Inside the mind of a woman

I can’t remember how it is to have lips that are soft and supple but I am sure that sometime in my thirty or so years on this earth, they must have been. Now my memories are filled with dry, cracked and chapped lips. The lipsticks in my makeup kit have been replaced by lip balms and a tub of petroleum jelly and I no longer care if mauve or shell would look good on me.

I would like to say I have become an expert with lip balms since I seem to hold considerable influence in the success of the lip balm manufacturing industry but I am not. I have yet to find the perfect perfect lip balm that I can definitely say will work not only for me, but for everyone like me as well.

Maybe my lips are holding a mutiny because of all the different products I have subjected it to plus all the licking and slobbering (eewww) it has undergone. But I did not have a choice. My lips’ thirst for moisture is harder to curb than my own.

When local stores of Crabtree and Evelyn ran out of their Jojoba Oil and Aloe Vera lip balms, I went back to good old reliable Blistex. But my lips were thirsting for more. So I set out to find other products and brands that claim to offer relief for my dehydrated lips. My search led me to an organic range of products that seem to be all the range now.

Leyende, the story of skin.

From the Spanish word leyenda, meaning “legend” or “story,” Leyende is an emerging Filipino brand of handmade, natural and organic bath and body products with a modern, clean-minimalist sensibility.

Mostly sourced internationally, Leyende’s raw ingredients come from organically accredited farms and companies such as Plamil UK, Rain Forest Remedies, Honeybiz Australia Ltd., Agbang Karite Africa, among others. The local ingredients Leyende utilizes are wild Ylang-Ylang essence and infusions from the Ilocos region, organic virgin coconut oil, rosemary extract and lemongrass essence from Gold in Grass Corporation. Equally remarkable is Leyende’s simple, but eye-catching design for its reusable and recycled packaging.

– Courtesy of Leyende.com website

Leyende’s lip balm called Kiss Kiss Balm Balm, is a multi purpose moisturizer that you can use on your lips and cuticles plus use on burns and cuts. It is made of beeswax, calendula extract, sunflower oil and natural plant coloring. It comes in two variants: apple with green tea and froyo – berry yoghurt.

Their lip balms are packaged differently compared to the usual plastic tubes you see in stores. They come in small glass jars with tin covers that look oh so cute! The catch is that it weighs a ton (well not exactly but it does weigh as heavy as it looks), and it is kind of hard to lug it around especially for those who carry oh so tiny purses.

It is not sticky but it is kind of glossy on your lips. This is something that some people do not really like (like my sister), think lip sheen products. As soon as you put it on your lips though, it comes on light unlike most products that sort of sit on top of your lips until it gets wiped off. And because it becomes one with your lips, it lasts a little longer than most products. It also doesn’t encourage licking because it doesn’t exactly taste like its variant name.

My lips are now less dry than they were before just after 2 weeks of use. And because I still cannot shake my bad habit of licking my lips, I am still far from achieving the kind of soft lips that babies are born with. I still recommend this product to everyone looking for the same treatment that I have been searching for. I would add though that you have to think of alternatives to packaging if you don’t want to lug around a small bottle in your bag everyday.

Leyende Products can be purchased:
Online at Leyende.com or Leyende at Multiply or

Visit their branches at:
Crossings Department Store
Shangri-la Mall EDSA
Crossings: The Ramp
2/F Glorietta 3 Makati City
The Reading Room
Shop 32 Cubao Expo Araneta Center, Cubao, QC
EcoMarket
G/F Market! Market! Bonifacio Global City