Women Like Me Stories & Business

The Art of Becoming: Christina Flach on Beauty, Business, and Building Your Dream Life

• Julie Fairhurst • Episode 115

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Christina Flach's journey began with a deeply personal moment - helping her mother, who battled brain cancer, prepare for a date night with her father. This simple act revealed the transformative power of makeup, not just physically but emotionally. "I can make someone feel different with waving my little makeup brush wand and making them look like the best versions of themselves," she explains. This realization sparked a remarkable career path that would lead her to become a celebrity makeup artist represented by three prestigious agencies, the founder of Pretty Girl Makeup, a beauty expert on NBC's California Live, and host of her own show "I'm Too Busy."

What makes Christina's approach to beauty refreshing is her holistic perspective. For her, looking beautiful starts from within - proper nutrition, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and positive self-talk form the foundation. She dismisses the illusions created by social media filters, encouraging women to focus on authentic beauty rather than chasing unattainable standards. "Don't talk about it, just do it," she advises women hesitant to pursue their dreams, recommending starting part-time if necessary until passion projects can become full-time careers.

Beyond her professional success, Christina's story is one of resilience and giving back. After experiencing profound personal losses - her son Bo and husband Ken - she established educational funds at the Northern Light School in Oakland, California, which serves underprivileged children. Her family has collectively raised nearly $200,000 to support educational opportunities for these students. Christina's answer resonates with profound simplicity when asked what she would whisper to every struggling woman: "You are so much more loved than you know." Connect with Christina to learn more about her approach to beauty, business, and creating a meaningful life built around your authentic passions.

You can find more about Christina at her website:
https://www.christinaflach.com/


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Who is Julie Fairhurst?
Julie Fairhurst – Speaker, Author, and Founder of Women Like Me

Julie Fairhurst is a champion for women’s empowerment and the founder of the Women Like Me Book Program. Since 2019, she has published 30 books and 300+ true-life stories—at no cost to the writers—giving women a platform to heal, inspire, and reclaim their power. Dedicated to breaking generational trauma one story at a time, Julie’s mission is to uplift women emotionally and financially, helping them create better lives for themselves and their families.


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Speaker 1:

Well, hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Women Like Me. I'm your host, julie Fairhurst, and I want to thank you for being here. I'm really excited. Today I have a fascinating lady just fascinating and I'm going to tell you a little bit about her and then we'll welcome her and then we'll start to hear all about what she does and what she's all about. You just make sure you stay tuned for the whole thing, because it is quite interesting. So I'm thrilled to welcome the extraordinary women to the Women Like Me podcast Christina Black. So Christina is a renowned celebrity makeup artist and entrepreneur and the CEO and founder of Pretty Girl Makeup. She's also a vibrant host of the TV show I'm Busy I'm Too Busy TV. A dedicated mother and a powerful voice for women's entrepreneurship. So welcome, christina. Thank you so much for being here.

Speaker 2:

Julie, thanks for having me today. Perfect.

Speaker 1:

Why don't we start off by you telling us a little bit more about you?

Speaker 2:

I think you covered it pretty well. I'm also a beauty expert on NBC on California Live. Yes, I am the mother of five. I am also a philanthropist. I raise money for underprivileged children to go to school a private school that is basically run on grants and donation, so it's called the Northern Light School in Oakland, california. 90% of the kids that are there are on scholarship and it's a remarkable school. The children leave there with scholar, it's preschool through eighth, and the kids leave there with scholarships to high schools and then they go on to college. We have a 92% success rate of our students getting degrees from college, so I'm very proud of that.

Speaker 1:

Yes, Okay, but why don't I start you off? So what inspired you to start your journey as a makeup artist? Because I understand I don't know if that's still what you do but you did start as a makeup artist, I think, from what I read. And then now you, of course, branched into entrepreneurship.

Speaker 2:

I still am a makeup artist and I, yes, I am. I have three agents that represent me across the United States. I love it. I was going to not do it when I started my company. I have three agents that represent me across the United States. I love it. I was going to not do it. When I started my company, I thought I just wanted to be a CEO and then I was sorely missing what I love.

