Christina Flach | CEO | Pretty Girl Makeup
Christina Flach professionally is a celebrity makeup artist, and CEO of Pretty Girl Makeup (PGM) and coming soon in 2023 is her new skincare and makeup brand I’m Too Busy Skincare & Makeup. She is a mother of 5, a philanthropist and a Sepsis Awareness Advocate.
Christina launched PGM in 1999. The motto of PGM is Beauty From The Inside Out. She travels all over the United States doing photo shoots and endorsing her new skincare I’m Too Busy Skincare & Makeup in 2023.
I will only hire people that I trust and believe in. I never micromanage or question people’s abilities because I think people deserve the space to flourish and succeed without having someone stepping on their toes. I also think it’s important to surround yourself with people who will tell you the truth. I want my employees to give me their honest opinion and thoughts, and not say yes just because they think that’s what I want to hear. A company does best when there is open communication and everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas.
– Christina Flach
The Makeup Artist’s Motivation:
As a celebrity makeup artist and devoted mother, Christina was constantly on the run. Between shuffling her children to school and meeting up with clients, it dawned on her that there was never enough time during the day for her to touch up her makeup. Each lip gloss she owned wore off within a few short hours of application or on taking a simple sip of water. For months she tried and tested dozens of lip products, looking for a gloss that could withstand even her busiest days. When her search did not yield any results, she decided to take matters into her own hands and thus, Pretty Girl Makeup was born.
Her mission was to develop a formula that was not only long-lasting, but also anti-ageing, moisturizing, and hydrating. She launched her line with colours that looked good on many skin tones so that every girl could be a pretty girl.
Being a makeup artist was the perfect way for her to work, but also to be able to help in her kids’ classrooms, drive on field trips and give her children that mean everything to her 100% while they grew up.
The Makeup Artist’s Life Trials & Tests:
Christina thinks that her success has stemmed from her resilience. She is an extremely motivated individual who learns and grows from her mistakes instead of letting them define or stunt her. She values qualities like honesty, hard work, loyalty, and a sense of humour. She holds to herself these qualities and she believes that they have helped her achieve the pinnacle of success she is at today.
Being self-funded from the beginning, the challenges have been competing with celebrities that have started makeup lines with an instant built-in clientele. Also the constant change of social media, influencers, and the deep pockets of other brands. Building a career is never easy, especially in the beauty industry. Christina shares that within the beauty industry, things are constantly evolving and one has to have to learn to stay on top of them. According to her decade or so ago, beauty editors, publishers, and stylists held the majority of the power. Today, influencers run the industry. It is important to be willing to change your marketing to appeal to consumers while still staying true to your brand.
I have learned to ride the waves of change, take what some would call “failures” as lessons, and be open to opportunities that oftentimes turn out to be better than the plan she had first thought was the road to travel.
— Christina Flach
Making Up Time Personally & Professionally:
Prioritizing wellness and nutrition has been instrumental for Christina in improving not only her physical, but also her mental health as well. She has created a life filled with balance, filled with laughter and fun but also exercises, drinks my green juice, and rests for her body. Christina advises that making the time to take care of ourselves can be difficult, but discipline, consistency, and time management will help one achieve seemingly impossible goals.
Society often stigmatizes self-care as selfish, when in reality it gives you the energy and clarity to take better care of the people around you. The kinder you are to yourself, the better you and the people in your life will feel, and the more likely you are to cultivate a state of bliss. It is imperative to me to set a positive self-care. For example for my children if I cannot show them a life of fulfilment, love, and happiness, how can I expect them to achieve it themselves?
-Christina Flach
The (Make-Up) Artist’s Masterpieces:
Christina’s work has been featured in campaigns with nearly every major news outlet, department store, and designer, however, she still believes that every client that books her is still exciting. She considers it to be a blessing to be the makeup artist for Rita Moreno for People Magazine. Condoleezza Rice and Time Magazine were two of the most incredible moments for her as a makeup artist. She has enjoyed working with Tyler Florence as his makeup artist for the Great Food Truck Race on Food Network.
In regards to her venture Pretty Girl Makeup, her honoured moment was seeing her lip gloss line in INSTYLE Magazine, right next to a feature on Miley Cyrus. It was incredible for her to see her product in print next to a major celebrity.
All of the time and effort that it took to create a product that I was genuinely proud of was worth it at that moment. While I have had many amazing accomplishments to date, my goals & work are nowhere near finished. I am currently working with NBC as an on-air beauty expert for California Live, which is something that terrified me doing “live” TV spots is a lot of pressure! -Christina Flach
Not Giving Up But Giving Back:
Christina advises:
If you utilize a positive mindset and focus on the outcome that you want, it will happen. Not always the way or how you expect it to happen, but manifestation will enable you to design the life you want. Napoleon Hill once said, “Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass.” You are the only one in charge of your life and if you are not doing what you love, you may end up looking back with regret. So many people are afraid to fail but I truly believe the only failure is when you do not try at all. Every failure is a lesson learned that leads us to where we belong. Things that may appear to be happening ‘to us’ are happening for us.
If I had never taken a chance on my career as a makeup artist, who knows where I would be today? Building this career took a lot of time, effort, and sacrifice but I would not change a single thing. I have enjoyed every milestone and every misstep along the way because it has led me to who I am. If you cannot enjoy your journey and only focus on your destination you will end up burnt out and resentful. I truly love my life and every opportunity that comes my way. I am so excited about what the future holds and what I will achieve in a year, five years, and this lifetime.
Finding your bliss can and will be a bumpy road, but you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable to make your dreams a reality. Dream bigger than you can imagine and never stop reaching for new heights. You’d be surprised at how much you are capable of. -Christina Flach
Giving back to the world is incredibly important to Christina. She says that she has been blessed with so much in her life and it is an honour for her to be able to give back to causes that she is passionate about.
Education and nutrition are of utmost priority to her. She lost her son Beau on Christmas Day 16 years ago and then her husband Ken Flach in 2018. The Northern Light School in Oakland California is a magical school that teaches its students, “That Nothing Is Impossible!”
She launched the Baby Beau and Ken Flach educational funds to keep memories of Ben & Ken alive through the students. Her other son Ben, Beau’s twin brother, for the past 7 years has participated in The Vida Blue Celebrity Golf tournament to raise money for these funds. She proudly declares that he has raised $150k playing in the tournament in honour of his daddy and twin.
She also started the Beau Friedman Outdoor Classroom with her friend Lisa Zimmer at the Edna Maguire School in Mill Valley California. She believes that if children are exposed to life skills like gardening, cooking, and harvesting fruits and vegetables from a young age, they will make healthier food choices for the rest of their life.
She lost her husband who was a former professional tennis champion and Olympic Gold medalist due to Sepsis in 2018, since then she has been a Sepsis awareness advocate, speaking on TV, Radio and podcasts on the signs and dangers of sepsis.
She also believes in the power of networking and building relationships as it is incredibly important in her work life as a makeup artist and CEO. Both of her careers help other and everyone she meets, teaches her something, and connects her to a new idea or a new client.
Figure out what you love doing so much that you would do it for free, and then figure out how to get paid well! Never go into a business to make a billion dollars, because if you don’t love what you do and the process, you will fail, because it takes more money, more time, and more effort than you can imagine. It’s key to wake up each day excited and motivated to give it your all. If you don’t truly love what you are doing, you will resent putting so much into something you hate and inevitably will fail.
– Christina Flach