If you’re one of Lauren Curtis’s 1.2 million Instagram followers then you’ve probably been holding your breath for her big reveal, after the beauty influencer teased on Instagram that she had a new project coming. Enter: LOUNGEFACE, a beauty brand created by Curtis that promises reliable makeup products that live up to their claims. 

“LOUNGEFACE was born from a desire to create a beauty brand that kept things simple, yet undeniably effective,” explains Curtis, who started out as a beauty vlogger more than a decade ago and now also has a (very) healthy Instagram following, a hilarious TikTok account and a mental health podcast titled Mental Makeover. “LOUNGEFACE translates to makeup you feel comfortable using and wearing. It’s reliable, so you can relax,” she says.

The first product to hit counters is called LOUNGEFACE Lash, $29, a smudge-proof and vegan longwear mascara. It promises to help you get the incredibly voluminous lashes Curtis herself is known for. “I started my YouTube channel 10 years ago (almost to the day!), and while it was growing steadily for about a year, it wasn’t until I uploaded a video called ‘HOW TO GET MASSIVE LASHES!’ that my channel took off, seemingly overnight.”

“That video of my mascara routine went viral, and changed my life forever. Still to this day, the number one question people ask me is, ‘what mascara are you wearing?’. It’s my favourite beauty product, and the only one I wouldn’t want to live without. For that reason, it was a no-brainer for me to create a mascara, LOUNGEFACE Lash, as my first product.”

It might surprise you then to hear that Curtis has naturally blonde lashes—it’s her dedicated lash routine that helps them look so thick and curly. “Every few months I like to tint them with a blue/black lash tint kit at home. This instantly makes them appear thicker and longer,” she explains. 

As for her daily lash routine, she starts by curling her lashes. “Then, I’ll position the wand as close to the roots of my lashes as possible and gently wiggle it left and right as I pull upwards. To make my eyes appear more open and awake, I’ll make sure I’m applying LOUNGEFACE Lash in the same direction that my eyelashes naturally grow, for example, first 1/3 of my eye towards the beginning of my eyebrow, middle of my eye straight upwards and last third towards the end of my brow. I also like to apply one or two coats to the back of my lashes, as this adds extra length and thickness.”

Therein lies the mistake many of us make with our mascara application. “It might sound obvious, but a lot of people tend to apply it in one direction, which makes your lashes appear shorter than they actually are,” Curtis explains. 

To get the Curtis Effect you also need to comb and separate the lash as you go, otherwise you risk getting “clumps of product, lashes sticking together, and the dreaded clumpy-spidery look.” She adds: “Don’t get me wrong, I love spidery lashes, but there is definitely a line that once crossed, draws attention to your lashes for the wrong reasons! I’ll even use tweezers to separate stubborn lashes—it makes such a difference!”

LOUNGEFACE Lash is here to make the job far easier. “The LOUNGEFACE Lash wand also acts as a comb, which helps separate your lashes as you go, avoiding clumps and achieving a fanned-out lash look.”

With Curtis’s perfectly manicured brows coming in a close second in terms of makeup tricks we’d love to steal from her, we had to ask if a brow product is on the way! “Brow products are definitely something I’m interested in putting my own take on eventually. I’ve had my brows microbladed a few times now, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

Until then, Curtis recommends investing in a good liquid brow pen. “They never pull out my brow hairs like most crayons or pencils do, they’re very pigmented and they effortlessly mimic the look of natural brow hairs with simple strokes.” 

It’s all about finding products that enhance your natural features—LOUNGEFACE is here to do just that with none of the fuss. “Just because a new technique is trending, doesn’t mean that it will suit everyone,” Curtis insists. “Don’t worry about keeping up with the latest fads—if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

Just apply a bit of LOUNGEFACE and the job is done.