I’ve always loved Urban Decay for multiple reasons. The company doesn’t test on animals, it has a vegan line, and it consistently releases insane colors the make my inner-makeup weirdo smile. And recently, the company announced it’s going to embark on a new campaign that makes me love these makeup slingers even more.

Vanity Fair reported that Urban Decay launched “The Ultraviolet Edge,” an appropriately named global initiative that will fund women’s-rights organizations. Wende Zomnir, Urban Decay’s chief creative officer and brand co-founder, formed this ambitious initiative to “empower women and bring women’s inequality issues to the forefront.”

To help get “The Edge” up and running, Urban Decay will donate $3 million to various causes over the next five years (and pledges to donate $500,00 in its first year) and will partner with the Women’s Global Empowerment Fund for its initial donation.

In addition to the brand’s generous donations, Urban Decay will also publicly recognize inspiring women who it feels are making a difference. The first woman the boisterous makeup makers are recognizing is a person who is as colorful as the makeup it sells: Gwen Stefani. This is the brand’s reasoning for making Stefani its first notable woman:

Gwen Stefani. Like us, she has a history of breaking down barriers and hails from Orange County, California. (Fun fact: She and Wende, our founder, met back in the early days of No Doubt and UD.) We dig Gwen’s innate ability to set trends and defy expectations. She also shares our passion for empowering women and will help give this initiative the attention it deserves.

If you’re an Urban Decay fan, you can get in on the ladylove action, too. All you have to do is purchase it’s limited-edition hue, Enigma. This eye shadow primer is priced at $20 and 100-percent of your money will go to Decay’s Ultraviolet Edge.

Related on EcoSalon

Empowering Women: Does Wearing Makeup Help Or Hurt?

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Animal Testing Banned in India’s Cosmetic Products, Household Cleaners Next

Image via Urban Decay Cosmetics’ Facebook page

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Is wearing makeup a valid method for empowering women, or do our actions contradict our words?

I recently got sucked in by a humorous video of three men trying to follow a DIY beauty guru’s tips for a smoky eye tutorial.

What did I get sucked into? The wide wide world of beauty blogs. Shudder.

This video is not representative of the things that I normally watch, but there was something about it that was intriguing. Men wearing makeup–a skill that some women find essential to their everyday existence. The results were, err… well, you can imagine. Fortunately, none of the men poked an eye out.

After watching the video I clicked through to the beauty guru’s site. Her name is Michelle Phan and she has 4.6 million YouTube subscribers; mostly women who want to better their eyeliner application techniques, I would wager to guess. I was disturbed, and yet I couldn’t stop looking.

“I’m passionate about being a makeup artist and teaching others how to look and feel fabulous in their own skin. I believe that lives can be transformed with a single tube of lipstick, and that women have stronger careers, futures and better self-esteem when they feel confident and beautiful,” it said on Phan’s About page.

Wait. Let’s re-read that.

“Look and feel fabulous in their own skin.” She mentions empowering women while at the same time conceding that we need makeup in order to feel comfortable as ourselves.

Watch any of the millions of online beauty tutorials and you’ll quickly see that it has nothing to do empowering women; it has to do with creating a skin that everyone else will think is sexy and beautiful. Forget what you have, with one single pen or tube you can change it all! And when women are spending over $15,000 on makeup in their lifetime, that’s more than a few pens and tubes to reach full empowerment.

There is much discussion when it comes deciding whether makeup is really a method for empowering women. One study showed that makeup makes a woman more likable by her co-workers, while also making them think of her as more trustworthy and competent. In these terms, the act of wearing makeup is a superficial, societal expectation kind of thing that’s not about empowering women. But then there are others that point out that wearing makeup could even be equated to a feminist act, citing historical instances of makeup wearing and the development of the industry:

Much to the chagrin of traditionalists, women began to promote their independence through rouges and lipsticks, bucking the homemaker stereotype in favor of dancing, city life and fashion. Though they continued to live the chaste life expected of them, women began to define their individuality through made-up facades that seemed to reflect a newfound sexual yearning.

