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!
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
