Maria needed to prepare a set of skincare products and a basic makeup kit before their departure. Most of the items were things she had made before, so recreating them wasn’t difficult. However, for Isabella’s makeup, she decided to replace blush with lipstick. The blush was made from dried rose petals, as she had used up all the red and blue flowers she had and had no extra blush to spare.

Making lipstick was straightforward—mixing some plant pigments, olive oil, and beeswax, heating them until melted, and then pouring the mixture into molds to set. The process took less than two hours from start to finish. For the pigments, beetroot...