Hidden Gems: Honest SKincare

Hey guys, so I'm starting this hidden Gems section in my blog to share my newly found on anything unique and I think useful to share - and perhaps you never heard about it. So, you are welcome!

Now that I'm pretty much out and about from Singapore's blogging scene, I wanted to have something interesting to share with my lovely readers. Anything range from a great home based skincare or cosmetics brand that work just as good, to perhaps a little jewelry shop down the hidden block.

As the first, I'm gonna share up a little about the wonderful brand in skincare genre, hope you guys like it and do share up with friends and family about the great brand you about to discover, here.

We all know, honestly, in beauty industry; sometimes we are kinda clueless on what's in the jar. Do you read what it is in the ingredients? I don't. What I only care to know is if it's working. Or not. 

With that in mind, I started to check #nzskincare on my instagram feed and found " HONEST SKINCARE ". The first thing that caught my attention was the brand. Then I kinda do the stalking thing by checking on Honest Skincare's website and blog, and i have to say that I like what I see in there, and i really like the way they introduce the natural skincare. 

Just like our body, our skin is as important, and if you don't want to eat it, you shouldn't put it in your skin as well. ( this line is totally cool, and it's not mine, it's their's).

So, moving on.. I contacted the brand :)

Yeap - you read it right, I made the first move to contact the brand and asked if they are open to answer few interview questions (and they said  YES!, and so we are engaged!)..LOL! no, not really. But we are finally engaging in a conversation :)

When I told this a friend, she was like " wow, how special is the brand? Usually, brands emailing you all.the.time and you don't even bother to reply some of them " That is not entirely true though, i reply all of them - only sometimes with a no as an answer for collaboration.

Anyhoo, I was so pleased to get an answer directly from the founder of Honest Skincare, Ms. Tonia and she agreed for the interview!!! Yaaas!!

Check out my interview to Ms. Tonia below:

E: How would you describe your brand? 

HS: Honest Skincare is all about limiting harm to people and the planet by eliminating the use of chemicals in our skincare products. We believe that processing plants, plastics and preservatives are unnecessary and we're out to prove it :) 

E: When did you starting Honest Skincare? what led you to take a step in creating a natural brand and how would you see in changing people's mindset in going au natural? 

Honest Skincare started for me as a hobby when I became frustrated with not being able to find truly natural skincare products on the market. There are plenty of products that claim to be safe and natural but many have to bow to the pressures of preservatives and artificial ingredients to maintain shelf life and to keep the texture of the product consistent in different climates.

My journey towards Honest Skincare started when I began to research and subsequently avoid processed foods around the time I fell pregnant with my first child around 10 years ago. Once I had eliminated most processed foods from my day-to-day diet I felt that all my efforts to eat as naturally as possible were being undone by slathering chemicals over my skin morning and night so I began to experiment with Olive Oil and Coconut Oil moisturisers. I have spent the last two years tweaking my recipes to get them perfect for sale and I think most people are ready to embrace a more natural lifestyle. There is a huge shift towards wellness industries across the board. People are in general becoming more aware of alternatives to mainstream products and are beginning to see the bigger picture and question age-old advices. There really is so much that we don't know about our bodies, about our health, about certain diseases and about the damage we're causing our planet. People are beginning to see the bigger picture which I think is a fantastic and exciting thing. 

E: How much do you spend your time for study/research the products/ingredients and creating it? 

HS: I spend a lot of time researching ingredients and their origins and even more time in my kitchen creating new blends and recipes! My motto has always been "if you wouldn't eat it, you shouldn't put it on your skin" so when I'm considering an ingredient I want minimally processed, natural products and preferably of organic origin. Our skin is our bodies largest organ, one that we can no longer think of as a protective barrier as it absorbs a great deal of what it comes into contact with into the bloodstream.

E: With the rise of natural products, should we as customer believe that it's 100% natural? 

HS: Very good question. My answer is NO. You shouldn't believe that it's 100% natural until you've done your research. There are a massive amount of products on our supermarket shelves that claim to be natural, organic, healthy and a myriad other buzz-words and, in my experience, 99% of them aren't entirely natural. I've written a post about the Greenwashing phenomenon here (http://www.honestskincare.co.nz/blog/post/5041/Greenwashing/) Please read it and please continue to read the ingredients list of the products you're using and research the ingredients yourself. You will be surprised at how many false claims advertisers can get away with. 

At Honest Skincare, every single ingredient we use is a natural, edible product and organic wherever possible. But don't take my word for it - read the ingredients and make your own mind about it. 

E: What are some feedbacks you've been getting from your customer?

I got some lovely feedback just this morning from a customer who had been suffering from a very bad case of eczema on her hands and arms. She had tried all sorts of products that claimed to be natural and gentle that had only exacerbated the problem. She wrote me today on our Facebook page "Hi Honest Skincare I've been using your body butter in yummy chai and it is delicious! It's amazing to finally find a moisturiser that doesn't upset my sensitive skin. And it must smell delicious as my puppy keeps following me around! definitely recommend smile emoticon"  

E: Which ones are your favorite range?  

HS: My absolutely favourite flavour is Vanilla Chai. It is so sweet and dreamy! I use the serum on my face morning and evening - I actually use it as a makeup remover before I go to bed. There's no need for water I just rub a small amour gently over my face and eyes to remove my mascara and foundation. I keep my makeup routine very basic on a day-to-day basis and use only natural cosmetics from a reputable New Zealand brand as you'd expect :). I also use the Vanilla Chai Body Butter every morning on arms and legs and I use the Sugar Scrub in place of soap or body wash in my morning shower. I'm very aware of what we as a household wash down our drains, so we avoid harmful chemicals as much as we possibly can while still being clean and hygienic. Of particular concern are the plastic micro beads in body washes and face scrubs that pass through our towns wastewater filtration systems and end up in our oceans causing a huge amount of damage to sea life. Honest Skincare don't use plastics anywhere in any of our products, inside or out. 

* What is your typical as mom and beauty entrepreneur? 

My typical day involves getting three kids ready for school (actually they're very independent so they pretty much get themselves ready). We walk the 1.5kms to school whenever we can, then I either hit the gym or take our puppy for a run in the park. I settle down to my desk, meetings and the post shop 4 days of the working week and spend the 5th day in the kitchen creating products to keep in stock. When the kids return from school we get into homework, after school activities, cooking and eating a healthy dinner together and preparing healthy lunchbox treats for the next day. We're a pretty average city family with an emphasis on being as happy, healthy and active as possible. We all have our off days and down time and that's perfectly normal. I was always told "It's what you do every day that counts, not what you do sometimes." 

E: What will be the best advise you can share in choosing the right product for our skin? 

HS: 1. Read the label. Not the front, the ingredients list. And if it doesn't have an ingredients list on the package find one online or don't use the product.

2. Use Aunty Google to research the ingredients. If there's an ingredient you don't recognise, google it and read the uses and the potential side effects of use. Chances are you'll be put off from giving it a go.

3. If you wouldn't eat it, don't put it on your skin!  

Check out their lovely range, and be sure to let me know what do you think about the products after you tried it. They have the sample pack for you to try and it come handy for travelling as well. My favourite items is the body butter, it melts into my skin and giving my skin the hydration it needed.

Happy shopping, and 'till the next Hidden Gems :)