Collage of three photos of a woman with brown hair and glasses, in a hospital setting and bed, with the text 'Not the Highlight Reel' in cursive.

I didn't set out to build a skincare brand. I was just trying to survive my own body.

Chronic illness stripped everything down — routines, rituals, even creature comforts. What touched my skin had to be effective. Reliable. Gentle.

This brand started there. In recovery rooms and everyday struggles. In self-deprecating jokes about being a "lemon," pretending lipstick counted as control — and in learning what actually supports skin when your body is under siege.

A quote about healing and purpose with a black-and-white photo of a woman with long hair in the top center, Pink and white geometric background, black quotation marks, and the quote attributed to Shannon Howard, founder of Gladiateur Beauty.

My medical battles began during a complicated pregnancy with my second son.

After six months of testing — later confirmed by a field trip to Mayo Clinic — I finally had a diagnosis: IgA nephropathy with secondary FSGS.

It was a mouthful that explained everything, and yet nothing at all.

Over the years, I’ve endured twelve major surgeries — the “dirty dozen” — along with more hospital visits, procedures, ER runs, recoveries, and relapses than I can count.

And yet, I still put moisturizer and makeup on. Even during extended hospital stays.

It wasn’t vanity. It was armor. A stubborn refusal to disappear.

For a long time, denial worked. I had purpose. A trajectory. I raised two boys. Finished a second degree. Entered a PhD program. Kept working.

But my kidneys had their own trajectory.
Down.

Eventually, denial and willpower weren’t enough. I grew so weak I genuinely thought I was dying.

A woman with blonde hair, wearing a beige knit beanie, dark lipstick, and makeup, smiling while sitting on sand at the beach. She is dressed in a dark green jacket and blue jeans, with a background of grass, sand, and trees. There is a quote box at the bottom that says, "Skincare became survival. Makeup became identity. Ritual became resilience."

In the years before the transplant, I spent countless hours searching for products that wouldn't irritate my skin — or at least make it look radiant despite everything it was going through. I tried everything: dermatologist-recommended, organic, "clean," indie, pharmaceutical-grade. Some helped. None were perfect. Too many hid behind greenwashing and marketing spin.

So I started researching. Formulating. Testing. Tweaking. Learning everything I could about clean ingredients, interactions, skin behavior, and sensitive-skin barriers. I shared test batches with friends and family. They raved. It mattered. And slowly, it became clear: This wasn't just healing.

This was a purpose.

On July 1st, 2025, I received my kidney transplant — a rebirth made possible by a former stranger, now a friend. With that new life came clarity.

I wanted to build a brand that reflected the full truth of who I am: A warrior and a softy. Pragmatic, but compassionate. A woman who accepts her flaws — but chooses to lead with her strengths.

Gladiateur Beauty™ was born from that duality. From the belief that even when you don't feel good, you still deserve to feel good about yourself.

Soft on skin. Savage on standards.

Behind The Shield