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Michelle Coyle wants to make you beautiful and informed.

D.C. makeup line launches for charity

It’s true: You can have brains and beauty.

I chatted with Michelle Coyle—both genius and gorgeous—who officially launches her D.C. line of makeup at a très chic party on Thursday. Not only is the lip-gloss amazing  (I wear “Keep It Professional”), but 50 percent of the proceeds from Haughty Cosmetics go toward ending domestic violence.

Intrigued? So was I.

Coyle, 29, brings experience working with nonprofits and a strong business background to the fun and sassy makeup line, which hawks 10 shades of lip-gloss for sale. Coyle assures me that fans of the all-natural line will see more by the end of the year, including eye shadows, mascara and a line of makeup brushes.

“We’re hoping to release one thing each quarter,” she says, adding, “We don’t release it until it’s perfect.”

So far, Coyle has partnered with D.C.-based Becky’s Fund, which focuses on raising domestic violence awareness and education, L.A.-based Break the Cycle and New York/Canada-based Leave Out Violence.

Coyle, who has a personal experience with domestic violence, stresses that the issue is more common than society believes.

“Yes, I have experience with it, and one in four women have experience with it,” she says. “It’s something that touches people at all socio and economic levels, but it’s something that’s portrayed in certain segments, and I don’t think that’s fair. It’s actually a serious problem for everybody.”

So is makeup really the best way to raise awareness?

“I think a lot of times in society there’s such a dichotomy between brains and beauty,” Coyle explains. “If you’re somebody who is into makeup and looking pretty, then you must be stupid and vapid and shallow, and that’s just not true.”

The luxury brand catches the eye, with almost jewel-like attributes and a distinctly refined script, and Coyle says that’s exactly the look she’s going for. This is “something pretty and cute and frivolous, but when you turn over the packaging you say to yourself, this goes to domestic violence prevention. It really makes people stop and think.”

There’s no mistake about the double entendre in the name, by the way. Coyle explains, “It literally does mean arrogant or proud, and that’s the type of feeling that we want to evoke. This whole idea of respecting yourself and holding your head high and realizing that you’re beautiful and valuable and you can’t be taken advantage of and hurt.”

Want to help her cause? RSVP to the official launch party, which is Thursday evening at Hudson Restaurant. The event benefits Becky’s Fund, and I have it on good authority that the swag bags and drink specials (named after the lip gloss shades, naturally) are worth marking your calendar for. 

Tickets, $40; register on BeckysFunds.org. To buy your own cheeky-named lip-glosses, check out the just-launched website of Haughty Cosmetics.

Chloe Thompson is the assistant editor at Washington Flyer. Send her your comments and retail tips at cthompson@tmgcustommedia.com and follow her on Twitter @ShoppingSavant.