Isaac Hindin-Miller // 3 Relationship Tips
Isaac Hindin-Miller, the Kiwi blogger and #glowboy behind Isaac Likes, knows all things menswear & love-- and lucky for us he's sharing his top relationship tips!
Isaac started his blog Isaac Likes back in 2008, as a forum to discuss fashion on his own terms. Because of his impeccable talent with word and whit, his fashion commentary takes on depth like no other. We get lost on his blog, reading posts one after the next-- they're so well-writen, funny, and to-the-point. His blog has since expanded to include everything from personal style and travel, to anecdotes, interviews with notable personalities and relationship advice for anybody who asks.
One of our favorite parts about Isaac is his inquisitive mind and his love affair with discussing all things love & relationships. This glow boy knows the right questions to ask and really can get to the core of any issue at hand. He's shared his three top relationships with us below:
Isaac Like's Top 3 Pieces of Relationship Advice!
1. When somebody shows you who they are, believe them — the things that bother/upset/hurt you now are not going to suddenly disappear. If a girl or guy seems unreliable or dishonest or selfish or simply behaves in ways that are counterproductive to your happiness levels, do not push your misgivings aside or make excuses for their actions. BELIEVE THEM. Life is too short for bad relationships! Get out while you still can!
2. If you’re not happy by yourself, you’re never going to be happy with somebody else. I think that most of us get into relationships with a secret hope that the other person is going to solve all our problems, but that’s an incredibly unfair expectation to put on another human. There’s nothing wrong with being single — it’s a great way to really take a look at who you are and how you’re behaving in your life; the good choices you make and the mistakes you repeat. Jumping into a relationship when you’re in an unhappy place is like putting a bandaid over the giant gaping hole in the Titanic, i.e. a ridiculously temporary and unhelpful solution.
3. We can only control our own behavior. And that right there is the most frustrating of all frustrating truths, but it is the truth. Sorry.
Bonus tip: If you’re spending more than 15 minutes every day wondering why the guy hasn’t called you or messaged you or responded to you or what he actually meant when he said whatever it was that he said or why he makes plans and doesn’t follow through or whether or not he’s WHATEVER, then this is not the right relationship for you. PERIOD. I hear girls all day long analyzing and overanalyzing very black and white behavior. If a guy is interested, he will show that he is interested. He won’t play games, he won’t wait around. If a guy is not interested he will do the opposite. It’s very very very simple. Okay?? Okay.
HOW THEY GLOW QUESTIONNAIRE
NAME: Isaac Hindin-Miller
PROFESSION: Blogger
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? Auckland, New Zealand
WHERE DO YOU LIVE? Alphabet City, NYC
WHEN YOU’RE EATING HEALTHY, WHAT IS A TYPICAL… *Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a particularly healthy eater or a gourmand by any stretch of the imagination, so this might not be an inspiring list of foodstuffs.
BREAKFAST: Two pieces of gluten free toast with peanut butter and sliced cherry tomatoes on top, plus two fried eggs and black coffee.
LUNCH: Guacamole Greens salad from Sweetgreen but add quinoa and sweet potato, and take away the onion.
DINNER: I dunno… sushi?
SNACK: Chickpea salad.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS/RESTAURANTS TO EAT HEALTHY? Sweetgreen, Barnyard Cheese in Alphabet City, Yoshi Sushi, Wholefoods make your own, the bodega downstairs from my house for the beet, carrot, kale, apple, lemon and ginger juice.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INDULGENCE? I like to eat chocolate most days, whether it’s a Snickers bar or the toffee and sea salt bar from Green & Black’s. Also, my roommate is a flight attendant and he buys ice cream then flies away so I always like to finish that off on his behalf.
WHERE ARE YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS/RESTAURANTS TO INDULGE? Mimi Cheng’s Dumplings on 2nd Ave (because it’s not gluten free but I still like to go), Rai Rai Ken ramen restaurant on 10th Street between 2nd and 3rd, McDonald’s (I love the occasional Big Mac), anywhere with spicy hot wings, The Standard Grill for the steak, Animals sandwiches on Avenue C and 9th Street, plus La Colombe on Lafayette and 4th Street for the almond croissants. Fish and chips back home in New Zealand.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR LAST MEAL ON EARTH? Mashed avocado on ciabatta with fresh tomatoes and poached eggs from Dizengoff in Auckland, New Zealand. Greatest cafe and breakfast of my life.
