Niacinamide—also known as Vitamin B3—is a potent, effective, and popular active ingredient with amazing brightening and barrier-boosting skincare benefits. But, it can be a bit intimidating to work with. So, if you’ve been wanting to start formulating with niacinamide but haven’t been sure where to start, you’re in the right place. Let’s get started 😄
The idea for this De-Puffing Peppermint Aloe Face Roller came to me as I was drifting off to sleep on a warm July night. It’s part facial serum, part facial massage—designed to moisturize, soothe, de-puff, and cool your skin on hot summery days. A refreshing, hydrating facial serum is packaged inside a roller bottle so you can massage your face with skin-loving goodness on days where everything feels hot and sticky. I hope this perks up (and cools down) your steamy summer days—it’s certainly made some of my hot days a lot better!
This all-natural Skin Brightening Toner Mist formulation is part hydrating toner and part serum, featuring some fantastic soothing, moisturizing, barrier-boosting, and brightening ingredients. It’s quite simple to make, with just a wee bit of heating, and you can easily customize the scent by using your favourite hydrosol to create a uniquely yours skin treat. I’m really enjoying it as the middle step of my skincare routine, sandwiched between cleansing and creams, and I hope you do, too!
If you’ve been reading Humblebee & Me for more than a few weeks, I’m sure you’ve heard me say that Calgary (where I live) is dry. It’s the kind of dry where bread usually goes stale rather than sprouting mould. If I visit somewhere humid and buy crackers they are probably going to go all floppy and soggy on me because I am not in the habit of carefully re-sealing bags of things that are supposed to be crispy because, well… they’d stay crispy sitting in an open bowl in my kitchen at home! While this dry-ness is very handy for things like airdrying laundry, it’s less awesome for my skin, as you can probably guess by the constant parade of moisturizing skincare formulations I share! Today’s project is another float in my dry-skin-battling parade—a richly hydrating Hyaluronic Acid B5 Serum.
Today I’m sharing something I’ve been loving lately—a Soothing Makeup Finishing Spray. You certainly don’t have to use it over makeup (it’s also a great soothing & hydrating mist for bare skin!), but I’ve been using this as the last step in my makeup routine (and sometimes throughout the day if it’s extra dry or hot!) and I love how it works. This spray leaves my skin dewy and eliminates that powdery, “hey, that’s makeup on your face” look that can sometimes happen. It’s mostly water, aloe vera juice, and hydrosol, but this mist also has a great supporting cast of moisturizing and soothing ingredients. Let’s dive in!
‘Tis the season for heaps of hydration! This DIY was initially inspired by a popular lavender witch hazel toner product, but I decided to really amp up the hydrating/humectant-y goodness in the spirit of Asian-style hydrating toners (rather than Western astringent-y toners) and that amping has led us off into new territory. The final product is rich in humectants and skin-soothing goodies—perfect skincare things for ultra-dry January!
Make it Up: The Essential Guide to DIY Makeup and Skin Care is now available at booksellers all over the world!