Photo: Heidi Kirn
But most women aren’t Sarah Kelly, a breast cancer survivor who, along with her sister Leah Robert, owns and operatesSaltyGirl Beauty, an all-natural makeup brand born from Kelly’s cancer fight — and her realization that a little bit of feeling good goes a long way.
“[During chemotherapy] I was losing my hair, and as a redhead — who I waswasa redhead, and I lost that,” she tells PEOPLE ahead ofBreast Cancer Awareness Month, launching Tuesday. “I was feeling really bad about myself … and Leah came over with this really beautiful lipstick color. I remember putting it on and being like, ‘Wow, I feel like me again in a way.’ ”
The sisters took that feeling and ran with it, joining forces to create a range of makeup and body products women can feel confident rocking, like foundation, multi-sticks, lipsticks, and glosses — all of which are made with clean ingredients.
Sarah Kelly, Leah Robert.Lisa Nichols
Kelly, 40, leaned on chemists she knew from working at the organic toothpaste company Tom’s of Maine to ensure that they were using all-natural ingredients, a factor of the utmost importance to the sisters.
“My diagnosis [in 2015] was a triple negative breast cancer. I didn’t have the BRCA1 [or BRCA2] gene or any other gene that they’ve identified,” says Kelly, who was 32 weeks pregnant with her second child when she received her diagnosis. “I’m somebody that’s always eaten really healthy. I was running all the time at that point in my life, and I was just really surprised that this had happened to somebody like me, being someone who was really focused on ingredients [and], for the most part, what I ate, but not necessarily with what I put on my body.”
She continues, “When you’re going through a breast cancer diagnosis, you’re trying to figure out, ‘How do I get control back in my life?’ ”
Sarah Kelly and Leah Robert
To help other women — fellow cancer patients, yes, but also working moms with a lot on their plates — gain their own sense of control, Kelly and Robert, an oncology nurse, launched SaltyGirl in September 2017.
“You see more women trying to go the cleaner route, but they just can’t find that foundation that gives that good coverage, or that feels good on their skin,” Robert, 34, tells PEOPLE. “Even my patients, they’re like, ‘Oh, I want a good lipstick,’ and they truly love it. They feel good when they wear it, and we’ve gotten really good feedback from it.”
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SaltyGirl Beauty.Joshua Atticks
Because their target customer is a multi-tasker on the go, the sisters have kept their product line limited to the basics, but they have added a body scrub and are eyeing the addition of a cosmetic eye line for late 2020.
As business grows — SaltyGirl is currently available online and in 35 retailers nationwide — so does Kelly and Robert’s dedication to keeping their company focused on its mission of making women feel empowered and beautiful, no matter the circumstances.
SaltyGirl Beauty lip glosses.Sarah Kelly and Leah Robert
In that vein, the sisters recentlyunveiled a set of six lip glosses, with each one named after a “badass, kick-ass” woman who’s battled cancer, including 65-year-old Dotti, who died of breast cancer shortly after learning she’d won SaltyGirl’s “Lipstick Hero” naming contest.
They’re also gearing up to host aWarrior Revolution wellness retreatin their native Maine from Oct. 25-27, which will include special events for women with various cancer diagnoses, including sunrise yoga, cooking demos withBlue Apron, art therapy, and a visit from Dana Donofree ofAnaOno Intimateslingerie.
Leah Robert and Sarah Kelly.Heidi Kirn
And at the heart of it all liesFoundation4Love, the sister’s nonprofit dedicated to giving the families of cancer patients special experiences they can enjoy together, like Red Sox games or a girls’ weekend at a local resort.
So far, SaltyGirl has given these special moments to almost 50 families, all with the goal of helping them the chance to focus on something other than their cancer diagnosis.
“That’s really the mission behind SaltyGirl,” says Kelly. “It’s this product that’s empowering women to face the day, but then we also want to give back to adults that are going through cancer in general, and so that’s just a big part of our identity.”
source: people.com
