In celebration of International Women’s Day last Tuesday, Bare Escentuals held events around the country inviting women to “Try. Believe. Love.” the BareMinerals foundation.
I went along to the event in Covent Garden to have a peek behind the scenes and to talk to some of the women who had stopped by to join the Bare Escentuals Friendship Bracelet Club. Even the sun came out in support!
Read on to find out what happened at the event and for a chance to win a little prize!
|| the friendship mirror ||
|| i love this message! ||
|| the much lusted-after friendship bracelets being handed out! ||
|| the spot where Bare Escentuals makeup artist SJ worked her magic with the makeup demos! ||
It was a great day with plenty of smiles, makeup chatter and giggles over what to write on the mirror! I was relieved to see it raising awareness not only for the brand but also IWD… there were more than a few passers-by who had no idea that the 8th March was cause for a celebration! *tsk*
|| collecting friendship bracelets and checking out the “pop up boutique!” ||
|| mirror writing! ||
|| a consummate BareMinerals fan who travelled in for her bracelet and a chat about new releases ||
I met a lady (pictured above) who blew me away with her loyalty for the brand. She nags friends and family to send her newly released BareMinerals products from the U.S. so she can be one of the first to try! It was a delight to chat with someone as completely smitten with makeup as I am, though in honesty – her knowledge put me to shame!
|| SJ attempting to perform a miracle! ||
|| i <3 my friends ||
|| the friendship bracelets! ||
Each limited-edition Bare Escentuals Friendship Bracelet comes complete with 5 mini-make-under certificates attached so you can share the love and invite friends to go to one of the Bare Escentuals counters for a complimentary “make-under”. Absolutely perfect before a big night out!
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And now for the prize…
I may have managed to sneak a couple (or 6) *cough* of the bracelets into my handbag… don’t tell anyone! Would you like the chance to win one?
Just answer this quick question: Who is the most inspirational woman in your life and why?*
I’ll pick 6 winners this Thursday, good luck ladies!
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*UK entries only please!
(Other than my mother) The most inspirational woman in my life was my primary school headmistress. At 70 years old when she used to teach me, she showed me that a love of your job was the one thing that would make a lifetime of work enjoyable. This inspired me to chase my dreams rather than give up and take the first job I can find and ultimately this is the reason I plan on travelling to Australia next year. So all in all she has been a massive inspiration.
My grandmother passed away in August 2008 and she is still the most inspiring person in my life. She was a brilliant teacher and passed the bug on to me. She was amazing at needlework, making beautiful cards with embroidery on for every birthday and Christmas. After she retired she worked with a group going in to prisons to teach needlework to inmates. Some of them came to her funeral and talked about how she helped turn their lives around. She was an amazing singer and cook and the matriarch of our family. I hope to be exactly like her when I grow up.
The most inspirational woman in my life is my grandmother, she passed away last July after being ill for a very long time. Not once did she let the pain show on her face and she carried on as normal throughout her whole illness. She was a very forward thinking woman for the age she was born in, marrying quite late in life because she chose to and not because she was told to. She encouraged me to study and work hard for myself and never to rely on anyone. I only hope I can show so much strength in spirit and encourage other women to also.
My Nanny will always be the most inspirational woman in my life. She passed away over 10 years ago and I still think about her everyday. She lived her life by the simple motto ‘smile’, she would smile through everything the good and the bad. It’s something I try to do but it’s not that easy, I really admire her ability to bring sunshine to even the darkest moments in everyone’s lives around her. When she came to this country she had a very limited knowledge of the English language but perservered through the ridicule, always with a smile on her face. I remember at her funeral there was barely standing room with all the people she touched in her life with her endearing smile. Definitely a hugely inspirational woman
Ok so not technically a woman but a girl…. my daughter is the most inspirational person in my life. Every day she surprises me by showing me something new. Her zest for life is infectious and just her singing under the sea in her own fantasy world is enough to set me off with a smile on my face. She may only be a toddler but there is something to be learned from her I think. She is trusting , never judges and is open to everyone. Never has she shyed away from a guest , they always get the same hug and kiss she reserves for family members. I hope she never changes and that her personality is not diluted by the world.
