Trying to feel feminine sometimes can be last thing on the minds of women serving in the military, which is just why a 4S Ranch resident says she launched a drive to send beauty products overseas.

"We spoke with several women who were recently in the military or are currently deployed, and they said having these kinds of products really is a way of having them feel beautiful inside and outside, and that ultimately leads to a boost in confidence," said Cindy Chan, who founded "Operation Courage is Beautiful," which she intends to make an annual event.

Chan, whose company StyleSynch.com sells feminine accessories to decorate computer mouses, cell phones and other items, said she got the idea of collecting beauty products for service women through an article in a fashion magazine.

"It was talking about how women who were coming back from Iraq needed help getting back in touch with their feminine side," she said. "It talked about how doing a facial mask on their own time would make such a big difference."

Chan is working with Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3787 in Mission Valley and with the San Diego Armed Services YMCA to put together 1,000 care packages to send to military women in Afghanistan and Iraq. Packages will include skin products, soaps, manicure items, romance novels and women's magazines.

Chan is asking people to drop off items through Nov. 8 at several locations, including her sister's and father's business, Chan Chiropractic at 9871 Carmel Mountain Road in Rancho Penasquitos.

Navy First Class Petty Officer Yeoman Heather Diaz-Kearne told Chan that feminine products can boost the morale and confidence of service women.

"The basic concept behind any deployment is to get through it with as much comfort as possible," Diaz-Kearne said in an interview with Chan that was posted on StyleSynch.com. "Something as simple as a favorite scented soap/lotions can make the biggest difference in how you feel about yourself. I truly believe when a person is comfortable in their own skin they project a certain level of confidence and are more willing to exert themselves and are happy.

"These products alleviate some of the issues we may have and ultimately help us feel good about ourselves as well as maintain some sort of normalcy level," she continued. "Deployments are hard regardless of how many a person has been on. The more we've been on the more we learn from them. So what others view as 'frivolous' is really a morale and self-esteem booster for us."

By Monday, a donation box at Chan Chiropractic was beginning to fill with skin cleansers, body lotions, lip balm and other products.

The items will be evenly divided into different care packages, although Chan said she has heard deployed service women often hold swap parties with one another whenever they receive packages from home.

Each care package costs about $11 to send, and Chan said cash donations also are being accepted to meet the expense.

Call staff writer Gary Warth at 760-740-5410.

Information:

Monetary donations can be made to "Operation Courage is Beautiful" by sending a check, payable to VFW Post 3787, to 4370 Twain Ave., San Diego, CA 92120. "Operation Courage is Beautiful" should be written in the memo section.

Care package donations may be dropped off until Nov. 8 at these locations.

Rancho Penasquitos: Chan Chiropractic Center, 9871 Carmel Mountain Road. 858-484-0800.

Del Mar: Re-Nous Skin & Body Spa, 823 Camino Del Mar. 858-755-5754.

Kearny Mesa: Jasmine Seafood Restaurant, 4609 Convoy St. 858-268-0888.

Mission Valley: VFW Post 3787, 4370 Twain Ave. 619-281-0137.

Chula Vista: Home of Ailene Green, AVON Representative, 55 E. Flower St., Apt 276. 619-962-9374.

El Cajon: Jasmine Bistro, 315 Parkway Plaza. 619-588-8228