"I'd like to encourage other women to not be afraid to pursue their dreams. If you really believe in it, you can achieve it. The only one that holds you back is yourself."Melissa Hertzler
Honeybee Gardens, Inc.
All Natural Body Care & Cosmetics
www.honeybeegardens.com
MELISSA: Actually, my husband did. Everything I did stemmed from the herbs I grew in my little garden. In Greek, the name Melissa means Honeybee. Since everything came from "Melissa's Gardens" he thought it was a good idea to call the business Honeybee Gardens. I liked the sound of it. The simple innocence exemplified how I want my products to be perceived.
My Honeybee Gardens order arrived quickly and I couldn't wait to sample everything!My Experience:
JobaColors Eye Liner pencils->>Brown Sugar..Belgian Chocolate. The names are sweet and so are the products. These rich jojoba-based eye liners glide on super smooth. 5 shades/$6.99/each.
Luscious Lip Gloss->>Smells so good I want to eat it! Do you see a pattern here? I chose the Glam I am which features a mango flavor. Finally a paraben-free lip gloss with cocoa butter, olive oil and shea butter. Or maybe you want to try Viper w/raspberry flavor, Hollywood w/orange flavor, Innocence w/watermelon flavor or Eternity w/mint flavor. $8.99/each.
Vegan PowderColors Stackable Mineral Colors->>These are so versatile! I chose the Flirtatious (very light matte pink) to use as cheek blush and a pop of eye shadow. The darker brown and lighter shade I'll use as eyeshadow. Did you know these can also be used as eyeliner, lip gloss or nail polish? See directions on this page: http://www.honeybeegardens.com/natural-cosmetics/products/pcsmc.html.
15 shades/$4.99 each.
***************************************Vegan PowderColors Stackable Mineral Colors->>These are so versatile! I chose the Flirtatious (very light matte pink) to use as cheek blush and a pop of eye shadow. The darker brown and lighter shade I'll use as eyeshadow. Did you know these can also be used as eyeliner, lip gloss or nail polish? See directions on this page: http://www.honeybeegardens.com/natural-cosmetics/products/pcsmc.html.
15 shades/$4.99 each.
Under no circumstances do we do animal testing, our packaging is made from 100% recyclable materials, and our raw material suppliers practice responsible harvesting.
WaterColors Nail Enamel:
A water-based nail color with NO formaldehyde,
toluene, xylene, dibutyl phthlate or FD & C colors.
Non-toxic and safe for the environment.
20 colors/$6.99 each.
ODORLESS NAIL POLISH REMOVER:
Acetone-free fragrance-free formula is enriched with horsetail extract to strengthen nails, and fortified with vitamin E and aloe to soothe and protect cuticles.
This totally odorless blend of alcohols works to remove the
WaterColors Nail Enamel as well as conventional polish.
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WaterColors Nail Enamel: A water-based nail color with NO formaldehyde,
toluene, xylene, dibutyl phthlate or FD & C colors.
Non-toxic and safe for the environment.
20 colors/$6.99 each.
ODORLESS NAIL POLISH REMOVER:
Acetone-free fragrance-free formula is enriched with horsetail extract to strengthen nails, and fortified with vitamin E and aloe to soothe and protect cuticles.
This totally odorless blend of alcohols works to remove the
WaterColors Nail Enamel as well as conventional polish.
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CELESTE: Share some Honeybee background.
MELISSA: Okay, here's the abbreviated version. After graduating from college and being disenfranchised by my chosen profession, I knew I needed to do something I loved. And I love herb gardening. Also, I was newly married to a husband who hated shaving. His skin would become so red and irritated, and I wanted to create something that would relieve his suffering. I was also learning about the harmful chemicals found in so many body care and cosmetic products, so I knew the local department store wasn't the answer. My knowledge of herbs lead me to develop an aftershave formula (after much trial and error!) that allowed him to shave with zero redness, no pain, no irritation. Our very first product and hence my own business was born.
MELISSA: Okay, here's the abbreviated version. After graduating from college and being disenfranchised by my chosen profession, I knew I needed to do something I loved. And I love herb gardening. Also, I was newly married to a husband who hated shaving. His skin would become so red and irritated, and I wanted to create something that would relieve his suffering. I was also learning about the harmful chemicals found in so many body care and cosmetic products, so I knew the local department store wasn't the answer. My knowledge of herbs lead me to develop an aftershave formula (after much trial and error!) that allowed him to shave with zero redness, no pain, no irritation. Our very first product and hence my own business was born.
CELESTE: Is Honeybee Gardens organic or natural?
MELISSA: Both. But we don't put organic on our labels. Mostly because it is too volatile of a word right now in our industry, and still loosely defined. But also because I can't always get the organic ingredients I need. So if 90% of the time I can get the organic peppermint we use in our aftershave, but 10% of the time I can't, then I'd be lying on our label if I listed it as organic. I won't do that.
Natural is Better
Honeybee Gardens products are created entirely of natural materials. You can actually pronounce our ingredients! We reuse and recycle as much as possible and, perhaps most importantly, we DO NOT test ANY of our products on animals (those are strict orders from our dachshund 'Ginger', ten pussycats, 'Pekoe' the lovebird, 'Tortuga' the turtle and 'Dim Sum' the Chinese hamster)!
We take great pride in providing our customers with the finest herbal products and customer service. We sincerely welcome comments and opinions, and are available to help with any questions you may have. So try our all-natural herbal body care products and experience nature's supremacy.
MELISSA: We're not just here to sell a product. We really believe in what we're doing. I want to create the healthiest, safest products, while still making sure they're effective and fun. Too often I would hear about health store brands being boring or 'that natural stuff doesn't work'. I knew I could do better. I knew I could create a lip balm that would honestly relieve chapped lips and cosmetics that were as fashionable as they were fun. Natural doesn't have to mean dull or second-rate. I want natural to be number one!
We're not your typical cosmetics company. We don't make products that follow the hottest new trends. We don't make false advertising claims or try to convince you that our products can perform miracles. All we do is make really good products made from really good ingredients that really work. That's it. We try to satisfy the real needs of real people. Oh yeah, we have really great customer service too.
Order a Honeybee Gardens Gift Certificate here:
http://www.honeybeegardens.com/natural-cosmetics/store/gift-certificates.html
http://www.honeybeegardens.com/natural-cosmetics/store/gift-certificates.html
CELESTE: Tell us about your private label products.
MELISSA: We do get lots of request for private label. In fact, I started a new company in 2001 just to handle our private label business. Unfortunately, it's harder for us to do private label for very small companies. Our batch sizes tend to be too big for their needs. I've been approached about creating a private label brand - something standard that small companies could just buy a few units of whenever they needed it, and I am considering that.
