If it seems like it’s been all lip products, all the time around here, well… I’m kind of obsessed with lip stuff right now, so that’s why. If and when Fyrinnae ever releases their new eyeshadow colors, then I’ll be obsessed with eyeshadow… but for now it’s all about the lips!

You may or may not know, but MAC has a foundation called the MAC AIDS Fund, founded in 1994 to support men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally. It’s a pretty cool thing. There are currently six shades of VIVA GLAM lipsticks and two shades of VIVA GLAM lipglass being sold worldwide, and every cent goes to the MAC AIDS Fund.

The latest spokesladies/models for VIVA GLAM are two fabulous ladies, Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga. No lie, I have been a fan of Cyndi since I was about five years old. In fact, the first cassette I ever owned (remember cassettes?) was She’s So Unusual. When I heard there would be a VIVA GLAM Cyndi lipstick, I didn’t even care if I liked the color – I just had to buy it!

Lucky for me, I do love the color. It’s a light coral red with a high lustre finish, and it’s just perfect for spring and summer! LOVE IT! MAC Lipsticks never disappoint me – they have the smoothest feel and despite the glossier texture of this one, the color still sticks around for a decent amount of time.

Speaking of Cyndi Lauper, I’m going to see her concert in April! SQUEEEEEEEAL!

The subject of this post isn’t itself a cosmetic, but I liked these little bags so much I wanted to share them with you. The XSProject is a charity project that makes various kinds of bags, including some that work great as makeup bags, out of reclaimed flexible plastic collected by trash pickers in Indonesia.

It sounds a little complicated, but it’s actually pretty simple. 80,000 tons of flexible plastic packaging are manufactured each year in Indonesia. Because there are no safe disposal methods for flexible plastic, it may accumulate and then sit in a landfill forever. This type of plastic has little resale market value because there are no traditional recycling techniques for it. The XSProject Foundation acquires the plastic from trash pickers before it piles up in toxic landfills.

Who are these trash pickers? The Indonesian capital of Jakarta is home to an estimated 400,000 trash pickers, most of whom are undocumented workers surviving on a monthly income of about $35 per family. Because of the dearth of proper recycling programs in much of Southeast Asia, trash pickers look for items that can be sold for recycling to supplement their meager incomes. XSProject seeks out consumer waste materials that can be bought from these communities that will bring them new sources of income.

The collected material is then made into the bags and other articles by craftspeople employed in Indonesia. Pretty cool, huh?

Anyway, the XSProject very kindly sent me a sample product, so I can tell you that they are very well-made and sturdy. The Beauty and The Beast Small bag is perfect for holding cosmetics, and is lined inside. The Facelift is also lined inside, and is a larger option for holding cosmetics and toiletries.

All of these bags are great for giving as gifts to your eco-conscious friends and family, or even if they aren’t so eco-conscious. Each bag comes with a tag explaining in a nutshell how the garbage to finished product process works, so your recipient can appreciate how neat the bags are.

After seeing it pop up first at Whole Foods Market, and then at my favorite New Seasons Market, I finally broke down and bought a bottle of Everyday Shea Moisturizng Body Lotion in the vanilla scent. How fabulous is this stuff? Pretty darned awesome.

Everyday Shea is a sister company to Alaffia Sustainable Skincare, a company that makes products I really enjoy. I especially love Alaffia’s body care products, but because they usually come in smaller jars and I like to slather them on, I can’t really afford to buy them all the time. That’s where Everyday Shea comes in. It was created to offer customers a quality petroleum-free shea butter lotion (and body wash!) at an affordable price.

When it comes to affordable, you can’t beat the value on the Everyday Shea lotions. They come in giant 32 oz. bottles with a pump, in an unscented formula as well as lavender and vanilla.  The texture is light and creamy, but still has a richness that comes from all the shea butter. You can slather it on all you want, but you won’t feel greasy. The price? Just $14.95 for the giant 32 oz. bottle. Can’t beat that with a stick!

As with Alaffia, 10% of sales is given to community projects in Togo, like Bicycles for Education, maternal health, and school supplies and repairs.

Everyday Shea also makes shea butter body wash, and as soon as I find it locally I’ll be buying a bottle. For now, you can order directly from the company or use the store locator on the site to find a store near you!

I’ve been seeing a new brand of body care products at stores like Whole Foods Market and New Seasons, so I’m really happy to finally have more information about this cool new brand! It’s Depth, a line of products born from one couple’s love of the ocean!

Depth products all feature therapeutic sea botanicals, like Brown (Phaeophyta), Green (Chlorophyta) and Red (Rhodophyta) algae, for their mineral and vitamin content. They also contain high quantities of certified organic ingredients and the company does not test on animals.  The Depth collection consists of delectable shampoos, conditioners, hand soaps, body washes, hand and body lotions and shave creams available in four, 100% natural aromatic blends, designed by French perfumer Jean-Pierre Subrenat: Mangrove Citrus, Sea Berry, Ocean Blossom and Bay Coconut. After a quick sniff, Ocean Blossom is the front-runner for me, with Bay Coconut a close second – but they’re all good!

