Today we’d like to introduce you to Selena Lopez.
Selena, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story as a make up lover begins as early as I can remember. Being named after the iconic “Queen of Tejano Music” Selena Quintanilla-Perez played an important role. Outside of her beautiful voice she was known for her dazzling style and iconic red lips aka makeup! As a first generation Mexican-American I grew up mesmerized. By the time I was a preteen I was “borrowing” what little makeup my mother had. Around middle school I would do fashion shows with my sister and cousin, do my makeup, and have fun little photoshoots with a toy camera. When I was in 8th grade I had my first ever thought of wanting to have my own makeup brand. At that time it seemed like an impossible fantasy or dream. Fast forward to 2019, about 10 years later it became a reality. I founded and launched “Niña Fresa Cosmetics🍓” in June of that year. I adopted strawberries as our special branding due to the translation of our name being “strawberry girl”. It was important to me to build something authentic and representative of my personal cultural identity. This led to finding inspiration in the iconic term “Niña Fresa” due to its significance and being coined in Mexico. Think “girly girl”, “boujee”, or “valley girl” vibes but this was the Mexican equivalent. The craziest part was the juxtaposition between the meaning and humble beginnings of my brand. I launched with a less than $200 budget only eyelashes in 4 styles having very limited quantities (which I named “nena”, “princesa”, “reina”, and “niña fresa” inspired by the chorus of a song named La Niña Fresa by Banda Zeta. I got to meet them in person thanks to my brand). I added “cosmetics” to our name, because even though I was only starting with a single product I knew one day I’d have an entire collection of products. Here we are 7 years later with countless hours of dedication, patience, research, resilience, and no prior experience in the industry. As of 2026, we now carry almost a full collection of cosmetic products needed to do an entire face. Every single person I work with as a makeup artist wears a full face of our products. Niña Fresa Cosmetics through my artistry has worked 30+ fashion shows, 5 pageant franchises including Latina, Black, and Filipino titles, traveled across Oregon/Washington/California/Nevada/Florida, and crowned our first ever “Miss Niña Fresa” as part of Miss Philippines Northwest USA headed off to Miss Universe Philippines 2027.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As a first generation brand founder it’s been anything but a smooth road. As a first gen that means I had no one to ask for advice. Everything has been a first and built from the literal ground up. I’ve had to teach myself and learn on the fly as they say. Spending precious time researching into the industry. Personally testing products and taking months to years to officially launch from start to finish due to limited resources. Trial and error being my best friends through the process. My biggest obstacle was my social anxiety which I did not have the luxury of paying mind to. As the founder and CEO I wear every hat to operate my brand from marketing, product development, promotion, etc. Being afraid to be seen or heard proved to be my biggest set back for the longest. Through my own “exposure therapy” I have learned to get past the hindrance of social anxiety, because it became clear no one but me was responsible to fight for this dream of mine. Every achievement has been earned through sacrifice, hard work, and persistent commitment towards a vision from the future. A vision where my brand is internationally existent and provides accessibility of our products for every “Niña Fresa” in the world. My goal being to one day be in a position to help others through sharing my resources acquired through my brand.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
First and foremost I’m a creative and artist. It is due to these qualities that I was able to create my own cosmetics brand. It’s also the reason I am doing what I love expressing myself creatively as a makeup artist. From makeup being a childhood dream of mine. To present day getting to make people feel even more confident and beautiful while using my own brands products to do so. I’d say I’m living the dream literally. My heart has never been more happy than now getting to play “Barbie’s” in real life. I specialize in runway/fashion shows, pageantry, and professional photography makeup. Which includes styles of every kind like editorial, bridal, stage, creative, etc. I’m known for coordinating hair and makeup teams for various spaces including fashion shows and pageants. I am most proud of being an inclusive brand and artist who’s worked hard to be able to provide services to ALL people. Often times, melanated people are overlooked within the makeup industry. It was important to me I could cater to them and provide products they could use. I’d say what sets me apart is I love studying how to adapt my craft to each person, occasion, or setting. Makeup may seem simple, but there’s so many factors to consider when designing a look for each person. Additionally I also am a self taught hair artist able to style quinceañeras, brides, and models. I also discovered I was able to curate, creatively direct, produce, and execute collaborative projects on small or large scale. From editorial to just for fun I’ve had the honor and opportunity to create art with many creatives.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Be delusionally positive. As long as it’s not detrimental to others. As a Latina woman my culture is built on resilience. We are a people who have overcome a plethora of challenges, barriers, and difficult situations. It is engraved in us to push past any negative experiences. This doesn’t mean we are automatically “optimistic”. It often times means we expect the worst and hope for the best. What I mean by being delusionally positive is to hope for the best without considering the worst at all. As long as we are here alive and still breathing we can get past any circumstance. Therefore, applying the knowledge of being capable of resiliency means no matter what we will persevere. So we lose absolutely nothing by relentlessly imagining positive outcomes. There’s nothing wrong with having big dreams and believing that they’re possible. Life eventually comes to an end for everyone. It’s better to have at least tried and failed instead of wondering what if. So be deliberately delusionally positive, because you never know if while you’re aiming for the moon you’ll land on a star.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ninafresacosmetics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninafresacosmetics
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ninafresacosmetics
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/k6EZnWguvi0?is=nFdmOh_jpxsy7wCQ
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcV8fE2S8Pi/?stkn=cDIzYmxxaGtmZ2s=
