Proper Makeup Etiquette For The Girl On-The-Go

article-0-065a38e3000005dc-835_468x428

Running from one place to another, whether in early mornings or long commutes, can be rough. Those solid fifteen minutes to an hour sitting on a train can become vital time to get yourself looking and feeling ready for your day. Applying makeup while on public transportation is nothing to be frowned upon or embarrassed about; rather, it can be seen as use of otherwise ‘dead’ time.

Now, there is an etiquette to doing your makeup without disrupting fellow commuters and avoid eye rolls. Here are some Honeybee approved etiquette guidelines to putting on your makeup on-the-go.

Don’t take up more than one seat. We all pay the same price for our cramped commute. Be courteous and limit yourself and your possessions to one seat. The new mother who has been up since 4 a.m. will thank you.

Don’t use strong smelling products. We understand you want to smell nice, but everyone in your train car may not want to smell like you too.

No plucking, clipping, or trimming. There is a fine line between beauty and personal upkeep. Plucking your eyebrows, clipping your nails, or trimming of any sort are habits better kept in your bathroom at home.

Don’t make putting on your makeup an excuse for taking a seat. Common courtesy and giving up your seat for someone else makes your far more beautiful that any amount of makeup can.

Keep it simple. Use multipurpose makeup. You shouldn’t be hauling your entire collection of makeup with you on your commute. Select a handful of quick and easy applicable products that can be used in multiple ways.

Our Honeybee Beauty Ambassador Erin Bell shares “Bathroom toilet paper or paper towels work as a great multitasker to simply blot skin anywhere from an oily t-zone to lips.” Also, speaking of multipurpose, she adds “Lipstick can be used as a last minute blush”.

Share these quick tips with a friend and have a less stressful on-the-go fix up!

How Often Should I Wash My Hair?

washing
Most of my teenage and adult life, I’ve washed my hair every day. My hair is long and fine and looks yucky if I don’t. But lately there’s been a trend to NOT wash your hair as often, and I must say I’ve jumped on the bandwagon. So is this a healthy trend for your hair (and mental wellbeing) or not?

According to the experts, there’s no one good answer to how often people should shampoo. It usually comes down to the kind of hair you have and your personal preference.

Shampoo washes away natural oils on your scalp, so if you do it too frequently, you may dry your hair out, leaving it prone to breakage. For the most part, you definitely want some oils (sebum) to remain in your hair to provide moisturizing and a protective barrier on the skin and hair.

Really only a small group needs to shampoo daily. Those with very fine hair, someone who exercises and sweats a lot (or someone living in very humid place), or people with very oily scalps may need to wash their hair every day.

The type of hair you have matters too. The thicker your hair and the less oil, the less you need to shampoo. People with dry hair or curly hair can wash much less frequently without problems.
For the average person, every other day, or every 2 to 3 days, without washing is generally fine. And it’s also recommended to never go longer than 14 days without washing.

In recent years, more and more products have become available to extend how long you can go between washes. And people are coming up with different methods to keep hair looking good. Dry shampoos are powders that work to absorb oil, so it doesn’t sit on the scalp as much. Leave-in conditioners can help to reactivate your hair style. Some people even choose to skip the shampoo, just wetting and conditioning between shampoos instead.

Aside from products, there are other measures you can take to extend your time between washings without looking frumpy. Try parting your hair in a different place. Maybe try the chic braids that are so popular on Pinterest. Opt for a fun ponytail or bun with cute hair accessories.

As for me, I’m still trying to figure it all out. I have found that our Alcohol Free Hair Spray can make my Day 2 hair look pretty darned good. It’s water-based, so it safely reactivates my hair style without harsh chemicals which could dry it out. By Day 3 I’m attempting some sort of pony tail or poorly-created braid. I can’t go past Day 3. I just can’t. I won’t.

Brow Beaten

Brow Beaten

My latest unhealthy beauty obsession is my eye brows. Fuller brows purportedly create a more youthful look and can accentuate other facial features in a more flattering way. Social media is flooded with images of Cara Delevingne and Lily Collins with their Amazonian bushy brows, and Desperate Housewives perma-angry ‘Scouse brow’. They all seem impossible to achieve despite the myriad of YouTube videos showing you how to draw, paint, sculpt, contour and create the perfect brow.

In my effort to copy this look which I tell myself I MUST have, I have been the way of the brow powder, the brow pencil and even the hardcore brow pomade…and failed miserably with each one.

Continue reading “Brow Beaten”

Make Up Tips for Your Big Day

June is a very popular month for weddings. I love it when brides do minimal makeup and go for the more natural look. It’s so important for you to look like YOU in your wedding pictures. After all, these are going to be pics you’ll look back on for the rest of your life! Your fiancé should at least recognize you when you walk down the aisle. There are tons of ‘wedding looks’ and tips out there on the internet, but I’ve made a list of a few I think are important.

