Its October 1st. Today is the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Odds are, if you’re reading this, you’re female. I read yesterday that every woman has a 1 in 8 chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in her life (although, that’s not as scary as it sounds, read this great article for more information). I know, this is a beauty buying site, not a medical site, so I won’t go on and on about this, but please: get a mammogram! If you’re over 40 (I’m only 37, and I’ve already had more mammograms than I can count, plus a lumpectomy scare). Yes, its a little squishy, and it can be a little uncomfortable, but your life is worth it. (And, if you’re so inclined, and you’re over 21, you can participate in what I call MammoMargarita Day. Get a mammogram, have a margarita. I’m not saying run out and get drunk. But if you got your mammogram, you had to suck it up and be poked, prodded, and squished. I’d say that’s worth a little tequila! Anyone have a recipe for a pink margarita they can share?)

If you’re not a drinker, you’re most definitely a beauty shopper, if you’ve found my little blog. So now to the beauty gifts. Every October, a plethora of companies tout their “pink ribbon beauty” items, most of which donate a “portion of proceeds” to breast cancer research. Some donate a little, some donate a lot, but at least they are trying. I’ll keep a page running of my favorites (mostly beauty products, with some other items thrown in) at my Pink Ribbon Beauty page until the end of this month. Estee Lauder has supported breast cancer research for years and annually comes out with pink products that are quite pretty. And Clinique is again selling a limited edition bottle of Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, with a cute charm (pictured below). Its $35 ($10 of that goes to fund research), and is available from Clinique and Nordstrom.

Not too many new gifts with purchase to share today. Over at Bloomingdale’s, with any $35 Lancome purchase, you will receive 2 freebies: deluxe samples of Bi-Facil and Definicils mascara. But straight from Lancome, I think this one’s pretty cool. With any $25 purchase direct from Lancome, you’ll receive a pretty compact with four eyeshadows, a blush, and powder, plus a deluxe sample of Renergie Cream. Enter code BYEBYE at checkout, no expiration is listed so I’m sure its while supplies last.