To all of my new readers from Pinterest, StumbleUpon and anywhere else, welcome! To my regular readers, thank you! You may have noticed that I haven’t put up a new post in a couple of days. I have been verrry busy rescuing homeless kittens and their parents. It involved a lot of vet visits, finding them good homes and help from several charitable organizations. It feels good to give back whenever and however you can, whether that means donating time, money or even just old clothes you don’t want anymore. Every little thing you do can make a difference, and there are so many ways to give that don’t require you to spend a fortune -volunteer once a week at a shelter, participate in a tutoring program for children, donate your old coats and blankets to the homeless. Another completely free way to give back is through reputable click to donate sites like Care2. Sponsors (usually businesses) donate a small amount of money, food, etc. for your clicks, and you can click once per day for each charity. It’s a way for them to advertise, and a way for you to help.
Not only can you give back as an individual, you can support companies that give back. There are many fashion and beauty companies, brands and products out there who donate significant amounts to charities and make products whose proceeds go to charitable organizations. Today, I’ll be talking about some of the beauty brands and products you can buy that will support charities so you can give back, and get something too.
Burts Bees
Burts Bees Lip Shimmer -$5
Burts Bees is a great company, they make great products and they do great things. Their lotions, lip balms, soaps, shampoos and everything in between are all made from natural ingredients. They feature eco-friendly packaging and fair prices. Burts Bees NEVER tests on animals and at least %10 of their web site’s sales revenue is donated to charity through their Greater Good Foundation. They are plenty of products to choose from, but a popular choice and one of my favorites are their tinted lip shimmers. They have good color payoff (especially for a balm), moisturize my lips and can last a long time. The tinted lip shimmers are available in a variety of shades for only $5.
Mac Viva Glam
MAC Viva Glam
Mac is a pretty pricey brand, so it’s no surprise their charity line, Viva Glam, is pricey too. The good thing though is that every cent of the purchase price of these products goes to benefit men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS. The most recent Viva Glam products are the Viva Glam Nicki (seen above), a bold pink lipstick designed with rapper Nicki Minaj and a conditioning lip balm designed with singer Ricky Martin. The lipstick sells for $14.50 and the conditioner retails for $15. I wouldn’t normally spend this much on lip products, but it’s almost like donating $15 to charity and getting something back in return.
Lush Charity Pot
Lush Charity Pot
I’ve always liked the idea of LUSH, a body and beauty brand featuring handmade products with mostly natural and fair trade ingredients. The prices are high, but the products are fun and unique. LUSH does not test on animals and uses vegetarian ingredients. The products are fresh, often organic and pretty cool too with fragrant bath bombs like Geo Phyzz and herbal solid shampoos like Squeaky Green. Buying anything from this company supports fairer, greener business but a stand out product is the Charity Pot hand and body lotion. At $21.95 it’s pretty pricey for a 7.9 ounce lotion, but it’s another one of those products where every cent goes to charity. You’ll see many products where only part of the purchase price goes to charity, but this isn’t one of them. The floral lotion is a great gift for the givers in your life.
There are many beauty brands and products out there that give back. I’d love to hear some of your favorites. Leave a comment and share the goodness.
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