My Gran is an inspiration.
She’s 76, still works part time, runs the house, picks up my son from nursery and looks after him on his days off. She thinks nothing of taking him to the coast for the day or for a wander around the woods and then coming to meet me off the train. I tell her that she should be kicking back and doing crosswords all day but, well, she says she’d be bored and I believe her. She’s spent her whole life working and caring for her family, I think of hers as one of the original working mums and for that I thank her for paving the way, and helping shape positive attitudes and role models so that women like me can pursue a career and a family. She’s a femininist and I love her.
Thanks Grandma, you’re a star. xxx
My friend Kathy – her husband deserted her, leaving her with three boys to raise. She works full-time (nursing), to pay for her eldest to go to a ‘special’ school that is in the private sector. She organises the Fair Trade enterprise locally, never speaks ill of anyone – even her ‘rat’ husband – and still helps out anyone who needs help! Amazing.
Great photographer’s eye – i love the photo angles!! looks like fun! x
My mum is the most inspirational woman in my life.
No contest.
She had me when she was 19, my brother when she was 20. My dad was 2 years older than her but ultimately wasn’t ready for the responsibility of fatherhood, so my mum had all the responsibility for us, financially as well as emotionally. Back then under Maggie Thatcher’s reign benefits weren’t great, so there were many times when she’d starve so we could eat.
She’s had to be as tough as old boots to survive, yet she’s still maintained that soft inner core all good mums have, not just for family but for half of my home town. When I visit we can’t get anywhere in town because she seems to know half the world and they all stop to chat.
Recently, when I had my ectopic pregnancy and had to have the op to remove my fallopian tube she moved in with me for 3 weeks to look after me.
I wish I could say I’d written this without crying like a baby, but it’s not true.
My sister is the one person who makes me strive to be a better person. She is like a guided missile! She knows what she wants and goes for it. She is only 23, but she is building a successful career for herself and getting married next year. She is completely gorgeous and much kinder and more friendly than cynical old me!
The most inspirational woman in my life would be my nanna, she’s was a wonderful, strong and kind woman 🙂 she’s ill now, so not quite as strong but she’s always been a second mum to me, and others.
She worked every day until she was over 60 and brought up her own four daughters, plus two other children whos parents died when they were young, and i still call them my aunties to this day.
She used to look after me when I was younger and my mum and dad were at work, and she did the same for my cousin too. My nanna loves to look after people and always has a full house of people coming to visit for tea and chats, even though she’s on oxygen now shes still the perfect host 🙂
She even has two dogs now, and her nephew comes to her house three times a day to walk them because she can’t, she’s a lovely woman thats done a lot so people don’t mind doing the same for her 🙂
My nanna deserves to be recognised as she’s been a fantastic mother, wife, friend, grandmother, and woman all of her life. She’s in her 70s now, and when she was in hospital a while back and we all thought she was going to die it was the worst time of my life, me, my mum and five aunties and my grandad stayed by her bed for days, being there for her was worth not sleeping. She had a lot of visitors in that time, my nanna has a lot of friends and has influenced a lot of lives in her 71 years.
She was also the strongest of us all when my grandad died in 2009, she lost her life companion, they’re been together since they were 15, but she was the one comforting everyone and reassuring us it would be okay. She looked after him in his last days, along side my aunties and mum, without nurses, as she wanted him to be happy and comfortable.
Even if I don’t win it’s good to have my nanna and her good heart recognised 🙂
xx
The most inspirational woman in my life is my Nan. She has been through so much, and never complains about anything. She was at the brink of death about seven years ago, and boy did she bounce back! Even when she was in hospital, she always tried to make sure she had makeup on – shes so glamourous, and doesn’t go anywhere without at least a touch of lippie on! She brought up my mum, uncle and aunt in extremely difficult circumstances and has had to cope with so much over the past few years, yet she never grumbles.