This discussion is dangerous and forces us to toe a very fine line. On one hand, doing things that make us feel good as women boosts our self esteem. On the other hand, when people expect us to wear makeup and we’re looked upon as “less” of a woman when we don’t, wearing makeup is less inspired by personal reasons and more social expectation.

But I know a lot of wonderful, independent, powerful women who like to wear makeup. And then I know a lot of the same kind of women who don’t wear any at all. It’s hard to say which group is more focused on empowering women; impossible even.

Ultimately, what scares me is all of these online beauty tutorials that saying that women simply can’t live without petrochemical-infused makeup. In fact we can have a whole other conversation about how not empowering it is to be slathering our faces with products that are known to lead to breast cancer and a whole handful of other things. When most of these companies say “Look good, feel your best”, it’s not about empowering women, but just a marketing line to sell more products.

Women should never feel that going without makeup isn’t an option. Sure, there will be days that you want eyeliner, and days that you don’t. But empowering women shouldn’t be about applying a hoard of products that do our bodies no good, and our self esteem less so.

Work to be appreciated and respected for who you are, not what mascara you have on. Rule a board meeting because you are powerful and confident, not because you wore red lipstick. The personality and charisma should come first, wearing makeup should only accentuate, not replace, the real you.

Because after all, shouldn’t we be having a discussion about the true methods for empowering women? Work, education, and access to birth control? Companies push makeup for girls and yet when a girl gets raped at the age of 14, the judge says it was because she seemed “older than her chronological age;” we live in a twisted day and age.

The reality is that there are a lot of problems in the world today, particularly when it comes to gender issues, and empowering women can’t be accomplished with a stick of eyeliner alone.

Does wearing makeup make you feel empowered? Why or why not? Share your thoughts in a comment.

Related on EcoSalon:

Beautycounter Empowers Women With Safe Cosmetics

High Definition: A Temporary Breakup from Makeup

Image: Greta Cerisini

The post Empowering Women: Does Wearing Makeup Help Or Hurt? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Win this gorgeous necklace from ethical jewelry brand 31 Bits. 

Jewelry that helps empower women, contributes to sustainable development and is 100% recycled? 31 Bits is an ethical accessory company that walks the walk. Their are more than colorful jewelry, they are an example of a business model that contributes to sustainable development and empowering women.

In 2007, Kallie Dovel traveled to Northern Uganda, while there she met women who made paper beads, but had no market to sell them. Dovel brought a box of jewelry back to the United States, and after brainstorming with friends soon came up with the concept for a new type of development organization. 31 bits was born, working directly with 6 Ugandan women, buying their jewelry and selling them in the U.S. market.

Indentity from 31 Bits on Vimeo.

The company now works with over 100 women in Uganda, giving them the necessary tools for economics and sustainable growth, while at the same time fueling their creative skills and giving them access to the international market. The women’s wage is comparable to that of a schoolteacher in Northern Uganda, and profits generated from jewelry sales are invested back into 31 bits for operations, purchasing more jewelry and developing programs for the designers such as English lessons, finance training and vocational training.

In the line, you’ll find beautiful necklaces, all with beads made from recycled paper. Fashion that gives back.

We’re happy to partner with 31 bits to offer an exclusive EcoSalon giveaway. To enter to win a 31 Bits Acorn Layers necklace, all you have to do is be subscribed to our weekly newsletter. It’s a weekly roundup of all the top stories at EcoSalon, plus a few that you may have missed, we promise you’ll like it. Not a subscriber yet? Subscribe below!

We will select a winner at random on September 12, 2012. Please note that we can only ship to U.S. addresses.

Editor’s Note: This giveaway has ended.

The post Empowering Women in Uganda: Win a Necklace from 31 Bits appeared first on EcoSalon.

Bohemian chic jewelry from a socially responsible brand dedicated to empowering women through design and sustainable economic opportunities.

Founded by Kirsten Dickerson, a former set and wardrobe stylist, and Sophia Lin, who made a name for herself in graphic design, Raven + Lily is a humanitarian, fairtrade and eco-friendly line of accessories and stationery founded on do-good principles. Dickerson and Lin share a close friendship and passion for fashion and ethical design, and envision Raven + Lily as a platform to utilize those passions to alleviate poverty among women.

