After 30 years spent painting some of the world’s most recognisable faces, celebrity makeup artist Cassie Lomas knows exactly what makes great makeup. From Lady Gaga and Twiggy to Rita Ora, Perrie Edwards and Coleen Rooney, her career has taken her behind the scenes of red carpets, music videos and major campaigns. Yet it wasn’t only the famous faces in her chair that inspired her next chapter. It was the thousands of everyday women who told her they owned plenty of makeup but had little idea what to do with it.
Now, Lomas is distilling three decades of beauty expertise into CASSIE, her new vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand built around one refreshingly simple philosophy: women don’t need more makeup; they need better makeup.
“It wasn’t one single moment, it was years of carrying suitcases full of makeup around the world and only ever using a handful of products,” Lomas tells ARCADIA. “I was constantly mixing my own foundations and creating my own textures and colours on set.”
Clients inevitably wanted to know which products she had used, only to discover that the perfect shade or finish wasn’t something they could simply buy. It was often a bespoke concoction Lomas had created by combining several different formulas.
“On set, I’d spend so much time layering different textures to create a look, but doing this for women at home was impossible. They wanted a shortcut to create the looks they see in magazines on themselves at home, in minutes.”
Why Cassie Lomas Believes Women Need Less Makeup
The contradiction became increasingly apparent through Lomas’ work as a makeup educator. Women were buying more beauty products than ever, yet many felt less confident about using them.
“What surprised me most was how many women owned bags full of makeup but didn’t feel confident using any of it,” she says. “They felt overwhelmed, handed me their makeup bags that they didn’t know what to do with and wanted me to give them back a few things that create a simple routine.”
It ultimately led Lomas to reconsider what launching a beauty brand should mean.
“I realised what I wanted to create wasn’t another beauty brand. It was a different way of thinking about beauty.”
For Lomas, part of the problem lies in an industry that has spent years encouraging consumers to chase the next launch, trend or increasingly complicated routine.
“The beauty industry has convinced us that we constantly need more. More products, more steps and more trends to keep up with. Before you know it, your makeup bag is overflowing and getting ready feels overwhelming instead of enjoyable.”
Her answer is makeup designed to work harder. CASSIE launches with just three carefully considered products rather than the sprawling collections typical of a new beauty brand.
“I’ve created products that I hope people can still reach for five years from now. No gimmicks, just formulas that are effortless and timeless and perform well.”
Inside the CASSIE Makeup Collection
The debut CASSIE collection consists of multitasking essentials designed to create an entire makeup look with fewer products.
I AM ENOUGH Face Makeup, £33, is the hero of the collection: a one-step skin enhancer designed to smooth, illuminate, perfect and warm the complexion. Available in nine shades and housed in a refillable compact, it embodies Lomas’ approach to simplifying the traditional beauty routine.
WE ARE ONE Colour Wand, £25, is a multi-use colour designed for the eyes, lips and cheeks. Available in Baby Pink, Rose Glow, Peach Nude, Coral Glow and Bronze Glow, it eliminates the need for separate products while creating a cohesive wash of colour across the face.
Completing the debut collection is ALL I NEED Brush Set & Clutch Bag, £50, featuring three brushes with five brush heads capable of creating a complete look. The sleek case can then be transformed into an evening clutch.
Launching with such a tightly edited collection was not a difficult decision for Lomas.
“Launching with lots of products just isn’t what CASSIE is about,” she explains. “Everything I’ve learnt over the last 30 years has gone into CASSIE. I’ve always believed it’s about having the right ones. Every product has to have a purpose and work in multiple ways.”
The range will evolve, but Lomas is determined that expansion should be driven by genuine need rather than the relentless demand for newness.
“Using fewer products brilliantly creates more space in your mornings, less clutter in your makeup bag and more confidence in your routine.”
From Lady Gaga and Twiggy to Everyday Women
Working with celebrities taught Lomas about much more than technique.
“How you feel has everything to do with how you think you look,” she explains. “I like to create a feeling of calm with my clients, so they’re ready to go out and face the world feeling confident.”