Depth also believes in giving back to their community, through their support of Camp SEA Lab. Camp SEA Lab is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization located in the Monterey Bay, California, that provides authentic marine experiences for children who otherwise might not have the opportunity to do so. Depth and Camp SEA Lab aim to instill a sense of awareness, appreciation and love for the ocean and its inhabitants, in the hopes that the younger generation will become stewards and choose to protect the ocean for a healthy future. Depth product sales directly contribute to scholarships for children to attend the camp. How cool is that?

Overall, I’m thinking this line looks pretty awesome! I can’t wait to actually try some of the products!

October is almost over, but it’s not too late to make some last-minute purchases in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. Sean Jean fragrances is donating $10,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation from sales of Unforgivable and Unforgivable Woman. I haven’t experienced Unforgivable (the men’s fragrance) but I have had a chance to try out Unforgivable Woman.

First of all, take the name with a grain of salt. I generally tend to disregard celebrity fragrances, mostly because they usually stink. Literally. Believe was the first one I thought was pretty good, and I like Covet too. The problem with most celebrity fragrances is that they are formulated to appeal to the widest crowd possible, and thus are usually really boring. Apparently Sean John (aka Diddy aka Mr. Combs) was very hands-on with the development of his fragrances, and the result is that Unforgivable Woman is much better crafted than your average celebrity scent.

The notes are bergamot, orange, neroli, cassis, grapefruit, apple, cucumber, piña colada, orange flower, jasmine, violet, muguet, freesia, cyclamen, amber, tonka beans, coco de mer, vanilla tears, cedar, sandalwood, oak moss, patchouli, vetiver and iris. The ones that stand out to me are mostly the cassis in the topnotes, the piña colada and vanilla in the middle, and some light woodsy notes in the base. I’ve seen it described as “sun warmed sand and coconut” and I have to agree.

The perfume is advertised as being “the essence of sensuality”, but personally I find it more quiet and reserved. It isn’t brash or overly aggressive – I think as long as you don’t drench yourself in it, you could wear it to work, although date night with the man might be better. It’s like a figure-hugging cashmere sweater, warm and soft, but a little sexy too.

I don’t know a lot about Tommy Hilfiger, except that it’s a clothing brand and there are some perfumes in the line. I learned a lot more about Tommy Hilfiger perfumes when I read Perfumes: The Guide and read the five star review for Tommy Girl. Color me impressed! I gave it a spritz the next time I saw it in a store, and thought it was really nice – not really my thing, but certainly really pretty.

When I got the chance to try Dreaming by Tommy Hilfiger, I was pretty excited. During October, Tommy Hilfiger will donate $15,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation from the sales of Dreaming and also Hilfiger for Men.

Dreaming is a soft, floral fragrance – very sweet, very feminine. I’m not usually a fan of fruity florals but occasionally I find one that I really like. The notes include peach, tuberose, freesia, white hibiscus, white woods and orris. I definitely get the peach right away, and then the florals surface. Unlike so many floral fragrances that include tuberose and freesia, this one isn’t too sweet or cloying – rather, it is very cool, pale, and clean. One of my co-workers complimented me on the fragrance today and said he liked it because it was clean smelling. I like that it doesn’t drift into laundry detergent-land however, which is a little too clean for me… I would use words like innocent, pretty, fresh, and romantic to describe it. It’s appropriate for work, but would also be nice for a dinner party or a wedding – any gathering where you don’t want your perfume to overwhelm the folks around you.

Some people don’t care for the bottle, but I like it. The slightly rounded square shape seems very elegant and I like the clean lines. The little charm that accompanies the largest size is cute.

This is a fragrance find I’m very happy with. Get it in October, and help contribute to breast cancer research!

As far as I’m concerned, Tweezerman makes the best tweezers around. (I just spent 30 seconds looking at the word “tweezer” and thinking it’s hilarious…) However, in the past I’ve been really cheap and bought other, inferior tweezers. Thanks to their commitment to raising $75,000 through their BCA program, this month was the right time for me to finally get myself a pair.

$1.00 from the sale of each limited edition Precision in Pink tweezer will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, as well as other charities throughout the country.

Seriously, if you are doing any tweezing on your face at all – brows, chin, whatever, you owe it to yourself to get a decent pair of tweezers.

Here are five more products you can purchase that benefit breast cancer research and awareness.

1. ghd IV styler hot pink. Spendy? Yes. Awesome flat iron? Yes. $15 from every hot pink styler sold is donated to the Young Survival Coalition.

2. Several Conair styling tools.  CONAIR will donate between $.50 and $1 per product and will make a minimum donation of $100,000 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. I have the blow dryer, and it’s great.

3. Ojon Revitalizing Mist. I love this stuff – it leaves my hair soft and shiny, and it smells so nice! Ojon will donate 20% from the sale of this product to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, up to a maximum of $35,000.

4. Skyn Iceland Detox Kit for Stressed Skin. I love Skyn Iceland products, and this little set is a nice way to try them. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, during the month of October Skyn Iceland will donate $5 from the sale of each Detox Kit to Gilda’s Club.

5.  Sonia Kashuk Brush Set. According to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s website, 15% of the purchase price of the set will be donated to BCRF.