Every holiday season, year after year, I encounter the same problem. A nearly countless number of people, that I don’t know terribly well, whom I have to buy some sort of little gift for. Coworkers. Employers. Distant relatives. Teachers. The Dog walker. You name it. After spending fruitless hours scouring the city hoping to find something they will like, I always settle on a less-than-perfect trinket that they will most likely end up re-gifting. For the ladies on my list, that will not be the case this year.

The Make-up Designory, the country’s premier make up school and one of my personal favorite cosmetic companies, has done me a great favor and made gift giving easy. They have assembled a palette of four universally flattering eyeshadow shades that glide across the lid like a dream. Each of the choice colors in the MUD CaresPalette (Spanish Gold, Moss, Cashmere and Dulce de Leche) can be used on their own or built together to add contour and depth to the eye. The shadows are so rich and highly pigmented, they are certain to satisfy even the pickiest make up diva.

And, here’s the great news, all four colors retail for only $25. Yes, four full sized eye shadows in a palette for only 25 bucks! If the price alone isn’t enough to make you log on to www.mudshop.com and order a few, this next bit might be.

The purchase of this palette will change someone’s life.

The Make-up Designory has teamed up with NextAid, a nonprofit organization that works hand-in-hand with environmentalists to create sustainable solutions for two of our greatest global challenges: the destruction of our natural environment and the worldwide AIDS crisis. By creating this palette, MUD has committed to stand up against the challenges facing African Children. By buying the beautiful, MUD Cares quad for someone on your list, you will give the gift of a home to a child in need.

Did you know that every 14 seconds an African child faces losing a parent to the AIDS epidemic. And when they lose both, they become a statistic. Just one more face among the over 10 million other orphans in the country. Think about that number for a second, it is staggering, 10 million children with no parents to care for them.

By giving the gift of color to someone(s) on your shopping list, you can make a world of difference. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of each limited edition palette will go to NextAid. Selling only 2500 of these will generate enough money to sponsor the construction of a four-bedroom home that will house six children and one caretaker. This is gift giving at its finest. Where else can you buy eye shadows (truly spectacular ones, at that) that will help to build a home for children who lost their parents to the AIDS epidemic?

This year, instead of just grabbing anything to check off those last few names on your gift list, try something new. Shop with a conscience. Make the choice to give a gift that will improve the quality of someone else’s life. Tis the season after all…

Please visit www.nextaid.org for more information on all of their amazing projects.

And thanks to Make-up Designory, www.mud.edu, for always doing so much, both for their community and the world.