Meet Camara Aunique Helps, celebrity makeup artist and founder of Camara AUnique Beauty, a faith-based lash brand. The line features faux-mink and cruelty-free lashes, tools, and accessories. Camara’s mission is to help women understand beauty as a whole and that it starts from the inside, within your soul. This is why she named each lash set after an iconic woman from the Bible. “We protect your sight, so you can focus on your vision,” she shares.
Learn more about Camara’s career journey and shop the lashes, which are handcrafted and made with the highest quality vegan ingredients, below.
When and why did you start your company?
“I started Camara AUnique Beauty on February 1 of 2019. I wanted to tap into the beauty industry. I’m a celebrity makeup artist, and I work with some of the most beautiful women in Hollywood: Ava DuVernay, Angela Bassett, Garcelle Beauvais, and so many others. I wanted the women who purchased my lash line to feel like they have a piece of the Camara AUnique experience at home with them. I also wanted to make sure women who are thriving from cancer treatments and alopecia to know they were remembered and thought about. I like to call my lash line ‘the thoughtful lash line.'”
What has your career path been like?
“My career has been truly a wonderful learning/humbling experience. I know what it feels like to be on top and working like crazy, and I know what it feels like to have no work or clients coming through. But I always picked up the pieces and followed what God called me to be.”
What’s the core mission of your brand?
“The core mission of my brand is to inspire people to step out and do what scares them. With so much that was against me when I started my lash line, especially my inner thoughts of what it took to be a beauty business founder, I didn’t think I was qualified, but I did it because it scared me. I want to inspire the people who wear my products to not only look and feel beautiful on the outside but to know there’s so much more to us achieving purpose and inspiring others along the way.”
What’s your favorite lash set you sell and why?
“Omg, all are my favorite, but I will say the Mary and Lisa lash are my top sellers with all women. I like when I wear them because I’m not going out with a full beat daily, but if I can pop on a lash to open up my eyes, those are always my go-to.”
What has surprised you the most since starting your company?
“That you truly have to trust the process. I would’ve never thought I would be the owner of an award-winning lash line, but God did. When setbacks came, I pushed through them so that I was able to fully enjoy each step! I remember I had my first pop-up shop at Soho House, and I forgot all of my mirrors, lol. I panicked, but the people I had around me helping me were truly a gift.”
What’s a lesson you’ve learned as a founder?
“Make God the CEO of your business. When you do that, it’s a release of stress and of a burden that tries to take away the joy of starting a business. When I allow God to handle things for me, I truly walk in peace when things go crazy, and any issue is always handled.”
What can we expect in the future for Camara AUnique Beauty?
“Wow, you can definitely expect some wonderful collaborations. I’m currently rebranding and in the talks to doing some really great things. I would love to see my lash line in Sephora, Ulta, Harrods, or Bloomingdale’s—so building it.”
