Buy Cheer, Give Cheer with Toms this Holiday Season!

My dad and I hung out this weekend and started talking about charities. We really appreciate people who come up with clear specific goals as with Locks for Love, Dress for Success, or One Frickin Day. It's critical to know where your donations are going since some groups are more efficient than others. Corporate giving is publicized loudly, especially among products that have a donation built into the price. Some are wasteful, like the Ethos bottled water from Starbucks that includes a 5 cent contribution to bring clean water to impoverished countries. (Considering how much pollution is generated by the production and transport of bottled water, you're better off drinking tap, reducing your carbon footprint, and donating $3.95 to CarbonFund.org.)

Some people have been more focused. Upon recommendation by Elettra Wiedemann,  Lancome donated one tree, via CarbonFund.org, for each of the first 10,000 bottles of their Cell Defense anti-aging serum. Every cent from every Viva Glam Lipstick sold by MAC goes to the MAC AIDS Fund. Each tube raises enough money for a rapid HIV test, a starter kit of school supplies for a child orphaned by or living with AIDS, or even a pair of shoes!

Speaking of shoes, one of my favorite companies is Toms. Their "one for one" guiding principle has them donate one pair of shoes for each pair of shoes they sell. The began with casual, unisex canvas shoes, but have expanded into warmer boots, wedges, and even some sparkling flats for the holiday season. Check out their new digital holiday catalog or see the full range at Toms.com.

Andrew Sotomayor is a celebrity makeup artist in New York who's worked with Juliette Binoche, Kerry Washington, Alicia Silverstone, Saffron Burrows, Natasha Bedingfield, Nina Garcia, Rose Byrne, Isaac Mizrahi, Justin Kirk, Jonathan Groff and champion boxer Andre Berto. His clients have appeared on Project Runway, The Today Show, The CBS Early Show, Good Day New York, and CNN. He's created the makeup for Victoria Beckham's denim and eyewear look books, and assisted on fashion shows for Dior, Diesel, Marchesa, and Project Runway. Magazines like Marie Claire, Latina, Shape, InStyle, Glamour, People, numerous blogs have interviewed him, and he's appeared on television for Access Hollywood. Andrew leads makeup artistry workshops for the students at The High School of Fashion Industries. See his work at DramaFreeMakeup.com

Natasha Bedingfield Walks the Pink Carpet for The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - Makeup by Andrew Sotomayor

Natasha Bedingfield

The holiday season officially begins not when "hark, the herald angel sings", but when the Victoria's Secret Angels don wings. While Heidi Klum and Seal have sung on stage in the past, this year's entertainment was provided by Katie Perry.

Fortunately, the musical talent was not restricted to the stage. The front row was just as glamorous  with Natasha Bedingfield sitting front row and accompanied by her sister, Nikola Bedingfield. I had the honor of doing Natasha's makeup for the occasion. It was my first time working with the chanteuse and she made it special by bringing her great spirit and even jokingly singing a bit.

For her makeup look, the songstress had me remix 40's glam by adding 60's chic lashes that evoked Twiggy herself and pop art orange lips, both which flatter the classic winged eyeliner. This was the red carpet...pink carpet...version of one of several creative art and tribal driven looks featured in the music video for her new single "Strip Me". The song is featured on the soundtrack for the feature film "Morning Glory" starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton which opened the same evening. Go see it!

Natasha wore several products by Le Metier De Beaute including the Precision Liquid Eyeliner and the Anamorphic Lash Mascara. Also featured in this look is Morange lipstick by MAC and Luminous Body Glow in Medium by Red Carpet Kolour. Click below to see more of Natasha's makeup looks, including some awesome tribal inspired beauty, in her new music video "Strip Me". Her new album debuts December 7th, and can be pre-ordered on Amazon today.

Andrew Sotomayor is a celebrity makeup artist in New York who's worked with Juliette Binoche, Kerry Washington, Alicia Silverstone, Nina Garcia, Saffron Burrows, Rose Byrne, Isaac Mizrahi, Justin Kirk, Jonathan Groff and champion boxer Andre Berto. His clients have appeared on Project Runway, The Today Show, The CBS Early Show, Good Day New York, and CNN. He's created the makeup for Victoria Beckham's denim and eyewear look books, and assisted on fashion shows for Dior, Diesel, Marchesa, and Project Runway. Magazines like Marie Claire, Latina, Shape, InStyle, Glamour, People, and numerous blogs have interviewed him, and he's appeared on television for Access Hollywood. Andrew leads makeup artistry workshops for the students at The High School of Fashion Industries. See his work at DramaFreeMakeup.com