There’s something deeply powerful about feeling fully seen.
Not just recognized for one part of who you are but embraced in your entirety. Your story, your roots, your craft, your femininity, your culture, your dreams. This collaboration represents exactly that for me. It’s more than a beauty product. It’s more than a wedding detail. It’s a reflection of identity, intention, and community.
When I partnered with Cheekbone Beauty to create this Perfect Pout Bridal Lip Kit, I knew I didn’t want it to be surface-level. I wanted it to feel like me, authentic, layered, and rooted in purpose. From the very beginning, I poured my heart into every detail: designing a lipstick shade that would complement my wedding look, curating a box that tells a story, and ensuring that every element reflects who I am not just as a chef, but as a woman.
Because the truth is—I am both.
I am a chef who thrives in the kitchen, who builds flavors, who honors Indigenous foodways through every dish I create. But I am also a woman who loves to dress up, who enjoys feeling beautiful, who takes pride in how I present myself. And for so long, those identities have been placed in opposition to each other, as if you have to choose between being strong and being feminine, between being skilled and being soft.
I reject that.
This collaboration gave me the space to say: I can be all of it.
I can show up in the kitchen with intention and artistry, and still care about my appearance. I can honor my culture and my craft while embracing beauty in a way that feels empowering, not limiting. And most importantly, I can step into one of the most meaningful days of my life, my wedding feeling confident, radiant, and fully myself.
That’s why working with Jennifer Harper and her team felt so aligned. From the moment we began collaborating, there was a shared understanding that this wasn’t just about creating a product it was about telling a story and uplifting something bigger than ourselves.
Cheekbone Beauty is an Indigenous-owned brand that is actively reshaping what beauty looks like. They’re not just creating clean, high-quality products, they’re redefining standards that have historically excluded or misrepresented Indigenous people. They’re proving that beauty can be rooted in culture, in sustainability, in community, and in truth.
And that matters.
Because for so long, Indigenous people have not seen ourselves reflected in mainstream spaces whether in fashion, food, media, or beauty. When we do see representation, it’s often limited, filtered, or disconnected from who we really are. So to be part of a collaboration that centers Indigenous identity in such an intentional and celebratory way, it means everything.
But what makes this collaboration even more meaningful is the impact it extends beyond the product itself.
With every custom lip bundle sold, $5 will be donated to The SISTER Project—an organization that is incredibly close to my heart. This isn’t just a charitable add-on; it’s a core part of why I said yes to this collaboration.
I’ve had the privilege of working with The SISTER Project in the past, and what they do for Indigenous women and communities, especially in urban spaces like Los Angeles is truly powerful. They create opportunities for connection, healing, education, and growth. They build spaces where Indigenous women can feel supported, seen, and empowered.
As an Indigenous woman living in a city, that kind of community is everything.
It can be easy to feel disconnected from your roots when you’re not living on your ancestral land. But organizations like The SISTER Project help bridge that gap. They create a sense of belonging. They remind us that our culture is alive, evolving, and present no matter where we are.
Through their programming, I’ve been able to share knowledge, connect with community members, and be part of something that feels deeply rooted in purpose. Those experiences have stayed with me. So being able to give back to them through this collaboration, it feels full circle.
It transforms this lip kit into something bigger than beauty. It becomes a vehicle for impact. A way to uplift other Indigenous women. A way to reinvest in community. A way to ensure that as we grow, we bring others with us.
And that’s really what this is all about.
This collaboration is about representation. It’s about showing that Indigenous women belong in every space whether that’s the kitchen, the beauty industry, or a wedding aisle. It’s about honoring the fullness of who we are and refusing to shrink ourselves into one dimension.
It’s about choosing products and partnerships that align with our values sustainability, authenticity, community, and care.
It’s about celebrating love not just romantic love, but love for self, for culture, and for the people who walk alongside us.
And for me, as a creator, it’s about intention.
Every detail of this collaboration was created with intention. From the color of the lipstick to the design of the packaging, to the organization we’re supporting nothing was by chance. It all tells a story.
A story of growth, identity and embracing both strength and softness. And of finding alignment between passion and purpose.
As I step into this next chapter of my life, I feel incredibly grateful to do so in a way that feels true to who I am. Because at the end of the day, beauty isn’t just about how you look.It’s about how you feel.
It’s about the confidence that comes from knowing you’re aligned with your values. It’s about the pride that comes from seeing yourself represented. It’s about the impact you create when you use your platform with intention.
This collaboration holds all of that.
And I hope that when someone picks up this lip kit, they feel a piece of that energy too.
I hope they feel seen.
I hope they feel empowered.
And I hope they feel inspired to embrace every part of who they are fully, unapologetically, and beautifully.
XOXO -
Pyet DeSpain-Hernandez