October will soon be here which means it’s time to pull out those Halloween decorations and rinse out those beer steins for (late and misguided) Oktoberfest festivities. Hopefully not overshadowed by these other two celebrations, October also brings Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Get ready to start seeing pink because this year everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to help raise money for breast cancer research.

Although the month doesn’t officially start for another couple of days, the events promoting this cause have already begun. On September 24^th, Smashbox Studios hosted the 8^th annual Fashion for the Cure fundraiser and runway show. The goal of the event was not only to raise money for the Susan G. Komen foundation, but also to inspire the LA fashion, entertainment and medical communities to do all they can in the name of the cause. And inspire the evening did. This upcoming month you’ll actually have to go out of your way to not purchase at least one item from which the proceeds don’t go to breast cancer research. Items that will benefit the cause range from Essie nail polish to Polo Ralph Lauren tees and accessories. There are also many exclusive products being offered that you wont want to miss. For example, you can pop into Kitson or Fred Segal Melrose for special Purple Lab products. Even better- you can get your hands on celebrity’s jeans through Coldwater Creek who’s giving away a bunch of them for the Blue Jeans in Pink campaign.

The fashion world isn’t the only group that wants to help the cause; foodies want to do their part as well. Every Tuesday in October proceeds from a special PINK cocktail at the Viceroy in Santa Monica will go to the Noreen Fraser Foundation. And, as if you needed an excuse to eat another cupcake, Sprinkles will feature special pink ribbon cupcakes October 1-7^th. On select days, the @sprinklesmobile will donate proceeds from their strawberry pink ribbon cupcakes to the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Woman’s Cancer Research Fund.

This is just a small sampling of the many ways you can help raise money for breast cancer research. You can go here to see a more comprehensive list of companies who are doing their part to help the cause.