My name is Ingrid Lucille Nordengen. My parents gave me a Scandinavian first name to compliment my Norwegian surname. My second name is my maternal grandmother's first name - Lucille, meaning 'light'.
Naturally Lucille then became the name of my brand because this space is an extension of me and it reflects my passions. I'm also hoping that this will be a place that brings a little bit of light into people's lives and into the world.
I also believe that my gran has had a significant influence on who I am today because she taught me (and my mother who then taught me) a lot about beauty, the environment and lifestyle which we all now share a love for. When I visit my gran, she is always dressed beautifully, wearing makeup and smelling of perfume. She also always has the table decorated stunningly, ready for a delicious homemade meal. She is so creative and is often making all sorts of things such as clothes, decorations, cards and other gifts for people. She also takes such pride in her garden which always shows me how much she cares for plants, insects and animals.
My gran has definitely played a big role in what I care about and in how I would like to live my life. It therefore only made sense to me to create this brand in honour of her. Love you, Ouma!
A LITTLE HISTORY
For those of you who are interested, here's a little bit of background info about me...I was born in Pretoria, South Africa in 1996. I have lived there for most of my life and during those years I completed all of my schooling, did twelve years of ballet and two years of Spanish dancing. I absolutely adore dancing! Another great love of mine is travelling and over the years I have been very blessed and have had opportunities to visit England, Scotland, Wales, France, Belgium, Greece, Germany, India, Thailand, Namibia and Botswana. I have so many stories to tell and lessons to share from those experiences.
After school I studied BA International Relations at Stellenbosch University in the Cape for three years. After graduating, I lived there an additional year while completing a few online diplomas in Marketing and Beauty. I then moved back to Pretoria and continued studying online while working part-time. I also started Spanish dancing again. I then lived in England for 8 months while looking after my cousin's baby and completing a few courses. I am now back in South Africa with dreams of starting an online business!
THIS SPACE
I, like most people, have many different interests. With having an interest, often comes the desire to share it which is why I created this space - to share some of my interests that I think you might find interesting or might enjoy learning from. I will be sharing what I (and some special guests) know about Beauty, the Environment and Lifestyle, as well as how to enjoy life in a more sustainable way.
My interest in beauty began during my years of doing ballet. I was part of YDCT (the Youth Dance Company of Tshwane) where we each had to quickly learn how to do our own makeup for performances. Since then I have grown to love makeup, beauty products, skincare and the benefits a healthy life can have on a person's appearance. Over the years I have done a lot of my own research in the field and decided to get a diploma in Advanced Beauty which has truly taught me a lot and has only increased my passion for it!
An important part of my life is my interest in the environment and trying to do my part to help take care of the planet by being as eco-friendly as I can be. I am however still far from being fully green! I have also been fascinated by the different animals on the planet and helping to create awareness and help save endangered species is something that has been on my heart for a long time.
I also have a big love for all things Lifestyle. I can think of many things in my life that I would hate to live without, such as scented candles, plush blankets, tea and coffee, clothes, sunglasses and other fun fashion items. However, with wanting all these materialistic things, comes the affect my carbon footprint has on the planet. So this is an area in which I am trying to improve. Sill being able to indulge in these luxury items, but by having as little of a carbon footprint as possible.
LOOKING FORWARD
I'm at a place in my life right now where there is potential for a lot of changes. It's mostly up to me to decide what those changes will be and honestly, it's very daunting.
Starting this website is only the beginning of one of my ideas! I have wanted to start many other projects and I am hoping to use this website as a foundation to get some of the projects, that I'm so passionate about, up and running! I am feeling confident and very excited so far, but it will take time (and hard work and dedication and prayer). So keep your eyes peeled!
Another exciting change and lifelong dream of mine was to live in England for however long feels right at the time. I have been there three times and the second time was for 8 months in 2020 during the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic. I wasn't able to do as many things as I would've liked to or traveled as much as I wanted to but even then I loved it! I then went back for a third time for four months in 2022 and could explore a lot more of the UK which was a dream come true!
Wish me luck and stay posted if you want to see what the future holds for me or if you want to know more about what we have to share about sustainable Beauty, the Environment and Lifestyle!