One good suggestion that came my way recently is this particular and, not to mention, popular product from Leyende.

Face Canvas Moisture Glider by Leyende

Lock in skin’s moisture, benefit from the natural sun protection factor (unmeasured) of mango butter with carrot extract and vitamin E, known to fend off premature aging and sun damage. Organic papaya extract may help even out the skin tone. Guaranteed non-greasy day moisturizer and make-up base for all skin types. Safe for sensitive skin.

I heard it’s been getting rave reviews from professional and celebrity makeup artists. It’s been said that it helps prevent sun damage and is smooth as a makeup base and with emphasis on it’s non-greasy feature. Non-greasy is good, it’s one of the things I look for in a moisturiser. I have yet to give it a go myself and see if it lives up to its reputation.

This is just one of the products you can use for a pre-makeup moisturiser. You can use your current moisturiser esp if or when your skin is used to it. What’s really important is that the product you’re using is something you can trust to work well with your skin.

Bento Beauty Tip: If you know you’ll be under the sun for more than 15 minutes, make sure to put on sunblock, too.

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If you missed out on the first part, I recommend a read: Beauty Bento Box Interviews Neva Kares of Leyende, Part 1

I’m sure all your products are your babies but can you list 5 of your favourites and why? Which one is the best seller and why?

Selfish as this sounds, I use all of them because I really started making them with me in mind! But my hands-down favorites are Clean Slate multitasking face cleanser, Face Canvas moisture glider, Shake it Off body exfoliant in froyo, Clean and Present shampoo and Kiss Kiss Balm Balm pure beeswax lip balm and gloss.

Two products are selling like hotcakes right now: Face Canvas Moisture Glider and No Rumple Silk Skin Butter. Face Canvas got its reputation from the make-up artists who are using them as make-up base. Even before I sold it in the market, my friends who are pro make-up artists have been stocking up on them. Now it’s making the rounds in local celebrity circles. No Rumple Silk Skin Butter is just super yummy, and has the most immediate impact when sampled. I slather this on my elbows and upper arms to keep my skin asthma at bay.

As a maker of natural and organic bath & body beauty products, and owner of Leyende, can you let the readers of Beauty Bento Box in on a beauty regimen that you can personally vouch for?

One advice really holds a world of wisdom for me: sleep with a clean face. No matter how lazy or sleepy or wasted you are, remove make-up before bed. It really pays off. Some of my skin problems now were a result of my own stubbornness. Second most important advice, err on the gentle side. Nuking acne riddled skin with all the chemicals known to man is probably going to make things worse. Third, go to a dermatologist first, not a facialist or cosmetologist or spa. A good derma is knowledgable about organic products, and would even encourage you to use it (except for special cases where antibiotics are needed). And, yes, use sun protection for the whole body. It sounds tedious, but anything becomes a habit when done consistently for 21 consecutive days, so it will become second nature after a while.

Why do you think skin care and hair care are important?

Well, the skin is the largest organ in the body, and it definitely affects our internal organs. A healthy skin is also an indicator of a overall health. If you have dry, flaky skin, that means your body’s hydration isn’t enough. Or if your hair is falling out, it’s an indication of illness or too much stress. Caring for the skin and hair is part of taking care of your general health. The body functions as a whole so you can’t say that you’re just going to exercise or eat right and neglect your skin. Skin care is part of our general fitness; it’s not vanity at all.

In terms of beauty, hair care & skin care, what is the hardest challenge you’ve faced in your experience in the beauty industry?

I wouldn’t really consider myself as “in” the beauty industry, since I’m not a cosmetologist or aesthetician. But personally, finding a solution to my adult-onset eczema and skin asthma was a big challenge. I had great skin in my teens, which I took for granted. Suddenly, the merest touch can break me out into rashes. And I can’t experiment with make-up as much as I did before. It was frustrating and humbling. But it turned me into a more health-conscious, better-informed person. Business-wise, I’ve had to discipline myself to delegate work, since the demand is really higher these days (I’m not complaining) and I had to learn to manage my time better. Amazing how much I can accomplish simply by waking up early in the morning. It really makes a difference.

What are your views on Asian beauty? Is there an Asian beauty secret and/or regimen you know of and wish to share with us?

Asian beauty means diversity to me. We’re just a colorful combination of simplicity and understated sensuality. Asian beauty also ages well and holds up better against free radical damage.

One “beauty belief” I have – which is scientifically proven, anyway – is sleep. Sleep is the ultimate beauty tool. Getting the right amount maintains a good level of collagen production in the body (firmer skin), regulates hormones (less acne-prone) and basically reboots and recharges the whole body. Also, from personal experience, skin care for Asian skin needs to be simple and gentle. I don’t use toner; I find it an unnecessary step. Plus the alcohol content doesn’t help. Occasional major exfoliation through glycolic acid (from fruit acids) is something I swear by, but make sure to get this treatment from a licensed dermatologist.

