Shine a Light on Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) Month is well underway and while there are a sea of pink products are helping support the cause, Estee Lauder have introduced a social media program to help give a voice to the campaign.

'Shine a Light on Breast Cancer' is a social media program that invites individuals to share the all important message that early detection saves lives through a facebook application and the BCAcampaign.com website.  The theme of the campaign is "Together. Connect. Communicate. Conquer. For a future Free of Breast Cancer".

The Shine a Light on Breast Cancer campaign encourages people to take virtual action in lighting the world pink through a global online dialogue sharing messages of hope and inspiration.

You can find out more at the BCA Facebook page, the BCACampaign website and of course on twitter @BCACampaign.

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month: OPI

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month so in true style, the brands of the beauty community have 'pinked' up some of their products.  I thought I would try and show you some of these products throughout the month and see what takes your fancy.

Today it's all about nail polish, shatter nail polish.  OPI say 'let's shatter Breast Cancer' with their pink shatter topcoat.  All bottles cost £10.50 with £1 going to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

You can purchase online at Lena White.

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Eco Fragrance: Tous H20

Ever felt a bit selfish and self absorbed dousing yourself in perfume, making up your face, fancifying yourself in all manner of the word when you know there are others suffering in the world?

I know I do.  Sometimes we need to remind ourselves how lucky we are living in the Western world, despite recession, we still have running water, clothes, food ... even when times are tough, we are still in a much more privileged position than countless others on this planet.

That's why I was really pleased to find out about a fragrance by Tous called H20 branded as an 'ecochic' perfume inspired by the brands jewellery collection.  The gorgeous blue gem shaped bottle is made from 25% recycled glass and was packaged by the Arco Iris Foundation, a special employment centre that helps integrate disabled people into the workplace using cardboard that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

From each bottle of TOUS H20 sold a percentage of the profit will be donated to Oxfam.  Each sale will provide 15 litres of drinking water for people around the world who need it most.

The fragrance itself has top notes of lemon and lavender and is infused with rose, ginger and woody bottom notes.  It is a delightfully fresh, clean fragrance.  It is reminiscent of Davidoff Cool Water and is a lovely day time scent. 


Tous H20 is available from Boots and comes in 30ml, 50ml and 100ml starting at £26. 


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Bring Home Fashion

Bring Home Fashion is a collaboration between the British Heart Foundation and 3rd year Textiles and Fashion Design Management Students from Heriot-Watt University to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the charity.

The evolution of the BFH girl.  Illustrations by the wonderful Lana Steel

The theme running through the fashion show is upcycling.

Upcycling: "The practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value"

All the creations on the catwalk are made from second hand garments from British Heart Foundation stores and have been customised into unique and wonderful new wares.  Inspired by fashion through the decades, groups of talented Textiles and Fashion Design students have breathed life into the second hand materials with designs influenced by the military styling of the 1940's right up to the grunge movement of the 1990's.  The collections feature splashes of colour, modern military underwear as outerwerar and all garments are unique, one off pieces.

I was sent over some fashion illustrations of the designs you may see on the night.  They are truly wonderful, i do love fashion illustration so to see a sneak preview of the show in the form of pencil on paper is the ultimate tease taster for what lies ahead on the night.  Final designs are of course, a secret until the grand unveiling on February 24th.

LEFT: Sleeveless jacket dress by Eleisha Connon
RIGHT: Jacket with stay ups by Kirsty McKelvie and Alison McDougal 

With a philosophical approach of "one man's trash is another mans treasure" the students aim to show us that hidden gems and high fashion exist beyond the threshold of the charity shop door and can be easily achieved with a little imagination and a bit of style savvy.

Illustration and design by Tiina Kosonen

Tickets are priced at £12 for the BRING HOME FASHION show at Telford College, Edinburgh on Thursday 24th February.  Doors open at 7.30pm.   All proceeds go towards British Heart Foundation and their charity targets.

Tickets are available from British Heart Foundation on South Clerk Street, Edinburgh or from Edinburgh's Telford College Beauty Dept.

You can also find out more info at the Bring Home Fashion facebook page www.facebook.com/bringhomefashion2011

See you there!! :)

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Clinique: Kiss it Better Appeal

In February for the fourth year running, Clinique are collaborating with Great Ormond Street (GOSH) and their KISS IT BETTER Appeal raising money to fund research into childhood cancer.

The KISS IT BETTER appeal was founded by Carmel Allen a former beauty editor after her daughter Josephine was treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital for neuroblastoma - a type of cancer.  So what better way to widen the horizons of the appeal by reaching out to the beauty market with Clinique.

The Clinique collaboration also ties in with the birthday of GOSH which opened it's doors on Valentines Day 1852.

For the occasion, Clinique have created a Limited Edition Smoothie Kisses Lip Gloss Set featuring the Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip colour which I previously blogged about here.  The sets will be sold exclusively in House of Fraser for £22.50 with £4 (£2 from Clinique, £2 from HOF) going to KISS IT BETTER.

If the lipgloss set isn't your thing, a £2 donation will also be made from any purchase of a Clinique lipgloss or lipstick.

Remember this worthy make up purchase is only available at House of Fraser throughout the month of February.

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