Pretty Busy: Elizabeth Grace Hand had so much sour milk in Sweden…

A week abroad with the Ställe Studios founder and aesthetician—cardamom buns, pony hair coats, and oxygen facials included.

May 07, 2025

I first met Elizabeth Grace Hand in January 2024, when—on a particularly blustery winter day—I stopped by her facial studio, Ställe Studios, for a bespoke treatment. I’d gotten into the facial bed somewhat frustrated because the subjects I was meant to interview for an Into The Gloss Valentine’s Day story had pulled out earlier that morning. When I told Elizabeth what happened, she simply said, “Jon [her husband] and I met on Valentine’s Day, actually.” Four days later, I found myself seated across from the couple at their home, eating Jon’s delicious tuna tartare as we talked about how they met (it involved a $1,200 charge from Dr. Barbara Sturm!) and the ways she’s influenced his skincare routine.

Elizabeth and I first connected over our shared love of all things beauty—especially results-driven, innovative products—and quickly became friends. Since then, I’ve watched her grow her business from a two-room shared space into a gorgeous three-room loft in Soho (a favorite of celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence), covered her routine extensively in a Top Shelf, and celebrated multiple milestones together, including her first pregnancy.

Every year, Elizabeth and Jon spend part of the summer in Sweden, where Jon is from, but with baby boy Pom due in June, they moved up their visit to late March. So, I asked Elizabeth to kick off I Just Want To Talk’s new series Pretty Busy, where subjects give us a peek at a couple of days in their lives when they were, you know, pretty busy. Keep reading for everything from the beauty products she packed in her suitcase to the pony hair coat she carried back to New York. Think of it as your unofficial (or official… I don’t make choices for you!) travel guide to Stockholm.

Friday, March 28
7:30am: We landed at Arlanda Airport. I’m here for a week to see my husband’s family. I’m also here to meet with my interior designer, Madeleine Asplund Klingstedt, to finalize the designs for both Ställe and my apartment before the baby arrives, and to meet with Toteme about a fun event we’re planning at their NYC store in May. It’s the last trip to Stockholm before Pom is born! As of today, he’s the size of a coconut, and I’m officially in my third trimester.

8:30am: It was too early to check into our hotel so we went straight from the airport to my mother-in-law Agneta’s apartment to nap and to wash our faces. My skin feels so dry after almost eight hours on the plane so I immediately used my Bioeffect cleanser. It’s so silky and moisturizing. I loaded a layer of Anfisa’s ân-balm—it calms redness and gives me all of the moisture I need with none of the pore cloggers typically associated with a rich balm—on top and took a nap.

2:30pm: I woke up starving from my six hour nap. We checked into Villa Dagmar—my other go-to hotel is Ett Hem but Dagmar is more central—took showers, and changed quickly.

3:30pm: We went next door to Östermalms Food Hall—it’s always our first stop—and got my favorite Swedish meatballs at M Seger. Swedish meatballs are so good because of the combo: You mix each meat bite (salty) with lingonberries (sweet), pickled cucumber (acidic), and cream sauce (creamy). Heaven on earth!

4:30pm: Met up with Jon’s brother, Mattias, and walked around the city. I forced them to come with me to my favorite Stockholm beauty store, Cow. They mostly carry fragrances, but they also have some makeup, skincare, and haircare. They have Réservation, a new perfume brand I got to test for Violet Grey—I’m on their curation committee. Jasmine Haze is my favorite because it’s light—and I love fresh, floral scents. They carry some of my other favorites like the Vintner’s Daughter active botanical serum, Victoria Beckham contour stylus, Westman Atelier vital skincare concealer, Sara Happ lip slip balm, and Augustinus Bader face cream mask. I bought a travel-sized Oskia renaissance cleansing gel because my usual Costa Brazil oil cleanser spilled in my bag on the way over. I was intrigued by Septième, and upon Googling, I discovered it’s a chic French brand and will now need to go back to buy the French laundry hair cleaning mist.

5:30pm: We walked by Fabrique on the way back to the hotel so we had to get cardamom buns. Yum!

6:00pm: Stopped by Östermalms again to stock up on my favorite juices at Planet Mesh. “Sour Passion” is my favorite. It’s mint, passion fruit, and lemon, and it tastes like sour candy. I can’t get enough.

