Welcome to Humblebee & Me!
I’m Marie—the “me” in Humblebee & Me. I love to make things—cosmetics, soaps, lotions, lip balms, and most of all… messes. I’m on a journey to ditch shop bought body products and cosmetics and swap them for homemade, high quality alternatives. I post new projects twice a week (every Monday and Thursday), and I’ve already got over 1100 formulas up here for you to look at, plus an FAQ and an Encyclopedia. I’d love it if you DIYed with me!
As seen on…
New Projects
Argan Rose In-Shower Body Conditioner
Today we're revisiting a project I first shared in May 2014—a rich body lotion inspired by a popular LUSH product—as part of my Bee Better work. This six-years-later update features a new emulsifier, fully percentage-ified amounts, clearer instructions, and a hefty...
How to Research Your Ingredients: Part 2
Welcome to part two of "How to Research Your Ingredients"! Part one was all about what you should be finding out about your ingredients, and the nuance involved in some of those categories (make sure you've read it!). Part two is going to be about how and where to...
Glossy Lip Stain
Today's DIY was inspired by a lip gloss advert I saw some time last year. It was for the Glossier lip gloss, and for some reason, the ad caught my eye. I clicked through and took a look at the ingredients, and the first ingredient was "Hydrogenated Polyisobutene"—and...
Lavender Aloe Lotion
We're continuing our Lavender Aloe theme today with a dusty purple lotion with a gorgeous powdery finish. It smells softly of lavender and quickly vanishes into your skin, leaving it feeling richly moisturized with no greasiness. Featuring soothing aloe vera juice,...
Argan Rose Valentine Bath Bombs
Happy almost-Valentine's-Day! We're celebrating this year with some seasonal bath bombs, featuring some shimmery mica painting and lovely pink fizzing. They smell beautifully of rose and lemon, in keeping with the shampoo bars I shared last week, but you could...
Creamy French Green Clay Face Mask
Today we're whipping up a simple, creamy, oil-based face mask. A soft balm base is loaded with silky French green clay (my favourite clay for face masks!) to create an ultra velvety skin treat. This format is far less messy than blending clay and water, both for...
Argan Rose Pressed Shampoo Bars
These beautiful Argan Rose Pressed Shampoo Bars were inspired by a popular LUSH product, and I've had a ton of fun developing and testing this formulation. It is structured very differently from other shampoo bars I've shared, with no melted fatty hardeners like cocoa...
Watermelon Mint Cuticle & Lip Butter
Today we're whipping up a rich and creamy Watermelon Mint Lip & Cuticle Butter, designed to help pamper and protect the delicate skin around our nails and mouths. The base is just three simple, all-natural ingredients that come together to create a rich butter...
Lavender Aloe Soap
We're continuing our Lavender Aloe theme today with a batch of beautifully swoopy and swirled Lavender Aloe Soap. The top is decorated with a dusting of violet biodegradable glitter, and I had a lot of fun bevelling the edges of each bar with a vegetable peeler for a...
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My Most Popular Posts
Pemberley Hand Lotion
I'm really excited to share this formula with you guys—this Pemberley Hand Lotion was my Formula Botanica final project, and I received a mark of 100% for it! The project was to create a product for a specific customer. I designed this gorgeous hand lotion for...
Soothing Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum
Today's recipe is kicking off a new soothing skin care series that is perfectly timed for the driest, darkest, and often coldest part of the winter here in Calgary. The formulas in this series star a beautiful selection of wonderful, effective ingredients that have...
Formulating and DIYing with Spreadsheets
Today I want to talk about something that really isn’t all that sexy or exciting, but it is super useful—using spreadsheets for your DIYing and formulating! Even if you don't formulate I'd recommend stepping away from online recipe calculators in favour of...
Sugar Plum Cleansing Conditioner
This Sugar Plum Cleansing Conditioner is a wonderful continuation to the fun I've been having making cleansing conditioners over the last few months. My aim with this one was to create something lighter that could work better for anyone with hair that can be easily...
Sugar Plum Conditioning Body Butter
I'm having a hard time deciding if I can give this Sugar Plum Conditioning Body Butter away. I mean... it's just so nice. I really want to keep it for myself. I really should give it away. I am a one-woman skin care stuff factory and I am not due to need another body...
Rose Witch Hazel Facial Toner
This sweetly fragrant, refreshing facial toner has become a fast favourite of mine. It smells deliciously of roses, features several soothing and lightly hydrating ingredients, and leaves my skin feeling revived and gently cleansed. It's also crazy easy to make (no...
Oil Cleansing Gel
When I was in Montreal last year I visited Coop Coco, a local DIY supplier, and poked around, looking for things I didn’t have that would fit in my suitcase. I ended up picking up a bottle of Sucragel, a cold-process emulsifier I’d never worked with before, brought it...
Creamy Stick Lip Tints
When it comes to makeup I actually wear on a regular basis I find I tend towards subtle, easy-to-apply stuff (read: stuff that goes on easily and lightly enough that it disguises my amateurish makeup application skills). These lip tints were born of my initial...
Coconut Massage Butter
Massage lovers everywhere: prepare to fall in love. This silky, glide-y Coconut Massage Butter gives you eons of working time on the skin for a luxurious, satiny massage. It isn't oily or greasy, but you'll find your hands gliding over skin with a wonderful, soft...