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I’m Jenn, founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty,.a Canadian-born, Indigenous-led cosmetic…
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Jenn Harper shared thisI’m still reflecting on what last Friday represented. Cheekbone Beauty hosted a Masterclass with Sephora Canada, and while the photos show a very happy founder, what I was feeling in that room went far beyond celebrating a great event. Building a beauty company is hard. Building an Indigenous beauty company in an industry where there was no established path to follow has come with an entirely different set of challenges and responsibilities. Cheekbone Beauty became the first Indigenous-owned beauty brand at Sephora Canada. I have never wanted that “first” to mean “only.” My hope has always been that we help create a path that many Indigenous founders will eventually walk. And the timing of this moment feels particularly significant because this week I’m at IWI, a gathering held every two years that brings together Indigenous women from around the world. This year, more than 300 Indigenous women representing 13 countries and 140 different tribes and Nations have come together. The first IWI I attended was in New Zealand, and it was there, surrounded by Indigenous women from around the world, that I became inspired to write a book around a question that has stayed with me ever since: What is Indigenous Beauty? That book is now complete, but the work of defining and building this category is really just beginning. There is a teaching I carry with me about leaving a path for those who come after you. Planting seeds today knowing someone else may eventually sit beneath the shade of the tree you helped grow. After nearly 10 years of building Cheekbone Beauty, that is increasingly how I think about leadership. Success cannot only be about getting ourselves into the room. It has to be about making the room bigger for the people coming next. Thank you to the incredible SEPHORA team for the thought, care and work that went into this Masterclass, and to Seeing Red for helping bring it to life. And as I sit here at IWI this week, surrounded by Indigenous women, knowledge, businesses and stories from around the world, I know there is so much more I want to share about what I’m experiencing and what I believe it means for the future of Indigenous Beauty. More to come from this week. A lot more. ❤️
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Jenn Harper shared thisYesterday was one of those days that I know I’ll be thinking about for a long time. Cheekbone Beauty had the incredible opportunity to host a masterclass with Sephora Canada and Seeing Red, surrounded by a room full of Indigenous content creators, artists and community members. There is SO much more to share from this day, and trust me, the content is coming. But before any of that, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to Sephora Canada for continuing to create space for Indigenous brands, founders and voices. Thank you to the entire Seeing Red team for bringing this community together with so much intention and care. Thank you to Middle Child and the event team who worked behind the scenes to make every detail come together. A huge thank you to the incredible Leslie Hampton for being my model for the masterclass. Leslie has a massive fashion show happening this weekend and still made the time to be there with us. I am so grateful. And most importantly, thank you to every Indigenous creator who showed up, participated, shared, laughed, learned and filled that room with such incredible energy. When I started Cheekbone Beauty almost 10 years ago, I could not have imagined moments like this. Not simply having our products in Sephora, but standing in a room like this, teaching with our products, surrounded by Indigenous creators who are building platforms, businesses and communities of their own. That part means everything. There are so many more photos, stories and behind-the-scenes moments to share. For today, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. ❤️ What a day. What a room. What a community. #CheekboneBeauty #SephoraCanada #SeeingRed #IndigenousBeauty #IndigenousCreators #IndigenousEntrepreneurship
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Jenn Harper shared thisI’m pretty sure I’m just a YouTube makeup content creator now. 😂 And you know what? I’m kind of loving it. After almost 10 years of building Cheekbone Beauty, I’ve learned that sometimes the best way to explain why you created a product is to simply get in front of a camera, put it on your face, and show people how it actually works. So apparently this is my life now: Founder. CEO. Product developer. Shade matcher. And YouTuber. 😂 I’m sharing more makeup tutorials, product education, behind-the-scenes founder moments, and everything I’ve learned about makeup and skin after a decade in the beauty industry. If that sounds like your kind of content, come follow my YouTube channel. I have a feeling there are going to be a lot more videos like this. #CheekboneBeauty #BeautyFounder #FounderLife #YouTube #MakeupTutorial
