Can beauty and fashion end poverty?

Several months ago, I watched the documentary The Beauty Academy of Kabul. This doc details how some American and Afghan-American cosmetologists traveled to post-Taliban Afghanistan to open a beauty school. The response by the local women was overwhelming: They virtually knocked down the academy’s door for the opportunity to learn hair-cutting and styling, makeup application and other beauty skills.

Under the Taliban rule, extravagances such as makeup and perms were forbidden. (Apparently this wasn’t strictly enforced. One of the women tells of cowering when a Taliban officer came knocking at her door at night; turns out he was just bringing his wife by to get a perm.) With the fall of the regime, women who have practiced beauty arts in secret finally have the chance to make an economic difference in their families. One hairstylist says that she can make more money preparing a bride for a wedding than her husband makes in a whole month.

Sadly, the academy didn’t last. Like many worthwhile endeavors, they had passion but not enough money.

The memory of this movie has been germinating in my mind, and last week, I found an outlet, a way I could help women struggling to support their families with their skills: microloans. Very small loans have the potential to empower women and reduce poverty by giving not a handout but credit to entrepreneurs to start or expand businesses (see: “Poverty Reduction: A little credit goes a long way“).

The Web site kiva.org offers investors the chance to pick individual entrepreneurs to lend to in increments as small as $25. So, I looked through the profiles, and I chose Adoudé Akue-Goeh, a seamstress in Togo, a small country in West Africa. I and 34 other investors provided her the working capital to buy materials and further her business…and beginning April 15, 2009, she will begin to pay us back.

To learn more about kiva.org and microfinance, click the graphic below.

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Review: The Face Shop Vita B Mask Sheet

Nothing like a Sunday night in front of the TV…painting my toenails (MAC Illegal Purple) and my fingernails (OPI You Don’t Know Jacques) and pampering my face with a mask.

While I often resort to my old standby mask—Queen Helene Mint Julep—last time I was in the drugstore, I spied a new display with sheet masks from a Korean company called The Face Shop. They were 2 for $5, so I talked myself into a few.

I wish all of the masks shown on their Web site were available locally, but I have a feeling some of the more esoteric ones (Imperial Herbs, Cereal Black Rice) may be Asia-only (if any of you have seen the whole selection of masks near you, let me know!). My drugstore had most of the Vitamin masks, the Fruit masks and the Essential masks. So I selected the Vitamin B mask, the Essential Pearl mask, the Pomegranate mask (I’m a fool for anything pomegranate) and the Aloe mask.

PRODUCT: The Face Shop’s Vita B mask sheet

CLAIMS: Formulated with extracts of cucumber and broccoli. The packaging asserts that the mask “moisturizes, brightens and helps fight acne” (I have an ongoing struggle with moderate adult acne). It also says “Patented Phytolex Nanoliposome effectively delivers beneficial ingredients deep into the skin and helps protect tired, rough skin from environmental damage.”

INGREDIENTS: Water, glycerin, SD alcohol 40, butylene glycol, sodium hyaluronate, polyglutamic acid, PEG/PPG-17/6 copolymer, phaseolus radiatus extract, betula platyphylla japonica bark extract, rumex crispus root extract, cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract, brassica oleracea italica (broccoli) extract, niacinamide, lecithin, ceramide 3, caprylic/capric tryglyceride, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), sodium carbomer, fragrance, methylparaben, blue 1, disodium EDTA

PRICE: $2.99 (or 2/$5) at Walgreen’s drugstore

Odd that they tout the broccoli and cucumber extracts, when there are higher concentrations of mung bean, white birch, and curly dock extracts (though apparently these three extracts form the “Phytolex Nanolipsome” described on the package). Other ingredients that may help skin (most are emollients or help skin retain moisture) are hyaluronic acid (sodium hyaluronate), niacinamide, shea butter and ceramide 3. An ingredient that might be of concern is SD alcohol 40 (which can be drying and irritating).

The mask is packaged in a foil pouch and is a thin fabric infused with lotion. It’s recommended to leave the mask on for 15-20 minutes and then remove the mask and gently pat the residue into skin.

On my face, the mask felt cold and refreshing and a little bit tingly across my cheeks. The floral fragrance is strong and lingers after the mask is removed. The mask was more “creamy” than some sheet masks I’ve used.

The residue left behind by the mask was very moisturizing, but felt a little sticky to the touch. I haven’t noticed any immediate benefit other than moisturizing.

PROS

• Inexpensive
• Several recognized beneficial ingredients
• Moisturizing

CONS

• High alcohol conten
• Strong fragrance
• Sticky residue

VERDICT: While the mask felt refreshing, it wasn’t anything extraordinary. And the third ingredient, alcohol, may be drying, essentially working against some of the other moisturizing ingredients. But for the low price, it’s a nice pampering treatment. And I look forward to trying some of the other masks, which have alcohol placed much lower on the ingredient list, where it should be less irritating.

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