. I didn’t want to spend the second half of my life fearing my age or being unhappy with myself.

Out of that feeling, I started doing portraits in 2018. My mother was the first, followed by many women. Friends of friends, mothers of mothers, and many more. From 40 to 100, I’ve portrayed every age. They all shared their stories with me—stories about aging and how they felt and experienced it. These stories were positive and strong.

What moved me especially was that we all went through similar phases. Perimenopause, loss, grief, divorce. All those things. And that’s how AndBloom came about. The project grew very quickly because many women getting older, like me, are underrepresented in media and photography.

Then Covid came, so I pointed the camera at myself and started to portrait myself, even though I thought it would feel strange. That’s how it all began. And look where we are now.

For me, it’s about being yourself without apologies, being the age you are without shame and without limits. And with a good, open attitude, because it’s so important to enjoy the second half of life too.

The reason I started with portraits was simple: I needed role models. At 40, I wondered who I would be at 50.

I wanted to see women over 60 who, as completely normal women, show me how to live life, dress, wear Make-up, style hair, and how it can all look.

I would have loved to have such role models for my younger self, but back then they didn’t exist. In the 80s and 90s, Botox and fillers became popular, anti-aging was a big topic, and those were my examples. Madonna was the image I followed, and that’s not a healthy role model.

Yet we can show younger generations so much about what aging can really be like.

To my younger self, I would have mainly wished not to worry so much about what’s still to come. I became a mother at 40 and never thought I would be. The years from 40 to 50 have been the best of my life so far.

Since I’ve been on Instagram and have a large community, I have to admit that I pay a bit more attention to make-up and beauty than I used to. In the past, I was very relaxed about going out without make-up. But because you’re constantly being filmed nowadays, you become more mindful of yourself. Not in terms of aging, but about looking radiant and fresh.

I have worn professional make-up many times in my life and only really understood what make-up can do for you when I turned 40. When you’re young, you simply don’t need it. No blush, no powder, because you naturally look fresh and radiant. But as you get older, you can look more tired or have had a rough night. During perimenopause, the skin changes.

And that’s exactly when you feel what make-up can do: it can give you so much more confidence and significantly boost your well-being. And just a little make-up is enough to help you feel better all day long.

Morning Make-up has become a self-love ritual for me, a moment with myself. A look in the mirror that shows me who I am and how I change over the years, and that helps me embrace these changes.

The Brushes I designed together with JACKS beauty line came from the heart. I was able to create them myself and add my own touch, with the colors and the flowers. It was like painting little works of art, and that’s exactly what made this process so special.

Now I take these Brushes in my hand every morning, and they will grow older with me. That’s the most beautiful thing about this project: It’s not something fleeting, but something that lasts. For me, these are self-love Brushes, and I really love them.

I've always lived in old houses; they've always fascinated me. My first apartment, I believe, was from 1912—of course much smaller, but with the high ceilings, the ornaments, and the stained glass windows that are so typically Dutch.

I'm a collector. At 17, I started traveling as a model and visited distant cities and special places. I brought something back from everywhere, sometimes a small artwork, sometimes an object with a story. That still runs through my home today.

And then there are my tattoos. From every place I visited, I used to get a tattoo as a memory of the places I'd been. I stopped at some point, but one day I'll continue.

They are all a part of me, just like my home. That's who I am.

I only developed my own style as a photographer, not as a model. As a model, I was more like a canvas: things were placed on me, shaped as desired, and often people didn’t even know my name. I was simply there to be styled.

As a photographer, I became colorful and bold. It’s hard to explain exactly how. Whether combining prints or decorating interiors, I just feel whether something works or not. If it doesn’t, I change it. Maybe it’s just my lively personality.

The unconventional fascinates me, especially in art. For my home, I almost exclusively choose works by female artists. I like people who stand out because I’m one of them myself. Following the mainstream was never my thing; I prefer to swim against the current. That’s ultimately why I founded AndBloom: to show that you don’t have to be forever young and beautiful, but that aging is beautiful in its own unique way.

I would recommend taking it step by step, with small changes towards more color. Maybe a new nail polish or a new lip color. Best to do one thing at a time, because too much at once can quickly be overwhelming.

And if I may give women just one piece of advice to be bolder and more colorful: Just go for it. Go out and try it. It has never hurt anyone to look a little different. Dare to be bold.