Melissa Butler, founder and CEO of The Lip Bar cosmetics company started the brand from her kitchen while working in New York City in the financial industry.

I have had the pleasure of watching this entrepreneur’s story grow and seeing the brand expand over the years. I was first introduced to the brand on Twitter.

Originally, the brand sold about five lipsticks or so, all named after drinks-like cosmo, for instance. Cosmo is a beautiful red. I recall thinking about how different this brand was-I particularly liked what what the brand stood for and the packing was nice too. The Lip Bar started out by providing completely vegan lipsticks at a price point of $20. While there were other brands out there that were health conscious and earth conscious, I must admit that I wasn’t always impressed. For one, the pigment was not that great. In fact, it was waning and caused me to look elsewhere for product.

One day, Melissa went on the show Shark Tank. I didn’t get to see the show but I was able to see a recap. The show was very popular at the time and fit the entreprenurial wave that America was experiencing. With the rise of social media and technological advancements, it was easier than ever to become a successful entrepreneur. It was the first time brands could really directly engage with a large group of consumers in a more organic environment, really shifting and shaping the perspective of potential buyers. To Melissa’s advantage, her brand was doing this all the time and Shark Tank would be a catalyst to get her brand to a even larger audience and into mainstream.

The cast of Shark Tank couldn’t grasp the vision and they turned her down. My gut told me that this was just a stepping stone. So, I remember shortly after her television experience, she had a sale blitz. It was my first purchase and I think I bought at least five lipsticks. To say that I am a fan is an understatement! This stuff is awesome! It quickly became a go-to brand for me and I always tell clients about it.

There are so many things to love about this brand. Besides it being vegan, The Lip Bar delivers! The product payoff is phenomenal. The price point is at about $13 for lipsticks. The brand continues to grow and has now added a line of full-face products so that women on the go can confidently start their day with a complete face of makeup in under 10 minutes! That’s pretty impressive-especially coming from someone who is not an artist. She is a total visionary though and she knew how to seek out those who could help her carry out her vision of an all inclusive brand that is changing the beauty standard.

While she was not chosen on the show, she took that opportunity to build her brand into a multi-millionaire dollar beauty empire that continues to grow by the second. Keep inspiring us, Melissa! I can’t wait to see what you do next.

In honor of its 8th birthday, The Lip Bar has every product on sale today. Click here to go to the website.