6:30pm: Quick shower and night routine. I used the Sofie Pavitt micellar pads, Bioeffect EGF essence, Bioeffect 30 day treatment (I cannot live without it; if I skip it for just two days, my wrinkles become more pronounced), Emma Lewisham supernatural blemish serum (which I started testing a few weeks ago and has been a great pregnancy-safe way to clear my breakouts), Bioeffect EGF eye serum, Retrouvé eye concentrate, and ân-balm. If you’re wondering why I use two eye products, it’s because I think of it like the rest of my face—if I’m using serums there, why not on the eyes too? It’s such a delicate area. The eye serum is especially great because you can use it all around the eye, and it really helps with lifting. I’ve seen the difference it makes firsthand, especially in my older clients.

Saturday, March 29
9:30am: Skincare routine. I mostly used the same products as I did last night, but I added my Sachi triphala pigmentation corrector, switched out my ân-balm for my Bioeffect EGF day serum—it’s technically a serum but I think of it as a gel moisturizer—and added in my Auteur sun drops because, of course, I never skip sunscreen.

1030am: We had breakfast at the hotel—I went for four eggs, avocado, and sour milk yogurt (it’s fermented and way more liquid-y than regular yogurt) with raspberries and granola. One of my favorite meals in Stockholm. I’m addicted.

1230pm: We met up with my mother-in-law and Luna, her sweet black lab, at Rosendals Trädgård, the most magical place in Stockholm. It’s part flower shop, part café, and a total must for lunch—but I was still too full from breakfast, so I just grabbed a green tea and wandered around the shops. In the summer, I love eating under the apple trees that line the property.

2:00pm: Time for shopping at Biblioteksgatan. Highlights: Toteme, By Malene Birger, and Filippa K. I bought a cashmere v-neck, a white tee, and a pair of leather slingbacks—and I had my sales associate put a pony hair coat on hold.

3:30pm: I walked around the corner to shop at my favorite baby store Livly and got Pom a cute little PJ set with dogs all over it and a light blue cashmere set.

4:30pm: We walked a few blocks to the best department store in Stockholm, NK. It’s four stories tall with a solid beauty section at the bottom. There was a huge line for Caia Cosmetics. Bianca Ingrosso, the founder, is a really popular influencer here.

5:30pm: Jon’s dad, Hans, cooked an amazing meal at his apartment for us. He made toast skagen, my favorite meal—well, it’s tied with Swedish meatballs. I have yet to find these mini shrimps in NYC! They are so good—melt-in-your-mouth amazingness.

9:00pm: Back to the hotel. I used my micellar wipes and then hopped in the shower, where I used my cleanser and Mantle the ex exfoliator, which I purchased at NK. My skin needed a good physical exfoliator and I didn’t pack any. I like it! It didn’t strip my skin; it just made me glowy. Then it was my usual line-up: Isla elixir, 30 day treatment, ân-balm, eye serum, and eye concentrate.

Sunday, March 30
10:00am: I’m still jet-lagged and it’s daylight saving time so my head feels like mush. I stayed in bed scrolling and Jon brought me sour milk yogurt.

12:30pm: I woke up from my morning nap—I’m pregnant, after all—and did my skincare routine. I added some Tower 28 tinted foundation (it’s SPF 30!) in Melrose and my Anfisa Ân-Gloss in Berry Crumble.

1:30pm: Jon and I met Mattias and his girlfriend, Lovisa, in Södermalm for lunch at Cafe Pascal. I had to get more cardamom buns!

2:30pm: We went to Krümel for delicious cookies. They have one stuffed with crème brûlée that’s next level.

3:30pm: Shopped around Södermalm. This neighborhood has a lot of secondhand stores and Grandpa, a boutique people love. Honestly, I’m not super obsessed with the shopping in this neighborhood so I just browsed. The only store I love is L:a Bruket. It’s basically the Swedish version of Aēsop, but the scents aren’t quite as earthy.

4:00pm: Grabbed rooibos tea at Stockholm Stadshotell, a brand new hotel that’s soooo chic. We’ll need to stay there next time.

5:00pm: Quick grocery store trip! Mattias and Lovisa are hosting us at their apartment. They made a delicious salmon and salad for us. The salad was especially good. It had spinach, kale (shortly roasted in the oven with olive oil and chili flakes to give it a little crisp), sweet potatoes (also roasted in the oven with olive oil and chili flakes), feta, pomegranate, hazelnuts, avocado, and a simple dressing of olive oil and lemon juice.

