Viviscal & Look Good Feel Better Charity Project: Your Hair Confessions!

I am a sucker for a good cause. I like to be able to help anybody, whenever/wherever I can and always donate what time/money I can to various charities too.

So, when I got an email through this morning, telling me about Viviscal and their campaign to both uncover the true meaning of a 'Good Hair Day' and raise money for Look Good Feel Better by donating £1 every time somebody in the UK fills in the survey on their Hair Confessions site, I immediately set to work in writing this post in the hope that I too could help to raise awareness, and also encourage every one of my readers in the UK to fill in the survey.

Look Good Feel Better is a charity that is 'dedicated to improving the self-esteem and quality of life of people undergoing treatment for cancer', something that I think is just as important as the cancer treatment itself.

How you look affects how you feel, and I'm betting every one of you knows what it's like to have a bad hair/makeup/skin or whatever day; you know, one where you go out just not feeling yourself, feeling self conscious and generally rubbish because your hair wouldn't curl properly or your foundation looks a bit cakey etc. So, if I was going through treatment for cancer, and had lost my hair in the process, or had to have my breast(s) removed, I'd imagine that I'd feel pretty low, on top of already feeling poorly and having my body battered by the various treatments available... and that just can't help matters at all.

So I'm asking you all, if you live in the UK, please please go over to the 'Viviscal Hair Confessions' site and fill in the survey. Also, please do share this post to all your friends and followers too as the more people that fill in the survey, the more money LGFB will receive, and the more people they'll be able to help. It only takes a little bit of your time, and you will be entered into a prize draw to win 3 month supply of Viviscal hair supplements, and a grand prize of a trip to LA on Oscar weekend 2014 - although I'd personally fill it in without the prize incentive.

If you're not in the UK, please feel free to forward this post to anybody who is. x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Competition: WIN TOUS H2O Goodies Worth £41!!

You may remember me posting about the Tous H2O Fragrance last summer, a fragrance that not only smells good, but does good too - donating a percentage of its profits to Oxfam to help them to provide fresh, clean water in the countries that they're working in.

Well, you now have the chance to win a 30ml bottle of the fragrance and matching incense stick set worth £41, just by following this blog and entering the competition.

To enter, all you need to do is follow my blog via Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs, or Hello Cotton (widgets are on the side bar ->)) and fill in the form below!  

Extra entries can be gained by following on Twitter (and tweeting I've just entered @The_BeautyScoop's competition to win TOUS H20 goodies worth £41. www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk/2012/02/competition-win-tous-h2o-goodies-worth.html Have you?), Facebook and Bloglovin - just tell me in the form if you do, and I'll do the rest!

If you simply cannot wait to get your hands on this fragrance, then KLM Beauty (who are kindly providing the prize for this competition) are running a special offer (until the end of March) to get the 30ml bottle for £19.50, saving you £6.50 on the normal price.

Your entries to this competition must be in by 11:59pm on Saturday 10th March 2012 and I'll contact the winner shortly after to get your postal details for the prize to be sent. The prize will be coming directly from KLM Beauty.

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Kiss It Better With Clinique & Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity

Clinique are again joining forces with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity for the 5th year running to raise money to fund research and into the causes and treatment of childhood cancer.

This year, Clinique have created the limited edition Kissable Lip Set, which will be sold exclusively in House of Fraser stores (nationwide) and online throughout the month of February, for £25, with a mega 50% of the RRP (which is incredible - £6.50 from Clinique and £6 from House of Fraser) going to the charity.

The set contains:

Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Woppin’ Watermelon
Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip Colour in Pink Me Up,
Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Raspberry, and
Long Last Glosswear SPF15 in Mystic.

This special set is housed in a chic silver purse with specially designed KISS IT BETTER heart key ring that finishes off the set beautifully. 

I really think that this is SUCH a fantastic cause and that the set looks bloody brilliant too - plus, it's my favourite way of spending... GUILT FREE as you're grabbing great products whilst doing your bit for a worthwhile charity cause to boot.

Will you be buying one next month?

A Festive Chanel & Dune Mini Haul!

2 weeks ago, I decided that whilst I was out doing my Christmas shopping and spending lots on my loved ones, that I'd also treat myself to a little something. I ended up with 3 small (ish) but perfectly formed (and slightly pricey) 'me gifts' including 2 items from Chanel's Holiday 2011 Collection, Rouge Allure 'Luminous Satin Lip Colour' in the shade Famous (207), a gorgeously festive pink-toned red with added sparkle in there, just for good measure, and the equally festive and similar toned shade, Rouge Carat (587) Le Vernis Nail Polish.