Speaker 2:

I am an artist at heart and I'm kind of a gypsy. I like to be in different places all the time and work with different teams. So being a makeup artist is I love it so much. I get to meet extraordinary people and that kind of segued me getting my own show called I'm Too Busy, because I always thought, my gosh, I get these people all to myself, like sometimes for an hour, sometimes for an entire day or more when I work with these different people, different people, and there's a whole slew of ranges of their work. It's not just people on TV, it's sports people, it is politicians, it's news people, it's entrepreneurs a lot of. I have a lot of tech people.

Speaker 2:

I had the founder last week of the CEO and founder of Robin Hood, so he was super interesting. You know he's a tech billionaire, nicest guy, met his wife and kids and you know so I'm all I love to do that. I mean I did an ad for a company called. I was with them for two days. We did a catalog for their spring for Von Muir. It's a department store in the Midwest, and so the catalog has been coming up. So I still get that feeling of satisfaction, and that I love, when I see my work, you know, in print, wow. Besides it, just you know, being sitting in an office all day gets rather monotonous.

Speaker 1:

For sure, Totally Right. Yeah, I totally get that. Yeah, so I believe in moments. I do a lot with stories for women. I do a lot with stories for women and I find that in every story there's a moment, a moment that either they went one direction or the other. And so can you tell me what was your defining moment when you realized that your passion had become your purpose?

Speaker 2:

Well, I think it started with my mother, who, I mentioned earlier, is Canadian. My mom was diagnosed with brain cancer when I was eight years old so when I was about and she had a 1% chance to live one year and she miraculously lived for 12. But I remember one night I think I was like 14 or so, and she was going out to dinner with my father and she had lost her hair. My mother was incredibly beautiful dinner with my father and she had lost her hair. My mother was incredibly beautiful and but you know, with chemo and radiation, especially back then, it was so much worse than it is now. So I just said, oh, mom, let me do your makeup for your date. And so she didn't have a lot of makeup and I had very minimal skills, but we managed to make her look and feel like her normal self.

Speaker 2:

And that's one of the things that has stuck with me all these years is how I can make someone feel different with, with doing what I, waving my little makeup brush wand and making them look like the best versions of themselves. So I always knew that that was something that made me feel really good and but I didn't know it was even a job in life and then as I got older, I started doing friends and family and proms and weddings, and then I worked with photographers and then I got enough images together to someone said, oh, do you have an agent? And I thought only movie stars had agents. I didn't know makeup artists did. So I got my first agents. I was signed with Ford New York, miami, chicago, la, san Francisco and I'm back with them. Actually I'm also with Zenobia artists and Brandy Moore artists in San Francisco. So I am very blessed to get to work with all these amazing people. It's so much fun.

Speaker 1:

Wow, I just love that. Look where it's led from. You know helping your mom to look beautiful when she's ill, and then you know our paths. We just never know where our paths are going to lead.

Speaker 2:

No, we really don't, and I think that's what I've learned especially. You know, I became the on-air beauty expert for California Live NBC, which is a show that's on every day in California. It's actually all West Coast, so it's on in every market in California, nevada, oregon, washington and I never I'm always much more comfortable behind the camera, not in front. But my friend my TV, has been Berlin Fisher. He called me and said hey, I would like you to take my place because I'm going to become one of the hosts, and I thought I go, I can't do that and he goes. Okay, first of all, this is what you know, you don't even have to think. And, number two, you need to get comfortable being uncomfortable, so that when you just mentioned when was a pivotal moment, that was a pivotal moment for my career because at that moment I took a leap of faith. I just said, ok, I'll do it, even though I was trembling and scared, but I had him with me, so it made me much more comfortable speaking publicly in front of a camera, which led to me having my own show, called I'm Too Busy, where I get to interview, you know, all kinds of interesting people that I that I meet. So you don't know which where these paths are going to lead. And I I often speak about failure. I don't believe in failure. I believe in learning lessons. I believe that the universe is constantly protecting us and sometimes, when something doesn't happen, you know, we think, oh, that happened to me. No, it happened for you, yes. So sometimes you need to take a left instead of a right because it's going to lead you somewhere. Fantastic. I had no idea how much joy it would bring me interviewing people. You know I have a live show every Wednesday and now I've started doing, you know, interviews, like, like what we're doing on a zoom, and then I sent it to my producer to edit it.

