lenai butterfield

Lenai Butterfield grew up between two worlds — the church pew and the beauty counter — and spent years being told they were incompatible. She disagreed. Lipstick Digest is the publication she built from that disagreement.

Before founding Lipstick Digest, Lenai worked as a beauty editor and essayist, writing about the politics of appearance, the theology of self-care, and the particular freedom that comes from a woman who has decided she is done apologizing for how she looks. Her work has been described as "the rare beauty writing that actually has something to say."

She is a sought-after speaker on topics including beauty as cultural resistance, the intersection of faith and femininity, and the craft of personal essay. She brings the same directness to the stage that she brings to the page — no hedging, no softening, no apology.

Lenai is based in Glendale, California, and is available for interviews, keynotes, brand partnerships, and editorial collaborations. She answers her own email.