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 1200 formulas up here for you to look at, plus an extensive FAQ and an Encyclopedia full of information on the ingredients I use. I’d love it if you DIYed with me!
As seen on…
New Projects
Satsuma Shower Gel
I'm pretty excited to share this Satsuma Shower Gel with you guys—mostly for two reasons. Reason #1: I was utterly obsessed with The Body Shop's "satsuma" line as a kid, and I've had this gorgeous satsuma dupe fragrance oil for years, meaning to make satsuma-y things...
Lavender Aloe Cream Facial Cleanser
Today we're blending up a gentle Lavender Aloe Cream Facial Cleanser, featuring fragrant lavender hydrosol, soothing aloe vera, and gentle Cocamidopropyl Betaine. This lotion-like cleanser is brilliant for dry skin, offering great cleansing without being harsh. You...
Silk & Shine Shampoo
I'm pretty darn excited to finally share a formulation for a liquid shampoo! I've had a lot of requests for a non-soap liquid shampoo over the last few years, and here we are. This one stars a surfactant blend that kicks off oodles of dense, thick lather, leaving your...
Brightening Gel Serum
I first developed this cream last autumn under the title "ultra gel cream". When you look at the ingredients you'll know why—it's pretty darn "ultra". It is positively packed with things that are bomb-diggity awesome for the skin, helping to brighten, hydrate, soothe,...
Chocolate Ganache Fizzing Bath Biscuits
We're doing a bit of calorie-free "baking" today with some downright delicious Chocolate Ganache Fizzing Bath Biscuits! These fun, fizzy bath treats were inspired by a request from Bethany + some LUSH products I've been ogling for a while. When I first started work on...
Intense Hand Rescue Cream
This decadent Intense Hand Rescue Cream became an instant favourite of mine while it was still warm in the beaker. It's thick and rich, with a very luxurious skin feel and stunning slip. It's also loaded with all kinds of great-for-skin goodies like colloidal oatmeal,...
Foaming Aromatherapy Bath Concentrate
Today's DIY is ultra-simple; I designed it to be a safe and easy way to add essential oils to baths with some added bubbles. Putting essential oils in baths is really common, but can be problematic if not done properly. Essential oils are oil-soluble, so without some...
Cinnamon Cocoa Massage Bars
I had a lot of fun creating these deceptively simple Cinnamon Cocoa Massage Bars. They're silky smooth, cocoa and cinnamon-scented body butter bars that liquify readily on the skin, transforming into massage oil. Inspired by a LUSH product, I had a lot of fun...
Argan Rose Conditioning Hair Balm
The Argan Rose goodness continues today with this silky & nourishing Argan Rose Conditioning Hair Balm. It's like the lovechild of an oil-based hair serum and a solid conditioner bar. This balm has the richness of the oil-based serum, the conditioning...
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My Most Popular Posts
Conditioning Super Nourishing Hair Balm
One of the first recipes I ever shared on Humblebee & Me was for a "Super Nourishing Hair Balm", all the way back in October of 2011. I'd actually made the balm months earlier, before I'd launched the blog, and had been testing it all summer and fall before I...
Soothing Oat Bath and Body Oil
This soothing oat bath and body oil was born from a recipe request from Claudia, who loves Aveeno's Skin Relief Shower and Bath Oil. She said that it was fantastic for dry winter skin and even helped with her son's eczema. Taking a look at the ingredients, first first...
Orange Abyssinian Overnight Balm
This juicy, honey-hued Orange Abyssinian Overnight Balm is utterly lovely. It has an almost unbelievable dry finish, leaving skin hydrated, but not greasy. It smells of pure, juicy oranges with the slightest hint of sweet, floral Tahitian gardenias. It's smooth and...
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Lotion
To me, macadamia nuts will forever evoke memories of Hawaii. I was last there with my family when I was seventeen, and I remember picking up a bag of some chocolate covered macadamia nuts in the airport on our way home. Those nuggets of chocolatey goodness were...
Vegan Citrus Lip Butter
Ever since I made my Chocolate Lip Butter I've been completely smitten with it, so naturally I want more of it in all kinds of different variations. I've been wishing for a citrussy lip treat for ages, but since citrus essential oils are photosensitizing, I've never...
Rose Gold Facial Serum
Last week I was watching a makeup tutorial with Adele's makeup artist, Michael Ashton, and as he was prepping his beautiful model's skin, he used two products that really intrigued me. One was a fancy-sounding French facial serum; Decleor's Aromessence Rose D'Orient...
Luxury Facial Serum
The amount of money some shop-bought natural skincare products sell for never ceases to amaze me. You'd think I'd be used to seeing price tags north of $150 for a few tablespoons of something, but I'm not. I'm perpetually astonished to find a blend of oils or a simple...
Chocolate Lip Butter
Out of all the things I've made that I have to frequently remind myself not to eat, this Chocolate Lip Butter is pretty high up that list. It smells downright delicious, and leaves my lips oh-so wonderfully soft and hydrated. And did I mention that it smells exactly...
Pomegranate Primrose Summer Facial Serum
My new Pomegranate Primrose Summer Facial Serum is a fantastic way to lighten up your skin care routine for warmer days (I'm calling it my PrimPom Serum for short, ha!). It is silky and light, absorbing into your skin quickly and leaving it beautifully hydrated, and...