Speaker 2:

But I didn't realize how much I enjoyed writing. That's another thing that I do. I write for magazines, um, so I write about beauty and wellness, and it's not just about makeup. For me, it's about you know how you feel on the inside and I. Obviously it's about being positive and all the good things that we do, but it's also about nutrition. I'm fanatical about nutrition. I love how food can make us feel like better versions of ourselves, which makes our skin look better, which makes us feel better, which makes us have more confidence when we're in front of people. So it's more than just about painting on some colors on our face.

Speaker 1:

Wow, Well, I think you touched on this, but I'd like to ask you I don't know if you can go into more depth. So, how do you see the connection between makeup and empowerment for women?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, look everyone is. We are all visual people and I get so tired of hearing people saying oh, makeup's so superficial. Well, don't you take pride in your work? Don't you want to look like? Don't you do your best at work? Don't you go into a meeting dressed properly? Why wouldn't you want your face to look the best it can look? I also feel that it makes you feel like especially I know this because of people I work with on TV they feel very distracted if they're not looking the way they're comfortable looking. So why wouldn't I go into a meeting looking and feeling like my absolute best? I just think if you take pride in yourself, it's your entire being.

Speaker 1:

Yeah absolutely pride in yourself. It's your entire being. Yeah, absolutely so. What advice, then, would you give to a woman who might be struggling with their self-image or their confidence?

Speaker 2:

We're both Well we all do right. We all do yes. Believe me, I today. I was rambling to get myself put together and I had to hire myself before I came in Cause. That's one thing. That's hard with this job. I can't really get in front of a screen and talk about beauty and wellness if I'm looking disheveled mess.

Speaker 1:

No, for sure.

Speaker 2:

Okay. So what would I do? The first thing I would do I think exercise is really important, you know is are you eating? I, you know, and when? I when I still do consultations with clients and we talk about exercise, meditation, I talk about sleep. It's so incredibly important we don't get enough of it. What are you eating? How much water are you drinking? Are you having green juice during the day? You know what's your diet look like.

Speaker 2:

So, when I start with those things which leads to exercise, I think that exercise and nutrition as well, it is something that we do every day. It's it's not just, it's consistency is so monstrous. You don't need to do a huge long workout. Yesterday I did a really hard hour long yoga class. Well, today I didn't have that time, so I went. I have a gym in my house. I was on the bike for 10 minutes, I did the elliptical for 10 minutes and I lifted some weights and did some Pilates, so I was done in 20 minutes. But that makes me feel good about myself and it also makes me not think have that awful guilt that we all have when we don't do our exercise.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yeah, guilt is such a useless. But it's dangerous, it's the worst.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yes, absolutely the worst. So I would talk. I would talk to people about that, like how, how are you feeling, you know, are you doing all those things with your food and your drinking, and are you getting enough rest? Are you exercising? Are you feeling good about that? And you know, updating your look, I think, is a great thing to do. I get a lot of people contacting me, going okay, I've been doing my makeup. I'm 60 years old, I'm doing my makeup the same as when I was 17. And it looks absurd. Please give me a new update. And so sometimes I go through their makeup, I go through their brushes and see what they have, what they don't have, what are they using, you know, I try to give them a simple, you know, makeup routine that they can get ready in five to 10 minutes. Filling in your brows, concealer, foundation, sunscreen, skincare is huge. Taking care of your skin is a monster.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes. So so along with that, then I'm just curious so, in a world of social media and filters and perfection, how do you, how can we encourage women to still show up as their true selves?

