My Skincare Story

Aloha from the newest busy bee here at Honey Girl Organics!  I’m Maryam, a total product junkie. If you’re anything like me, over the years you’ve been searching for new products to add to your skincare routine that don't contain harmful or toxic chemicals. 

I work in Customer Service for Honey Girl Organics on the North Shore of Oahu. 

Over the last few months, I've learned so much about all the amazing benefits of honey, beeswax, and olive oil.  Join me on my Honey Girl journey as I try all the different products and continue to learn about all things “bee” related.  Knowledge is power!

My childhood days were before the Green Beauty Movement.  When I was young, I thought anything I bought at the department store beauty counter had to be the best because it was so expensive.  That was before I knew anything about "marketing" and the amount of money that was being put into advertisements to reach me in Kansas (my hometown). Back then, I don’t even remember going to a health food store because at that time, I don’t think there was one. 

My sophomore year school picture when I was growing up in Kansas.

Estee Lauder, Lancôme, Clinique, Channel and MAC were some of my favorites.  That was until there was this new awareness thanks to the internet.  People were able to research ingredients and their findings were, well…terrifying.  If this is new to you, just check out EWG's website.  After learning about these cancer-causing ingredients that have been scientifically proven to cause disease in the body, I went from being a naive consumer to informed consumer. 

I love keeping up with the latest trends.  How amazing is it to know that the new “norm” is clean and organic!?  Our bodies don’t know what to do with most of the chemicals they use in cosmetics and skincare and that’s why a lot of us get some kind of negative reaction. 

My older brother was the first in my family to move to Hawai'i in 2008. I came on vacation and felt such a connection to North Shore that when I left, I was completely heartbroken. Eventually, I called my brother and asked if I could stay with him until I found my own way here. I've lived in Hawai'i ever since! 

Ever go to try a new product with so much hesitation you’ve already decided you don’t like it before you even tried it? Yeah, that’s me.  The first time I tried Honey Girl was about 6 years ago.  I was given a sample of the Face & Eye Crème while shopping at one of the local Whole Foods Markets.  Hesitant to smear it all over my face, I used it as an eye crème and loved it!  It was so gentle and moisturizing.  But you know how it goes, once a small sample is gone it’s back to using whatever full-size product you have in your vanity.  For some reason, I always feel like I have to finish something fully and not waste it even if I don't like the product. 

Nicole, a friend of mine, worked at Honey Girl years ago and I always thought she had the most beautiful skin.  I just assumed it was because she was born with good skin!  Which she was, but it takes a lot of good habits and maintenance to keep the skin healthy and youthful.  Fast forward 6 years and now I’m in her shoes, working at Honey Girl Organics.  

Me at my Honey Girl desk!  

I have oily skin that’s also acne prone, so I’m hesitant to try new products on my face. This is why I assumed HGO wouldn't be a good fit for me.  The products sounded way too moisturizing, and I was afraid it would clog my pores.  The biggest "aha" moment I had was about a month ago after trying the Facial Scrub one evening.  The next morning while I was getting ready for work, I noticed how silky smooth my face felt.  After applying some light makeup there was a noticeable difference in smoothness.  It had been quite a while since I used a scrub and I completely forgot how baby soft your skin feels after you exfoliate.  After a few weeks of using this twice a week, I had to take a pic of my glowing skin after I got ready one lazy weekend afternoon. 

No makeup selfie! 

I still have so many HGO products to try.  As of now Facial Scrub is my favorite!  I would say my favorite thing about it is how fine the sugar is.  I used my index and middle fingers to lightly massage it into my skin in a small circular motion.  Careful not to put too much pressure!  You don’t want to irritate your skin; you want to make it glow. 

Now that I’m exfoliating regularly, I’m finding that I have fewer breakouts and clogged pores.  I know I forgot how important regularly exfoliating is!  How often are you using our facial scrub?  I hope 1-2x/week!  Or maybe this is inspiring you to try it out and see what a difference it makes with your skin.