If you haven't attended one of the Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Galas, you're still sure to have seen the signs advertising them, right? A couple of times a year, Shoppers Drug Mart holds their Beauty Gala, an in store event that you can purchase tickets to where you can book makeovers and skin consultations, enjoy beverages and snacks, and oftentimes enter draws. Tickets cost $10 each and will entitle you to $5 off your beauty purchases during the gala, with $5 going to Beauty Gives Back. Sounds pretty good, right?

So, what is Beauty Gives Back, you ask?

These words really touch home with me for very personal reasons. Last year my aunt, a woman who had always been put together with her hair done, her makeup flawless, and a big smile on her vivacious face, was diagnosed with cancer. While visiting her in the hospital, she was very determined that she be able to put on a little lipstick and comb her hair, get herself together so that she could feel a little bit more confident in the face of visitors. What I learned during that time was that for women struggling with cancer there's a hurricane of emotions happening inside of them and sometimes just feeling beautiful makes it just that bit easier to get through the day. This woman, whom I'd always loved and looked up to, was struggling so much with the loss of her hard fought, lifelong independence and the reality of the end of her life, but that little bit of lipstick and self care made it easier to feel strong and capable of dealing with everything life was throwing at her. As someone who knows that sometimes a fierce red lip can feel like armor, this made perfect sense to me. This is why, for me, I'm absolutely determined to make my dollars count towards Beauty Gives Back.

All you've gotta do is go down to your favorite Shopper's Drug Mart and buy a ticket for the Beauty Gala happening across the country on Saturday, August 13th, 2016! You can also book your makeovers and skin care consultations for that day when you purchase your ticket so you can come down and enjoy a little bit of pampering in the name of a good cause. And don't forget - you get $5 of that ticket back to spend on beauty in the store that day!

I've attended a few Beauty Gala's in the past couple of years, but I'd never had the makeover treatment until the last one. I decided to attend at the biggest Beauty Boutique location in Winnipeg and the place was absolutely buzzing. I believe all of the major makeup brands they sell in the Boutique side had makeup artists in attendance and there seemed to be a constant stream of women coming in to have their makeup done. I was lucky enough to be paired with the gorgeous Stacey from Lise Watier. 

As you can see, she did my makeup with products from their new summer line and I was pretty damn excited about it! I also got my nails done by some girls from a local beauty academy and was gifted with some great samples! Overall, it was an awesome day and I'm incredibly excited to attend again!

Will you be attending this season's Beauty Gala? If you hadn't considered it before, I highly recommend that you do - it's a really nice way to spend a Saturday, especially if you're a makeup lover like me, and it's for a great cause!

Thanks for reading!