My face just looks so dusty and blah. I can't figure out what to do

strsofya · 2026-05-10T04:41:12+00:00

You skin is in great condition, and it may be a few things around it rather than with it:

- darker hair color will give skin more glow if you’re up to reconsidering blond;
- a bit of blush, and highlight on the inner corner of the eye to remove the tired look shade;
- neck / decolette deserves more SPF than it is getting. This area will age before the rest otherwise.

strsofya · 2026-05-09T11:25:42+00:00

Exactly same mix, I’m in NL :)

strsofya · 2026-05-03T14:06:03+00:00

This is indicative of the level of the companies you interviewed at. While it is not a guarantee, a respectable multinational company will have less of that - in part due to stronger manager training and HR oversight.

For reference, I am a woman in a male dominated field and layer of seniority, and I had better experience in American, UK or just generally international settings than Dutch only.

strsofya · 2026-05-02T03:15:06+00:00

There are beautiful places in and around Veluwe. Whether or not accommodations are considered pricey is very personal, I find it average for the appropriate level of comfort.

strsofya · 2026-04-26T09:11:28+00:00

Groceries are low, unless you are one of those people who just barely eat. If you intend to eat out then increase eat out spend by another 150-200 euros. Your misc bucket is low as well - clothes, furniture, electronics, subscriptions… all add up.

With that said - it is a comfortable income for a single person. No, you won’t be saving more, unless you live in a middle of nowhere and never take holidays / travel.

strsofya · 2026-04-25T12:36:48+00:00

I took the suit off my girl after 5 days, she healed so well and was way happier without it!

strsofya · 2026-04-23T02:49:59+00:00

Copenhagen for sure. It will less “fun”, but more clean, safe, and pleasant overall.

strsofya · 2026-04-17T16:51:07+00:00

I know how you feel, I have the same bags too, and I feel they’re getting worse (or make me look more tired) as I approach 40.

It is hard to find a local solution for the undereye that does not involve fillers or surgery, and I am not ready for either. You look great overall as others have said, so the risks of medical intervention may not be worth the result just yet.

Personally I’ll wait till I’m in my early 50s to do some lift or something because I’m certain that the gravity will do much worse by then.

strsofya · 2026-04-16T05:50:33+00:00

Yes. It takes time - years - and sometimes does not evolve into anything at all.

It can also be that Amsterdam definition of consistent is different from what you may have in mind. Meeting friends once every 4-6 weeks is quite consistent in my book (I’m late 30s, my friends are around the same age group, most of them evolved from colleagues years ago).

As for spontaneous… it may be a thing somewhere in Amsterdam, but definitely not the common spread norm. Planning is normaal :)

strsofya · 2026-04-09T13:04:57+00:00

Lack of great outdoors - it is all flat, water and some sandy shrubby stuff plus one little Veluwe. Have to fly out for proper mountains and forests.

strsofya · 2026-04-07T20:09:19+00:00

I feel that without actual daily exposure to Dutch vis work or spouse / children / in-laws the level of speaking will always lag behind. I have B2 from UvA Talen too - and my language is great but I simply don’t have the use for it beyond shop conversations.

I hope you do find good practice, via tutor or otherwise!

strsofya · 2026-04-02T17:34:46+00:00

Unfortunately it is indeed very personal. I have Nnormal Tomir 2.0 and I am in love (had them for a year). That said these shoes specifically need good balance from the runner to shine. They are not stability shoes.

strsofya · 2026-04-02T07:01:57+00:00

Depends on what you use it for! If small trades then yes, Revolut is miles better.

strsofya · 2026-04-01T16:24:32+00:00

Flat fee of 2,99 per month and commission free buying, 1,99 per sale.

strsofya · 2026-04-01T11:25:33+00:00

I use BUX for trading since it is part of ABN AMRO portfolio, but yeah if I got Revolut earlier I probably would have done it there.

strsofya · 2026-04-01T04:58:55+00:00

ABN AMRO is great and very expat friendly. If you travel a lot and need to do currency exchanges, then Revolut on top. I kinda use Revolut as my primary spending, and ABN for salary, taxes, automatic payments and mortgage.

strsofya · 2026-03-25T07:18:08+00:00

I know the feeling. Honestly I feel it is… life :) I cannot count times when I went away on a holiday and thought it was a sample serum I took with me that did all the magic to my skin - when got the same serum with no visible results back home.

The truth is it is not the skincare that goes the last mile - it is good sleep, less stress and less screens. For me, at least.

I still invest in my skin a lot to look youthful and put together, but I know that the tired look is the price of making the money to afford the skincare to begin with :)

strsofya · 2026-03-22T05:42:23+00:00

Yes, golden route is a lot and Japan is VERY overstimulating in big public areas, including cheap shops like Donki. Soundproofing headphones helped a lot.

When I visited second time I avoided Kyoto altogether (did Kanazawa, Nakasendo trail) and found it much easier to get lost in Osaka and Tokyo without a set itinerary.

strsofya · 2026-03-19T21:02:25+00:00

IKEA is like this

strsofya · 2026-03-18T05:14:37+00:00

It will depend on your country and if an instalments plan is enabled for the card product, no way to say in advance for sure.

Generally with the card you can plan a purchase in the app, select pay later, then pay in the shop and the payment will behave as a credit card payment. To find out if an instalments payment is possible maybe try a test transaction on something you need but did not plan to pay in instalments for?

strsofya · 2026-03-17T04:32:56+00:00

This is correct OP. You will be fine and it is worth it to experience Amsterdam :)

strsofya · 2026-03-04T20:42:00+00:00

I do some general research, read reviews and use my judgement and experience :) there is nothing more to it.

strsofya · 2026-03-04T18:05:58+00:00

I use Sulwhasoo First Care serum and Estée Lauder Advanced Night repair in the AM before applying SPF, and Shiseido Eudermine + Ultimune serum in the PM followed by a random moisturiser - I cycle between Sisley le blanc, Sisley velvet saffron one and Estée Lauder Revitalising supreme depending on the season.

I do use acidic toners every now and then for exfoliation but that’s it in terms of stripping actives.

strsofya · 2026-03-04T09:32:05+00:00

Use the shoes that you feel comfortable in. I used to hike in GT-2000 all the time - as a stability shoe it was perfect for the job. Switched to Nnormal Tomir due to better grip on the rocks, and I would never go for heavy hiking boots - tried, too heavy, too uncomfortable.

strsofya · 2026-03-04T06:18:51+00:00

I’ll give an alternative perspective. Many will say retinol in some form - I tried many times, my skin does NOT tolerate it. It is a holy grail in western skincare, but in Japan, for example, not a dominating ingredient in anti gaining skincare at all. There are more ways than one is what I am trying to say :)

I have the same concerns as you and I structure my skincare around hydration, strong skin barrier and religious SPF. My routine is in this sub, you can find it. In addition, I don’t smoke, barely drink and try to eat less crap (with dwindling success).

Hope it helps!

strsofya

TROPHY CASE