Speaker 2:

I think that people just need to know that all that fun stuff we look at on TikTok and Instagram, it's all illusions and it's all what they're putting out there to show you. They're not showing you what they look like without their makeup on, you know? Just remind them that this is a form of entertainment. It's not real. And so I think it's just super important to not focus on all those filters and everything, because you know you can look extraordinary with all those things, but that's not real. So if you're feeling good about yourself, you're not worrying about all that noise. You know that's going on in the world.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, that's good advice. Thank you for that. So let me ask you when you were building pretty girl makeup, what was your biggest challenge that you had to overcome?

Speaker 2:

Being self-funded? Oh, yes, for sure. I didn't have a business plan. I had an American Express card and I just did it like that. It was very different. I mean, I started Pretty Girl in 1999. It was a million years ago in the beauty world and it was very different. There was no Instagram, facebook. It was celebrities, publicists, stylists and agents, and that's what you dealt with and it was very different. I remember I would send things to celebrities and they would be kind enough to put it on or recommend it, and people would do that. There was no influencers. You didn't have to pay them like now. So the beauty industry has changed considerably in the last 20 years.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. Yeah, I agree, I was around in 1999. So I remember, I remember, yeah. So what advice would you give to a woman who wants to start a business but she's afraid to take the leap?

Speaker 2:

I would, okay, let's just say she has a corporate job, yeah, okay, okay, and she can't afford to quit her corporate job because most people can't, I would start doing it part time. I would do, you know, maybe do it part time, I would do it on the weekend and figure out if you really love it and get it going to the point that you can quit your nine to five job. But I just think you know you have to love what you do so much that you do it for free and then figure out how to get paid, right, super important. And you know, don't talk about it, just do it You're.

Speaker 2:

You know I nothing frustrates me more than people sit and complain oh, I hate my job, I don't love my relationship, I don't like where I live. Then do something about it. Do one little thing every day to make your life, create the life that you want. I have created the life that I want and, trust me, I've had bumps along the way, but I've always had my career that has brought me joy and purpose and I've been able to work really hard to become pretty successful doing what I do.

Speaker 1:

Yes, you mentioned to go do it for free and then you know, get into where you actually are going to charge it or make money in it. So I know quite a few ladies out in my area that are similar. They have full-time jobs but they've got their side gig, they call it or their passion, and they're working it. But they're working it and working it and working it, but with limited results. Do you have any advice then? How did you go from doing it for free and then making money and getting paid?

Speaker 2:

I hustled, I worked my butt off and I also you know what I always asked people that were more successful than I was what are you doing? How do you do that? How do I get to that? So ask for help. People are so willing to help. If you just ask, don't let your pride get in the way. Find someone that's you know that you aspire to send them an email, give them a call. People, I find. I mean I get people contacting me all the time and I always respond.

Speaker 2:

I kind of think it's part of the deal when you become successful, that to help other people and I tell them. You know, for example, if someone wants to be a makeup artist, you know. I tell them what they need to do. They need to have their own makeup kit. They can't have any of their personal things in it. They have to keep it incredibly clean. They need to. You know. Go shadow a working makeup artist. See if you even like it. You may not like it. You may shadow a working makeup artist. See if you even like it, you may not like it, you may.

Speaker 2:

People think that my world is so glamorous and yes, it is sometime, but when I have to wake up at four o'clock, to be in with a client at seven and work, be on my feet for 12 hours. It's exhausting and it's not. It's not easy and you have. You have to, you know, be really on your toes and be focused on your client. It's not about you, it's about the client. So you have to figure out if you really like this job, because it may sound like oh, it's so fun, you place makeup all day. It's not like it's.

Speaker 1:

Yes, it is, but it's so much more than that well, it's also people looking when you're successful because I went, I've been through there, through that and then people look at you and they don't see. It's like that iceberg thing. Right, they see the iceberg but they don't see all the other stuff going on below the iceberg to try to build up the business.

Speaker 1:

And so successful people I think make it look easy because we're sort of you know, you're in a flow somewhat, but they don't see like you're exactly, they don't see that getting up at four o'clock in the morning and I loved what you said about hustle, because I'm I'm with you that I think that's the only way to do it. If you've got a full time job and you're working eight hours a day, you only have so much time, and so when you're working on your passion, and if it's your passion, you need to really hustle.

