Sometimes We Build Things Because We Need Saving Too

There’s currently a 15% off LipSense sale happening.

And while most people probably see that as simply a makeup promotion…

I see the product that changed the direction of my life.

And that got me thinking about something bigger.

Neither of my businesses were created because life felt calm, easy or perfectly planned.

They were both built during seasons where I needed something for myself.

Something creative.
Something hopeful.
Something that reminded me I was still me.

And maybe that’s why I care so much about both of them.

Because I understand what it feels like to need an outlet.

To need purpose.

To need a small piece of yourself back.

Years ago, that looked like buttons.

My daughter was a baby.

She didn’t sleep much.
She had reflux.
And truthfully… neither of us were thriving.

There were days and nights when I sat outside her bedroom door while she cried herself to sleep and I cried too.

Motherhood felt very different to what I thought it would.

Beautiful? Yes.

But also isolating.

Exhausting. And very lonely at times.

At night, when my brain was too tired to focus on accounting work and I couldn’t trust myself to get numbers right, I started making fabric-covered buttons.

Something simple. Something creative. Something I could control.

Then came markets.

And while people may have seen a stall full of hair ties and accessories…

What I saw was two hours where I got to be an adult again.

I could talk to people. Laugh.

Be part of my community.

I could feel like myself again outside of motherhood.

Buttons by Brooke became far more than a hobby.

It helped pull me through a hard season.

Then years later, life got heavy again.

My husband was dealing with health issues.

I was stressed. Tired.

And if I’m being honest… I felt pretty flat in myself too.

I’d sit on the couch at night scrolling my phone long after everyone else had gone to bed.

And somehow I kept seeing Chantelle Patu pop up online wearing lipstick that stayed on all day.

That caught my attention immediately because long-lasting lipstick had always been a problem for me.

Nothing lasted and it disappeared leaving just my lip liner.

My water bottle wore it off. Meals wore it off. Life wore it off.

Then there was skincare.

I’d find products I liked in town… then suddenly they’d disappear.

Or they’d stop stocking them.

Or I’d have to start all over again with something new.

It was frustrating. I wanted consistency. I wanted products I could rely on.

And somehow what started as curiosity turned into Brooke’s Beaute Box.

Again… not because life was perfectly calm.

But because I needed something positive to focus on.

Something fun.

Something that made me feel good.

And yes… products that actually solved a problem for me.

And now?

Life still feels expensive.

Heavy at times. And very full.

We’re supporting kids. University costs are real.

Groceries feel ridiculous. Bills don’t stop arriving.

And like many families right now, we’re doing our best to stay ahead while wondering when things started costing so much.

So I walk. I write. I keep building.

I keep showing up.

Not because it’s always easy.

But because these things matter to me.

And maybe that’s why I’ll never treat my businesses like “just products.”

Because they’ve always represented something deeper.

Sometimes a button isn’t just a button.

Sometimes lipstick isn’t just lipstick.

Sometimes skincare isn’t just skincare.

Sometimes they’re small things that help someone feel like themselves again.

And honestly?

That matters now more than ever.