Tuesday, October 29, 2013

FALL BEAUTY MUST HAVES


Fall is the perfect time to switch up your beauty routine. Check out some of my must-haves for this season…






















Have any of you tried these products? What do you think about them?




Thursday, October 17, 2013

BEAUTY & THE BREAST: BREAST CANCER AWARENESS GETS REAL

So every year I share with you guys some products and brands that have teamed up with Breast Cancer Research organizations. This year I’d like to do the same but I want to do it a little more objectively. So, in this blog post you'll find out what a breast cancer survivor really thinks about Breast Cancer Awareness month, be able to sponsor a breast cancer walker, get product recommendations of beauty products that are supporting the cause, and learn about a new website for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. This time of year there’s a lot of what is referred to as “pink-washing” going on and people forget the real reason why October is BCA month. So before I share some products with you I want to share a story with you that I came across entitled, “Why #Pinktober consumerism makes this breast cancer survivor uneasy”. 

What a Breast Cancer Survivor Really Feels October:

In this article Emma Kellar shares her feelings around the “Pink” craze that has become the month of October from a  breast cancer survivors perspective; and I must say she makes some excellent points. Some food for thought from Emma's article:

1.The cost of breast cancer puts it into healthcare's luxury market. Why does a mastectomy in the US cost a quarter of a million dollars? Why does the drug Herceptin drug cost my friend in South Africa $50 000-$60 000 for a year? That's a lot of pairs of Manolos. Why is this disease unaffordable for so many women who get it?
2.Yes,Manolo Blahnik has designed a special pink shoe – yours for $990 – in honor of the Breast Cancer Alliance. A massive 20% (TWENTY PER CENT!) of the proceeds go to the BCA. I dare you to buy a pair.
3.If you are moved to give money to helping those with breast cancer this month, I'd like to suggest you think about giving it directly to a reputable organization. If 20% of pink purchases goes to help people with breast cancer, a bunch of healthy people are doing very nicely with the other 80% from your good intentions. (TheGuardian.com 9/30/13)

So if you’re headed to the store and some of these items are on your shopping list anyway, Fabulous! Make that purchase that benefits you as well as someone in need. But if you're heading to the store and thinking of making yourself feel better about spending $1,000 on a pair of shoes because $200 of that goes to charity please reevaluate your priorities.

Sponsor a Breast Cancer Walker:
And if the products listed below are not already on your shopping list then send a donation directly to a Breast Cancer Research Foundation (I’ll leave some links at the end for you to donate directly), as Kellar suggests. Or you can sponsor someone  that is participating in a Breast Cancer Walk like my co-worker whose mother is celebrating her 12th year cancer free. If you’d like to sponsor her please click here. 

Beauty Products Supporting the Cause:
Murad Hydrate for Hope kit, $50 murad.com
Charity: donating 10% of sales  to City of Hope organization
Skinn Cosmetics Sugar Lips - Polishing Scrub for Lips & Laugh Lines , $20 skinn.com
Charity: 100% of sales to BrightPink.org
Pure Cosmetics Pure Illumination Light Up Lip Gloss in Persistent Pink,  purecosmetics.com
Charity: 10% of profits to breast cancer research
Rusk W8less  Strong Hold Shaping & Control Hairspray, $10  haircarechoices.com
Charity: supporting Susan G. Koman
Eos Smooth Lip Balm Sphere 2-Pack, BCA Fresh, $6 ulta.com
Charity: 100% of net profits to breast cancer research
Dermelect ME Peptide-infused Color Nail Treatment, in Indulgence  $14 dermelect.com
Charity: 50% of proceeds go to the CEW’ Foundation’s Cancer and Careers Program
CureDiva.com Website Launch with Guiliana Rancic:
 Bottom Left, (L-R): CureDiva co-founders Dan Vigdor, Ester Gofer, Giuliana Rancic, and CureDiva co-founder Efrat Roman / Bottom Middle: Efrat Roman, Giuliana Rancic / Bottom Right: (L-R): Ester Gofer, Giuliana Rancic, Efrat Roman

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the launch of a new website called CureDiva.com. At the event co-founder, Efhrat Roman who is a breast cancer survivor, shared with the room what drove her to start the website. When she was first diagnosed she found it difficult to find certain products that she needed whether it was clothing or a grooming product amongst other things. Her body was going through changes and she now needed different items in her life and she found it hard to do so. CureDiva.com offers the information you need whether you have just been diagnosed, are in treatment, or if you are a breast cancer survivor like she is. 

Divas can shop based on their needs whether their in surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, etc. There's also a forum to connect to other women who are going throw the same thing you might be going through as well; but that's only the beginning. There are so many different avenues that this website has and if you or someone you love has been diagnosed I strongly suggest heading over to CureDiva.com for more information. 
Donate directly to charity:








Resources: 

Keller, E. (2013, September 30). Why pinktober consumerism makes this breast cancer survivor uneasy. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/30/pinktober-consumerism-breast-cancer-awareness

 

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

FALL WARDROBE REVAMP: TOPS


This season for tops you’ll see a lot of sweatshirts, leather panels, dip dye, graphics and great prints. I really love the sweatshirt trend because they aren’t your typical sweats that you run around the track in. Now you can pair a sweatshirt with a skirt and a bootie or a pair of skinny jeans and flatforms. Check out these awesome tops to get inspired by when updating your wardrobe this Fall…

Bellfield Check Shirt, $50 asos.com
Silk Sleeveless Shirt by Unique, $190 topshop.com
camilla & marc Versemaker Contrast Top, $590 shopbop.com
Leather Sweat Top, $240 topshop.com
Femme Scarf Print Sweat Shirt, $25 forever21.com
sass & bide Back Streets Beaded Top, $400 shopbop.com

Nasty Gal Night to Light Cardi, $68 nastygal.com