Since 2003, I have covered a variety of gifting suites and pre-awards events for Lucire and other outlets that introduced celebrities, tastemakers, and (eventually) the general public to some fantastic beauty and fashion innovations and trends. Though some of those events have been over the top (especially prior to 2008), many of them continue to raise money for a number of meaningful and important charities. Though celebrities do have it all, putting the products into their hands (as well as journalists who cover fashion) at these events can also launch a designer or an inventor’s career.
However, there is that occasional twinge of guilt where journalists like me find themselves thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if they had this kind of experience available to people who can actually use and deserve high-end products, services and the emotional and spiritual uplift that comes along with them?’ Thanks to the Beauty Bus, those receiving the VIP treatment free of charge include patients with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, cancer, stroke, other select neuromuscular and motor neuron diseases and their caregivers.
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The non-profit Beauty Bus Foundation organization is built around a simple, but powerful premise: delivering dignity, hope and respite to terminally and chronically ill men, women and children and their caregivers beauty and grooming services and pampering products. The points on this scenic route include in-home beauty and grooming services, pop-up salon events and the newly launched Bags of Beauty programme that will hopefully go nationwide across the US. Sponsors fuelling this wonderful programme include Bosley Professional Strength, InStyler, OPI and Aloxxi.
At the third edition of the fundraiser April 29, Trish Suhr from Style Network’s Clean House hosted the “green carpet” fundraising event. Dean Banowetz, spokesperson–brand development expert for InStyler, was this year’s guest of honour, and discussed how beauty services transformed his own brother, who was suffering from a chronic illness. continued below
‘Those of us in the beauty industry have a gift to share, and that’s the healing power of touch,’ he said when accepting his tribute. ‘The simple act of bringing beauty into the lives of seriously ill people and their caregivers is one of the greatest ways we can give back. The Beauty Bus presents us with one of the few opportunities to positively alter a person’s with one-to-one contact. Making a difference in people’s lives was one of the reasons that I became a hairdresser in the first place and I am grateful to the Beauty Bus for providing a way for beauty professionals to give back at a deeper level.’
Guests who paid to attend the event also had the opportunity to give more to the cause through a silent auction will feature sought-after products, lifestyle services and vacation packages from world-renowned beauty, fashion, entertainment, sports and lifestyle companies. In return, in addition to House of Blues’ famously hearty brunch fare, they received OPI manicures, Aloxxi hair colour consultations, make-up applications, product samples and (if you were a VIP) the wildly popular InStyler styling tool. Gentlemen also got their just desserts in the event’s Men’s Lounge with haircuts, man-icures, and a putting green.
‘We were so excited to return to the House of Blues and celebrate the gift of beauty that our professionals and partners selflessly give to our clients and their caregivers,’ says Alicia Liotta, Founder of Beauty Bus Foundation. ‘There are not words to express what their emotional, physical and financial support means to the foundation. It is not only our goal to continue expanding our services locally in Los Angeles with the money we raise. We are serious about launching the Beauty Bus to the national level.’ •
For more information, visit www.beautybus.org.
 
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However, there is that occasional twinge of guilt where journalists like me find themselves thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if they had this kind of experience available to people who can actually use and deserve high-end products, services and the emotional and spiritual uplift that comes along with them?’
Elyse Glickman is US west coast editor for Lucire.
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