A Word with our Bee-Kisser in NZ 💋

A Word with our Bee-Kisser in NZ 💋

Hello lovers!

This month, with little fanfare, people around the world celebrated #WorldBeeDay. It's one of our favorite days of the year at Team MG: did you know that Manuka honey from New Zealand is one of the key powerhouse ingredients in our formula?

This potent addition has powerful anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, prebiotic, anti-oxidant, humectant and barrier repairing properties that can beautify, protect and balance your skin and lips.

Manuka Honey is rich in DHA, an Omega 3 fatty acid necessary in protecting the skin. This gold ingredient inhibits MMP enzymes that destroy collagen. 

It is a superfood in the rarest of forms.

In Celebration of #WorldBeeDay, we asked our resident “bee-kisser” Lucy Barrafina to describe that day in mid 2019 when she ventured to the very corner of her farm to collect the first batch of our famed ingredient on New Zealand’s North Island.  In her own words:

“I remember that day so well.
It was cold, grey, and windy. A miserable day.
Instead of going on a bike ride, I decided it was that time of the season again. Time to ride up into the Central Plateau and retrieve the final approved honey that was to be sent to Madame Gabriela’s lipstick laboratory in Los Angeles.
It takes me about five hours to bring the honey back from the hives; and it fills the house with a wonderful aroma that reminds me of holidaying in the Far East. Forget the dreary weather. Relax and think of colorful food markets; long lavish lunches and cycling through plantations. I could almost feel the sun warming my skin.
The first time I extracted honey from these Manuka rich hives was about 11 years ago. I found ‘regular’ honey rather bland-looking in comparison to the golden antioxidant rich Manuka. It has an almost sandy quality to it and I know that is all that goodness. I’m not good at following orders, so I extract my Manuka differently to the big commercial growers. My own interpretation – letting gravity slowing separate the honey from the hive and not a machine. Keeping all that delicious molten like mineral magic infused together. Slow food. Not fast results.
I remember sealing that first contain of honey and feeling so very proud that something so wonderful from far away New Zealand was going to be swiped on lips all around the world.
Many people think my Manuka honey is just fancy honey. It’s much more than that. My Manuka honey is a special type of honey that comes from bees collecting nectar from the Manuka plant (Leptospermum scoparium) native to my home here in New Zealand. Manuka tree shrub has a short bloom season, making this type of honey even rarer. The nature and properties of the Manuka plant give my honey extra powerful antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties. It is a game-changer for skin, and I am beyond honored that you have the opportunity to feel, taste and benefit from it every day.
Love from NZ!
XO Lucy

 

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