Worth the splurge

Lipstick for charity

By Lauren Kelly, Graphics Manager

For over 20 years, MAC has created lipsticks wherein proceeds go to charity, and Urban Decay has recently joined them. These shades are beautiful, but most importantly, they help to make a difference.

MAC’s VIVA Glam line of products—predominately lipsticks—have been around since 1994 and see 100 per cent of the proceeds from their sales go the MAC AIDS Fund, which helps both adults and children affected by HIV/AIDS. The line has been represented by spokespeople including k. d. lang, Missy Elliot, Fergie, and Lady Gaga, and its first collaborator was Ru Paul. To date, 19 colours have been released, and five are available for purchase on their website. In addition to these five, the current celebrity collaboration is with Sia, and her lipstick is a vibrant red with a subtle gold pearl. It’s a beautiful shade, but if you feel like you can’t pull it off, the other available VIVA Glam lipsticks are noticeably subtler. All of the VIVA Glam lipsticks come in a special red tube, and the limited-edition collaborations have the corresponding celebrity’s autograph inscribed on it.

Urban Decay’s Vice Lipstick shade, Outspoken, was released on International Women’s Day. A full 100 per cent of the proceeds from this lipstick go to their charity, the Ultraviolet Edge, which was launched in 2015 and donates money to nine women’s charities, including the Women’s Global Empowerment Fund (WGEF), Crisis, Her Justice, and Equality Now. For example, Ultraviolet Edge collaborated with the WGEF to open the Gulu Women’s Resource Centre in Gulu, Uganda. The Outspoken limited shade of Vice Lipstick comes in a unique purple tube with a purple flower on the side, and the shade is a mauve metallic. The metallic finish is loud, but the shade itself is muted enough that you could wear it every day.

The charities that these companies have created are doing incredible work, and if you have the funds to purchase one of these lipsticks, you’ll be able to know that your money will make a big impact. Both MAC’s VIVA Glam lipsticks and Outspoken Vice Lipstick will cost you $22, which isn’t too expensive. Hopefully more companies will introduce makeup for charity as a way for beauty lovers to give back.