It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month and, as we are all too painfully aware, breast cancer affects each and every one of us all year long. Each of has a friend or loved one who has experienced this devastating disease – or perhaps one of you is fighting the battle against breast cancer yourself. We know from our own, or a loved one’s experience, that fighting breast cancer is a daily struggle, an ongoing battle that, regardless of the month or the day, continues to be waged.
While we all acknowledge that breast cancer knows no season, this Breast Cancer Awareness Month gives us the opportunity to support the cause by making us aware of it. Whether we choose to donate to our favorite charity or purchase a product from a company that will donate a portion of the proceeds to theirs, we want to help.
Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of criticism about Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Some of the critics dislike that the event promotes the commercialism of breast cancer; others resent that only one month has been set aside to acknowledge the disease. Some detractors say it’s unfair that other diseases don’t have a month devoted to raising funds to research and eradicate them. Others say that the color pink, used to symbolize breast cancer, infantilizes women. And then there are those who feel that breast cancer awareness month has been “pink- washed.” This is the valid disagreement of the practice of selling products that contain known carcinogens to raise money for breast cancer research and awareness programs. I leave it to you to grapple with your own feelings about these issues.
In the meantime, below are several companies that will make donations to their favorite breast cancer charities. Look them over, make a purchase or two and help fight this disease so that it will be eradicated in our lifetime.
Paula & Chlo joins the fight against breast cancer with an assortment of pink-themed cosmetics bags that donate a whopping 100% of profits to B4BC (Boarding for Breast Cancer), a non-profit foundation dedicated to providing breast cancer education, prevention and support programs. The collection features four bags, in four different color options and two “Mini” or “Pouch” sizes.
BCA MINI’S
These cute little cases are the perfect size for a lip gloss and credit cards, retailing at $28.
BCA POUCHES
Large enough to hold all essential cosmetics on the go, these pouch-sized bags retail for $35.
Also contributing to the cause are several other “Mini” options with themes relating back to the charity. Each style donates a generous 30% of profits to B4BC.
**********************************************************************
Fivesse, the fitness bag brand that combines functionality and fashion for the woman on the go will donate 5% of sales during the month of October to breast cancer research. The fun and feminine bags were developed based on the Japanese philosophy of operations and organization – providing women with a stylish bag they can be proud to carry while also keeping each element of their day organized which in turn leads to a happier day. Anything that you may want in a fitness bag has its specific place and holder, including a secret pocket for valuables and a place for dirty clothes.
The Fivesse garment bag is available to attach to the back of the Home Gym Work bag to avoid wrinkling your work clothes.
For the yogi out there, the Home Gym Home bag contains straps on the bag for all yoga mats.
Each pocket and area of the bag is labeled so nothing gets misplaced. Fitness meets function meets charity with Fivesse.
**********************************************************************
Palmer’s will once again be going “pink” for National Breast Cancer Awareness month, donating 15 percent of the sales price (with a minimum donation of $100,000) from specially-marked bottles of its core Cocoa Butter Formula products to Susan G. Komen® beginning October 2014 through June 2015.
**********************************************************************
Smashbox, in celebration of all survivors and current patients, has created a beautiful limited edition Be Legendary Lip Gloss inspired by the iconic pink BCA ribbon created to support National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This shade of gloss has an airy feel and glassy—never sticky—finish. Just 1 swipe leaves a vibrant wash of gorgeous color. Smashbox Cosmetics is donating $5 from the purchase of every Be Legendary Lip Gloss in Promise to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, an organization dedicated to preventing breast cancer and finding a cure in our lifetime through funding research worldwide. It’s available from Smashbox through November 30, 2104.
**********************************************************************
Infiniti Pro by Conair Curl Secret ($99, mass retailers, CurlSecret.com)
Receiving a makeover for October, the Infiniti Pro by Conair Curl Secret will debut in a bright NEW shade of pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with Conair pledging $110,000 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, regardless of product sales. There will also be BCRF educational messaging on the pink Curl Secret packaging to further assist in the organization’s educational and awareness-building efforts.
**********************************************************************
Shiseido Lacquer Rouge in Dollface (PK430), $25, http://www.shiseido.com.
For the eighth consecutive year, Shiseido Cosmetics America will partner with Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) to support their philanthropic arm, Cancer and Careers. By donating $5 for every Lacquer Rouge in Dollface (PK430) sold in stores and online throughout the month of October, Shiseido will give back to the non-profit organization dedicated to supporting working people living with cancer. Created by Artistic Director Dick Page, Shiseido’s bright pink Lacquer Rouge in Dollface (PK430) is a rich liquid lip color that delivers lacquer-like shine in just one coat. Inspired by Japanese lacquer artistry, this 9,000-year old technique delivers exceptional lustrous shine and an almost wet-looking finish to a wide variety of pieces, called “lacquerware.”
**********************************************************************
Olga Butterfly Effects Minimizer, $38, at Kohl’s.
Olga is partnering with My Hope Chest, a national non-profit organization that helps fund reconstructive surgery for mastectomy patients who cannot afford the procedure. The Olga campaign matches consumer donations (up to $75,000) to fund reconstructive surgery. In honor of this partnership, they’ve introduced the new Butterfly Effects Minimizer bra.
**********************************************************************
Inni Nails has designed five exclusive nail wraps that promote breast cancer awareness through the signature pink ribbon motif. By donating as little as $5 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation through http://www.inni.com/bca, consumers will receive the INNI Breast Cancer Awareness nail wrap design of their choice.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
An Open Letter Re: Breast Cancer
Skin Cancer Facts and a Self-Tanning Tip
10 Reasons to Get Out and Walk Right Now