Swatches coming soon!

My final purchase of the day was a beautiful pair of Dune shoes (The Sparkling Shoe), and not only are they totally gorgeous and super sparkly, they're also limited edition and raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust with a whopping £50 from their £90 price tag going to the charity, which makes them quite possibly the best pair of shoes I have ever bought, and also the easiest purchase to justify to Mr Beauty Scoop!

The shoes look pink at first glance, but they actually contain multi-coloured glitter particles that pick up different lights and colours from the area surrounding them. Stunning.

Avon Announce Alesha Dixon As Their New Beauty & Empowerment Ambassador For 2012!

Alesha Dixon has been announced as the new Beauty & Empowerment Ambassador for cosmetics company, Avon. Her newly created role will see her appearing in Avon catalogues from February 2012, launching a new make-up line and also supporting Avon's domestic violence initiatives.

I think this is such a good pairing, Alesha is such a strong, yet likeable character and will be a great voice for Avon in their plight to raise money for domestic violence charities such as Refuge, Women's Aid and UN WOMEN that help victims of domestic violence at a time when they need it the most. It's such a great cause and I'm so glad that they're making it a high profile, and high priority campaign.

Alesha comments: “I’m so incredibly proud to partner with Avon, a company that empowers women and brings beauty to their lives. Being the face of Avon make-up means I’ve discovered so many amazing beauty treats that I can’t wait to share. But more importantly Avon has a real heart and a true passion for helping to improve the lives of women, so I hope to make a difference through generating awareness for a cause that is so close to me.“

Look out for her in your February campaign brochures, where Alesha will be launching Avon's latest foundation range, 'Ideal Flawless' which is said to have the widest selection of shades available in any of Avon's foundation ranges, and of which Alesha says "With Avon’s Ideal Flawless, I’ve discovered a foundation that gives immaculate coverage and celebrates my natural complexion.”

Alesha has taken over the @AVON_UK Twitter account today, right now, until 2:45pm so if you have any questions or anything you'd like to say, then get on it right now!

Elemis 'Think Pink' Gift Set For Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2011!

I know that we're nearing the end of Breast Cancer Awareness month, but I just found this post sitting unloved as a draft, rather than posting as it should have done about a month ago, thanks Blogger!!!

Elemis have created a gorgeous little set in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness month at a very affordable £29.90 (RRP), containing 3 of their hero skincare products, including a 15ml tube of the limited edition Pro-Collagen Lifting Treatment Neck and Bust 'Boob Tube', Pro Collagen Marine Cream (30ml, which is worth about £50 in itself) and Skin Nourishing Shower Cream (50ml). All the products are packaged in a cute 'think pink' cube which looks rather lovely too!

It is clearly a popular product as it has now sold out at Time to Spa (thanks again, Blogger) but I believe is still available at other online merchants, and possibly also in person at spas/salons and department stores.

Apologies for the lateness of this post, I do hope that those of you who want to, manage to get your hands on one!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Escentual Donating 10% From Selected Sales To Breast Cancer Care!

A great cause being supported by some great products - have you purchased/will you be purchasing anything? xx

http://www.escentual.com/all-products/?t=241

Be Fur Free with Ministry of Waxing & PETA!

I posted recently about Trilogy’s campaign to save the orangutans in Borneo (which you can still go and pledge your name for, by the way), and being the animal lover that I am, I’m posting yet another animal helping beauty offer that some of you may be interested in!

Being a female can be such a chore, especially when it comes to hair removal and keeping your lady bush nicely pruned, don't you think? However, it’s something we all have to do – unless of course you’re extremely lucky in that department!

If waxing is your choice of maintenance then you could turn something that is mundane and not pleasurable in the slightest into something a little more... heart-warming (what, you didn’t think I was going to say enjoyable, did you?) by having your waxing done at Ministry of Waxing, who have teamed up with PETA to help fight animal cruelty.

Unless you've been under a rock for an awfully long time, you'll have heard about the horrific acts of fur farms and how animals that are slaughtered for their fur and skin lead a miserable life and die a dreadful death (I’ve heard such horror stories and been sent links to animals being skinned alive that I can never bare to click and watch as it’s heartbreaking just to hear (and type) those words). They are often kept in cages so small that the animals in them cannot do anything that is natural and important to them, which can cause the animal to go insane.

This is so disturbing, if it was children being treated in the same way then there’d be a huge public outcry, and to me these animals are the same as children in that they can’t defend themselves, nor have they done anything to deserve such cruel treatment; yet for the most part, many people turn a blind eye... especially in the fashion world, which unfortunately appears to have done a complete u-turn on its stance on fur.

