Ep 41 – Jennifer Harper, Founder of Cheekbone Beauty – The Indigenous Makeup Brand Taking Over Instagram

Cheekbone Beauty, founded by Ojibwe entrepreneur Jennifer Harper in 2016, is bringing indigenous women across North America together through lipstick. The Canadian-made cosmetics brand supports First Nations education through the sale of every lipstick, and in its Instagram feed you’ll see hundreds of indigenous and non-indigenous women alike wearing knock-out shades that can rival Nars, M.A.C and Kat Von D. (Just ask Carlene, who kept getting asked what hot pink and coral lipsticks she was wearing the whole time she was in L.A.!)

Find out the inspiring stories behind the shade names, each named after a strong, indigenous woman. Then, hear all about Jenn’s incredible journey in overcoming alcoholism, surviving her brother’s suicide, reconciling her identity and eventually, how she would come to start a socially conscious beauty business as rich in heart as its fashion-forward pigments.

We’ve got the foils (like being rejected during a Dragon’s Den audition) and the fist pump moments (like being invited to a round table on female entrepreneurship by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau), including a new ambassador program set to give dozens of women new skills and financial rewards as they help Cheekbone Beauty rise to the top.

Products mentioned in this episode: Cheekbone Beauty Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Sarain, Waneek, Shannen, Bethany and Devery

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