by Fran Drescher has teamed up with Laura Geller Beauty again to launch a limited edition palette in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. “The Nanny” star, who first discovered the cosmetics brand on QVC, loves Geller’s paraben-free, mineral-based formulas, especially as a cancer survivor.
Almost 30 years ago, Drescher was diagnosed with uterine cancer, which led her to launch her own charity, Cancer Schmancer, in 2007. The non-profit is focused on empowering consumers to make conscious choices about their health — with their including the elimination of toxic carcinogens. packed products from their homes.
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Fran Drescher’s Cancer Schmancer Kit, priced at $59, features Geller’s best-selling baked formula in three different shades for both face and eyes. The dual-ended tool includes an angled brush on one side for heavy lifting and sculpting, and a smaller tapered brush for precise application and shading on the eyelids. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the sale of this exclusive bundle will be donated to Cancer Schmancer.
Below, WWD chats with Drescher about the importance of detoxing your home, Cancer Schmancer’s charity work and her advice for women on embracing aging.
WWD: Detoxifying your home has been a big part of your life since your cancer diagnosis 24 years ago, and it’s also a big 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 cause and effect. I really believe that if you don’t recognize a cause, you are fanning the flame, even if you are trying to solve the problem. In hindsight, it never made sense to me, and that’s a very common way Western medicine works. When I was diagnosed with cancer, there was very little information available on the internet, and maybe some kind of functional or alternative medicine was emerging that went into this area, but I think I was on one of the people who was in charge of that, and it was my obsession.
I want to know what causes cancer in our daily life and stop it. Let’s not put cancer first. How’s that for a cure? I don’t want us to be chronically ill. I don’t want us to be the unhealthy nation that we are. We started the home detox campaign because the home is apparently the most toxic place where we spend the most time and, ironically, have the most control over it.
WWD: What made you interested in working with Laura Geller in the first place?
FD: As for me, I have to walk the talk, and I can’t promote anything. I have to really believe in the product and I have to be able to use it. I believe in Laura Geller completely. It is all made in Italy and is a safe cosmetic. I tried the product for several weeks before committing to it, and [Laura Geller was] very patient with me.
Interestingly enough, all the people in my life who have tried Laura Geller, after becoming my spokesperson, love Laura Geller cosmetics and that’s why it’s such a good product. They’re also philanthropic, because they support what I’m doing as a health activist as much as I support what they’re doing as a makeup brand, and we’re both aligned in the same place to push a message forward. that is really in the interest of women. It is a supportive relationship that I am extremely proud to be a part of.
WWD: You previously collaborated with Laura Geller on products that benefit Cancer Schmancer. How has this helped your organisation?
FD: Everything makes a difference when you’re a non-profit. With Cancer Schmancer, I just wanted to help people, so I’m always trying to generate money for my organization. We are an education-based non-profit, and our mission is to educate, inspire and activate patients to help them become conscious consumers and make more conscious choices about how they live their lives.
Throughout the year, we curate a masterclass health summit that includes doctors from various fields of medicine. We usually have a theme from year to year, and those who attend this learning event say it is a life-changing experience. [The summit] The series we call Edu is edited and made available online for free for people to learn from all over the world. It’s available for purchase for your video library, because it’s information dense, and that’s another way we fund Cancer Schmancer.
We also partner with other non-profits to help marginalized women who don’t have access to certain types of tests. We try to spread the word a little bit, but for the most part, we focus on enabling people to see what they’re doing that could be interfering with their immune system and causing inflammation and those two things are a cocktail in really bad health.
WWD: On the palette. Tell us why you love it and how you would wear it.
FD: Everything about him is so nice. It has a small mirror. It is easy to put in the wallet. You have everything you need, believe it or not, right here. It also comes with this cute little double sided brush. So the small one I use on the eyes and the bigger one I use on the cheeks. You can create a smoky eye, use this beautiful blush and then there is a highlighter that you can put on top of your cheeks.
WWD: Laura Geller’s mantra is about celebrating women over 40.
FD: First of all, no one is getting out of this alive. We all have to face the fact that we are getting older, and we cannot succumb to the objectification of women to the point where it has no virtue. I don’t want to feel bad about myself because I’ve lived a long and healthy life. Treat yourself as an interesting person and be confident in everything you want and be able to express that with kindness and respect. Always let your heart guide you and do what your heart sings.
As president of SAG-AFTRA, when I led this major strike that galvanized the labor movement around the world, the opposition hired a very large PR from Washington, DC, known for representing the bad people. Right away, they went for the lowest hanging fruit: to disrespect the female leader. People said we should ignore it, and I said, “No. I realize now that the biggest story here is not even about the contract, but what does women in leadership look like for women and girls?”
I felt a responsibility to show that I don’t have to imitate the energy of men to be in charge. I can lead with wisdom and compassion and intelligence, and I could still wear a red lip. I turned the whole thing on them making a video where I was getting ready to go into the negotiation and show while I was putting on makeup, and it went viral. So women and girls, and certainly maturing women, have to tune out some of the merchandising lies out there. I think it’s time for women to step up. And you know, if there was ever a time when we needed a woman leading the free world, it’s now.
Fran Drescher’s Cancer Schmancer kit is available to shop now at laurageller.com.
Launch Gallery: ‘The Nanny’ Style Photos by Fran Drescher
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