I’m Having A Meltdown!



Yesterday the temperatures were in the 60s. Today, highs are in the 90s. Welcome to Spring in the Northeast. Having a heat wave in your area? If so, here are some tips to help you deal with the crazy weather.

Don’t keep lipstick/lip balm in car: This one seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how many folks forget. Within an hour, the temperature inside a vehicle sitting in the sun can easily reach 120 or 130 degrees. High temperatures can cause liquids to separate and break down. It can affect the active ingredients in make-up. Plus you don’t want hop into your parked car, pop open the lip balm cap to apply and have an oily mess wind up on your lap.

So should I keep my make up in the fridge on a hot day? When it comes to making cosmetics last longer, lower temperatures are generally better. That’s because chemical reactions occur faster at higher temperatures. Makeup is prone to oxidation reactions since they contain oils that can turn rancid. Keeping them in the fridge can slow down that process. However, there can be a few potential problems with storing beauty products in the fridge. For example, you may see beads of “sweat” on your lipstick. These are drops of oil coming out of the wax and rising to the surface of the stick (it’s a phenomena called “syneresis”). If too much of this sweating occurs, the lipstick won’t spread properly on your lips. Also, you can’t let your products freeze, as too cold temperatures can also affect the chemical composition of a product. If it’s crazy hot in your apartment, stick your lipstick in the fridge until temperatures cool down. Otherwise, just be sure to keep your make up in a drawer or another location out of direct sunlight.

Frizzy hair on a hot day: My long straight hair starts to find its natural curl when the heat rises. Unfortunately along with the subtle waves comes unsightly frizz. So how do you control your hair if you know you’re going to be out in the heat? There are a few things you can do.

A. Put your hair up. Braids are HUGELY popular right now. Log on to our Pinterest board for some really cute up-do looks.
B. Moisturize. Condition your hair at least twice a week to help control its tendency to frizz. Just don’t overdo it, or you’ll wind up with limp locks.
C. Flat iron. Don’t even let your hair think about frizzing. Flat iron it in the morning and seal with our vegan Herbal Mint Hair Spray. I haven’t used any other hair spray (natural or not) that handles humidity as well as this product.
D. Be proactive. If your hair goes lank halfway through the day, apply a bit of hairspray to the roots. Hold hair up straight with a brush while the spray dries. Then gently brush off your face and slip on a headband.
E. Keep your head on straight. Don’t flip your head upside down to dry your hair. Sure it will add volume, but will also increase your chances of getting frizzy. Instead use a warm (not hot) setting and a large round brush to gently dry hair. Finish with a cool setting to seal the hair shaft.

Control the sweat: We’ve had some customers use our Deodorant Powder as a dry shampoo. Say you’ve been outside in the morning and now have an afternoon meeting, and no time to shower in between. Flip your head upside down (it’s okay in this instance) and sprinkle the powder over the top of your head, especially in the areas that tend to get oily, like your bangs and part. Use your fingers to distribute it. If you wish, brush your hair so the powder is distributed down the length of the hair shafts. Focus mostly on the roots, but if the rest of your hair needs freshening up, add a little more to the tips. Wait 5 to 10 minutes for the powder to absorb the oil from your hair. If you have particularly oily hair, it may take a little longer. Turn your head upside down and brush out all of the powder. You can use a hair dryer to help the process along.

What is your hot weather make-up tip? Email me to share: melissa@honeybeegardens.com.

Am I Warm, Cool or Somewhere In Between?



Choosing the right lipstick shades can seem as daunting as picking the perfect wedding dress. Luckily Honeybee Gardens offers sample sizes on our web site, so you can play around a bit before committing to a full sized tube. But you probably want to narrow the search when selecting samples.

When it comes to lipstick shades, there are three different categories: cool shades, neutral shades and warm shades. And there are three methods to finding out which one is right for you. First is the color test. Find some make-up that is orange-y and another that is either a pink or light purple. Take the orange and apply is to your cheek. Do the same with the pink/purple on the other cheek. Look in the mirror. It should be obvious that one doesn’t look “right” on you. If orange looks good, it means warm shades will be best for you. If the purple or pink looks better, stick with the cool shades. If it’s neither or both, neutrals may be your answer.

Method two is the vein test (it’s not as gross as it sounds). Look at the veins on your inner wrists in natural light (go outside or stand near a window). If they appear bluish, you have cool undertones. More green? You’re warm. Somewhere in between? You may be neutral.

