Meet Melissa Aguilar

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Aguilar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My story, passion, and love for the beauty industry was my entire thought process behind starting my business. How i came up with the name Melrose Cosmetics for my brand actually has a double meaning. My first name being Mel and my mothers being Rose is one. I wanted to honor my mother because of how much i look up to her. The second was all the inspiration I gathered from my beautiful city of Los Angeles and the culture of Melrose. I wanted my beauty brand to represent the diversity of the city and make inclusive products so everyone is included. The slogan for Melrose Cosmetics is be your own kind of beautiful. I believe true beauty comes from within and loving our authentic selves for who we are as individuals. If we all looked the same how boring would the world be that’s why there’s so much beauty in diversity. I also wanted to create clean products that I could be confident about sharing with my communities. All of Melrose cosmetics is cruelty free and consciously made with healthy ingredients.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always had a passion for the beauty industry which is why I decided to create my own line. Throughout the years I have been building business for a multitude of beauty brands that you see at Sephora and Ulta today and decided that it was my time to create products that I truly believe in and would like to share as my own. Having a background as a professional makeup artist gives me insight on products that are consumer friendly for professionals as well as content creators, moms on the go, and newbies to using beauty. All of my products are multifunctional and can be used on the eyes, cheeks, and lips. The color range ensures everyone has something complimentary to their skin tone from fair to deep. My mission is to always speak life and give back to our communities. I want to be remembered as someone in the beauty space who loved all, helped all and was able to build confidence for others from within.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Some of my favorite places to visit in LA is masa of echo park they have an amazing menu from their deep dish pizzas to their shrimp Alfredo definitely one of my faves. I also love Ggiata hands down my favorite chicken cesar salad wrap to get so refreshing to eat in the summertime. Cara restaurant is such a beautiful place to dine for the drinks and for the vibes it’s great for a quiet intimate night with your partner or a close friend. Also for a beach day Santa Monica pier is probably my fave so many fun places to stop by while you’re enjoying a beach day.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My journey in beauty began when I was very young graduating high school I landed my first job at Sephora. I met a beautiful individual by the name of Jennifer Samuels who I looked up to and was heavily influenced by. She is an amazing educator in beauty and has worked with huge names along the way. She was such a great role model for me and helped grow my confidence as I began to blossom and develop in the beauty industry. I will forever be grateful for how she has made such an impact on me.

Website: https://www.melrosecosmetics.shop/

Other: Tik Tok : MelrosecosmeticsLA

Image Credits
Charis Cheung
Mercy Huerta
Iván Muñoz