Teaching makeup to everyday women, meanwhile, revealed how intimidating beauty had become.
“Everyone has habits they’ve picked up from their mum, sister or friends, and they buy the latest beauty releases, but it may not have been right for them. They were looking for less to think about and a formula that works.”
The difference between professional makeup artistry and the realities of a weekday morning was also impossible to ignore.
“On set we have time, perfect lighting and a whole team creating the final look. Real life isn’t like that. Women are juggling work, children and busy mornings. They want to feel like the best version of themselves without spending forty minutes getting ready.”
It is this understanding of real life that sits at the heart of CASSIE.
Why ‘I AM ENOUGH’ Is More Than a Makeup Name
Perhaps the clearest expression of Lomas’ philosophy is found in the name of her hero product.
In an industry historically adept at identifying flaws and then selling solutions to correct them, calling a beauty product I AM ENOUGH feels deliberately different.
“I believe your mindset has so much power, and starting your day positively, feeling calm and confident can definitely define how your day goes,” she says.
“The name is that sprinkle of positivity before they even open it. I wanted it to be empowering and bring wellness and beauty together.”
There is also a clever dual meaning.
“The product name says this one little compact is enough to do your face makeup. Then women walk out the door knowing and feeling that they are enough, without all the noise.”
A New Definition of Natural Beauty
Natural makeup has been a signature of Lomas’ work throughout her career, but her understanding of the term has evolved considerably.
“Natural makeup used to mean looking like you weren’t wearing makeup. Today, I think natural makeup means looking like yourself.”
That might involve barely-there coverage for one woman and considerably more makeup for another. What matters to Lomas is preserving individuality rather than pursuing a prescribed aesthetic.
“For me, natural beauty might be showing your freckles, enhancing your natural radiance or adding a pop of colour that makes your eyes stand out.”
CASSIE’s formulas have consequently been created to melt into the skin and remain buildable, allowing the wearer rather than the product to determine the finished look.
“I like makeup that enhances your features, so you can look like a polished version of yourself.”
It’s a particularly relevant philosophy in an era dominated by filters, tutorials and constantly changing social media beauty trends. Instead of providing another face to emulate, Lomas wants women to become more comfortable with their own.
Mindful Beauty and Buying Less
The less-is-more philosophy extends beyond makeup application to the environmental impact of beauty consumption.
After decades working within the industry, Lomas had seen its excess first-hand.
“I’d spent years receiving endless PR packages and throwing away so much unnecessary packaging. I hate waste.”
Refillable compacts, generous quantities and multifunctional formulas therefore became fundamental to the development of CASSIE.
“I love a multitasking product that can replace three or four others. It creates time and space in your routine and is better for your wallet and the environment.”
For a founder launching a business, encouraging customers to purchase less might sound counterintuitive. Lomas sees it differently.
“I’ve never wanted CASSIE to encourage unnecessary buying. I’d much rather create products that people genuinely love, are affordable and can be used every single day.”
The Future of CASSIE Beauty
Ultimately, Lomas isn’t hoping that women experience excitement or transformation when they open their makeup bags each morning. Her ambition is considerably quieter.
“I hope they feel calm and happy,” she says. “That might sound like an unusual answer for a beauty brand, but that’s genuinely what I want.”
She sees getting ready as something capable of becoming a small daily ritual rather than another obligation squeezed into an already overloaded morning.
“Beauty and wellbeing go hand in hand. CASSIE is mindful beauty, from the ingredients and refillable packaging to the product names, formulas and carefully considered shades. Every detail is there to make beauty feel uncomplicated.”
After three decades of watching trends appear, disappear and inevitably return again, Cassie Lomas is betting on something more enduring: great products, fewer decisions and the confidence that comes from looking recognisably like yourself.
“Long term, I want CASSIE to change the mindset that we always need more,” she says. “I want women to trust that every product has a purpose, every name instils your worth and every morning they’re reminded that they are enough.”
For an industry built on the promise of the next new thing, perhaps the most radical proposition of all is discovering that what you already have — and who you already are — might just be enough.
