A US-based beauty brand has raised $100,000 (£75,312) for migrant families affected by the Trump administration’s strict immigration policies.
Lipslut launched its “F*** Trump” lipstick shade in March 2017, two months after the President’s inauguration, and has been donating 50 per cent of the product’s profits to pro-immigrant organisations for two weeks under its “Fight Zero Tolerance” campaign.
21-year-old Katie Sones founded the brand shortly after the presidential election in 2016 when she was still a student at California Polytechnic State University.
Proceeds from the matte blush lip shade have benefited several charities dedicated to supporting asylum-seeking families who have been separated at the Mexico border under the US government’s controversial “zero tolerance policy”; these include KIND, RAICES and Al Otro Lado.
Despite Trump signing an executive order to end family separations at the border in June, migrant parents detained under the policy say they are struggling to find their children.
"Lipslut began as a conversation between my friends and I while watching Trump’s inauguration," Sones tells The Independent.
"Though we were sitting on the floor of a dorm room 3,000 miles from D.C., rumours of shutdowns and de-funding forced us into action."
The "F*** Trump" lipstick, which also happens to be vegan and has since become the brand's hero product, has been incredibly popular since its advent and has been backordered all month.
"Lipslut continues to surprise me with its popularity—we tend to sell out rather quickly every time we launch something new," Sones adds.
"I am so proud to see a global community forming of those who, in the face of injustice, take action."
The current campaign runs until July 19, with each lipstick costing $20 (£15).
The versatile shade for the "F*** Trump" lipstick was chosen after Sones put out a poll on social media, asking what sort of hue her followers would like.
Stones’ successful integration of philanthropy and beauty also made headlines in January 2018, when Lipslut responded to the #MeToo movement by releasing a “F*** Hollywood” lipstick.
The scarlet shade is still available to purchase online and 50 per cent of all proceeds are donated to anti-sexual assault organisations.
Though the products are currently only available in the US - "we've been flooded with emails in every language you can imagine requesting international shipping" - Sones hopes to grow Lipslut into an international beauty brand fighting social injustice, one peachy pout at a time.
