1. What inspired you to launch your brand?
In January of 2015, I had the most vivid dream of little Indigenous girls covered in colorful lip glosses. After reconnecting with my Indigenous roots and learning about the effects of residential schools from my grandmother, I set off on a mission to build Cheekbone Beauty and to create a space in the beauty industry where everyone, including Indigenous people, feel represented and seen.
2. How have your personal values shaped your brand?
Cheekbone Beauty is built on Indigenous roots – Drawing from Indigenous teachings and my Indigenous roots, our products are sustainable, high-quality, clean, vegan, and cruelty-free. From the ingredients to the packaging, we make every effort to use only what’s needed for the least amount of environmental impact and maximum wearability.
3. What is your biggest hope for the brand?
That every day we make a difference in the lives of Indigenous people – whether through our products, our Indigenous scholarship fund, or through representation.
3. What was your greatest hope for your business when you started out?
That every day we make a difference in the lives of Indigenous people – whether through our products, our Indigenous scholarship fund, or through representation.
4. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an entrepreneur?
Funding is always an interesting and difficult challenge to maneuver as it requires so much bandwidth, support and time to execute properly.
5. What makes your brand different?
Indigenous and woman owned beauty brands are few and far between, and Cheekbone Beauty was built strongly on its Indigenous Roots. We believe in using the 7 Grandfather teachings to guide every product that we make, package and sell.
6. How has beauty evolved since you started, and where do you see it heading?
We are seeing greater forays by brands into the realm of inclusivity. Some brands are doing it terribly, or expanding in unsustainable directions, but we are definitely seeing the growing pains of brands that are trying to do better, either with the sourcing of their products or expanding their shade ranges to cover more skin types. Hopefully we can see more of this, as more brands work on it the more options there will be for smaller brands to follow suit.
7. What advice would you give to aspiring beauty entrepreneurs looking to create their own brand?
Be authentically you, and be authentically honest about your business. Your future customers want to know you and want to know what you stand for and why you should be important to their every day routine – show them exactly that.
8. How do you navigate the complex relationship between beauty and self-esteem?
I recently read something that you don’t put makeup on to look beautiful, you put on makeup to reflect how you feel. Just like clothes that make you feel confident, makeup is there to enhance what is already beautiful about you. And of course, Cheekbone’s mission is to always represent those the beauty industry tends to miss, as representation can save lives.
9. What’s a line you love besides your own?
I am not sure there’s any one full brand line that can I name that I love – there tends to be single products in a variety of lines that will be my go-to if Cheekbone doesn’t fill that gap with its own, and of course it has to be pretty strictly following our Binaad standards in order for me to feel good about the ingredients going onto my skin.
10. What is your most essential self-care ritual?
Grounding (outside, feet on the grass) and moisturizing are the two best ways to get in touch with the planet, and with yourself. Everything feels a little better once you feel more connected in body and soul.
11. What’s something Canadians in particular need to consider when it comes to skincare?
Moisture, moisture and more moisture! The answer is always moisture. Don’t neglect your skin’s needs during the winter. Moisture combats wrinkles, fine lines, discolouration, dryness, how makeup looks and feels on your skin – just as much as we need to drink water every day, your skin needs added moisture.
12. What excites you most about the future of beauty?
Bringing the conversation back to sustainability, knowing that it’s important to people to source ingredients that are good for you, good to people, and good to the planet.