Monday, March 31
8:30am: Breakfast at the hotel means more sour milk! I also had a mini sandwich with butter and cheese. I don’t know why all sandwiches aren’t buttered. I also don’t know why people don’t talk about Swedish cheese more often. It’s really the best. This is the one I love. If you ever see it at a store, buy the entire stock immediately.

11:30am: I went a little crazy shopping. First, I went back to Livly to get my BFF Richelle a matching baby cashmere set—a pink version—for her daughter, who is due one month after Pom. I also got Pom a light blue cashmere blanket—I had to! Then I went to Toteme for the pony hair coat—the last one! I saw this knitted shirt dress so I had to buy that, too. I also impulse bought this cute little light blue tote from Bottega Veneta. Oooops.

A little something for Elizabeth and a little something for Pom

2:00pm: We had lunch at the hotel and then went to Millesgården Museum with my mother-in-law and Madeleine. It’s part art museum, part sculpture garden, set on the grounds of the former home of the incredible sculptor Carl Milles—I have a beautiful antique Carl Milles ashtray at Ställe—and his wife, Olga. I’m obsessed with his work, so it was amazing to see it all in person.

4:00pm: Time for an oxygen facial at Renew Skin Clinic. It was great! I found it via Google. You’d think I’d do more research given that I’m an aesthetician myself, but if a studio carries brands I like and they have good machines, I trust it. My aesthetician, Daniella Garcia, is the owner and talked me into buying a bunch of Nimue products—not like it was hard; I’m a sucker for products I haven’t seen before, especially if they’re only sold at facial studios and derm offices.

6pm: Dinner at Restaurant Frantzén, one of the best in the city. It has three Michelin stars and is always on “best restaurants in the world” lists. It really lived up to the hype.

Tuesday, April 1
9:30am: Had a lazy morning and then Jon and I met Mattias at Banacado for breakfast. They do influencer smoothies here like they do in Erewhon. Alice Stenlöf, the Swedish influencer behind A-Dsgn, was actually there for a shoot for her new blue elderflower coconut swirl smoothie. It’s always fun watching people make content. It’s truly an art form—and it doesn’t get enough credit.

10:30am: Ring shopping! Mattias is proposing to Lovisa soon, so we helped him pick out the ring. Swedes tend to be a lot more understated with their jewelry—anything over three carats is considered tacky. But of course, me being the tacky American, I tried to convince him to go for the biggest diamond possible.

12:00pm: Grabbed my favorite quickie lunch at Kale & Crave, which is essentially Sweden’s version of Sweetgreen but 1000000x better. I got the kale caesar with quinoa, tomatoes, cashews, parmesan, and chicken; it’s always so fresh, and there are never any of those weird rubbery chicken bits.

1:00pm: Meeting at Toteme HQ to go over the NYC event we’re hosting. Nik Körner, their client engagement specialist, gave me a full tour of the gorgeous office, and then we grabbed green teas at Café Saturnus.

2:30pm: Meeting with Madeleine at her studio to discuss my apartment design and the final touches for Ställe. I meant to go shopping, but we ended up talking nonstop. She’s the warmest person with the biggest heart and the best, best, best taste. I can’t make any design decisions without her.

5:00pm: Dinner with Hans and Jon at Persona. The food is equally pretty as it is delicious here! I especially loved the truffle canapés.

8:00pm: Bedtime. I slept in my Hårklinikken hair mask. It does a great job taming frizz, which is the number one thing I’m always looking for in a hair product.

Wednesday, April 2
9:00am: Wake up, scroll, emails, skincare routine. I’ve really gotten into the swing of vacation life by now.

10:00am: Last hotel breakfast! I’m in mourning so I got two servings of sour milk to drown my sorrows.

12:00pm: Design meeting with Madeleine at her studio part two! We were slightly better at staying on topic this time…

1:00pm: Antique shopping! We went to all the best spots: Galerie Storm, Jackson, Sjöström Antik, Mandaríc, Modernity, and Schiller Dufva.

6:00pm: Dinner at Lilla Ego with Jon, Agneta, Mattias, and Lovisa. Everything was good, but the fish dishes were the standout.

9:00pm: Time for bed. I was so tired so I did a quickie skincare routine with my micellar pads and cleanser before a layer of my Poets Atelier face oil.

Thursday, April 3
7:00am: Early wake-up call for the airport! Jon insists we arrive at least three hours early—minimum! I did a quick rinse with my cleanser and put on my Retrouvé nutrient serum, French Farmacie sérum radiant, and sun drops before sprinting out the door. Next time I’m in Sweden, Pom will be with me!