How a Peel-Off Lip Liner Led One Alumna to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 List

If you don't already recognize her for her brand's viral lip liner, you might recognize Cheung as a short-form beauty content pioneer. For the past decade, she's been creating content on YouTube for nearly a million subscribers. Five years ago, she founded her own beauty brand, Sacheu, with the launch of two stainless steel skin care tools, a facial roller and a gua sha. At the end of 2025, Cheung was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list in retail and e-commerce.

Cheung didn't take the path of a "typical" entrepreneur. She studied philosophy at UT and spent much of her time on the debate team, which she credits for helping build her confidence and the ability to express herself better.

While at UT, Cheung also began posting makeup "get ready with me" videos on YouTube and started building an audience of viewers who loved her openness, admired her love for learning, and tuned in to ask questions about college life and her favorite beauty products.

"I was a huge tomboy when I was younger, and I picked up my first MAC lip eyeliner when I was 15. I put it on, and I just felt like a woman. I've chased that ever since," said Cheung. "During my time as a student, I would put on makeup just to play around with it. I would put it on at night and not have anywhere to go, but just play with it, because I love the artistry of makeup."

After graduating in 2018, Cheung decided to pursue content creation full time and two years later founded Sacheu. A large part of her know-how came from leveraging her years of experience being her own brand in all aspects of the company, from designing the original logo to running her own photoshoots. The rest she learned along the way.

"Being a content creator, you have to come up with creative concepts. You have to learn all the production side of things - lighting, camera work, how to keep people engaged, how to use the algorithm and how to negotiate brand deals," said Cheung. "You have to wear many hats, and it's the same thing when you start a business."

In 2022, Cheung was in the early stages of building her brand and was still creating beauty content full time when she went viral for using a peel-off "tattoo" brow tint as a lip liner. Her original video garnered over a million views in 24 hours and has since been re-created by thousands of other beauty influencers and makeup enthusiasts online. With features on "Good Morning America" and in New York Magazine, Cheung's innovation wasn't just a big deal in the beauty industry; it was worldwide.

The brow tint worked surprisingly well as a lip liner, but brow tints aren't meant to be used as lip products and can cause dryness or skin sensitivity. As a self-described "product nerd," Cheung saw an opportunity, and Sacheu's "lip liner stay-n" was born.