Give n' Glow: More than 3,000 Beauty Products Donated

Kelly Plyer, CharityAuctionsToday Social Media Manager, recently sat down with Samantha Asprelli, the founder of Give n’ Glow, a nonprofit dedicated to donating new and gently used cosmetics to homeless shelters. Learn how Samantha came to believe that women deserve more than just the basics, how she founded her organization, and how they’re pursuing their goals.

Beyond the Basics

Samantha grew up in Massachusetts and in eighth grade joined Project 351, a nonprofit that encourages youth to create positive change through service. As she served the organization, Samantha took part in various projects such as food and clothing drives, and she volunteered in homeless shelters.

It was here that Samantha started to wonder if shelters couldn’t provide more than just the basic necessities for people who are struggling. While basic needs and safety are vital, Samantha felt that there was room to go beyond the basics. 

“There are so many nonprofits doing great work. Let’s stand on their shoulders and provide something more than just the basic necessities. More specifically, boosting the confidence and self-esteem of those women in need. I love makeup, I love beauty products, and I was sitting in my freshman year dorm at Northeastern University saying, how can I make a change?”

Samantha started collecting products from friends who had recently gone to prom. Their vanities were filled with products they were never going to use again, and were probably going to throw away. 

“So many people have those relatable experiences where you don’t like the color that’s on your face, you don’t like the eyeshadow, and you are just gonna throw it out because maybe you can’t return it, you lost the receipt. We will take those products. Give n’ Glow takes brand new and gently used cosmetics, skincare, and haircare, all to then give away to women in need to give [them] a second life.”

Beauty Influencers and Partners

Give n’ Glow accepts donations from a variety of sources. First, from individual donors with gently used or new makeup, hair- and skincare products they aren’t using. Samantha points out that many people end up with more products than they like or can use up before their expiration dates.

“I think that the beauty industry is riddled with overconsumption and falling into trends that last for months and we’re stuck with this lip plump or bronzing drops that maybe we used once and now we’re done with it. So we have our independent donors who have those products.”

Beauty influencers who swatch shades and test out new palettes on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are frequently sent PR products to show to their audiences. These might include an entire range of foundation or lipstick shades, for example, when most people can only wear a handful at best. Knowing that those shades might just be swatched once for the camera and then left in a drawer or thrown away, Give n’ Glow is able to gift them to women who will use and enjoy them.

Finally, Give n’ Glow also partners with beauty brands themselves, like Physician’s Formula, Skin Fix, Weleda Beauty, and First Aid Beauty. Often brands will donate obsolete inventory or products they made too many of to sell before their expiration date. Rather than go to a landfill, Give n’ Glow can distribute these products to shelters where they can brighten someone’s day.

Looking Good Can Make You Feel Good 

Since its founding in August 2023, Give n’ Glow has given over 3,000 products to nearly 1,000 women. And they’re expanding.

Samantha and other Give n’ Glow volunteers reach out to shelters to ask if they’ve ever considered receiving donations of beauty products. 

“There are women who deserve more than just the bare minimum..they deserve to look in the mirror and see more than just their circumstances. And that’s something that some nonprofits just don’t think of. So what we will do is we will pack up a box of skincare, haircare, cosmetics, ensuring we get a big range of cosmetics. We have haircare for all hair types and skincare for your dry skin, your oily skin, your sensitive skin, and we ship it right off to them. 

We will even go [to] the nonprofit [or] homeless shelter. We will do a workshop, show these women how to read a label, how to follow the directions, and kind of teach them and have that one-on-one intimate conversation about beauty products.”

Samantha has experienced over and over again the impact of Give n’ Glow’s work, not just in handing out beauty products but in having conversations and making connections.

“So I was at Women’s Lunch Place, an incredible nonprofit in Boston on Newberry Street that provides meals to women who are in homeless situations. [It was the] first workshop Give n’ Glow ever did…And one of the homeless women in there was really inspired. I remember she wanted an eyeshadow palette that would pop on her eyes and she was super excited to receive these products.

Fast forward a few months later, I was at Rosie’s Place, also in Boston, and I was carrying two boxes into the lobby. She yelled to me and said, ‘Are those more beauty products for me?’

We had a conversation and she’s like, ‘If you ever see me on the streets, just give me a wave, you know?’ There’s always this invisible boundary between homeless people and those who have luxuries and have a home. We never say hi to them. They just want interaction with humanity. That’s super important. So I look out for her on the streets and I will always ask her how she’s doing. And that’s just super powerful that she remembered who I was and that she wanted beauty products.”

Give n’ Glow Up

When asked what’s next for Give n’ Glow Samantha says she has expansion in mind.

“I want to be the trusted reputable organization that provides luxurious, high quality, accessible beauty products. I want to be known as the organization to redefine the beauty industry. There are other incredible organizations that do what we do, but Give n’ Glow’s wow factor is that we focus solely on beauty products. There’s no toothbrushes or toothpaste or underwear because we know that there are incredible resources out there that do that. We want to be the hub for the blushes, concealers, and lip glosses because that’s what we’re here for and we want nonprofits to come to us. 

We want to scale. Our main operations are in Massachusetts. We expanded to New Hampshire and Oregon because we have connections out there, but we want to gradually serve the full East Coast and go out West. There’s no limitations to my drive and passion. And I think people have seen that and I’m really excited to show the world what Give n’ Glow can do.”

Thank you, Samantha, for taking the time to sit down and talk about your mission with us. We look forward to watching Give n’ Glow bring luxury products to more and more deserving recipients across the country.

“It fills my cup. Especially helping somebody when you don’t know their situation or their background. I like to say I just know the tip of the iceberg because 80% of their situation is unseen and I don’t know what they’re going through. But all I know is that if I can provide beauty products to these women, then I know that I made a difference.”