Karen Sarahi Gonzalez is a makeup enthusiast, beauty content creator, and entrepreneur who has spent her career teaching millions of people to see beauty as a form of self-expression. Known online as @iluvsarahii, she built one of the most recognized Latina-led beauty communities on Instagram and YouTube before channeling that passion into founding LYBRE Lashes — a brand born from her belief that everyone deserves to feel liberated through beauty.
Most beauty founders come from business. Karen comes from the chair. For over a decade she was the person her clients trusted to show up to events, weddings, red carpets, and ordinary Tuesdays — and make them feel like themselves, only more.That proximity to real people — real eye shapes, real insecurities, real lighting conditions — is something no focus group can replicate. She knows what makes a lash fall flat at hour six. She knows which band cuts into monolid eyes. She knows because she has seen it, fixed it, and obsessed over it for years. When Karen says a lash works for every eye, she means it. She has the receipts.
"My main goal with LYBRE is to help everyone feel beautiful, enhance their beauty, and make lashes feel approachable to all."
— Karen Sarahi Gonzalez, Founder of LYBRE
A letter from Karen
As a Mexican Latina, the word libre has a powerful meaning — it is deeply rooted in our culture, and it has always meant something personal to me.I feel my best when I wear makeup and lashes. I feel liberated and free. Growing up, some of my most cherished memories were the moments of getting ready with my mom — the rituals, the pride, the joy of it all. Beauty has always been my way of expressing who I am.
Naming my brand LYBRE was a deeply personal choice. I wanted to bring that feeling of freedom to everyone who puts on a pair.
As a freelance makeup artist, I spent years customizing lashes for my clients — trimming strips, adding individual pieces, reshaping styles to complement different eyes and aesthetics. I noticed the gap: lashes were either too natural or too dramatic, and people who didn't wear a lot of makeup every day felt like the bold options weren't for them.
I designed LYBRE to fill that space. Soft enough to wear with confidence on a Tuesday. Beautiful enough to carry a full glam look on a Saturday night. Lashes for every version of you — because you have more than one.I designed every style to work across different eye shapes, and made sure the entire line stays under $20 with cruelty-free Faux Mink — because accessible beauty isn't a compromise. It's the whole point.
XO,Karen
LYBRE means 'free' or 'liberating'
In Spanish, libre means free. For the Latin community, it carries weight — a word tied to identity, culture, and the feeling of being fully, unapologetically yourself.
