Billion-dollar beauty

LAWYER and businesswoman Loida Lewis released a book titled Look Younger When You’re Older — No Botox, No Surgery last December. A philanthropist, she is the widow of Reginald Lewis, one of the most successful African-American businessmen in history — he reformed Beatrice Foods, behind some of the most well-loved American grocery brands like Swiss Miss, into a billion-dollar company, TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc. After his death, his widow ran the company and then sold it off near the end of the 1990s.

A lawyer in both Manila and New York (she was the first Asian woman to pass the New York State Bar who had been educated outside the US), she is on tour to promote Why Should Guys Have All the Fun? An Asian American Story of Love, Marriage, Motherhood and Running a Billion Dollar Empire. At a press conference in Quezon City on Jan. 20, she said that during the tour, “I was met with shock and awe every time I revealed that I am 80. I have been so frequently asked about what it is that I do differently that makes me look the way I do and have the energy that I have at my age.”

With 151 pages, the first few chapters do describe Ms. Lewis’ beauty routine. There are some surprises: the wealthy Ms. Lewis namedrops products from Chanel and Guerlain, but also local brand Eskinol (she uses it as a makeup remover). Some of her beauty advice is as simple as constant hydration with drinking water and facial mists.

One does not expect such a book from a serious figure. Other books in her repertoire include the aforementioned Guys, but she also has How to Get a Green Card, and publishing her husband’s autobiography, Why Should White Guys Have All The Fun? Ms. Lewis’ arena is in business and philanthropy, so we weren’t expecting beauty tips from her, but she said, “This is not just about beauty. This is my philosophy in life.” For example, Chapter 3 begins with her spiritual life, with her favorite prayers and bible verses. She also practices Zen meditation, and she places in the book her detailed practice. She also talks about friends, family, and some of her causes. It’s a good portrait and guide to navigating life as a senior, but we will say that it’s written in a stream-of-consciousness style. The voice is that of a kindly grandmother though, so at least it’s soothing.

“In the end, we are body and soul. You cannot only work on the body, you have to work on the soul,” she said. “Do good things.”

“There is no shortcut,” she said. “What I tell here, you have to do, chapter by chapter.”

On a rather serious note, we asked her about the recent immigration policies in the US, as a Filipino-American herself. “The President of the United States is out of his mind. He is totally unhinged. He is violating the Constitution of the United States. He’s violating the laws of the state. He’s violating decency. Ay naku! Walang modo (uncouth). Bastos (rude). Lahat na (all of it).”

Look Younger When You’re Older — No Botox, No Surgery (Anvil Publishing) is available nationwide in all National Book Store branches. It is also available for purchase on Shopee and Lazada. — Joseph L. Garcia