WHAT IS THE BEST DISH YOU COOK/ YOUR FAVORITE RECIPE? Guacamole. I use ground cumin seed as my secret ingredient. And because limes are so scarce in New Zealand I use lemons. Makes all the difference.
WHERE DO YOU GROCERY SHOP? Union Market on the corner of Houston and Avenue A. Go for the produce, stay for the samples.
TOP 3 ITEMS YOU ALWAYS HAVE IN YOUR KITCHEN? Corn chips, eggs and peanut butter.
WHAT IS YOUR FITNESS REGIMEN? (how often & what you do) I work out with my mate and personal trainer Reno two or three times per week on the jungle gym at Tompkins Square Park. (The gym I belonged to and that he worked at got closed down a few months ago.) We just do pull ups and push ups and band work and dips and body resistance and stuff like that. No cardio I last no more than 30 minutes then tell him I hate him and I never want to see him again. He takes it pretty well. Other than that I walk around Manhattan all day every day and that keeps me pretty fit.
WHAT IS YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE? (products, facials, etc) I use this New Zealand men’s range named Triumph & Disaster, that was developed by a famous Kiwi cricketer named Dion Nash. The exfoliant is my favorite — it’s called Rock & Roll Suicide Face Scrub and it’s made with real volcanic clay. Gangsta. Other than that I use Baxter of California moisturizer and sunscreen, Shiffa under eye cream and healing balm if I have a cut or scratch or burn (it’s a miracle product I swear to God), and Aesop deodorant plus Ingrid Starnes Vetyver Bergamot fragrance (it’s the best thing I’ve ever smelt). And on my hair I use fatboy which is a miracle product developed by my Kiwi friend Tyler Kennedy who also lives here in NYC. He started making it in his kitchen a couple of years ago and it’s gotten so successful that he can’t go a week without one of the giant cosmetics companies trying to buy him out. Amazing! Plus I use Burt’s Bees peppermint oil lip balm about 18,000 times per day. I can’t live without it.
IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 PRODUCTS WOULD YOU TAKE WITH YOU?
1. Baxter of California or Triumph & Disaster sunscreen
2. Mitchum’s scentless antiperspirant
3. Toothpaste
WHAT PROFESSIONAL BEAUTY/HEALTH/FITNESS/SPIRITUAL GURUS DO YOU SWEAR BY? I grew up Baha’i, so I love to read the writings of Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l Baha, and I’m an enormous fan of Bill W.
TOP 3 FAVORITE SONGS?
1. Close to Me by The Cure
2. All My Friends by LCD Soundsystem
3. Marvin’s Room by Drake
MOST-WATCHED MOVIE? No joke, ether Center Stage (the ballet movie, I know you’ve seen it), or Lost in Translation.
MOST LIFE-CHANGING BOOK? After Visiting Friends by Michael Hainey (who’s a bit of a personal hero of mine), and The Richest Man in Babylon, which my Uncle Brent gave me when I was a teenager, and which taught me that 10% of everything you earn is yours to keep (financial life goals).
FAVORITE SHOPS/BOUTIQUES? C’H’C’M’ on Bond Street here in NYC, Fabric on High Street in Auckland, Crane Brothers in Auckland, Dover Street Market in London, 3X1 Denim on Mercer Street.
COOLEST PLACE YOU’VE EVER VISITED? One of the perks of my job is that I get to travel a lot, but truth be told, my three favorite places on earth are the East Village in NYC, Ponsonby Road in Auckland, New Zealand where I spent my formative years, and Paris, which is probably the place I travel to most regularly. I’m a creature of habit and I like what I like.
FAVORITE HOTELS? Maderas Village in Nicaragua!
WHAT IS THE BEST GIFT YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED? The people who know me best always buy me Burt’s Bees for my birthdays and it’s a tiny inexpensive thing, but they know I love it and it makes me feel good that they know me so well. Also, my parents always send me a box of Rose’s Chocolates from New Zealand every birthday and it’s a little taste of home.
MOST PROFOUND HEALING EXPERIENCE YOU’VE EVER HAD? Getting sober, staying sober one day at a time.
FAVORITE QUOTE? “We’re all in the gutter, but some of us are looking up at the stars.” Oscar Wilde.
WHAT MAKES YOU GLOW? Skyping with my nieces Sofia Grace and Mila, who are 5 and 3 years old, and who tell me they love me every day.
Photography by: Jai Lennard