“Selena’s talent and beauty, inside and out have left a colorful, meaningful impact in the world that has continued to grow over the last two decades. James Gager, the Senior Vice President of MAC released a statement, in honor of the late singer’s fans that’ve been going hard to get their idol a well-deserved set of lipsticks and highlighters. With the exhilarating announcement that MAC Cosmetics, after months of fans campaigning for her own capsule collection, on July 16, that in 2016, the long-awaited, limited edition, Selena makeup line would be available, “Salinas” got their wish! The response was immediate and excited as social media shared the straightforward first ad that read “M.A.C. Beyoncé, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga have seemingly followed in her footsteps. Tumblr will provide you with plenty of proofs that Selena did it first. She was the new era of Tejano in the age of West Coast grunge, New York dance and hip-hop and it showed in her style! There were beautiful Tejanos before her, but Selena offered us fashion and makeup that were instantly recognizable as hers and inspiring to our own wardrobe. The hairstyles were also a nod to her era, as she loved herself a half-up, half-dow ponytail ‘do. And of course they were those glittery, cropped bustiers and bodysuits she delivered on stage when she was living for show business.
Her look was either James Dean cool in just jeans and a t-shirt, basics accented with leather or florals (it was all about daisies back then), big dangling or hoop earrings. She was a ’90s twenty-something her last years with us (before her untimely death in 1995).
What also added to the legend of Selena were her clothing choices. And was her iconic go-to before other pop stars, of the American music realm, like Gwen Stefani would also adopt red lipstick as their holy grail. I know in writing, all of that didn’t necessarily read as “simple”, but the visuals of it were! What stood out the most were her big, awesome lips (and smile!) in red.Įpitomizing effortless sex appeal, the “Selena” look was cognate to old Hollywood glam. And when it came to her nails, they were often polished a Gentlemen Prefer Blondes red varnish. She embodied the matte face makeup of the time too. By the time she and her family led band, Selena y Los Dinos, arrived on the Tejano music scene in 1990, her “look” was solidified even if the Texas-born, Mexican descent beauty didn’t know it! Strong, dark eyebrows (sometimes Marlene Dietrich style), top eyelids lined in black but not finished in cat-eye, and lips impeccably lined and painted in pure red, Selena was a Tejano rock star! Sometimes, the singer also wore a lilac wash or sandy brown version of a smoky eye (she wore the former when she accepted her Grammy Award in 1994) and a soft contour on the cheeks. Selena Quintanilla-Perez‘s makeup game was simple yet so fierce.