Pioneers in professional CBD wellness since 2015
It Takes a Village to Pioneer a Revolution
Whether you’ve known us as Color Up Therapeutics, Color Up CBD, VXN LAB, VXN Wellness or VXN Den—it’s still us. Still the same mission. Still the same heart, soul, and products you've known and loved.
Our brand is made up of the pioneers, leaders, and innovators of the cannabis reform movement–who are also spa and wellness professionals–our niche in the broader cannabis revolution. And every step of the way, we are inspired and shaped by these legendary leaders.
What Does It Mean to "Color Up"?
Shauna Blanch, LMT, RYT, Co-founder & Co-owner
Shauna Blanch is the co-founder and co-owner of Color Up, a Colorado-born cannabinoid skincare and wellness company built around professional education, practitioner trust, and uncompromising integrity. After more than a decade in national and pharmaceutical sales, she left the industry during the opioid crisis and moved to Colorado to pursue a more compassionate approach to health and healing. The cancer diagnosis of her bulldog, Kali, became the catalyst for Color Up, which Shauna co-founded in 2015.
Since then, she has helped grow Color Up from grassroots formulations into a professional skincare brand, licensed-lab operation, education platform, and nationwide community of estheticians, massage therapists, spa owners, and wellness practitioners. Through ownership changes, a temporary rebrand, and a complete operational rebuild, Shauna kept the company moving forward and led its return to the Color Up name in 2026.
Her work remains grounded in the principles she learned growing up in a family business: do the hard work, stand by your people, take responsibility for your choices, and fight for what matters.
Amber Lanzaderas White-Benzel, B.Sc., Co-owner
Amber White-Benzel is a first-generation Filipino American from Denver, Colorado with a lifelong passion for wellness, plants, and spirituality. Her journey began in 2018 as a lab assistant at Color Up while completing her B.S. in Biology and Philosophy at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Over the years, she grew into leadership roles and, in 2025, became one of the co-owners of Color Up.
Living with an anxiety disorder inspired Amber’s mission to create intentional, plant-based skincare and to mentor women—especially those who have experienced trauma or debilitating anxiety—showing that healing and leadership are possible. She continues to bring compassion, creativity, and care into every part of her work, blending scientific precision with a holistic approach to wellness.
Ellen Blanch + Phil Blanch
Though Ellen and Phil Blanch live across the country, their voices have been part of Color Up since the beginning. As Shauna’s parents, they helped shape the values that still guide this company today: do what is right, stand by your people, take responsibility, keep your word, and move with integrity even when the path is harder. Those principles became part of Color Up long before they were written into a mission statement.
Phil brings the perspective of a lifelong attorney whose career in New Jersey spanned decades of client advocacy, documentation, negotiation, and practical problem-solving. His background taught Shauna the importance of preparation, accountability, and standing firm when something matters. His influence can be felt in the way Color Up approaches business: with diligence, directness, and respect for the people who trust us.
Ellen brings the steady, human-centered presence that keeps relationships intact. With years of experience supporting a professional office, caring for clients, managing details, and helping people feel heard, she understands that customer care is not just answering a phone or replying to an email. It is listening carefully, following through, and treating every person like they matter.
Over the years, Ellen and Phil have supported Color Up through startup chaos, growth, hard transitions, and the long road back to our original name and identity. They have offered guidance, perspective, operational support, and belief in the mission when it mattered most. Their role at Color Up is not symbolic. It is foundational. Ellen and Phil represent the family values beneath the brand: integrity, service, resilience, and the belief that a company is only as strong as the care it gives to the people who helped build it.
Brigitte Ownsby
Brigitte's belief in plant-medicine is not just a profession but a way of life. A devout believer in plant-medicine throughout her life, she infuses her passion into everything she does. Her positivity and contributions in the lab make her an invaluable and beloved member of our team. She has a green thumb, growing her own cannabis, mushrooms and other herbs to share with the community, and her homemade bread and baked treats are more than just food; they're expressions of the care and love she offers to our team every day. She is the embodiment of the nurturing spirit we stand for, and she never misses an opportunity to remind us all how fortunate we are to be doing this work. She’s Marrana’s mom, house momma to all of us, and a motherly reminder of how mother earth should be honored and cared for every day.
