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| Dress by Diane Von Furstenberg, via Rent the Runway |
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| Hair by DryBar |
Proof that karma is real and thanks to a generous donation by Téa Leoni I was given the opportunity to attend the 2011 UNICEF Snowflake Ball at Cipriani’s last night. My affiliation with UNICEF as a volunteer for the UNICEF Tap Project over the past three years has deepened my admiration for the organization which provides food, clean water, immunizations, and even schools for the most impoverished children worldwide. The Snowflake Ball is an annual black tie event and fundraiser that brings out celebrities, philanthropists, and this year a table of slightly rowdy volunteers, together for a night of inspiring UNICEF stories, decadent food, and a sing-a-long with my new girl crush Natasha Beddingfield. Well, in actuality it wasn’t supposed to be a sing-a-long.
It was during cocktail hour standing next to Adrien Brody as I watched Kevin Jonas and his wife Danielle holding hands across the room that I realized the event may actually live up to the excitement and hype that up until this point had all only been in my head. The evening began with two songs by the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, wearing colorful headbands that I would have killed for in junior high school. Finding the perfect balance to the important yet somber realities of international disasters and child poverty is no easy task, but host Andy Cohen was certainly up for the job. Andy introduced Caryl M. Stern, President and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF who shared several touching stories about the vital work of UNICEF. After an award was given to Prudential for their partnership with UNICEF, the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award went to the Executive Director of the Japan Committee for UNICEF, Ken Hayami. Mr. Hayami received a standing ovation from the audience as he shared the struggles of the people of Japan after the March 2011 earthquake and thanked UNICEF donors.
The auction featured UNICEF inspired gifts such as mosquito netting and an SUV built for rural areas, as well as a private dinner for 12 cooked by Marcus Samuelsson and Tickets to Watch What Happens Live and cocktails with Andy Cohen. The grand finale of the evening featured several songs performed by Natasha Bedingfield, clad in mod high waisted black tuxedo pants and wearing a gorgeous coral lipstick. A personal highlight for Beauty Unbiased was being introduced to the lovely Christina Zilber, Founder and Creative Director of Jouer Cosmetics. Christina is also an Advisory Board Member for the Southern California Chapter of UNICEF and even designed this ridiculously adorable charm necklace for UNICEF.
Following the event my night can best be described by Jay-Z: “After the show is the after-party, and after the party is the hotel lobby…” which is just a fancy way to say, after the Snowflake Ball we went to the hotel lobby (or bar) across the street to finish off the night. Jay may have meant something different, but those were pre-Beyonce years, I hope. So close to the end and here I go digressing. There I met blogger Ashley from Ashley and New York, a California native recently transplanted to New York and blogging about her NYC adventures. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a UNICEF event, donate to UNICEF, or even volunteer yourself, please do! Volunteers and restaurants are need for the UNICEF Tap Project campaign. More information at TapProject.org. Trust me, you will never regret giving back.
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| UNICEF Volunteers and Staff |
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