Interview | Sahara Lotti of Lashify
Sahara Lotti is not your typical beauty mogul. A USC film alumna with a background in acting and screenwriting, Lotti’s entry into the beauty industry was famously unconventional.
Back in the early 2000s, Lotti discovered the benefits of professional lash extensions but found the upkeep impossible and the at-home alternatives even worse. So she set out to create her own solution. The result was Lashify: a system that reshaped expectations around at-home lashes and architected an entirely new category within beauty.
We recently sat down with Sahara to discuss the instincts that built a beauty empire, the realities of starting from scratch, and what continues to shape her approach to innovation today.
What inspired you to create Lashify?
It’s a product I personally needed. I used to get permanent lash extensions, and they were so expensive and time-consuming to maintain. I kept wishing I could apply my own lash extensions, and I couldn’t find anything on the market that gave me the results I wanted. So I took a leap of faith and created Lashify. I thought that if I liked it, then others would too.
What product makes the best introduction to the brand?
The Control Kit — I wanted it to be really easy for people to get into the system, so I created a kit with everything you need to get started.
What has been the biggest challenge in launching Lashify?
Finding the right people to help me grow the business, no question. Being a founder and CEO is so different from being a CEO for hire. I didn’t go to business school; I learned everything as I went along. That meant I hired a lot of people who, in hindsight, didn’t have the experience necessary to help me operate and scale the business. Now that I have the right executive team in place, I let others do the hiring.
What has been the biggest highlight?
Connecting with my customers. Each person has helped us get to where we are today — I couldn’t do it without them! I have personal relationships with the earliest Lashify adopters; they supported me from the very beginning, and they’re still some of my biggest supporters.
What advice would you give to those wanting to launch their own beauty brand?
Do as much as you can yourself for as long as you possibly can, and don’t take on an investor too early on. Once you take on investors, you lose so much control of your business. I’m lucky to have grown the business without any outside investment to this very day. That’s how I’m able to always put my customers first.
What’s next for Lashify?
We have really exciting lip, eye, brow, and face products launching soon. We’re also incubating an innovative nail brand called NIBL — they’re click-on nail extensions. I discovered a young inventor named Hannah Bruno online last year; she’s the person who invented the whole system. I knew as soon as I found her that she was going to change the entire nail industry. It’s honestly a lot like Lashify, but for nails! Imagine being able to swap out your nail length, shape, and polish with a single click. People are going to freak out when they try them.
What does your daily beauty routine look like?
Honestly, it changes all the time based on what I’m currently obsessed with. I love low-maintenance, which is why I created Lashify. Waking up cute is always the goal.
What are three beauty products you can’t live without?
Lashify Control Kit, Lisa Eldridge Sculpt and Shade Lip Pencil in 1N Light Tawny, and Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in #55 In Love.
What’s the best beauty lesson you’ve learned?
Don’t overdo filler!
What person or brand would you love to collaborate with?
Apple. I’ve always loved how everything they design is aesthetic, high-tech, and functional. I live by the same principles when it comes to innovation at Lashify.
UK customers can find Lashify at Selfridges, while those in the US can shop the brand exclusively at lashify.com.