Sirena Hopp 

What country are you from and where do you reside?

I was born in the United States and have been here ever since. I currently reside in Pennsylvania on the east coast in Montgomery County. 

Title of what you do and/or what company.

Sirena Reena’s Boutique is the name of my business that I started in 2018. I am a nail artist and entrepreneur. 

Education background (school, salons, self-taught)?

I am 100% self-taught. I never thought I would end up falling in love with nail art but I sure did! In 2018, my life was completely different and I could not only not afford to get my nails done but I also was never fully satisfied with a nail salon near me. To save money and heartache, I decided I would try my hand at press-on nails. I remember the first set I painted for myself…a plain cherry red shade on a coffin nail shape. The rest is history. I began practicing a ton and first started selling my nails on Etsy before moving to my own website. 

What is the first creative project that you remember?

This is a tough question for me. I usually love any designs that incorporate a french tip. It’s such a classic and for sure one of my favorite styles on nails but I also like to ride with the trends. One thing signature to me, I feel, is my aesthetic with styling and shooting my product photos. I like to coordinate my brand look and create feed-worthy photos.

What is your signature style/artistic expression of your work?

My first big creative project was a photo shoot. I worked with a few wonderfully creative women to plan a photoshoot for content to use for designing and launching my website. I styled my own apartment with multiple cute spots/areas for the models to pose in – in my modest 900-something sq. ft. apartment. I ordered donuts, and sushi, and made sure we had tons of cute candy and props to use with shooting the nails. It was SO much fun and everyone did a fantastic job. I could not have pulled it off without the help of my friend Hallie, who connected me with the photographer and additional model. I still think back to that process and aspire to do more work like that in the future. 

What is the most fulfilling job you’ve worked on or a person you have worked with?

I have had a few collaborations in the past. The most fulfilling and exciting collaboration for me was when Forever21 reached out to me to design some nail sets for Pride month. They wanted to promote their new collection and asked if I would create some designs to go along with the Pride theme. I have shopped there more times than I can count and was ecstatic to work with them and create some awesome pride designs. 

Do you have a career turning point, big break, or person that has helped your career? 

A huge turning point for my business actually coincided with an extremely tough time for everyone. When COVID started and we had to begin quarantining is when my business really exploded. Everyone was at home and unable to go to salons, so a large number of people started shopping for press-on nails to apply at home. My social media grew tremendously in a short period and my orders were so high that I was only able to open for an hour at times before closing as I could only take so many orders at once. As hard of a time it was with the world being uncertain, I was also experiencing such a high with how many people were supporting me and my small business. It was truly such an experience and I have never worked so many hours in a week or pulled as many all-nighters as I had in that time period! 

What is next for your career goals?

I am so blessed that I am able to pursue my nail career and business full time. I love being creative in my work; some days, it still doesn’t feel real that I get to do this every day. I am so thankful for my customers, friends, and family that have helped and supported me along the way. My next career goal is to continue growing in my current business. I am working now on designing a new product to launch into the market and hope that it will come to fruition in the next year or so. 

What advice would you give to someone starting out in your business? 

As simple as it may sound, my advice to someone just starting out in the nail industry would be to just start. Taking on a new career or business can be such a monumental task that it feels easy to push off to tomorrow, next month, and so on. Go for it! Start in any way possible. Whether it’s starting a class to learn, watching tutorials at home, or even designing your logo or website if you’re ready. It can’t happen unless you start and there’s no better time than the present. Stick with it, practice, and put in the hard work hours. It will be so worth it to see your hard work grow into something great! 

Instagram – @sirenareenasboutique 

Website – www.sirenareenasboutique.com