The brand’s current collections feature exclusive handmade and eco-friendly jewelry and accessories from North India, Ethiopia and Cambodia. The beauty of each design reflects the values, skill and culture of the woman who made it, and you can learn more about the artisans on Raven + Lily’s website.

By providing a sustainable source of income, these partnerships seek to empower women artisans who have been victims of trafficking, marginalized from society, or suffer from HIV. Raven + Lily uses 100% of their profits from sales to achieve their social cause: empowering women through design.  This means employing these marginalized women, but also launching new partnerships and funding microloans, healthcare and educational needs in their partnership communities.

The Ethiopia Collection is comprised of bohemian chic statement necklaces, earrings and bracelets crafted with handmade beads and charms from melted bullet casings and vintage silver coins. It’s made by HIV-positive women in Ethiopia.

The India Collection features gorgeous recycled cotton papers, hand-carved wood journals, metallic leather jewelry and hand-milled natural soaps. This collection empowers marginalized women in Northern India.

Raven + Lily’s new artisan group, located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, specializes in creating beautiful pieces out of materials like naturally-dyed remnant jersey and hand-loomed cotton. These locally made raw materials also help employ community based weaving families and the craftsmen who produce them, many of whom are HIV positive or have formerly been victims of trafficking and abuse.

Feel good about buying something you know helps give back and empower women all over the world. And look good wearing it too!

The post Raven + Lily: Empowering Women Through Design appeared first on EcoSalon.

Advocating for women, one story at a time.

Today we’re celebrating International Women’s Day, a day that has been observed since the early 1900s. In Afghanistan, Cambodia and Zambia, and several other countries, it’s an official holiday and around the world thousands of events are held to inspire women and celebrate achievements.

It’s a day for honoring the women around us – our mothers, our grandmothers, our daughters, our sisters, our friends – and those farther from us- the single mother that lives across the street, the school teacher that fights so that her female students learn to read, the girl on the other side of the globe that dreams of being a doctor. Today is a day for celebrating all women, but also remembering that advocating for them is a daily affair.

We devote a lot of our content to highlighting the successes and struggles of women around the globe. Here are our top 11 to get you thinking about what it means to be a woman, what it means to advocate for women and what a future with strong, empowered women around the globe will look like.

8 Women-Run Businesses

These female-led businesses are leaders in their industries and bringing change to the communities around them in a variety of ways.

Female Journalists Report from the Frontlines

Journalism is an industry largely dominated by men. Here are 10 female journalists and their compelling stories from Louisiana to Libya.

The Story of Stuff: A Conversation With Annie Leonard

Annie Leonard is an inspiration to men and women alike, and has dedicated her life to telling the stories that will help us build a clean, green, healthy, safe community for everyone.

Women Learn How to Fail At Work in Grade School

Want to empower women? Start with girls. What they learn at an early age has a significant impact on how they perform and succeed later in life.

Parents Opting for Abortion or Adoption in Light of Economy

Women who are having abortions and placing their children up for adoption aren’t who we think they are. They’re mothers.

5 Stories of Girls Pushing Boundaries and Effecting Change

These five examples prove that change begins with the next generation, and these girls are doing it.

6 Funny and Intelligent Women That Make Us Laugh and Think

Tina Fey, Molly Ivins, Mindy Kaling; this list of female writers is one that inspires us and moves us to speak out more.

Women Investing in Change for Other Women

Women don’t always put their economic power to drive social change. Imagine if they did.

Sexual Assault Victims Speak Out to Empower Themselves

Speaking out about sexual assault lessens the stigma, empowers victims and can encourage more women to come forward.

Sexting and Cyberbullying has Harsher Consequences for Girls

Technology has given us new ways to communicate, and with it exacerbated the messages of mass media.

3 Issues Women Around the World Confront in Common

No matter where we’re born or where we live, as women we all confront confidence, victim-blaming, and strength in some way or another.

Image: mckaysavage

The post Celebrate International Women’s Day With 11 Stories About and Inspired By Women appeared first on EcoSalon.