And the third method I tend to disagree with, usually because jewelry is more a matter of taste than what looks best on a person. BUT go to the jewelry counter and pick up both a gold and a silver chain. Hold them up to your face. Which looks better? If it’s silver, you have a cool skin tone. If it’s gold, your skin tone is warm.

Naturally, warm colors tend to look best on skin with warm undertones. Mediterranean, most Hispanic, Latino and warm African complexions look fabulous with salmon pink, coral, or golden brown lips. Warm Honeybee Gardens shades include Aztec, Celestial, Karma and Desire.

Surprisingly, 80 percent of women fall into the cool category. Cool pastel shades look more natural on women with pinkish European complexions. Cool shades also work well on African skin with red undertones. Cool Honeybee shades are Soft Kiss, Valentine, Burlesque, Camelot, Goddess, Risque, Tuscany, Superstitious and Vintage Merlot.

Neutral colors are the most universal. Indeed, the most flattering lipstick shades for any complexion, pale or dark, will be on the boundary between the cool and warm palettes. Neutral lipstick colors, from soft mauve shades to true red, are also easy to wear with outfits in warm or cool shades. Popular neutral Honeybee shades include Dream, Paradise, San Francisco, Bombshell, Cherokee, Romance and Seduction.

Always remember, don’t match your lipstick with your clothes! This is a pretty common mistake, and it seems like it would be a logical thing to do, but don’t! Matching your shade of lipstick to your clothes could turn out completely disastrous. Your lipstick is supposed to compliment your skin and draw attention to your lips. It has absolutely nothing to do with your clothing choice. It is possible that your lipstick will match your outfit once in a while, but don’t do this on purpose.

How Do You Wear YOUR Eye Liner?



There are more ways to wear eye liner than Carter has liver pills. No, I haven’t lost my mind. I’m just incorporating a phrase my grandmother used to use on me, “You have more excuses than Carter has liver pills!” I guess Carter made a lot of liver pills.

Anyway, there are lots of fun ways to wear your eye liner, beyond the standard solid line on the lower lash line. Let’s take a look at a few.

The Cat Eye



The Cat Eye is a the go-to glam eyeliner technique for a polished look, both day and night. This is an eyeliner trick that every beauty buff should master. Simply trace eyeliner along upper lash line and let the tail extend a little further past your lid (think Audrey Hepburn, a la Breakfast at Tiffanys). The Cat Eye doesn’t have to be basic black or brown. Play up this look with bright liquid eyeliners and keep the rest of your makeup neutral. Is this look a bite too tame for you? Go ahead and make that line thicker for added drama.

The Winged Eye



Think of the Winged Eye as the Cat Eye’s flirty cousin. The trick with this technique is to turn the bit of liner past your lash line upward so it mimics a thick eyelash. Want the look of fake eyelashes without the actual fake eyelashes? Try this: Add an extra wing to your eyeliner line to give you some spice!

Is there a difference between the Cat Eye and the Winged Eye (a hotly debated question)? Honestly the difference is subtle. The Cat Eye has a wing effect which includes eyeliner on both the top and bottom lid, while the Winged Eye is more of a day time look, and requires liner on the top lid only. I really like the Winged Eye for a daytime look. I’ve been playing with this look a lot lately, pairing a nude eye with a subtle wing. Meaning I keep my shadow nude, using colors like Flirtatious and Chai (or our NEW pressed colors coming this Fall, Porcelain and Tippy Taupe), with our Jet Set liner on both the top and bottom lash line. My wing is VERY subtle. But I know it’s there. It’s a very classic, non-made up yet glamorous look.

The Drop Eye



This technique consists of lining your entire upper lash line and the outer half of your lower lash line. Keep the lower lines thinner to prevent a clown look. The tighter you can keep the line against your lashes, the more natural the look. You can add a wing to the top line if you choose.

The Colorful Eye



Trendy colorful eyeliner can work on anybody! Apply color to ONLY your upper OR lower lash line. Keep the rest of your makeup more neutral. For more subtle color, try applying regular eye liner (like Jet Set or Belgian Chocolate) and go over top of the eye liner using a coordinating PowderColors shade. For example, you could apply Belgian Chocolate, and then Sedona over top of it on your upper lid for some added sparkle. Or try using PowderColors alone as eye liner. Wet an eye liner brush and dip it into the powder. Then line. When doing the Colorful Eye, keep the rest of your eye in the same color family, if you’re not going for a neutral look.

