Celebrate Genifique Day with Lancome & St. Jude, It's More than Just A Charity Donation

Truth is most beauty brands are charitable.  I can't tell you how many pitches I receive about brands donating to different organizations for various causes, and while it's wonderful (I believe they all should be donating), it's not really news worth posting on BeautySweetSpot.   Right?  Well last week I got to experience the St. Jude Children's Research Center in Memphis, TN, Lancome's charity of choice.  This was something different. For the past three years, Lancome partnered with St. Jude to create Genifique Day, celebrated on October 19th, $7 from the purchase of any size Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate will be donated to St. Jude.

While there we learned about St. Jude, watched Lancome give the teenage patients makeovers, toured the campus, and met a very special patient and her mother.  There were no tears at St. Jude.  No long faces of exhaustion or worry on the children's parents either.  Instead, it was filled with life, optimism and hope.  It's absolutely incredible to see that after all these children go through, at the end of the day, kids bounce back to be kids.

I came home from this trip feeling very connected to the cause, appreciating Lancome's dedication beyond the donation and donating myself.  You can donate here once or sign up monthly.  The whole hospital is run on donations.  I learned that it cost $1.8 million to run it daily and not a dime comes out of the families pockets, ensuring each child gets the best care despite financial backgrounds and health insurance plans.

Help Kiehl's Ensure No Kid Goes Hungry in the USA

This weekend Kiehl's stores across America have partnered with Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit that is ending childhood hunger in America by connecting children with nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives, to launch an event called "Erase Lines, Fill Needs and Ensure that No Kid Goes Hungry in America." You can get involved by visiting a Kiehl's free standing store in your area and donating $1 at the register.  Believe it or not, $1 can feed up to 10 children!  As a thank you, you'll receive a 10.5 day supply of their Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate.

Unable to visit the store?  You can still participate by donating through the end of the year at Kiehls.com.

Proactiv Donates to My Fave Charity

I had the wonderful opportunity to partner with Proactiv for their 12 days of Christmas campaign (yes, I know, we're sooo over Christmas right now but bear with me) and by doing so I was able to donate $200 to my favorite charity  – Women In Need. Check out the video below to learn more about the campaign, charity and of course, a giveaway!

Celebrate National Women's Business Week Tory Burch Style

Today begins National Women's Business Week and as a female entrepreneur myself I'm thrilled to celebrate and announce a foundation that Tory Burch has put together called the Tory Burch Foundation, which offers economic opportunities for women and their families in the United States. Tory Burch is such an inspiration to me because not only has she created a successful empire for herself, but she's also helping other talented women by supporting them and giving them the direction and encouragement they need to succeed as well.

The foundations logo is the sunflower (my fave flower!) designed after a pendant her father gave her mother and she uses it in all of the products she designs for the foundation.  Support the foundation or shop the products on the foundation's site.

I'm giving away two of Tory Burch's limited edition CD's that she had made for the foundation featuring songs by Kanye West, Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean, Willy Deville and more.  Follow me and RT the giveaway today @BeautySweetSpot and a winner will be chosen at random tonight!

Women In Need Gala, A Complete Success

Last night I was honored to attend the annual benefit for Women In Need at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC.  After working with the charity for the past six months and growing closer to the cause, it was miraculaous to see so many people come together in support. Merdith Vieira hosted the evening, which honored Cindi Leive, Editor-in-Chief of Glamour and Brendan Hoffman, President and CEO of Lord & Taylor.  Both gave powerful speeches, but the most touching talks and presentations were those that came from present and former WIN clients.

The room was decorated with huge portraits of smiling children from the shelters and the balloons you see in the photo above became decorations, but weren't there when we arrived.  Each of them cost $100 - $1,000 and people generously purchased them as donations.

My favorite part of the night was when the "Peter Jennings Prize" was announced.  It was an award dedicated to the children in the WIN shelters who achieved academically in essay writing.  Six children stood on stage, all dressed up with hope in their eyes and success in their futures. The winner, an eleven year old boy read his essay out loud in front of over a thousand people in the ballroom.  It was proof that this homeless boy was being well looked after and taken care of. I know myself from visiting the WIN shelters that this is just one example of all of the WIN children.

A single live auction was held and the prize made me want to bid, but I knew better.  It was to stay at Ferragamo's mansion in Tuscany, Italy for a week, all expenses paid.  Could you imagine?  It went for $23K.  I was so tempted to shout "$24!," but where the heck would I get the money from?

The benefit raised $1.8 million, which will be donated to all of the of the WIN shelters and help provide the homeless families of NYC with the supplies, counseling and shelter they need until they can get back on track and out on their own again.

Women In Need Inspire Through Conversation

Last week I attended an event that Women In Need held called "Conversations with Tina Brown and Alexandra Penney."  Tina Brown is the Editor In Chief of The Daily Beast and Alexandra Penney just launched a new book called The Bag Lady Papers. Women In Need provides homeless women and their families of NYC shelter and support throughout hard times and held this event in conjunction with two very successful women to show that homelessness can happen to anyone at any time.  Alexandra Penney, a well known journalist and author was a victim of Bernie Madoff and lost her life savings at the age of 60.

"The first thing I thought was I need to start working right away," Penney stated.  Instead of dwelling in her losses, thanks to Tina Brown, she began blogging on The Daily Beast.  "My writing was an out pour of fear that allowed me to connect with a community and build myself back up again."

In her new book, The Bag Lady Papers, Penney discusses the fears of almost being a bag lady and struggles she encountered when she lost it all.

You can help the homeless in NYC by voting for Women In Need in Pepsi's latest challenge.