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Jenn Harper shared thisOTTAWA, TOMORROW NIGHT! 🧡 And yes, this is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Everyone is welcome. Tomorrow from 5–8 PM, we’re taking over the National Gallery of Canada for an evening celebrating art, culture, community and the work behind our For Future Generations Scholarship Fund. You’ll be able to shop the new For Future Generations Lip Kit in person, swatch Cheekbone Beauty products, meet our team and learn about the collaboration with incredible Inuit artist Darcy Bernhardt, whose artwork inspired this year’s kit. Darcy’s exhibit is still at the Gallery, which makes bringing all of this together in the same space feel incredibly special. We’ll also be joined by Indspire to talk about the work we’ve done together over the past four years through the Cheekbone Beauty For Future Generations Scholarship Fund, along with voices from the arts community talking about why collaboration matters. Because none of this work happens alone. It happens because artists, organizations, partners, our team and our community keep showing up and creating opportunities together. And obviously, we’re going to have some FUN. 🧡 Two makeup artists, the Cheekbone Beauty team, snacks, beverages and a DJ. 📍 National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa 📅 Thursday, September 17 ⏰ 5–8 PM 🧡 Open to the public. Everyone is welcome. And if you can’t make it, PLEASE share this with someone you know in Ottawa who would love to come, learn more, experience the art and hang out with the Cheekbone Beauty team. Help us fill the Gallery with community. 🧡 Ottawa, we would LOVE to see you there. #ForFutureGenerations #CheekboneBeauty #IndigenousBeauty #Ottawa #NationalGalleryOfCanada #IndigenousArt
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Jenn Harper shared thisSee everyone in Ottawa tomorrow!!! Please share!Jenn Harper shared thisFor Future Generations started with a simple goal: to create more opportunities for Indigenous youth through education. Through the For Future Generations Scholarship Fund, Indigenous students can receive support with post secondary education costs. This year, we’re celebrating the 5th anniversary of For Future Generations on September 17 from 5 to 8 PM at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. Can’t make it to Ottawa? You can still support the fund by shopping the For Future Generations collection on our website. Join us in celebrating the 5th anniversary of For Future Generations 🧡 https://lnkd.in/g5N6HaPn
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Jenn Harper shared thisThe last few weeks at Cheekbone Beauty have felt like one of those moments where you look around and realize just how much is happening. We were back at TSC, and once again their entire team made the experience so incredible. We sold out of our Glow Bundle, which still never gets old. Knowing hundreds more people are discovering Cheekbone Beauty and bringing our products into their routines is something I will never take for granted. We also had the opportunity to be part of a Shopify campaign alongside an amazing group of Canadian entrepreneurs. One of my favourite parts of building a business has always been meeting other founders, hearing their stories and being reminded that behind every brand are people taking risks, solving problems and trying to build something that matters. But the biggest moment for me has been launching skincare. After nearly 10 years of building Cheekbone Beauty in colour cosmetics, we launched our Restorative Barrier Serum Stick, and it represents so much more than adding another product to our assortment. For years, I have been obsessed with what actually makes skin look and feel its best. As I’ve gotten older, that curiosity has only grown. I wanted to understand skin barrier health, hydration and the ingredients that can support our skin, especially as it changes with age. And I kept coming back to one thing: great makeup starts with great skin. So we created skincare the Cheekbone way. Our Restorative Barrier Serum Stick is a simple, mess-free final step for your nighttime routine, designed to help support the skin barrier and lock in moisture while you sleep. Swipe it on your face, under your eyes and down your neck, then go to bed. That’s it. And if you don’t wear makeup? This product is absolutely for you too. Launching skincare feels like the beginning of a completely new chapter for Cheekbone Beauty. We’re taking everything we’ve learned over the last decade about makeup, ingredients, our customers and what people actually want from their routines, and we’re building from there. TSC. Shopify. Skincare. Sold-out bundles. New customers discovering us every day. There is a lot happening at Cheekbone Beauty right now, but this move into skincare might be the thing I’m most excited about. We’re just getting started. 💚 #CheekboneBeauty #Skincare #CanadianBusiness #Entrepreneurship #BeautyIndustry #IndigenousBusiness #FounderStory
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Jenn Harper shared thisSave the date #Ottawa September 17th 2026 5pm to 8pm The National Gallery of CanadaJenn Harper shared thisWhat does a cloudberry have to do with beauty? When we started planning this year’s For Future Generations Kit, we knew we wanted it to be more than another product launch. We wanted it to tell a story. This year’s collection is inspired by Picking Akpiks (2021), an oil painting by Inuvialuk and Gwich’in artist Darcie Bernhardt, created in collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada For Darcie, the vibrant oranges, glowing yellows, and candy reds are more than beautiful colours. They represent late summers in Tuktuyaqtuuq, berry picking, and the feeling of home. Their work uses expressive gestures, colour, and movement to capture memory and emotion rather than a literal landscape. At Cheekbone Beauty, we believe Indigenous art helps preserve culture, memory, language, and identity. Collaborating with Indigenous artists is not simply about creating beautiful packaging. It is about creating space for stories that deserve to be seen and celebrated. Every purchase from the For Future Generations Kit also supports our Indigenous Youth Scholarship Fund, helping create opportunities for Indigenous students to pursue their education and dreams. Five years into the Scholarship Fund, we are reminded that beauty can do more than look good. It can create opportunity. What role do you think brands should play in celebrating and preserving culture?
