It’s a tough economy and looking for a job is more difficult than ever, especially for disadvantaged women who don’t have the leisure of choosing which pantsuit to throw on for an interview.  Not having the proper attire oftentimes becomes another barrier to entering the work force and starting a new life for these women.  While some of us are lucky enough to reach into our closets for that Michael Kors suit or Christian Louboutin heels, there are thousands of women who qualify for jobs but just don’t have the means to dress for their jobs.  This is where organizations like Dress For Success lend a helping hand.

Dress For Success started in 1997 in New York City, but it has since become an international non-profit organization serving more than 40,000 women each year.  The objective of the organization is simple: help disadvantaged women get the jobs they deserve.  Dress For Success offers several levels of help to women, but their forte is providing women initially with attire that is appropriate for their interviews.  Upon securing a job, women can return to Dress For Success for additional clothing and accessories to start their new job with a versatile, professional wardrobe.

The next level of help that Dress For Success offers is their Professional Women’s Group (PWG) Program, which provides continued support and mentorship to the women.  The program is lifelong and allows its members to attend meetings to benefit their career retention and development.  In addition to the PWG Program, there’s also the Dress For Success Career Center to offer career guidance, resume writing lessons, and interview preparation to help women overcome some of the more daunting tasks in job-searching.

Moved by their cause?  You can help. Donate your old pantsuits to organization by dropping it off at a local affiliate or hold a Suit Drive at your office or neighborhood.  Still feel like you want to do more?  You can always donate money or spread the word.  So suit up and go solicit some suits!

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Are you in the Bay Area?  Join us at our first Wine & Cheese Charity Accessories Drive. On behalf of Dress for Success, we’re collecting women’s scarves, shoes, purses, watches, jewelry and other business-suitable accessories.

All donations will benefit the San Francisco Dress for Success to help clothe disadvantaged women so that they can attain the confidence and proper attire to successfully interview and launch their careers.

So bring your accessories and your friends and come enjoy the evening with us!  RSVP NOW

Date/Time: Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008, 5pm - 7pm

Location: The Palo Alto Wine Room

Address: 520 Ramona Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301

RSVP NOW

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Great skin comes from your genetics, but it’s also a result of a good skin care regimen.  We deal with makeup, pollution, smoke, and tons of other environmental hazards that can leave our skin pretty disgusting by the end of the day.  Here are 5 steps you can take to have great skin.

1.  Cleanse. Use a cleanser that works for your skin.  Use exfoliating scrubs about once a week, any more can be too abrasive for your skin.  On a daily basis, stick to simple cleansers that get the job done.  Be gentle, and work in soft, circular motions throughout your face and neck.

2.  Tone. A toner helps remove any residual soap, dead skin cells, dirt or makeup from your skin.  Some toners also help minimize the pores on your skin and decrease the amount of oils produced by your skin.  The point of toner is to help balance your skin’s pH level and to prepare it for moisturizer.

3.  Moisturize. Your skin gets dehydrated, so a good moisturizer adds water and offers relief for your parched skin cells.  Look for one that suits your skin type.  This means you should avoid oily moisturizers if you already have a lot of shine.  Keep in mind that the winter season makes our skin more dry, so you may need to apply more moisturizer during those times.  When you’re moisturizing your face, avoid the eye area.  Skin around your eye is generally more sensitive towards the heavy ingredients in normal moisturizers.  Get a separate eye serum for the area around your eyes.  Be gentle when applying, and move upwards instead of tugging down at your skin.

4.  Protect. During the day, it’s important to apply sunscreen to your face, neck and chest.  Apply sunscreen after you moisturize, but remember to wait about 15 minutes after moisturizing so that your skin has time to absorb the moisturizer.  I prefer a sunscreen that has a high SPF so I don’t have to reapply throughout the day.  Sunscreen will protect your skin from the damaging ultraviolet rays that can speed up the aging process.

5.  Exfoliate. Removing dead skin cells so that your skin can breathe is very important.  You only need to do this once or twice a week.  Exfoliating too often can irritate your skin.  Consider this as a mini spa for your skin after a rough week.

These steps will bring you great skin, and while it may be a struggle to follow the routine initially, hopefully you’ll build a healthy habit of taking care of your face.  If you need motivation, just think how you will feel when you are the youngest looking grandmother in your group of friends!

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Day 4 of my participation in the 29-day gifts challenge was spent in the good company of my close friend.  It was one of those rare afternoons where we had several hours to ourselves to catch up.  I’ve known my friend for about 10 years now.  It’s shocking to think how long we’ve known each other and that the mischief we used to get ourselves into was actually that many years ago.

I treated her to Jamba Juice and an afternoon snack as my gift to her and we talked for a couple hours about how things were with going for her and how she might resolve her parent’s reservations about her romantic relationship.  It’s amazing to have such a wonderful and reliable friendship…

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The Giving Challenge series is intended to document The Conscious Snob’s day-to-day experience participating in Cami Walker’s 29-day Giving Challenge.  Check in with us daily to see how we’re giving back.  Will you join the challenge?

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We constantly blow dry, color, and yank at our hair, causing split ends and dull strands.  To maintain shine to your locks, remember to condition your hair. A conditioner will help you smooth out the surface of each hair strand to make it evenly coated and shiny.  When should you use a conditioner?  After you shampoo.  It’s best to use separate conditioners, as opposed to the shampoo-conditioner combinations.  Using a separate conditioner to treat your hair after you have cleansed it will give your hair a more thorough and softer coat.

Next, be sure to give your hair a deep conditioning treatment every two weeks.  Deep conditioning masks or hot oil treatments will do wonders for your hair, as long as you have the patience and time.  If you hair is very thin, then use something less heavy, such as a light leave-in conditioner.

Remember to have regular trims every 6-8 weeks to get rid of split ends and to maintain the upkeep of the hair, as well as touching up your hair color if you dye your hair.  Covering up grays also make your hair look healthy and shiny.  Check out our article on how to easily and beautifully blow dry your hair at home!

Let us know what products you love to use.  Remember to check out Beautorium.com and use code “conscioussnob” at checkout for an automatic 20% off your order of organic beauty products, an exclusive discount to our readers!

Happy shopping!