Please tell us about yourself, Leslie…
Hi, my name is Leslie, and I’m a beauty product-aholic. I live in North Carolina with my 12 year old son and our two cats, Chio and Milo-Socks. Most of my life I’ve worked in restaurants, from server to management and all points in between. Having lost my mother at an early age, and losing my house to a fire 6 years ago (I couldn’t afford insurance at the time) my life, up until the past year or so, has been one of struggle and overcoming. I began looking for positive, life altering material to listen to, in an attempt to re-program my thought patterns. In this miraculous age of information, I found what I was searching for, and it brought me out of my stagnant, depressed mindset and things have been looking up ever since! I grew up expecting the worst, in fact I recall a friend in day care telling me to never expect what you want, so that you aren’t let down when you don’t get it! How sad! Now that I am open to, and expect the things I want in life, I feel a great sense of freedom! I am finally on the path to making my dreams come true, and aside from being a mother, this has been the most fulfilling part of my life so far. It helps that my dream involves all natural beauty products ;)!
How long have you been on your all-natural path, and what inspired you to be on it?
My grandmother, Zelda, used to take me on walks around her yard, gardens, and anywhere we could observe nature. She was a mountain woman, and taught me the names of the trees, plants, flowers, birds, snakes, insects, everything. She would tell me what was poisonous and what was safe, how to grow and tend a garden, etc. She got me into nature at an early age.
I was given a book in my teen years named Jude’s Book of Herbal Remedies. It was by far my favorite book, I think I had it memorized! JBOHR had a recipe, tincture, or poultice for anything you could want or need one for. It also had a very handy cross reference for herbs and such in the back. I miss that book, must replace it!
My mother taught me the importance of reading ingredient labels, though I never imagined just how much poison they would actually incorporate into our daily lives so shortly down the road..
My life’s passion has been the use of natural ingredients for skin care, hair care, and beauty. I am launching my own line of all natural, potent products very soon, and I can’t wait to share them with you all! My life feels so much more satisfying working at what I love.
What makes you choose ‘the ANB’ and what do you like about it?
All Natural Beauty represents eveything that is important and vital in life, to me. With the threat of corporations poisoning our food supply, water supply, and even our cosmetics, it is imperative that we educate ourselves now more than ever, in order to survive. I feel so strongly about what they are doing here because they are helping people to understand the importance of using natural ingredients, and achieving better results as well as better health in everything from food to our skin. Shaking people out of the “ignorance is bliss” mindset has been a hobby of mine for some time now, it’s a beautiful experience for the spirit to observe an awakening.
ANB teaches me things that I didn’t know (when I thought I knew it all), and challenges me to learn more, and incorporate more natural things into my life (because sometimes I get lazy). Then there are the posts that show you a way to do it easier…we all love these! This site is by far my favorite, and we all love Sharon!
Which products and/or DIY recipes have you tried from our sites and what are your favorites and why?
I went on a contest entering kick a year or so ago, and won a Rosa Y Fruta complete set from ANB! It was valued at around $400, and the ingredients list read like a holy scroll…I almost had a coronary! Rosa Y Fruta paid such attention to detail, that her products are packaged in miron glass bottles (I wish I could find a wholesale supplier for these!). Needless to say, the products are fantastic! So fantastic that they played a part in my decision to create my own line.
While Jeanne Rose herself is not a product, I can’t help but include her in this write up. I LOVE reading what she has to say on ANB! She takes the time to answer everyone’s questions thouroughly, and let’s face it, she is an authority on everything that nature has to offer. Between Sharon and Jeanne, there is an endless wealth of solid information.
I DIY all of the time! I’ve used so many diy recipes and projects that we’d be here all day if I listed them all (plus I can’t remember them all)! Most recently I read about natural flea control for pets, and the accompanying article about EO toxicity in cats. I plan on formulating some flea sprays that use only the non-toxic EOs and herbal infusions to use for my cats and their bedding, etc.
There is a wealth of information on ANB, I’m so thankful that they share it freely with us!
What would you tell a friend about choosing all-natural beauty products?
Chemicals are bad mmmkay? Most recently I had my friend try a 17 oil blend serum that I made. I gave her a bottle to use and some very simple instructions. She has cystic acne breakouts from time to time, and expressed to me that she felt like oil free was the only way to go (to avoid breakouts). The media has pushed this belief on us, in my opinion, to temporarily fix a problem, but not solve it…it’s good for repeat business. Another reason could be that you should avoid oils that will clog your pores, and unfortunately many mass-produced beauty products contain them. I explained this to her, and assured her that the oils I used in her serum balance oil production and sebum, were non-comedegenic, and absorb quickly, only leaving a healthy glow. She was happy to hear it, and is thrilled with the serum.
As a consumer society, we are brainwashed by corporations into believing that the lab knows more about our bodies than mother nature does. I whole-heartedly believe that everything we need to survive and flourish was put on this earth before we were, our downfall being our lack of trust in that fact, and what havoc we wreaked on our planet in the process. It’s wonderful to witness so many people opening themselves to these beliefs as well! Being able to engage with like-minded people daily, is probably my favorite part of ANB, I love you all!
