Aveda supports Breast Cancer Awareness

The Estee Lauder corporation, which owns Aveda amongst other well-known brands, has been one of the biggest beauty supporters of Breast Cancer Awareness month via the Evelyn Lauder founded Breast Cancer Research Foundation so it seems fitting that as the month draws to a close, today's post takes a look at the Aveda offering in support of the cause.

 

 

Aveda have launched their bestselling Hand Relief hand lotion in special limited edition packaging in support of the cause.
Hand Relief is described as a rich cream designed to soften and smooth, whilst helping to diminish the signs of aging. Key ingredients include Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Vitamin E, Liquorice extract and Glycerin to help moisturise, brighten and protect.
Personally, I found it to have more of a lotion texture (which I prefer) than a cream. I only needed to use a little to thoroughly and effectively moisturise my hands and I appreciated that the cream was easily absorbed, without leaving a greasy residue. The limited edition Hand Relief has been infused with the brand's rosemary & mint fragrance, a fresh and sophisticated scent which I was pleased to note lingered delicately on my skin after use.
What's more, the limited edition Hand Relief is 20% larger than the standard size so you can be reminded of the worthy cause for longer.

If you haven't yet picked up one of the Breast Cancer Awareness products, I'd definitely recommend checking this out. Aveda have donated more than $2.7million to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation since 2002 through sales of special, limited edition Breast Cancer Awareness products. I was interested to note that the Aveda contribution goes towards research into the environmental causes & links to breast cancer so there's a synergy with the brand that goes beyond the usual link of women using beauty products. 
Aveda Pink Ribbon Hand Relief costs £19 for 150ml, with £2 from each sale being donated to the cause.

Beauty UK supports Breast Cancer Awareness

Today's Breast Cancer Awareness post takes a look at one of the more wallet friendly offerings in support of the cause, the Beauty UK Paint for Life box set.

 

 

The Paint for Life box set from affordable brand, Beauty UK, contains three cream finish nail polishes in different hues of pink, each with inspirational names such as "Hope", "Strength" and "Love". The set was created in honour of a Beauty UK fan who had first-hand experience of fighting breast cancer. The names of the polishes were chosen to help raise awareness and act as a reminder of the cause.

 

"Hope" is a soft, chic pale pink, "Strength" is a fun, bold fuchsia and "Love" is an unashamedly girlie Barbie pink.

 

I have to confess that Beauty UK isn't a brand with which I'm overly familiar but I was impressed with this set.

 



For the purposes of the photo above, I opted to paint my nails with the Barbie pink shade, called "Love". The polish had a smooth, relatively thin formula and needed three coats for full opacity but once on the nails, I was impressed with the longevity.

I'd definitely recommend checking out the Beauty UK Paint for Life box set. The trio costs just £5.99 and £1 from each sale will be donated directly to breast cancer research work carried out by Cancer Research UK. What's more, I was impressed to note that the donation equates to a generous percentage of the sales price.

Living Nature supports Breast Cancer Network

In terms of raising awareness, it's fair to say that the breast cancer campaign has been successful, with the cause globally recognised. With that in mind, today's post in the Breast Cancer Awareness series takes a look at Living Nature's offering in support of the Breast Cancer Network New Zealand.

Living Nature is a certified natural skin care and cosmetics company from New Zealand and an inaugural supporter member of Breast Cancer Network.

Whilst I've tried products from the range before, I wasn't familiar with the makeup line so I was intrigued when I heard that the company had launched "Precious by Lorraine Downes" lipstick in support of the Breast Cancer Network New Zealand.

Living Nature Precious Lipstick contains only natural ingredients and is lead-free. The lipstick was instigated by Lorraine Downes, Living Nature's Global Brand Ambassador and New Zealand's only Miss Universe. Lorraine explained the inspiration behind the lipstick, "I believe all women are precious to their families. As a mother, wife, sister, aunty, I do my utmost to educate women to remove the unnecessary toxic load on their bodies. Lending my name and voice to this cause emphasises that all women should regard themselves as precious by taking great care with their choices."

 

The lipstick isn't at all worthy- it's presented in a black cardboard box which details the ingredients, eco friendly credentials and charity initiative information. I also appreciated the inclusion of a "best before" date printed on the box. The opening to the box has a cute detailing which reads "smile".

The lipstick itself is presented in a matte black rubberised tube, much like NARS packaging except that the tube is round instead of squared.

 

Living Nature lipstick production is in small manufacturing runs with lipsticks hand poured and individually flamed to a perfect finish.



