How Beauty Bloggers Can Help The Homeless
A significant campaign was launched today by journalists Sali Hughes and Jo Jones to launch a beauty bank. We're used to hearing about food banks available to those living in poverty, offering essential items that people need in order to live. A beauty bank where poor and homeless people can access skincare products and makeup might seem, in comparison, to be frivolous and not as essential. Sali explains in The Pool how essential basic hygiene is for a person's mental and physical health, as well as for their dignity - it's a right not a privilege. As well as everyday things we take for granted like toothpaste, shower gel, tampons, razors, and shampoo, beauty banks can also provide items such as moisturiser and lipstick that can help a homeless person look and feel better to attend an interview for sheltered housing, for example, and restore their self-confidence.As beauty bloggers we get sent so much stuff, which is fantastic, useful and exciting because we love to experiment with beauty products and write about them. The beauty industry can also be quite excessive and wasteful in their promotional campaigns. I've been sent whole ranges of a brand's new foundation or lipstick, for example, with many shades I couldn't pull off. They get given to friends or sit in my beauty cupboard. Some bloggers use women's shelters to take their unused makeup, perfume and skincare, and this is also brilliant, but if you're looking for a quicker way to offload some of your beauty PR items that can be used by another group of people in need, a beauty bank is a great solution. You don't have to give away your PR items though, as Sali says, contributing could be as simple as buying an extra tube of toothpaste next time you need some, and donating that.I urge you to read Sali's brilliant article that explains how important this all is, and how you can make a difference. The address to send unused, unopened beauty items to is -Beauty Banks, ℅ Jo Jones, The Communications Store, 2 Kensington Square, London W8 5EP.