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Jenn Harper shared thisThis isn’t my usual kind of LinkedIn post, but after taking some time away this summer, I’ve been thinking about something far more important than business. When I was young, I don’t think I understood how significant the decision is to choose the person you’ll spend your life with. You can build companies, chase big dreams and accomplish incredible things, but none of it means much if you don’t have a soft, understanding, compassionate and loving place to land at home. On September 15, Paul and I will celebrate 25 years of marriage. We celebrated early this summer, spending two weeks travelling through Ireland and São Miguel in the Azores. The places were beautiful, but my favourite part was simply the conversations. Long drives, walks, dinners and coffee with nowhere else to be. And you don’t need to travel across the world for that. Those conversations can happen at the kitchen table, on a walk or sitting in your backyard. Our 25 years have had incredible highs and some very difficult lows. We’ve overcome a lot individually and together. And through all of it, we kept choosing each other. I’m incredibly proud of the life we’ve built, but even more grateful for the place we’ve created for each other to land. Here’s to 25 years, Paul. Hopefully another 25. ❤️
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Jenn Harper shared thisThis past Saturday we celebrated the launch of our Melissa x Cheekbone Beauty lipstick, and I left feeling incredibly grateful for the community we’ve built. One of the best parts of this job is getting to create products alongside people who genuinely love our brand. We’ve learned over the years that the most meaningful collaborations don’t start with a business proposal. They start with a customer. That’s exactly how this collaboration with Melissa began.🩷 Melissa first supported Cheekbone Beauty as a customer. We met at our For Future Generations Scholarship Fund event last year, and from there our relationship naturally grew. Getting to know her has been such a gift. She’s not only an incredibly talented makeup artist, she’s someone who leads with kindness and generosity. It felt only right that this collaboration would also give back. A portion of the proceeds supports Ronald McDonald House, an organization that’s close to Melissa’s heart through the volunteer work she’s done with families over the years. It reminded me that while business can sometimes feel transactional, it doesn’t have to be. Some of the most meaningful work happens when people come together around a shared purpose. As we’ve continued to build Cheekbone Beauty through our Indigenous worldview, we’ve attracted a community that believes beauty can be about more than products. It’s about connection. It’s about lifting each other up. It’s about creating opportunities to give back together. This launch was another reminder that Cheekbone Beauty has never been just about lipstick. It’s about the people behind it, the stories we share, and the impact we can create when a community comes together around something bigger than beauty. Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us, supported the launch, and continues to prove that purpose and community will always be our greatest ingredients.
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Jenn Harper reacted on thisJenn Harper reacted on thisOn National Truth and Reconciliation Day, we honour the resilience, cultures and contributions of Indigenous Peoples across Canada, while recognizing that meaningful reconciliation requires continuous action. Today, we are so excited to highlight Cheekbone Beauty, an Indigenous-owned and founded company committed to creating opportunities for future generations. Through Cheekbone's For Future Generations Indigenous Youth Scholarship Fund, Cheekbone Beauty supports Indigenous youth in pursuing education and achieving their goals. To date, the initiative has funded over 50 scholarships with 25 in 2025 alone. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the scholarship fund and on September 30, Cheekbone Beauty aims to sell out its limited edition For Future Generations Lip Kit. 100% of the proceeds from the Lip Kit support the Indigenous Youth Scholarship Fund. This September 30th, join Cheekbone Beauty in turning reflection into action by supporting future generations and helping create opportunities for Indigenous Youth. #TruthandReconciliation #EveryChildMatters #IndigenousBusiness #ReconciliationInAction Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics INC Jenn HarperFor Future Generations Makeup Collection - Picking AkpiksFor Future Generations Makeup Collection - Picking Akpiks
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Jenn Harper reacted on thisI grew up around entrepreneurs, so when I see that 433,000 Native-owned businesses generate $86 billion in revenue, I see the people, ideas, and the immense resilience behind those numbers. I also know how much can happen between a founder’s first sale and their first hire. Growth takes capital, relationships, and support that fit the business they’re building. Too often, those pieces are hard to access at the right time. That’s the gap we’re working to address at 1st Sovereign Capital. We know what’s possible when founders have capital paired with the relationships and support they need to grow. ✨Jenn Harper reacted on this433,000 Native-owned businesses. $86 billion in revenue. And 87% have no employees beyond the owner. That number isn't about ambition. It's about what's missing between a founder's first sale and their first hire: the capital, relationships, and infrastructure that help a business scale. Swipe through to see: → Where Native businesses get stuck → The capital gap behind it → How 1SVC is building it We work alongside Tribal capital, philanthropic and PRI investors, family offices, and mission-aligned institutions. If you fund Native economic sovereignty, let's talk. Link in bio. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, TechCrunch, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Native Americans in Philanthropy, Native CDFI Network. #NativeBusiness #NativeEntrepreneurs #IndigenousEconomics #ImpactInvesting #IndianCountry