Speaker 2:

You do. I mean like, for example, with my makeup career, I constantly have to be posting on Instagram. And now we've added I'm too busy. So now we have three Instagrams. And I have my assistant does pretty girl but and she does I'm too busy, but I do Christina Flack. So we have three Instagrams, which means Facebook, which means LinkedIn, which means Yelp here in the States. My portfolio has to be constantly updated.

Speaker 2:

I also have to get images to my agents, all three of them. All the time I have to be scouring the internet for projects that I've done to get images to do, because they don't send them to you. So let's say, I did a job not too long ago with an Italian hair care brand. They're not sending me any of the images. I have to, you know, figure out how to get them. I have to Google my client, so it's so much more than you can even imagine. And then, like if with the TV show I am so blessed, my assistant, maya does a basic script with questions and then I study. You know, I Google the person, I study them, I look at interviews they've done in the past and then I come up with more in-depth questions and live. You know, doing a live interview is very different than doing what you and I are doing right now. This is super relaxed, like I'm talking to you like my girlfriend Canadian You're probably one of my cousins you know it's super, it's super great. But when I'm, when I do my show on Wednesdays or NBC, if I make a mistake, there's no stopping it. It's like I, I, it's so intense and so much pressure Like I can't even tell you. It's very um, it's. You know, once it's done, it's like, oh, it's such a relief and it's kind of a high. When you're, when it's flowing, you're going well, but when it's not, it's, it's very stressful. I had a live interview not too long ago and the the woman's wifi went out and I had to just very gracefully say okay, we're going to take a commercial break and we'll be right back. I'm Christina Black and I'm too busy and go from there.

Speaker 2:

So you know, one time I was on NBC and we were doing a um, a, an um, a thing for Halloween and I had to do three women's makeup and I, you know I oftentimes will say, oh yeah, I can do that, even though it's not really my strength. I am not a makeup artist that does Halloween makeup very well. I mean I can do it fine, but I need time. So, you know, one of them didn't turn out perfectly the way I wanted. We had to travel to San Francisco and I'm trying to get everybody ready. It was very stressful, it wasn't my best episode and I had to just acknowledge like what my lesson there was. I can't take a bite off more than I can chew. You know I have to put up a boundary, that I'm always trying to make everyone happy, yes. And so I will say like, oh, yeah, yeah, I can do three people, no problem. Well, I need to say no, I can do two and I need this much time. So I think that's another thing for entrepreneurs Be realistic about what your strengths are, what you need help with, ask for help.

Speaker 2:

You know, don't waste your time micromanaging. You know your team. If you're blessed enough to have a team. You know I give. I send Avery, my other assistant. She does all my stuff for my website, my TV show. I just send her everything and I let her do it whichever way she wants. I let her do what she knows how to do really well, because I don't know how to do it Exactly. So it's. You know a lot of CEOs have a hard time learning to not micromanage and give people the respect to do what they do.

Speaker 1:

Yes, no, absolutely. It's such a. It's such a good lesson, because I think so many of us are. We hold on to control or we want that control, but sometimes we just need to let it go and let the people who know what they're doing do their job Exactly.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1:

Let me ask you I know we're getting down on our time, so I wanted to spit in a couple of other things here. Your foundation you mentioned your foundation, so I would just like it if you could you tell us about your foundation. You mentioned your foundation, so I would just like it if you could you tell us about your foundation.

Speaker 2:

I have educational funds set up at the Northern Light School for my son, bo, who passed away when he was four and a half months old on Christmas Day, and one for my husband, ken Flack, who was a professional tennis player. He passed away from sepsis seven years ago. And so the Northern Light School in Oakland, california, is just this remarkable school where these kids and these teachers are just extraordinary and they come from not the most fantastic backgrounds but they all have this, you know, hunger to learn and to have better lives. And Michelle Lewis is the head mistress there and she does an amazing job. And you know I do everything I can to help raise money. My son Ben, who was Bo's twin. He has raised almost $200,000 in the last seven years for the fund, the Educational Foundation and playing golf. All my kids have contributed with their time and efforts for the school and it makes me really proud. I just feel that we're, as a family, super blessed and I want other people to have the same educational experiences that my children have had.

