June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada. 🧡
Cheekbone Beauty, an Indigenous-owned colour cosmetics company, was founded in 2016 by Jenn Harper after she had a dream of little Indigenous girls covered in lip gloss. Cheekbone Beauty takes great pride in being an Indigenous-owned beauty brand that continues to give back to the community through scholarship programs and awareness campaigns.
Jenn Harper is Anishinaabe, from Northwest Angle #33 First Nation in Kenora, ON. Throughout her life, Jenn has struggled with accepting her Indigenous roots, being estranged from her Indigenous family for much of her child and adult life. After learning about her grandmother’s experience in residential school, she understood how her family was affected by generational trauma. Since reconnecting with her roots, Jenn knew that she never wanted another Indigenous person to feel the same way she did growing up.
The company’s mission is “to help every Indigenous person see their value in the world while developing sustainable colour cosmetics that don’t end up in a landfill and are for every human.” We encourage you to take time to honour and reflect on Indigenous history by listening, learning, and amplifying Indigenous voices year-round, but especially throughout June. This may manifest itself in the form of additional researching and respecting Indigenous cultures and customs, shopping Indigenous brands, attending Indigenous events, and taking time to use your personal platform to share your experience on what you’ve learnt with your friends and families!
At Cheekbone Beauty, most of our team members, including our Founder & CEO Jenn Harper, have completed the Indigenous Canada course offered by the University of Alberta through Coursera. The course includes twelve modules and can be completed remotely and at your own pace. There is a small fee to register for the course, which would offer you a Certificate of Completion. Coursera also offers financial aid to students in need, or you can complete the course for free, but you will not receive the certificate. Engaging in Indigenous education is a great way to support community in a way that feels genuine and authentic.
Every year, Cheekbone Beauty launches a limited-edition product or kit for Indigenous History Month. This year’s box was created with the intention of passing down ancestral knowledge by sharing The Seven Grandfather Teachings while also encouraging self-care and celebrating the choice to claim and live your best life! The intention behind this launch is to educate customers on ancestral knowledge, encouraging them to celebrate the best version of themselves, all while providing them with seven sustainable beauty surprises in this countdown-style box that customers can open daily or all at once!
The Seven Grandfather Teachings include: Bravery (aakode’ewin), Humility (dabaadendiziwin), Truth (debwewin), Love (zaagi’idiwin), Wisdom (nibwaakaawin), Honesty (gwayakwaadiziwin), and Respect (minaadendamowin). These are all important elements for learning and growing with and from each other and nature.
Open up your “Seven Gifts for Your Best Self” gift box to learn more about these seven teachings to live by while celebrating yourself with seven full-size products that you will surely love!
Keeping close to Cheekbone Founder Jenn Harper’s Anishinaabe roots, both the box and the products have all been thoughtfully and sustainably crafted, housed in recyclable and/or reusable components. The formulations offered from the seven products are sustainable, vegan, and cruelty-free, and include nourishing, sustainably sourced ingredients such as coconut, jojoba, and argan oil. The box is made of paper from FSC-certified forests. Honouring and preserving the land and its resources is at the heart of everything that we do, respecting our planet today and for generations to come.
This Indigenous History Month, join us in nurturing and honouring your best self while using the “Seven Gifts for Your Best Self”, taking the time to familiarize and live the values of the Seven Grandfather Teachings.
The “Seven Gifts for Your Best Self” kit is now available online exclusively at cheekbonebeauty.com.