Giving Lip

Cosmetic developer fights sexual violence with makeup

BY Anne Davis AND Yvette Fernandez

her experience working for a nonprofit that helps sex trafficking victims, convinced her something more needed to be done. “As a mom of two daughters who are six and nine years old, it’s not okay for me to raise them in the world the way it is,” Hoover says.

Her primary concern was preventing the accidental ingestion of benzodiazepines, the most common class of drugs slipped into drinks. She and her husband embarked on a yearlong journey, resulting in Esoes Cosmetics’ smart Liquid Lipstick line, coming out in March. The lipstick, which comes in four colors bearing names such as It’s Not the Dress Nude and No Means No Red, contains two test strips that wearers that can pull out of the tube and use to see if their drink has been tampered with. Additionally, the lipstick tube features a Bluetooth-enabled button on its base that can be pushed to call 911, send a text message to a trusted contact, or make a loud noise — all customized via the Esoes app. Hoover says, “Most of us carry a cell phone and a lipstick on us, and I just thought: ‘What could a cell phone or a lipstick do? How could it help someone?’”

Elena Espinoza, interim director of advocacy for Signs of Hope, a local organization providing support to those affected by sexual violence, emphasizes that while defensive products such as the Esoes lipstick can be good first steps to protect victims, they shouldn’t be seen as shifting responsibility for sexual violence away from perpetrators. “We just want people to be aware that that if there’s a new product, learn how to use it appropriately. And understand that if it malfunctions or it gets taken away by the perpetrator and used against you, it is never the victim’s fault,” Espinoza says.

HEAR MORE about Esoes Cosmetics founder Joy Hoover on on KNPR’s State of Nevada

While Hoover emphasizes that her product is not going to prevent all sexual assaults, she considers it to be an empowering tool for victims. “We want to make it easy for survivors to know what’s going on with them, to have consent and agency over their decisions, and to have help if and when they need it,” she says. ✦

BUNGEE Use your body weight to careen along the ground, pushing against the rigged harness stretching from the ceiling for the ultimate resistance training. Pole Kisses, Bungee & Aerial Fitness, polekissesaerialfitness.com; Aerial Athletica, aerialathletica.com

BURLESQUE This art form is full of tantalizing tricks and titillating moves. Bonus: A rich cultural history and opportunity for creative costume design. Burlesque Hall of Fame, burlesquehall. com; Pole Fitness Studio, polefitnessstudio.com

HIGH WIRE High wire is the circus endeavor that teaches precision and balance on a tightrope — great for stabilizing ankle and knee joint muscles and improving focus. Trapeze Las Vegas, trapezelasvegas.com

HULA HOOP An inner child reconnection regimen, with hip-shaking, torso-twisting,

LYRA Suspended hoops encourage dancers to create shapes and move in unexpected ways. Las Vegas Circus Center, lasvegascircuscenter.com; Shine Alternative Fitness, shinealternativefitness. com; Aerial Athletica, aerialathletica.com

POLE DANCE The original club cardio, pole dance comes in a variety of styles and class types, available at several fitness centers around the Valley. Sunnys, sunnysvegas.com; Pole Fitness Studio, polefitnessstudio.com; Deja Vu Presents Crash Academy, crashacademylv.com; Pole Kisses, polekissesaerialfitness.com

CHINESE POLE The artistry that inspired modern pole dancing, this version uses a thicker pole, encouraging brute strength. (It can also be done fully clothed.) Las Vegas Circus Center, lasvegascircuscenter.com

SILKS Aerial arts looks all billowing grace — as dancers wrap colorful fabrics around their bodies to twist and fall with style — but requires strength and coordination. Aerial Fitness, aerial-fitness.net; Craft Motions, vagaro.com/ us02/craftmotionsinc; Shine Alternative Fitness, shinealternativefitness.com

TRAPEZE Great for core-building, but not for the faint of heart, trapeze classes will teach you to swing you through the air with power and precision. Trapeze Las Vegas, trapezelasvegas.com

TWERK Like jumping into a music video, this is a lower-body workout that redefines “booty shaking.” Millennium Dance Complex, mdclv.com; Pole Fitness Studio, polefitnessstudio.com; Sunnys, sunnysvegas.com

Child advocates are sounding the alarm about problems with Southern Nevada’s foster care system: Lack of funding, meager support from law enforcement, paltry pay for foster parents, and broad social stigma combine to create what Curtis Stuckey calls a tsunami of difficulties. Stuckey, who works for Eagle Quest, the state’s largest private foster care agency, is currently fostering six boys ages 10 to 17. He and his wife, Trina, estimate they’ve fostered hundreds of children with behavioral issues over the past decade. Stuckey sat down with Desert Companion to talk about what inspired him to start fostering, how he finds motivation to continue despite the challenges, and what can be done to fix Nevada’s broken system. (Note: These are his views, not those of Eagle Quest.)

You’ve been fostering kids on and off for 10 years. What made you want to start doing it?

I can’t think of anything more valuable than trying to make a difference and impact kids’ lives positively. Even though in a way in my heart, it’s pain, because I missed so much of my own kids’ childhood. So, it’s bittersweet. But it’s just what I felt like God put me here to do. I got my degree in criminal justice; I was going to be a probation officer. I did my internship, and I hated it. I fell into this as Plan B by accident. I’ve been good at it ever since.

You’ve cared for children with behavioral problems. How do you handle that?

I’m trying to teach (my foster kids) that you are normal kids with some issues who live in an alternative living arrangement right now. Trying to get that label of “foster kid” off you, because they might as well say “criminal” — that’s how society treats them … I want to be a preventer, educator, a role model — without saying anything.

It requires you to wear 1,000 different hats. You have to know what hat to wear when and be a selfless person. You’ve got to know (trouble) you’re receiving is not about you. And I get that. I’m just here. But when it’s quiet, I’m going to come, and I’m going to talk to you about how you treat me, because I don’t deserve that.

Having spent so many years both fostering and helping other people foster, what are some of the problems you’ve observed with the system?

You can’t pinpoint one thing. It’s not an apple; it’s more like an onion. It’s a lot of things that affect other things. I think the