Speaker 1:

I love it. Love it it's. It's so important to give back.

Speaker 2:

Definitely.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, for sure. Okay. So, Christina, can I ask you my five favorite questions that I asked? Oh, please do. Okay, I can't wait. Okay, so I just want to get to know you a little bit better. So what is a favorite book that inspires you in your business or life?

Speaker 2:

I love the Four Agreements. Do you know that book. I've heard of it, I've not read it. Yes, so the Four Agreements are one is do your personal best. One is not to take things personally. One is to not make assumptions. And what is the fourth one? I can't remember right now, but it's something like that. It's very helpful when you're dealing with things. Perfect For agreements yeah, excellent.

Speaker 1:

And now, if you could have dinner with any woman in the world in history, who would it be and why?

Speaker 2:

Oh, my gosh, that's such a good question. And how like? Why is Marie Antoinette coming to mind? I, I, I'm, I'm a big historical fiction person, so I would like to go back in time and Bolin perhaps.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, both Excellent, excellent. I would love that. Okay, what is your favorite way to unwind after a busy day?

Speaker 2:

I love to go for a walk before dinner. You know I love to get a massage. I love self-care. It's great. I like to spend time with my family, with my guy, you know go for dinner family with my guy you know.

Speaker 1:

Go for dinner, watch some TV yeah, Just relax. Yes, Read my book. Take a bath? Yeah, Perfect. And do you have a favorite motivational quote that keeps you going?

Speaker 2:

Focus on. Oh gosh, there is one it's hard to keep, it's a Babe Ruth, and it's it's hard to on. Oh gosh, there is one it's hard to keep, it's a Babe Ruth, and it's it's hard to um. Oh, I've heard that, babe Ruth. Yeah, it's hard to stop someone. It's hard to stop someone that is just relentless. Pretty much is what it is yeah, yeah, perfect, okay.

Speaker 1:

And if you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go and why?

Speaker 2:

well, I'm going to Greece on Friday with one of my best friends. Um, I am godmother to her children and we are going for 10 days. We are going to Greece to go to a yoga retreat, which I've never. I've never taken that much time off, um, and I've never been to Greece, so that is something that I'm going to do, but probably I would normally say Italy, that would be somewhere I would like to go. Yeah, I love the food, I love Italians. My guy is Italian, he's Sicilian, so, um, probably.

Speaker 1:

Nice, well, enjoy yourself in Greece. Great 10 days Wow.

Speaker 2:

It does. However, it's winter there. I thought it was always warm like Santorini. Like you see, I looked at the weather and it's like 58 and raining. So I'm like, oh, but it's all going to be fantastic.

Speaker 1:

It'll be fantastic. That's right. And I have one final question for you. Yes, if you could whisper one truth into the ear of every woman who's struggling right now, what would you say?

Speaker 2:

You are so much more loved than you know, oh my.

Speaker 1:

God, oh, that's beautiful oh love it.

Speaker 2:

Oh, thank you so much. I know that one makes me cry. Oh, I know, I know I can feel it.

Speaker 1:

I'm like I could feel my eyes getting a little warm there. That is beautiful. Thank you for that. So, christina, it was just a joy to meet and have you on the show. I'm sure that all of our this was fun. Thank you, no, you're welcome. I'm sure all our listeners and watchers on YouTube are. We're almost all women, so I'm sure that they're going to find this very, very helpful to them.

Speaker 2:

Well, thank you so much. I am very grateful for being here and this was a lot of fun. Thank you, perfect.

Speaker 1:

Well, thanks again everyone for being here and don't hesitate to check out the detail section. We'll get as much information about Christina in there as we can and where you can certainly find her if you'd like to connect with her more. So thanks again for being here, everyone.

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