Try it: Don’t be afraid to try a few new looks before you’ve decided on what you’d like to do, and be sure to leave enough time to do this. Once you’ve decided on a look, make sure you have a makeup trial before your big day. You want to feel confident in the look you’ve chosen. I suggest your trial should be done in the morning to see how well your look will last throughout the day. Take a photo in natural daylight with a digital camera (not a camera phone) as soon as you have had a makeup trial. The makeup needs to look good on camera as well as face to face. The camera doesn’t lie! It also doesn’t help to get a close friend’s opinion. Or a sister’s. They never lie either!

Big Close Up: We all want flawless skin on our big day. Whether you choose to do a primer and foundation or go au natural, make sure you set your look with Pressed Mineral Powder Foundation. It will keep your skin looking fresh and even without ever getting cakey.

She Has a Glow: While there are some interesting “shine” products available to give a dewy complexion, I would advise against them. In photographs it will be easy to mistake the “glow” for sweat – not nice. Instead, try our Healthy Glow Mineral Bronzer to give you a natural-looking sun-kissed complexion. Apply this to your forehead, cheeks and chin (also your neck if you’re slightly paler there) and apply a little more on the cheeks as a blush.

Don’t Forget Eyebrows: Have them professionally shaped (and if necessary, tinted) before your big day, and enhance them with a neutral brow pencil such as our JobaColors Eye Liner in Brown Sugar. Eyebrows frame your face and it can make a huge difference if you have them professionally shaped.

Perfect Lipstick: It’s an art and a science. Start with clean lips (seems obvious). Personally I tend to have dry lips, so I apply a thin coat of our Orange Mimosa Lip Balm and allow it to penetrate for about five minutes. Next, use our JobaColors Lip Liner to line your lips AND fill in the entire lip. Having a color base will help your lipstick to last longer. Then apply our Truly Natural Lipstick. Some say that applying your lipstick with a brush helps it to last longer, but I disagree. Use a tissue to blot your lipstick gently. Don’t put it between your lips and press down; you’ll remove too much product. Rather lightly dab the tissue against your lips. Then apply a second coat. Some ladies actually do this a third time (dab, reapply). Make sure you don’t have any lipstick on your teeth. Finish with a light application of Luscious Lip Gloss.

Finally remember on your big day to have the following to hand:

  • Cotton swabs to wipe away any smudges under the eyes
  • Tissues which come in handy for wiping tears and blotting oily spots
  • Your lipstick should you need a touch up
  • Your Pressed Mineral Powder Foundation to blot away any sweaty patches
  • Breath freshener (you will be doing lots of kissing – alcohol breath is not very attractive!)

Lastly remember that the day goes by VERY fast. This is YOUR day. Take the time to do things at your pace, and make sure you’re enjoying yourself.

I’m a “Spring”….NOT!



Ever since I was a kid, I remember hearing women talk about their coloring in terms of seasons. If you were a “Summer” you looked best in earth tones, if you were a “Winter” you looked best in blues and purples. This concept has always irritated me to no end.

Color analysis is the process of determining the colors that best suit an individual’s natural coloring. There are a wide variety of approaches to analyzing personal coloring. The most well-known is “seasonal” color analysis, which places individual coloring into four general categories: Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. Many different versions of seasonal analysis, first practiced by Suzanne Caygill in the 1950s, have since been developed and promoted by image and color consultants worldwide.

I’m sure Ms. Caygill had the best intentions. However, in typical fashion, the masses took it to the extreme. Once they were told their season (or determined it themselves), that was the be all, end all. From that moment forth, many women felt they could no longer wear green because it simply wasn’t part of their season. How ludicrous! How could one possibly take ALL the skin tones, ethnicities, races, colors, etc. of 7 billion people and divide them into only FOUR color groups?! Yet women bought into it. Later, perhaps when some women realized they just didn’t fit into one of the four seasons, Caygill identified a wide range of sub-groups within each season, and gave them descriptive names such as “Early Spring”, “Metallic Autumn”, or “Dynamic Winter”, each with its own set of special characteristics. Once again, more labeling.

I hate doing trade shows (there, I said it) but one thing I do enjoy is talking to customers and breaking stereotypes. I can’t tell you how many women won’t try different colors because they were told they can’t wear certain shades. Don’t get me wrong, we all have shades we just shouldn’t wear (me and orange is just downright scary). But that wouldn’t stop me from picking up a coral sweater and trying it on. Maybe the shade of coral would look good on my skin tone. Or not. I wouldn’t know unless I tried.

My point is, don’t let anyone pigeon hole you into any specific color group, season, temperature, time of day or however else they’re trying to classify it. I often get emails from customers telling me how much they love our samples, because it allows them to try new shades without committing to full sized product. Don’t try only mauve samples of lipstick because you’ve only ever used mauve. Try a new shade! I’ll never forget when we were testing our new lipstick shade Superstitious, our darkest color to date. I’m pale and blonde. I was told I could never even dream of wearing such a bold color. So I tried it anyway. And I LOVE it. I wear it lightly, and the tone is perfect and very natural on me. Had I listened to everyone else, I never would have gotten to try a color that works so well on me. Be bold. Be brave. The results could be stunning.