I reckon it’s always wise to consult with a doctor for more serious skin concerns but taking on advices from beauty experts when it comes to maintenance or simple info supplement on certain products or regimens you wish to try is alright so long as we’ve made an effort to practice being responsible for our own well-being by keeping ourselves informed and educated. As an example, do use or try something just because I (or anyone) said so, you have to read up on it and get to know your own body, too.

Anyway, I hope you, my dear beauties, found the interview useful and informative because I most certainly did! Thanks, Neva!

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How did Leyende come about, how long has it been around and what is the story behind the brand?

Leyende is one of those happy accidents in my life. Writing is really my passion, my life’s work. But I am almost equally passionate about beauty. I had dabbled in make-up, doing a few fashion spreads and shows in 2005.

Then I started to develop adult-onset skin problems. They got worse even with trips to the dermatologist. The treatments would work for a while, but then the ugly skin bumps and acne would come back with a vengeance. I tried all hypoallergenic brands in the market but they were little help. Eventually, a friend recommended organic products. I wasn’t the vegan, alternative medicine kind of person, but I felt the difference almost immediately when I tried organic skin products. The problem was, real organic products were pricey and only available outside the country, so I paid a lot for shipping.

I decided to learn how to make these products myself. I went to workshops about making natural or herbal products, thinking they were the same as organics. But I learned that these products contained very little amount of natural plants and extracts. And the base they used, like SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate, betaine) and chemical preservatives (phenoxyethanol) were so abrasive, you can’t even touch it with your bare hands! The clincher was these formulas had to be diluted with gallons of water. It made me think twice because I didn’t want to use anything that was watered down. Why would I waste time and money making these things if they didn’t do anything more than give temporary fragrance?

Luckily, a friend in the U.S. recommended an organic products workshop and I learned as much as I could about making skin care products and the organic ingredients involved. It was hard at first, since it took time to make these products by hand. But I enjoyed the experience, and came up with products I could use myself: shea butter to calm my skin asthma and relieve eczema, mango butter and bearberry extract to moisturize my oily face without shine, vegetable glycerin for my shower gel and pure aloe vera shampoo for my falling hair.

The trouble was, my relatives soon wanted me to make for them, too. Before long, through word of mouth, I got calls and requests for organic skin stuff to give as presents or for personal use. I finally decided to make it a business and developed my own brand and product line. Last February 2007, I started taking orders and selling to the public via Flickr and Multiply. Hopefully, my store application gets approved so I can open my own flagship store soon.

The story behind the brand

Leyende means “legend” in Spanish. I chose that name because I wanted to incorporate my “writer side” into the branding. So “Leyende: the story of skin” is all about my opinion that each skin is as unique as the person it belongs to. No two people are alike, so why would skin be? Leyende celebrates this individuality of skin through organic products that won’t dry or strip off or change skin in an unnaturally abrasive way.

Also, I used puns for the product names; they come from books I’ve read, films I’ve seen, memorable songs and dialogues, idiomatic expressions, etc. Leyende is a funky brand.

What is Leyende’s core objective?

First, to educate more people about the health and environmental benefits of using organic products and how it affects our everyday lives. Second, to provide pure, organic personal care products at a reasonable price. I believe many people would be willing to switch to organic products, but they just don’t have alternatives in the market. I want to provide that choice with Leyende.

Also, part of my mission is to steer Filipinos’ attention away from our “white obsession” when it comes to skin, and help promote a healthier self-image among Filipinos. We’ve been blessed with pigment-protected skin. Killing those pigments with bleaching products increases our risk for skin cancer.

Can you describe the Leyende user?

The Leyende user is me, basically. People who are always looking for something better for themselves, well-informed through their own initiative, very self-aware and not too much into fake, Photoshop-flawless beauty. They’re interested in what’s real, what works. And when they see a good thing, they know enough to stick to it. Usually, these are people who know about organic ingredients already.

What sets Leyende apart from its competitors?

Truthfully, I don’t have any local competition yet. There’s no brand that offers a full, organic personal care line in the country right now. But I would say what sets Leyende apart from natural or botanical brands is that it is what it is. It’s pure, it’s simple, no mysterious “secret” ingredient. And the results are immediate. Maybe because Leyende products are not overdiluted with water. So what you read in the label is what you get.

What is Leyende’s stand on going natural and organic?