She’d always be happy to look after me during the school holidays whilst my parents were at work, and was always thinking up new things to do! She has a lot of amazing friends, and her family couldn’t do without her! She is also there whenever you need her – my partner and I have been suffering recently with money problems, and we didn’t have enough money for the rent. My Nan stepped in and paid off the whole months rent for us! Of course, we are paying her back, but I couldn’t believe how generous that was! She always has been and always will be my inspiration 🙂
xo
The most inspirational female in my life is my sister. She is 6 years older than me, but raised me from a young age while my mum (a single parent) went to college, then university to become a nurse. When I went to university my sister moved back home to support my mum, and has continued to do so through a prolonged illness. She has supported me, both financially and with a belief in me that has been unshakeable through my 6 years in university. Her patience and wisdom, and the fact that her family is the priority is truly inspirational.
My Mum, she’s suffered 24 hours a day, for the last 30 years with a broken back, has managed to stay positive, beautiful and incredibly strong through unimaginable pain.
Everyday she puts makeup on to make herself feel better, wear her special jewelery which makes her smile when she sees it, and still manages to stay happy, and has raised two incredibly children through all the pain.
I couldn’t love her more, and think a makeover would make her day.
Love the beautiful photos xx
The most inspirational woman in my life would have to be my Grandmother.
My mother is a working mum and my father works abroad, so she has cared for me and my younger sister for practically the whole of our lives (I’m sixteen).
She’s 74 and should be retired and relaxing and doing whatever the majority of old people do, but instead she looks after us pretty much full time.
She suffers from arthritis which makes it difficult for her to move, and she is practically blind in both eyes, but still she cares for and jokes about with all her grandchildren. She puts us first no matter what.
Recently she has suffered a couple of losses, first her cousin who she was extremely close to then her brother, but she still puts on a brave face.
I don’t think I’d ever be able to do that.
So my Grandmother is one of the most inspirational people in my life, as she always puts other first.
Love the photos xxxx
I would say my mum is the most inspirational woman in my life. She split from my older sisters dad when my sister was very young and looked after her on her own for years until she met my dad. Then she has my other sister and me when she met my dad. When my grandad passed away a few years ago her and my dad started to care for my nanny and have done ever since. She didnt work when I was growing up so was always there for us and even though she works now (childminding) she is still always there if we need to talk at all.
As cliche as it sounds, it must be my mother.
10 years ago, she had a horse riding accident and almost died, she was out without a phone so had to crawl on her hands and knees for over a mile with; multiple broken ribs (most of them!), a punctured lung, her liver ripped in half and internal bleeding. Regardless of this, she never tried to stop me from riding, or showed her fears around me, because she knew horse riding was something I loved.
Then last year she was diagnosed with ovarian tumors, and at the ago of 40 had to have her ovaries removed along with her womb. She hid this from my sister and me for months, knowing we were in the middle of A-level exams, shouldering the burden of illness and the fear that her children could eventually develop the same condition. Even when she was in hospital she tried her hardest to hide the pain, and the fear, knowing that I probably couldn’t cope. This probably sounds selfish on my own behalf, but she did what was best for me, so that even with her illness I would ruin my exams.
That’s a big thing for her too, I’m an incredibly driven and ambitious person, but crippled with anxiety and self doubt. She knows exactly how much to push me to acheive results without making me feel worse about myself.
So overall, even though my mummy has had so many life changing (or ruining, some would argue) events in my lifetime, she never stopped thinking about how they would affect her children, caring more about us than herself. I’d love to give her a small token to show this hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Ah! I so wanted to go but I had school sadly…
The most inspirational woman in my life is my best friend,
she is so strong, independant, confident and quirky, and so funny as well! She looks after me so well, and always makes sure I make the right decisions. I couldn’t live without her! The bracelets are sooo pretty <3 xxxx
Other than my Mum, I would say my most inspirational women is one of my closest friends, Charlotte. She was diagnosed with cancer age 12 and has fought through it with complete dignity and spirit. She is always smiling and really gets the most out of life, appreciating every little thing and never taking the gift of life for granted. Every time I feel like I can’t cope with life anymore, I think of her and how brave and strong she has been and realise that life is worth fighting for 🙂 xxxx
Definitely my Nan, on my Dad’s side. She’s been through hell and back with having 4 kids and 8 grand kiddies not to mention the great grandchildren!
