From Loss to Light: How Skin Leaf Became My Way Back to Radiance
- Dec 22, 2025
- 3 min read
By Lia Cardoso
I never imagined I’d one day create a beauty brand. In fact, in my youth, I went to law school, following a path I thought made sense. But life, in its unpredictable and often painful wisdom, had other plans for me.
Everything changed after the loss of my second son. That moment broke something in me, and woke something up. I didn’t know how to keep going in the same way. I needed a new language to process grief, to reclaim myself. That’s when I shifted paths and became a makeup artist in Portugal. It wasn’t about glamor or glitter, it was about transformation. Not the kind you see in photos, but the kind that happens when someone looks in the mirror and sees strength instead of sorrow.
Makeup became a way of covering up flaws, yes, but more than that, it became a way of softening pain, honoring resilience, and allowing people to show up, even when life felt too heavy.
How I Help Others Express Confidence Through Beauty
Beauty is a bridge, for some, it’s a lifeline. When COVID hit in 2020, everything slowed down. I was at home with my thoughts, my emotions, and a quiet voice within me that had been asking to be heard. That’s when I created Skin Leaf’s first product: the Antioxidant Facial Oil.
It was born out of a desire to help others feel cared for, gently, naturally, holistically. That one bottle carried the seeds of something much bigger: a brand rooted in skincare, bodycare, aromatherapy, and deep emotional care.
Today, Skin Leaf Cosmetics offers rituals that support the nervous system, the skin, and the soul. My mission is simple: help people feel confident by reconnecting with themselves. through touch, scent, and presence. True beauty isn’t something you apply. It’s something you awaken.
What My Personal Beauty Journey Taught Me About Self-Love
Losing a child changes you in ways no one prepares for. For a long time, I was just surviving. But as I began to build Skin Leaf, I realized that beauty can be a form of healing. The scent of lavender in the evening, the warmth of oil on the skin, the mirror becoming a friend instead of a critic. These were small but powerful acts of self-love.
I learned that self-care doesn’t need to be loud or luxurious. Sometimes, it’s simply whispering to yourself: You’re allowed to feel good. You’re allowed to take up space.
Skin Leaf is my way of whispering that to others, every single day.
What I See Shifting in Beauty Today
Clients are redefining what it means to be beautiful. It’s no longer about flawlessness. It’s about feeling whole. I see more people turning to beauty as a form of emotional support, as a way to ground, calm, and reconnect.
People want more than results, they want rituals. They’re asking, Does this product support my energy? Is this aligned with who I am becoming? That shift is profound. And it’s exactly where Skin Leaf belongs: at the intersection of care, consciousness, and confidence.
Confidence isn’t about being untouched by pain, it’s about how you choose to glow through it. Skin Leaf was never just about products. It was about people. It still is.
For anyone who’s ever felt broken, burnt out, or buried by life, my story is proof that something beautiful can grow from it. Radiance can return. And when it does, it’s deeper, truer, and unstoppable.
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