Natural and botanical, by definition, is different from organic. Organic means the ingredients were grown, harvested, produced without harmful chemicals like pesticides or herbicides that tend to remain accumulated in the plant or animal by-product. This ensures purer ingredients, the way nature intended it. Natural or botanical products simply use plants as part of their ingredients, but not necessarily from organic sources. Some ingredients in botanicals, in fact, tend to irritate skin more than help it.

This is the first of the two-part interview. Stay tuned for the last installment.

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Turkish Mocha Exfoliating Soap

A rich scent of Turkish Mocha makes this soap not only alluring on your nose but also a great exfoliator and moisturizer for your skin! Packed with freshly ground coffee, honey and goat’s milk with a creamy soft lather, it is won’t disappoint any coffee lover or anyone who can appreciate the aroma of a fresh brewed exotic coffee.

Ingredients:
Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Castor Oil, Safflower Oil, Fresh ground coffee, Glycerin (kosher, of vegetable origin), Purified Water, Turkish Mocha Fragrance Oil, Whole Milk, Sodium Hydroxide (saponifying agent), Sorbitol (from berries, moisturizer), Sorbitan oleate (emulsifier), and Titanium Dioxide (mineral)

The coffee addict in me was certainly drawn to this particular beauty find. The promise of the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, not to mention the scent of Mocha mixed in, while taking a shower will indeed be a unique experience for me.

It is said that the soap is made from cold-pressed vegetable oils with fresh botanicals that adds character and texture. Each product is handcrafted in small batches to guarantee the freshness of the cruelty-free ingredients. Only pure essential oils and high quality fragrance oils are added to these vegetable based, naturally high in glycerin soaps. Organic dried herbs, clays and spices are used to add color and exfoliation. It is also said that a selection of the best blends of oils for a bar of natural soap, which effectuates gentle and nourishing benefits to the skin with rich lather and with no drying residue is made to ensure that skin is left feeling soft and smooth.

Who ever said that you can’t bring the food in the shower? I reckon this proves them wrong, yeah? Let’s move on to more delectable dessert ideas for bath time.

Once Bitten Chocolate Soap Bar by Leyende

I did ask Leyende’s owner, Neva Kares, on why one would use Chocolate on a beauty product cuz, yes, my dear beauties, I was taken by surprise upon finding out. She told me that Chocolate’s high tannin content makes it a powerful antioxidant, it naturally moisturises and nourishes the skin. According to Leyende’s site, she made use of Brazil’s rich, organic Chocolate extract and raw Chocolate in making her Chocolate soap bar.

Yes, these soap bars are often mistaken as real chocolate bars. I wonder if anyone has ever taken a bite and bubbled over. It would’ve been a funny sight.

Chocolate, mocha and coffee. This part of the world of beauty definitely whets my appetite for a more calorie-filled, luxurious and delicious experience, which will leave me delightfully content yet craving for more — and I’m not talking about food.

Bento Beauty Tip: Use of products that are hand-crafted and not mass-produced can assure you of freshness and less probability of harmful side effects of preservatives. I did recommend no preservatives, right?

Turkish Mocha Exfoliating Soap is available at Etsy.
Once Bitten Chocolate Soap Bar is available at Leyende

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Rounded beads from organically-grown cacao and finely crushed walnut shells in a slather of moisturizing sweet almond oil and shea butter with skin lightening papaya extract.

With the small but, somewhat, elegantly designed booth, my attention was indeed caught, hence, my apparent reaction — gravitating towards it and immediately starting a conversation with none other than the creator and owner herself, Neva. I had asked a few questions about her products and online availability.

Neva generously informed me of some of the key ingredients she used and a brief background on how her brand came about and how she entered into the beauty industry. She told me that she battled over skin asthma and some other skin irritation, which led her to opt for a more natural and organic product. Her frustration with what’s available in the market moved her to create her own.

Moreover, Neva graciously prodded me to sample the body butter in berry & green tea. With a small portion, I was able to easily spread it over my skin — surprisingly covering a relatively large area — and it left a very cooling and more importantly light and non-greasy effect on my skin. It was glorious. I also had a sample of her hand sanitizer, one of the important things you should have in your bag, and it was also light and non-greasy, unlike its more commercial competitors.

I’m so proud to say that, yes, Leyende is a local brand, proudly Philippine-made. With that, I’m quite certain I’ll be featuring more of Leyende in the future.

Before I go, I reckon you can place an inquiry on possible shipment to the US, if interested. Neva said she’ll gladly accommodate your orders. If and when you do decide to get one, let me know how it goes. I’d love to hear from you.

Quick Tip: Gently scrub all over your body once to twice a week to exfoliate dead skin cells. Use before shower cream or on its own.

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