I’m all for fashion and looking your best, but honestly, does it really have to come from such suffering and pain? It just makes me so upset, especially as there are fantastic and luxurious fake furs readily available these days!

That is why I am happy to tell you that from now until the end of December, £2 from every Brazilian, Hollywood and Boyzilian at Ministry of Waxing will be donated to the PETA Organisation. It's a small amount, but every little helps and hopefully this will make a positive difference to many animals lives and their welfare! xx

P.S: I also really like their cheeky campaign image, don't you?!!

Please Help... Trilogy Campaign to Save Endangered Orangutans in Borneo!

Orangutans in Borneo are rapidly heading towards extinction through no fault of their own, due to the destruction of their natural habitat by what I would consider greedy, thoughtless and selfish people, which I think is awful.

I’m a huge animal lover, and I’m always upset when I hear about animals in distress, hurt or being close to extinction – especially when it’s due to human actions (hunting and destroying habitat etc) so when I got an email asking me to help raise awareness for Trilogy’s campaign to help to save orang-utans in Borneo, I was immediately interested in doing so.

Since 2009, Trilogy has had an ongoing campaign to try to help endangered orang-utans in South East Asia and they have received $32,000 (NZ Dollars) so far from the public for the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) which is the world’s largest orang-utan rescue sanctuary! This looks like a fantastic amount, but this is an ongoing problem and more money needs to be raised to be in with a chance of giving these gorgeous creatures the opportunity to survive.

Right now you can go to the Trilogy website to pledge your name, and spread the word to family and friends. Trilogy will then donate $1 (NZ Dollars) for each pledge received to the BOSF – it’s that easy. It will only take a few seconds of your time and it could do so, so much good for the endangered orang-utans.

I love companies that do these kinds of campaigns; it shows me that they’re not all about the profit and that they do actually care... let’s show that we all care too. Please, please take the time to pledge your name and ask your friends, family, twitter followers etc to do the same.

http://www.trilogyproducts.com/  http://www.savetheorangutan.org/

xx

TOUS H20 Fragrance!

I’m a bit of a perfume addict, it has to be said, and so when I was asked if I’d like to try a new perfume I jumped at the chance!

This new perfume isn’t just something to make you smell good, buying it should hopefully make you feel good too as Tous (the perfume brand) are donating a percentage of the bottle price to Oxfam to help those who struggle to get drinkable water with their plight. It’s said that each bottle of perfume sold will allow Oxfam to provide 15 litres of water (enough for 10 days) to one person in the countries that it’s working in.

Also in addition to giving water, the handling of the fragrance and its packaging is carried out in the Arco Iris Foundation‘s Special Employment Centre which benefits those with disabilities too, helping them to get jobs; and all the cardboard used for the packaging is certified by the FSC which ensures that the trees used for it is environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and an economically viable use of the forests.

Now that’s all well and good but if the perfume smells like the behind of a donkey then it’s really not going to sell that well. Fortunately this perfume actually smells rather nice, especially if you’re a fan of fresher, kind of citrusy scents.

The first spray *really* reminds me if Dolce & Gabanna’s Light Blue fragrance... and I love that, it’s one of the scents of my clubbing days (that and Calvin Klein Eternity); I still have a bottle of it now actually. It’s still fairly similar when it settles, although ever so slightly less zingy – if that makes sense? It is a very aptly ocean-y/aquatic scent... you know the kind that the likes of Cool Water (Davidoff) is based on?

I’ve compared the top, middle and base notes from the 3 fragrances (see below) and whilst not completely identical there are definite similarities that I am picking up on – the likely candidates being jasmine, cedar and amber in the D&G and lavender, jasmine, amber and cedar in the Cool Water it seems!

TOUS H20 Notes

I think this would make a great perfume for wear during the day, as personally I prefer a slightly stronger perfume for in the evening, but this will definitely be worn by me through the day, and especially during the summer months as that’s what I feel it’s best suited for.

P.S I love the bottle too, (it’s made out from 25% recycled materials and is 100% recyclable at the end of its life) it’ll look lovely on my dressing table, especially when it catches the light - although not direct sunlight of course, as that would just ruin the perfume!

The fragrance comes in 30ml (£26), 50ml (£36) and 100ml (£46) bottles and is available at Debenhams nationwide and online.

*PR Sample

Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Beauty Products 2010!

As this month is breast cancer awareness month, I thought it only right that I should do a post in recognition of this, especially since I’ve noticed a lot of beauty brands putting their best feet forward to help raise money and awareness for this fantastic and important cause. Below are just a few of the many items available.