She’s always kept positive even when she was taken into hospital and had to stay there for weeks on end.
No matter what you do she will always see the better side of it and keep you positive. Always supportive and never looks down on you.
Plus she’s a mean cook!
My Best Friend has been my rock for they past 6 years. She is such a strong woman who has been through a lot and deserves to be celebrated. She managed to pull herself out of an abusive relationship and has dealt with more than I could ever imagine dealing with, yet she is always there for advice and a shoulder to lean on. I am entering to win this bracelet for her, she collects friendship bracelets 🙂
I am not going to be predictable and go with the most obvious answers (Mum, Gran, School teacher and so on).
Instead I have to pick my 14-year-old cousin – a real inspiration to me. She’s been through some very tough times during her childhood, her parents divorce, about four or five school upheavals, chronic bullying and more. Now she is a long term hospital inpatient suffering from anorexia nervosa. Despite having such a hard life, she’s a real tough cookie and remains so positive. She often sends me letters with drawings and jokes – she is such a talented, beautiful young woman. My cousin has an amazing maturity that I truly admire, despite the fact I am 6 years older than her!
If I win, she will definitely be the first person I take for a mini-makeunder!
As other people have said, my mum is my inspiration. As a child I was pretty poorly and in and out of hospital a lot. My mum was training to be a lawyer and put it all on hold to look after me. She has always been there for me, even when I’ve been a moany little cow to be honest (we’ve all been there!) and now she has a lot of health problems herself. She never complains and has been through so much in her life, she is a true inspiration. If I won, I would give the bracelet to her, as I have got older she’s truly become my best friend and I don’t know what I’d do without her.
All your other stories are just as touching girls! Lovely to read how much women in our lives inspire us xxxx
The most inspiring woman in my life is a difficult decision to make. Like many women here, my Mum has been a big influence on my life, as she’s dealt with everything that’s been thrown at her with pride, dignity and strength. The person who has inspired me the most though, is my older sister. When I was little I properly hero-worshipped her. Wanted to be just like her, and was desperate to hang out with her in the irritating, clingy way that little sisters do. Understandably, she wasn’t so keen on this, and although we were close in age (there’s only 19 months between us) we fought like cat and dog.
Even so, I still idolised her. As a teenager she suffered with terrible acne, and was bullied for a lot of her school career, as well as suffering from very serious adolescent depression. Every teenager has a rebellious ‘stage’, and my sister made rebellion almost an art form. I may even have idolised her, just a little bit, for that.
After the rebellious stage, she decided she wanted to be a doctor, and absolutely threw herself into it. She worked hard at school and, while studying for 4 A levels, held down several jobs, played rugby for a local club, and took up long distance running. She went from being a green haired, self harming hellion to being a respectable, capable, organised individual (don’t get me wrong, she still raised a little bit of hell), with a goal to work to. She aced her A levels, aced her interviews, and had offers from every University she wanted to go to. Took a gap year, travelled around Eastern Europe on her own, met amazing people, did amazing things, and ran her first marathon (in 40 degree heat in Prague, in just over 5 hours).
She took her place at Uni when she got back, and has worked incredibly hard til she graduated last year. Amazingly, now that we live in separate countries (she went to Scotland for Uni, I went to Wales) we’re now a lot closer than we ever were. She carried on with her distance running, clocking up the miles, finishing the marathons in ever faster times.
After graduating and before starting work, she decided she was going to run from Lands End to John O Groats. Unfortunately, a recurring stress fracture interfered with her training so, to keep herself fit enough, she started wild swimming. The stress fracture meant that she was unlikely to be able to run the whole way so, rather than being deterred and giving up, she decided she was going to cycle instead.
I think that, more than anything, sums her up to me. Life throws a metric craptonne of pantsness at her and, instead of throwing her toys out the pram, or sitting on the steps and having a sulk, she gets back up, and throws it right back. She gets married this year, in October, and she really is an inspiration to me. No matter what life has thrown at her, she’s made a point of facing it head on. She’s worked so hard for everything she’s achieved, and really gives me something to aspire to.