Just because you’re applying eyeliner doesn’t mean it has to be a show-stealer. Eye liner can be applied in a very thin line to give your eyes just a bit of pop and put the attention on another part of your face, like you lips. Remember, doing the same thing yields the same results. Try something different with your liner. You just might like it!

Top Ten Signs You Have Gone Over the Garden Edge


I love gardening. I really do. To me, nothing is more therapeutic than being alone outside surrounded by beautiful plants and the serenity of nature. And after a long winter, I need my therapy.

I found this list from The Gardeners Network and it made me chuckle. I hope you get a laugh too.

Top 10 Signs you have gone over the garden edge:

10. Your favorite poem is “Roses are Red, Violets are Blue.

9. Your kids are named Rose, Violet, Daisy and Zucchini.

8. You have 8 X 10 family pictures of your Tomatoes and Peppers on your office shelf.

7. Your idea of Saturday Date Night is going out in the garden and hand pollinating the plants.

6. You think a cocktail is liquid fertilizer.

5. You rush home from work and go straight to the garden and hug your roses. (Ouch!) Then, you go in to your house and see you family.

4. On Christmas Eve, visions of “Sugar Peas” dance in your head.

3. After the first frost, you are seen holding funeral services in your garden.

2. You take your kids multiple vitamins from them to use as a supplement to your plants fertilizer.

And, the number one sign that you have gone over the garden edge is…

1. Every Spring your family files a “Missing Person’s” report. You remain missing all summer, and mysteriously re-appear in the fall.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!



How old are you?

That question can be met with pride or prejudice, depending upon whom you’re asking.

Ask a toddler how old they are, and he or she will proudly hold up their fingers and loudly proclaim, “I’m three!!”. Kids want to be older. They older they are, the more freedoms they might have. This trend continues well into the teenage years. “Mom, I’m 14! And everyone else can go to the mall by themselves!”

We keep this up, sometimes even lying about being older than we are, until we hit the magical age of 21. At 21, the world opens up to you. You are officially an adult. 21 year olds want to be carded at a club. They’re proud to be 21.

Between 21 and 30, age isn’t much of an issue. It’s just there. A guy asks how old you are, and you don’t think twice about telling him you’re 26. But after 30, things change. Women may not be so honest about their age. After all, they’re not in their 20s any more, and we are a youth-worshipping society. Thirty is the gateway to middle age. And who wants that?! Women are fearful that once they pass their thirties all of their attractiveness vanishes, an idea which is reinforced by Hollywood and the media. Aging is something that must be hidden at all costs. Lying about one’s age is just a way of preserving the illusion of youthfulness. Women who are over 30 and single are twice as likely to lie about their age. There are two main reasons for this. One, is because if men are considering a long term relationship, they may look at a woman over 30 as a ticking fertility time bomb. This is even more so the case if the woman is over 35 and single. The second reason is for career issues. A firm may not be as willing to hire a single woman in her early 30s, thinking if she settles down with a guy, she will want to start a family right away which means time away from the job. It’s in our 30s where age starts to become an issue.

By a woman’s 40s and 50s, the age issue could swing either way. If a woman is 45 and looks like she’s 30, she’s more than happy to tell you she’s actually 45. But if she’s 45 and looks 50, it’s best not to ask. Women at this age are reaching their ‘second adulthood’. Career goals have been met, children are grown and they are starting to finally focus the attention on themselves. We’re living longer now, and hopefully healthier lives. So 40 is the new 30, and 50 is the new 40 so to speak.

It’s at some point in the 60s where we start to resort back to the toddler enthusiasm. I remember if someone would ask my grandmother how old she was, she would proudly proclaim “I’m 89.” I guess it was her way of saying, hey, I made it this far and I’m still in one piece. Older folk tell you how old they are even if you don’t ask them. “I’m 75 years old, and when I was your age, we didn’t go out with boys unless our older brother went with us.” Or sometimes it’s even more random, “ I’m 82 years old and when I was your age the color blue was green!” They just like to throw the age thing out there. It becomes a status thing. A badge of honor.

How old am I? Old enough to know better. That will be my answer until I revert back to toddlerhood 🙂