First up we have Elemis who have brought out the ‘The Sparkling Beauty Collection’ which frankly looks gorgeous. It’s priced at £50 and is an ideal present to buy for Christmas.

“Elemis are proud to support Breast Cancer Care with this limited edition skincare collection for face, neck and bust, containing all you need to indulge and pamper.

Includes:
• Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules 14 caps
• Pro-Collagen Marine Cream 30ml in a limited edition pink bar
• Pro-Collagen Lifting Treatment Neck and Bust 15ml in a limited edition pink 'boob tube'
• New Visible Brilliance 10ml
• New Elemis Eau de Parfum 5ml
• A stunning fuchsia pink cosmetic bag

With this collection, Elemis has pledged a donation of £10,000 to Breast Cancer Care.”

Bobbi Brown is offering a Limited Edition Pink Ribbon Shimmer Brick, priced at £29.50.

‘In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Bobbi created this limited-edition Pink Shimmer Brick Compact. This shimmering, brush-on powder creates a soft, light pink glow.’

It looks beautiful and what is even more impressive is that ALL money from the purchase price is being donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at the Royal Marsden. This has got to be one of the most generous donations of all; I am really impressed with this.

Clinique have a couple of special edition items available for purchase. The first is their Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion (£35), there's no change to the formulation or colour but it does come with a very cute pink ribbon keyring, each bottle sold in Selfridges during October will raise £2 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The next item from Clinique is a limited edition Pink Ribbon Long Last Glosswear Key Chain that holds three of their best selling gloss shades. For each key chain sold in Boots during October, Clinique will donate £2 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Darphin and their retailers are donating £5 from every sale of their best selling ‘Darphin Intral Soothing Cream’ to Breast Cancer Research UK Foundation during October. The product, priced at just £36.00 is said to have been designed to soothe and strengthen intolerant and sensitive skin that is reactive and intolerant to external aggressions.

RevitaLash donate an ongoing portion of their profits to benefit breast cancer research projects after the developer, Michael Brinkerhoff’s wife lost most of her eyelashes whilst undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Their eyelash enhancer product is said to condition and nourish lashes to stimulate thicker growth, priced from £50 upwards.

Jo Malone is donating £5 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for every 100ml bottle of their lovely Red Roses Cologne sold throughout October.

Creme de la Mer will donate £2 from each UK purchase of their ‘Illuminating Powder’ (£58.50 from John Lewis) in October to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Both the product and packaging look stunning, and it comes with the silver brush as seen in the picture too.

Versace have their Bright Crystal Limited Edition Box available at House of Fraser for £42 and are donating a percentage of their profits to Breast Health International. The box contains 50ml perfume and perfumed body lotion in a pink cosmetics bag.

Tweezerman have brought out a special edition Pink Ribbon Slant Tweezer and are donating £2 from every sale to the Breast Cancer Campaign. These are available for between £18 and £20.

Smashbox are donating net profits from October sales of their Smile Brightening Lipgloss to Breast Cancer Care, buy the duo from QVCUK.

Aveda have made a special edition of their Hand Relief cream, each sale will donate £2 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and if every pink-capped special edition tube is sold, Aveda will reach their fund-raising goal of £200,000!

Estee Lauder, like Clinique have 2 sets available to purchase. They are just £25 each, of which £7.50 will go to charity.

Evelyn Lauder Lip Collection: 

Evelyn H. Lauder hand-selected the full-size lipsticks for this exclusive set, all in chic pink cases:
• Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Candy
• Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Rubellite
• Pure Color Crystal Lipstick in Tiramisu
• Pink Croc-Print Clutch

Elizabeth Hurley Lip Collection

Enjoy New Pure Color Gloss in 2 dual-ended glosses for 4 shades in all, plus a Pink Croc-Print Clutch.

The shades for this exclusive set were hand-selected by Elizabeth Hurley:
• Nude Rose
• Rock Candy
• Brazen Berry
• Extravagant Pink

Last but by no means least, is a sparkly, girly pink jewelled ribbon brooch by Estee Lauder. Priced at just £10, this will not break the bank and can be kept forever. Net profits from sales of this goes to Breast Cancer Research Foundation, what more could you want?

I'll be honest, I’d be over the moon if I received any of these as a gift and even more so because of the charity element involved. At the risk of sounding a bit soppy, it really makes me quite proud to see so many companies stepping up and doing their bit. There are tons more products available throughout the next month, so be sure to have a look around and see if you can’t bag yourself a fantastic product for a terrific cause.

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/breastcancer/

http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/