The lipstick has an old fashioned lipstick scent. Personally, I'd have preferred something more indulgent such as a vanilla fragrance but I appreciate that strong scents aren't to everyone's liking. It feels creamy to apply and comfortable to wear. My favourite aspect of the lipstick, & probably the most important part, is the colour. I love the idea of wearing nude lipsticks because they're so versatile and can look chic for day, whilst being the perfect accompaniment to a rock chic smokey eye for nights out. However, thanks to my pale complexion I struggle to find a nude lipstick which doesn't make me look ill so I was pleased to note that thanks to the pink tones in the Living Nature Precious lipstick, the colour was flattering and easy to wear. It has a satin finish.

Living Nature Precious Lipstick costs £18 for 4g product, with $1 being donated to the Breast Cancer Network New Zealand. The charity works to educate, inform and support those affected by cancer.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula support Breast Cancer Awareness

Continuing on with the Breast Cancer Awareness series for October, today's post takes a look at Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula's offering in support of the cause.

Palmer's have supported Breast Cancer Awareness for the past four years and this year show their support with the bestselling Cocoa Butter Formula Lotion being re-packaged with a limited edition pink themed label.

I like the Palmer's Cocoa Butter range and it's one that I come back to time and again when I'm looking for an affordable yet effective everyday moisturising option for my body. The lotion packaging is functional with a flip top dispenser. The rich formula lends itself well to nourishing dry skin at this time of year. In fact, I'd describe the texture as a cream rather than a lotion and note that a little goes a long way. Thanks to the high amount of cocoa extracts, Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Lotion has a strong chocolate fragrance which lingers on the skin.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Lotion costs £3.85 for 250ml and a donation of 30p from the sale of each bottle goes directly to Breast Cancer Care.

Orly Pretty In Pink Collection for Breast Cancer Awareness

Continuing on with my Breast Cancer Awareness series, today's post takes a look at the Orly Pretty In Pink nail polish collection, which has been specially designed in support of the cause.

The Orly Pretty In Pink polish collection is comprised of three glitter polishes in different shades of pink and of varying glitter textures, each with encouraging names such as "Fight On", "Pink Your World" and "You Are Not Alone". The polishes are 3-free (free from DBP, Formaldehyde and Toluene) and feature Orly's signature rubberised grip handle for ease of application.

I tried the shade "Fight On" which is has multi-tonal micro glitter in shades of pink, blue and lilac interspersed with occasional, larger hexagonal glitter particles. I liked that Fight On is a sheer polish giving the option to use it as a special effect top-coat, either on an entire manicure or simply to top an accent nail, or worn alone. Going forwards I'll probably be more likely to use this as a top coat but as it's Breast Cancer Awareness month, I opted to wear it alone building up the layers for an unashamedly girly manicure to create a talking point and show my support for the cause.

Priced at £10.80 each, Orly have pledged a 20% donation to breast cancer research from the sale of each polish.

   

 

 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

For me, Breast Cancer Awareness month is not only a wonderful way of raising both funds and awareness, it is also a charity initiative in which synergies are exploited to great effect with women joining together to support one another (not forgetting that, although rare, men can also suffer from the disease).

The powerful backing of the beauty brands is something which I've always found interesting and whilst some have been criticised for token donations, it's undeniable that their involvement has added a sense of glamour to the fundraising, with high profile ambassadors such as Elizabeth Hurley also coming on board. Again, I feel that there is a synergy because there's something very therapeutic about taking the time to pamper and indulge yourself (I've long supported the charity Look Good, Feel Better). As such, I've decided to run a Breast Cancer Awareness series on Skin Deep this month and throughout October, I will be highlighting some of the beauty products which have been specially designed in support of the cause.

However, before taking a look at some of the beauty products, I feel that it's important to take a step back and consider the hard facts as a reminder that despite the high profile campaigning, this remains an ongoing fight with a terrible disease.

Of more than 200 different types of cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK and accounts for almost a third of all female cases of cancer. The risk of breast cancer increases with age, with an incidence of 1 in 2000 up to the age of 29, increasing to 1 in 13 over the age of 69 (i.e. a lifetime risk of 1 in 8).

I was interested to receive a press release with the attached "Chemogal" image which highlights the real side of cancer and the effects of chemotherapy on the body, along with suggested steps to combat the discomfort. The website, www.beautydespitecancer.co.uk in collaboration with Jennifer Young Defiant Beauty are running a competition to highlight the effects by giving "Chemogal" a name and background story so be sure to show your support this month by heading over to the site.