The Body Shop Gives Back

The Body Shop is known for having products that provide fragrances that delight the senses and invoke relaxation or rejuvenation, based on the aroma that you select.  

Because it's target customer base is women, I was happy to learn of a special  campaign that The Body Shop is running that helps bring awareness to the issue of domestic violence and a program that specifically helps child victims of this abuse.

All proceeds from every Daisy Soap (Regulary $4 USD...at the time of this article, there is a sale for only $1 USD!!!) - a vegetable facial cleansing soap and $2 from each Stop Violence in the Home Lip Care Stick ($5 USD) go to the National Domestic Violence hotline.

What struck me as special about The Body Shop's mission with regards to Domestic Violence Awareness is the company's concern with the long-term impact of domestic violence on children, who they describe  as: "the most marginalized and vulnerable group of victims..."

In 2006 their concern that "while it is widely accepted that growing up around domestic violence is a devastating experience for many children, worryingly little is known about the full extent of the problem."

To learn more so as to have the information needed to fight this problem, The Body Shop partnered with UNICEF to conduct a study. The findings included:"the research provides what we believe is a first, critical step towards a fuller picture of how many children are exposed to violence in the home. "

You can read the full article of their findings here. 

For more information on Domestic Violence, including the profile of an abuser, why people tend to become abusers, and why women often stay in abusive relationships, click here to read The Body Shop's article on Domestic Violence Awareness. 

  

The article also includes information on how you can help a friend, co-worker, or loved one who is in an abusive relationship, and a list of Domestic Violence Resources for those who are ready to ask for help or who have questions or concerns about Domestic Violence.

Let's not let another moment pass without us standing up for the children who are exposed to domestic violence. We must be their voice. They need to count on you and I to make sure they are safe.

Jersey Shores Celebrity MakeUp Artist Leora Edut Gives Back!

It was my pleasure to interview Celebrity Makeup Artist Leora Edut.  Following her passion since 1995, Leora started out with MAC Cosmetics and has since been featured by MTV, D&G, America's Top Model, Glamour Magazine...the list goes on. 

She's worked with big names, including Rihanna, Molly Sims, Kelis, Kate Voegele, and the cast of Jersey Shores doing their season premier press, including GMA, E, and Extra just a couple of weeks ago.

She also enjoys working on the runway with fashion models for names like Dolce and Gabanna, Halston, Sean John, Tom Ford, and Baby Phat. The variety keeps things interesting. 

Leora caught our attention because although she is so busy working in the entertainment and fashion industries, she has become a "Beauty Activist," whose heart has been touched and motivated to help a population that needs so much beauty and encouragement in their lives - victims of domestic violence.

Leora volunteers her time and makeup skills at such organizatins as Good Shepherd Services, GEMS, Genesis House III, and Brookhaven of Grace Smith House (a domestive violence program).

Leora shared that she considers herself to have been a "troubled teen" who hung around with a rough crowd in Detroit.  When she had the opportunity to move to New York to follow her passion of makeup artistry, she jumped at the chance to turn her life around.

"I have become a role model and inspiration for young women and spend my time with them,[teaching them how to go] after their dreams and passions," she told Nineveh Makeup Ministries, "You can say my life's mission is to now help young girls and be an inspiration for others."

Keep it up, Leora! You're an inspiration to all of us!