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Jenn Harper reacted on thisJenn Harper reacted on thisExcited to share that I've joined the NEII Fall 2026 Impact Investing Fellowship cohort! 🎉
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Jenn Harper reacted on thisLast week's two-day Forward Summit East and Workforce Forward gathering is still with me. The conversations, connections, insights, and optimism will inspire me for a long time. Thanks to the entire organizing team for the kind invitation to speak on this wonderful panel and for hosting another fine event in Chippewas of Rama First Nation at Casino Rama Resort. I deeply appreciated your warm welcome and hospitality. While there's never, ever enough time to see everyone I want to connect with at conferences, I'm grateful to have spent a little time with many attendees I greatly admire (friends, old and new) including: Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, Denis Carignan, Darion Ducharme, Bryanne Smart, Rachael Hunt, Jeremy Thompson, Margaret Kenequanash, Derek Goring, Karen M. Power McCarthy, ICD.D, DBA(c) And so many others (forgive me if I've missed you--it's Monday morning and I'm under-caffeinated)!Jenn Harper reacted on thisOur afternoon is underway with “The Future of Indigenous Economic Prosperity”—a forward-looking discussion on measuring impact, strengthening partnerships, and shaping the next economy. Moderated by Jeremy Thompson, President, Eagle Spirit Business Development, the panel brings together: Derek Goring, Chief Executive Officer, Northcrest Developments Fiona (McLeod) Kirkpatrick Parsons, owīhtamakīw (Advisor), Kirkpatrick Parsons Consulting Margaret Kenequanash, CEO, Wataynikaneyap Power The conversation is exploring what lasting economic prosperity looks like in practice—from Indigenous-led investment and ownership to accountability, long-term partnerships, economic transparency, and building generational prosperity. The future is being shaped by the conversations happening today—and there is plenty of momentum in the room. #WorkforceForward #ForwardSummit #IndigenousEconomicProsperity #EconomicReconciliation #IndigenousEconomies #IndigenousLeadership
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Jenn Harper reacted on thisJenn Harper reacted on this“Be proud of every single cry.” Those were some of the words I shared on stage this weekend at CHFA East, where Mitsoh won the Trail Blazer Award. 🏆 I would not be here without our team. Getting to share that moment with them was such a blessing. Thank you to CHFA for this recognition, and to everyone who continues to support Mitsoh. People ask us how we’re doing it. How we’re making it work. One thing I wanted to share in that room was this: tell your story. Talk about what you’re building, what you’re learning, and why it matters to you. Let people understand the person and the purpose behind the business. Your story is powerful. Only you can tell it the way you can. To everyone building something right now: be proud of who you are. Every single loss. Every single gain. Every single cry. Be your authentic self. What a beautiful journey this is. Hoka! #Mitsoh #CHFAEast #IndigenousEntrepreneurship Mike Fata Mitsoh
Experience & Education
Licenses & Certifications
Volunteer Experience
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Founder
Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics INC
- Present 10 years
Education
Indigenous Made Cosmetics Supporting Equality in Indigenous Education
Courses
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Indigenous Canada
University of Alberta
Honors & Awards
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Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter Honoree
Brock University
'Jenn received honorary membership into Brock’s BGS honours society. Professor Dirk De Clercq was presented with the 2021-22 Beta Gamma Sigma Professor of the Year award, which is voted on by current student members of the society. Professor Ernest Biktimirov who received the 2020-21 Professor of the Year award virtually last year received his medal in person at the ceremony as well.
Held in our Atrium, the ceremony saw 60 undergraduate students (top 10 per cent of the undergraduate…'Jenn received honorary membership into Brock’s BGS honours society. Professor Dirk De Clercq was presented with the 2021-22 Beta Gamma Sigma Professor of the Year award, which is voted on by current student members of the society. Professor Ernest Biktimirov who received the 2020-21 Professor of the Year award virtually last year received his medal in person at the ceremony as well.
Held in our Atrium, the ceremony saw 60 undergraduate students (top 10 per cent of the undergraduate class) and 56 graduate students (top 20 per cent of the graduate class) inducted into Brock’s chapter.' -
Social Enterprise of the Year-Ontario
Start Up Canada
Startup Canada Awards (Ontario) – Enjoy a toast as we celebrate those driving impact and demonstrating excellence in Ontario’s entrepreneurship and innovation community at the regional Startup Canada Awards, a red carpet event
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Social Enterprise of the Year
Women in Niagara and Great Niagara Chamber of Commerce
In recognition of your success in Business and contributions to our community.
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Foodservice-Sales Representative of the Year
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