Fran Drescher has once again joined forces with Laura Geller Beauty to launch a limited-edition palette in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The star of "The Nanny," who initially discovered the cosmetic brand on QVC, has fallen in love with Geller's mineral-based, paraben-free formulas, especially since he is a cancer survivor.
Nearly thirty years ago, Drescher was diagnosed with uterine cancer, which led her to found her own charity, Cancer Schmancer, in 2007. The nonprofit focuses on empowering consumers to make conscious choices for their health - including eliminating toxic, carcinogenic substances. packaged products from home.
More from WWDFran Drescher's Cancer Schmancer Kit, priced at $59, contains Geller's best-selling baked formula in three different shades for both face and eyes. The accompanying dual-ended tool includes an angled brush on one side for powerful lifting and sculpting, and a smaller, tapered brush for precise application and shadowing on lids. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the sale of this exclusive bundle will be donated to Cancer Schmancer.
Below, WWD talks to Drescher about the importance of detoxing your home, Cancer Schmancer's charity work, and her advice for women when it comes to embracing aging.
WWD: Detoxing your home has been a big part of your life after being diagnosed with cancer 24 years ago, and it's also a key initiative of your charity, Cancer Schmancer. Why is this so important to you?Fran Drescher: I'm the type of person who wants to understand causality and prevention. I truly believe that unless you identify a cause and effect relationship, you will continue to fan the flame even as you try to solve the problem. On the other hand, it never makes sense to me, and that's a common way Western medicine functions. When I was diagnosed with cancer, there was very little information available on the internet, and maybe there was some kind of emerging functional or alternative medicine that was looking into this area, but I really feel like I was one of the people who were in the took the lead. and it became my obsession.
I want to discover what causes cancer in our daily lives and eliminate it. First of all, let's not get cancer. How's that for a drug? I don't want us to become chronically ill. I don't want us to become the unhealthy nation that we are. We started the Detox Your Home campaign because the home, it turns out, is the most toxic place where we spend the most time and, ironically, have the most control over.
WWD: What interested you in working with Laura Geller in the first place?F.D.: For me, I have to walk the talk, and I can't just promote something. I have to really believe in the product and I have to be able to use it. I completely believe in Laura Geller. It is all made in Italy and it is a safe cosmetic. I tried the product for several weeks before starting it, and... [Laura Geller was] very patient with me.
Interestingly enough, after I was their spokesperson, all the people in my life who have tried Laura Geller love Laura Geller cosmetics, and that's because it's such a good product. They're also philanthropic, like they support what I do as a health activist as much as I support what they do as a makeup brand, and we're both kind of on the same page about pushing a message forward. that is really in the interest of women. It is a very mutually supportive relationship that I am extremely proud to be a part of.
WWD: You've previously collaborated with Laura Geller on products benefiting Cancer Schmancer. How has this helped your organization?F.D.: Everything makes a difference when you're a nonprofit. With Cancer Schmancer I just wanted to help people, so I always try to generate money for my organization. We are an education-based nonprofit organization and our mission is to educate, motivate and activate patients to help them become conscious consumers and make more conscious choices about how they live their lives.
Throughout the year we organize a masterclass health summit in which doctors from different medical fields participate. We normally have a theme every year, and the people who attend this learning event say it is a life-changing experience. [The summit] is being adapted into what we call an Edu series, which will be available online for free so that people from all over the world can learn. It's available for purchase for your video library because it's packed with information, and that's another way we fund Cancer Schmancer.
We also work with other nonprofits to help marginalized women who may not have access to certain types of testing. We're trying to spread out a little bit, but for the most part we're focusing on allowing people to see what they're doing, which can compromise their immune systems and cause inflammation. These two things are really a cocktail for bad health.
WWD: On the palette. Tell us why you love it and how you would wear it.F.D.: Everything about it is so much fun. There is a small mirror in it. It is easy to put in the bag. You have everything you need, believe it or not, here. It also comes with this cute little double-sided brush. So I use the small one on the eyes and the larger one I use on the cheeks. You can create a smokey eye, use this beautiful blush and then there is a highlighter that you can apply to the top of your cheeks.
WWD: Laura Geller's mantra is about celebrating women over 40. How have you dealt with sexism in Hollywood and what is your advice for women on how to embrace growing older?F.D.: First of all, no one gets out of here alive. We all have to face the fact that we are getting older, and we cannot give in to the objectification of women to the point where it is a no-win situation. I don't want to feel bad about myself because I live a long and healthy life. Cultivate yourself as an interesting person and become confident in what you need and be able to express it with kindness and respect. Always be guided by the wisdom of your heart and do what makes your heart sing.
When I, as president of SAG-AFTRA, led this major strike that launched a labor movement around the world, the opposition hired a very big PR from Washington, DC, which has a reputation for representing the bad guys. They immediately went for the lowest hanging fruit: discrediting the female leader. People told us to just ignore it, and I said, 'No. I realize now that the bigger story here isn't even about the contract, it's about what women in leadership looks like for women and girls?"
I felt a responsibility to show that I don't have to emulate masculine energy to lead. I can lead with wisdom, empathy, and intellect, and I can still rock a red lip. I turned the whole thing on them by making a video of me getting ready to go into negotiations and expressing that while doing makeup, and it went viral. So women and girls, especially women coming of age, need to ignore some of the merchandising lies out there. I think this is the time for women to rise up. And you know, if there was ever a time when we needed a woman to lead the free world, it's now.
Fran Drescher's Cancer Schmancer Kit is now available at laurageller.com.
Launch Gallery: Fran Drescher's 'The Nanny' Style Photos
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