What Lily Gladstone’s Big Movie Awards Moment Has Meant For Indigenous-Owned Beauty Brands
During this year’s movie awards season, “Killers of the Flower Moon” star Lily Gladstone, the first-ever Native American Oscar nominee for best actress, has been wearing products from Indigenous-owned beauty brands, some with fewer than 10,000 social media followers, affording them exposure alongside products from bigger brands like Chanel’s Le Teint Ultrawear Flawless Foundation and Ilia’s Skin Rewind Complexion Stick.
The Indigenous-owned brands used by makeup artists and hairstylists Nick Barose, Fiona Stiles, Lacy Redway and Marc Mena for Gladstone’s movie awards seasons looks include Cheekbone Beauty, Prados Beauty, Sister Sky, Ah-Shi Beauty and Sḵwálwen Botanicals on her. For instance, to create her look for the Academy Awards on Sunday, where the best actress award went to Emma Stone for “Poor Things,” Stiles turned to Prados Beauty’s Artistry Makeup Brush and Cheekbone Beauty’s Every Day Palette.
Makeup artist Barose applauds the Indigenous-owned brands for standing out in what can be a sea of sameness on the red carpet. “We’re carving out our own niche of what that ‘Hollywood leading lady’ thing is,” he says. “Look at how much fun she’s had on the red carpet wearing Native American designs and brands. It’s no longer about following the trope of, say, Audrey Hepburn or like Grace Kelly or some version of it. Now I feel like it’s up to us to carve out this niche and do things our way.”
Part of doing things differently is bringing makeup brands to Barose’s kit that previously weren’t in it. One such brand is Cheekbone Beauty. Barose calls its Moon Dust Mattifying Powder his “secret weapon.” He put it on Gladstone for the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards. Barose says, “I’m very inspired by Lily because, from the get-go, she said, ‘I’m going to introduce you to this indigenous brand that we have to highlight.'”
Barose applied Cheekbone Beauty’s mattifying powder to Gladstone’s T-zone right before she headed out on the red carpet and sent her with a stash for touch-ups. Barose praises the product’s translucent shade for suiting a wide array of skin tones and mentions it doubles as an eye makeup primer for oily lids.
“The red carpet can be tricky because you never know what light you’re going to get, and you have to account for flash, so the T-zone is really important to control,” he says. “I was so impressed with her look right after she won the Golden Globe because the makeup had been done hours ago, and it held really well. Usually, by the time someone walks the carpet sits through the award show for a few hours and then finally gets on stage, they’ll get shiny, but Lily was matte in all the right places and glowing in all the right places.”
Other Cheekbone Beauty products Barose has depended on for the movie awards season are its wearable lipsticks, hybrid foundation concealer pencil that he places around the lips to make bright lip color pop, and Fearless Eyeshadow Stick in the shade plum, which he uses on lids and as a lip pencil, too. In the skincare category, Sḵwálwen Botanicals’ Kalkáy Wild Rose & Yarrow Salve is another newfound favorite. He dabbed it on a sponge to highlight Gladstone’s cheeks for an Oscars nominees luncheon last month.
“This wasn’t anything we solicited. This was driven by industry professionals who care deeply about being authentic to their vision and mission.”
Barose spotlighted each newfound favorite on Instagram. Makeup artist Stiles has done the same. She also points out that Gladstone has introduced her to Indigenous-owned brands, leading to her regular use of Prados Beauty’s Just Deadly Brushes. Stiles wielded the brushes for Gladstone’s Screen Actors Guild Awards look. An eight-piece set of the brushes is priced at $38.
“They’re excellent brushes for a remarkably low price point,” says Stiles. “What’s really nice about these fluffy brushes is that, if you’re using something like bronzing powder, application is seamless because the product gently disperses across the brush’s soft bristles.”
Hairstylists Mena and Redway have posted about haircare products from the brand Sister Sky. Redway employed the brand’s Minkisoft Nourishing Mist and Minkisoft Sleek+Shine Styer for the Independent Spirit Awards and Producer Guild Awards and posted about it on social media. Redway, who wished she had discovered the brand sooner, says, “It was extremely important for me to support Lily and the Indigenous community by helping to bring awareness to a Native brand.”
Instagram posts highlighting the Indigenous-owned brands incorporated in Gladstone’s movie awards seasons looks have caused increased social media engagement for Cheekbone Beauty, according to founder Jenn Harper. She notes surveyed customers have attributed their purchases to social media shares as well.
“Let’s face it, for many of these events, [the artists] are being paid by bigger brands—that’s just how the industry works,” says Harper. “But it was so wonderful to hear of Lily’s passion to honestly support indigenous brands.”
Ah-Shí Beauty founder Ahsaki LaFrance-Chachere has seen a similar effect on her brand from social media shares. “These posts have helped increase our visibility with other celebrity makeup artists. As far as additional sales, I haven’t quite seen a huge increase as of yet,” she says. “I know that will come later. I’m in no rush to grow overnight. I just take all these moments of building blocks.”
Sister Sky co-founder Monica Simeon is thrilled by the exposure. Social media engagement and sales for the brand have risen over the past few weeks. “We attribute that to the gracious shout-outs from Lily’s stylists who have gone the extra mile to use BIPOC products,” Simeon says. “This wasn’t anything we solicited. This was driven by industry professionals who care deeply about being authentic to their vision and mission.” She continues, “We celebrate our 25th year in business this year, so we aren’t new to our tribal communities, but we are new to mainstream America.”
Regardless of sales, Indigenous-owned brand founders believe Gladstone’s success is hugely impactful. “Everything that we do as people, we do with purpose. We build with our ancestors walking with us, and we build with love,” says LaFrance-Chachere. “Lily is literally opening doors and knocking down mountains for that next young, Native actress—and for other artists. I’m proud that our products, among others [are being used], and hope they give her extra comfort and strength to know that she’s not alone as she represents our people in this moment.”
Feature photo credits: Photo and Makeup by Nick Barose, Hair by Marc Mena, Wardrobe Styling by Jason Rembert, Assistant Wardrobe Styling by Wilton White and Nails by Yoko Sakakura
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