The Lip Bar Opens Its First Retail Store in Detroit

Studies show that somewhere around 85% of women use makeup products during their daily get ready routine. The amount of products that they use varies for each individual, but research states that most women buy around 40 pieces of makeup a year. Research also shows that women are becoming more and more aware of what is in the products that they use, which mean they are starting to learn where their makeup is made, if it is tested on animals, and what is actually in it. 

 

Melissa Butler, the creator of The Lip Bar, knew that women wanted makeup that had ingredients that they could read, especially if they were going to put it on their lips. So, she started making colorful vegan lipsticks inside her apartment until she perfected the formula. Then, she took her idea on TV and presented it to the judges on Shark Tank. Unfortunately, they shot her down. They advised her to give up on lipstick and try something else but SHE DID NOT LISTEN. Instead, she started working even harder and within two years of that appearance, her lipstick was not only being sold to the masses, it was also being sold at Target! This small, vegan, cruelty free brand went from the bottom to the literal top of the makeup game faster than you could say get it girl, but that wasn't good enough for Melissa because her goal isn't just to sell good makeup. She wants to completely change the beauty industry while she's is at it. She has stated that she created The Lip Bar because, "you are beautiful just the way you are. You don't have to transform to look like the next "It Girl." You don't have to do anything but be you, because you are enough. Simply put, I think every woman deserves to be represented". Her lipstick is FOR EVERYONE. Her colors are for everyone and the ads and marketing materials that she uses to sell The Lip Bar lipsticks are inclusive of all colors, ages, classes, sizes, and styles. Her about me literally says, "I was determined to not change the way I looked to fit into some superficial or trendy beauty standard. Fuck that. There is no standard".

Melissa's fuck that attitude is what kept her going when others told her to stop and it is the reason that despite what everyone thought she was able to open her first flagship store in her hometown of Detroit last weekend. The small beauty bar is located in the new Shinola Hotel shopping district. It carries all 12 regular lipstick colors as well as the 14 glosses and 12 matte lipsticks that are currently being made by the brand. Plus, it has three awesome swing mirrors for visitors to try on all the colors before they make a purchase. It is a fun way to get a beauty pick me up without all the feel bad marketing bullshit that the industry has been traditionally trying to sell us. In fact, it was the nicest shopping experience that I have had in a long time.

We are very excited to see a female, black-owned business take over the beauty industry. Especially one that is vegan and cruelty-free. If you haven't heard of The Lip Bar or stopped into their new space, treat yourself and give them a visit the next time you are downtown. Their tubes run around $12- $14 a piece and they deliver some serious color and pigment, something that isn't always easy to find. Congratulations to Melissa and her entire team on beating the odds and making magic when everyone was telling them they wouldn't even be able to make a spark. That attitude and that perseverance is what Detroit is known for and you have represented us well!

~S