Conversations with the Inspiring Estefania De La Torre

Today we’d like to introduce you to Estefania De La Torre.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Estefania. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As every girl turning fifteen in a Latinx household, I had my quinceañera — a symbol of my becoming a woman. I’ll never forget the feeling of being in a full face of makeup and feeling like a shining star. Soon after, I slowly started playing around with makeup and would never leave the house without black eyeliner on my lower waterline. When I was sixteen, I started applying a simple ‘wing’ with my liquid eyeliner (until I look back at the pictures and realized it was not a ‘simple wing’), and I then added foundation, mascara, and my favorite part eyeshadow! I always wanted to share my work with people because as I practiced and progressed, a lot of the people around me would constantly give me uplifting remarks. I began creating content for Instagram and slowly started uploading tutorials on YouTube.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think one of the biggest obstacles that I have overcome is my internal struggles, there’s always a voice in the back of my head that told me that I wasn’t good enough or didn’t fit the ‘mold’ that was built for women in our society. Another thing that would really set me back was the support system I found in the friendships I surrounded myself with. Some of them didn’t the have substance allowed for growth. One of the biggest things I’ve learned from these experiences is that I can’t sell myself short in expecting what is given to me. At the end of the day, I know who I am and am willing to grow and understand. Not everyone is perfect but finding awareness allows me to keep going.

What should we know about Chismoxxa? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
One thing that sets me apart from the beauty community, I march to the beat of my own drum and create content (for everyone) that allows people to see what I have to offer. Something I am really proud of is that I am now owning myself as a brand and knowing my worth. It’s possible to get to where I want to be. Also, being able to create looks with products that are easily accessible to everyone really matters.

Being a San Diego native, everywhere you go there is street art, I started a new series on my YouTube channel creating makeup looks based on street art. Another thing that I am actively working on is an online shop, called Chismoxxa, that I have started with a few of my friends. We bring looks together and create a space of belonging for people that have never felt that way in the fashion industry.

Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
Something that has worked really well for me is being able to find a community of people that have a common goal. There’s no competition unless it’s within ourselves to be bigger and better. At the end of the day, we can all come together and know that our journey is for a bigger picture. Knowing what you want for yourself and what you are leaving behind, lets people see where you stand as a person. Another thing that is important when building these relationships is having trust and communication. If there is no trust or communication, the overall goal won’t develop.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faniamix2.0/

Image Credit:
Anissa Villa, Kaitlin Williams, Vicky Sasouvong

Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.