Christina Flach
“Victory is not always winning the battle…but rising every time you fall”
The Magic of Inspiration & Ambitions
Diligence is the vehicle; ambition is the way to victory! Christina Flach has had her own share of ups and down while figuring out her career. Talking about her struggles, she says, “I was in a constant battle while driving my kids around drinking water, and trying to find a lipgloss that would stay on more than three sips of water. A lipgloss that wasn’t matte and drying, too thick, too thin. I couldn’t find one, so I thought that I would create my line.” She identified the correct textures and colors after a year of working with a beauty chemist, conducting experiments on herself, friends, and family members, and a lot of patience and feedback! Soon enough, she introduced Pretty girl with seven amazing shades. “My key goals, are to make PGM have the best quality products, profitable, hopefully making my customers laugh with funny names for my products and feel beautiful of course,“ includes Christina.
As the CEO of Pretty Girl Makeup, she is shouldered with the duties and responsibilities of everything to make it extraordinary! Whether it is formulation, packaging, naming, marketing, or social media, she manages every little thing!
Over the years she gained a lot of experience and kept discovering new aspects of her work. Although the list of problems was unending, she never gave up! She has been self-funding her business since 1999, and she is currently working with her partner Jordan Hall to build their new brand, ‘I’m Too Busy Cosmetics.’
Being Out of the Box!
What makes Christina stand out in the world is her Art and Creativity! She is proud of herself as more than a business person she is an Artist! Pretty Girl is not only her business plan but a one-time solution to all her problems with a lip gloss! She successfully made her ideal lip gloss, which was long-lasting, moisturizing, anti-aging, and of course the perfect color for every skin tone. “It is also important to me that my customers know that every time they get a product that it’s going to be high-quality and then perhaps looking at the name on the bottom will make them smile for a few seconds out of their busy lives,” she adds. Her journey exemplifies the saying, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”
Origin of the Name Pretty Girl Makeup
You never know when a moment becomes a memory! Christina came up with a beautiful name for her brand while she was on a vacation with her family and friends in Hawaii. When she was sitting by the pool with her friends, one of her friends Claudia said, “Look honey, we’re finally pretty girls sitting by the pool!” They were chatting, reading magazines, and sipping iced tea while sitting there looking gorgeous! Flach felt as if everything was light and breezy during this delightful moment. As they say, the rest is history. Pretty Girl Makeup now makes ladies feel beautiful on the inside and out!
Love what you Do, Do what you Love!
Discipline and determination make your wildest dreams come true! And the most satisfying aspect of pursuing your dreams is having a goal! “I never in a million years could have dreamed that I would be the makeup artist for these fashion brands, celebrities, CEOs, athletes, TV shows, politicians, and models. I love going to new places, meeting these extraordinary people, that I get one on one alone time with, and on top of that I have my line of makeup,” shares Christina. She wants her children to see their work as worship, and pursue their passion! She wants them to make money out of the things they wouldn’t mind doing 24/7 because practicing something you don’t enjoy requires a lot of extra time, energy, and effort, which subsequently leads to business failure. “I think it is best not to know how hard your dream is, just to love each moment of it, even the worst moments, because the great moments are even sweeter!” Christina adds.
Breaking a Dream into Milestones
The past 20 years have been a roller coaster ride for Christina, filled with excitement and enthusiasm! Seeing her products used by celebrities, in magazines, people approaching her and complimenting her on how beautiful her lip gloss is, an increase in sales, no debt, presenting fantastic business plans to investors with great returns, and having agents represent her filled her with delight! Flach is proud of herself as she has worked for famous personalities who she had admired on TV shows and magazines! Seeing her work on magazine covers and insides makes her every day special! These are the milestones that keep her going and motivate her to emerge stronger every day!
Striving for Improvement
Christina’s experience running a business has not always been smooth; good things don’t come easy, and there have been many ups and downs! Funding her brand, formulation of products, learning how to deal with social media, hiring people, and marketing was not an easy task! Christina often gets inspired by Tyler Florence’s quote “If people knew how hard it was to be exceptional no one would do a damn thing.”
Flach says that change is constant! One should learn how to adapt to different environments and situations. Things got worse as time went on, as she lost her baby on Christmas Day, then her husband died of sepsis twelve years later, which was a devastating blow for Christina, and then came the Covid’19 Pandemic, which drove the human race to its knees! People wore masks when they were out and there was a drastic fall in the demand for lip glosses and other beauty products! As most of the time people were indoors there was no requirement for makeup artists as well! Christina was hopeless and broken! She believed in miracles and the fact that there is always a rainbow after a hurricane encouraged her to believe in a bright future! She had the chance to grasp the moment, secure money, and launch a new business. “I think the timing is everything and after having more than 20 years in this business, it’s really clear to me what I need to do to make it successful especially now that we have enough money to compete with the monster brands that are in the world. I know that it takes a team to be successful, it is so not just me,” Flach incudes. Every day, this self-made woman learns something new. She’s learned how to hire an amazing staff and give them the freedom and comfort to do what they do best. Christina appreciates that they can come to her with fresh ideas and aspirations at any moment.
Marketing Mantras
“I think the best way to create a social media presence is to have constant content, that is fresh, colorful, and exciting. It’s also very important to be consistent, and have your social media reflect your brand and your prospective customers,” mentions Christina. According to her, consistency is the key and a good team is an asset! She gives her team ideas but along with it the freedom of doing what they feel is in the best interests of Pretty Girl Makeup! Christina has an amazing social media expert, Avery. She provides her content and Avery puts it in the correct place; she started as an unpaid intern but now she holds a special place in the Pretty Girl Makeup Family! Besides, Mayah, her assistant, schedules all her speaking engagements on podcasts, interviews, travels, and zoom meetings! Dealing with so much is definitely a hassle, but Mayah has always managed things with a lovely smile! Christina says that she’s a rock star!
Her Constant Support System
Christina’s Business partner, Jordan, understands her both personally and professionally more than anyone! He has been a constant support system for her! They share the same emotions, dedication, values, and goals for their work and are striving hard to take the brand to the next level! She’s blessed to have him around.
Unique, Real, and Rare
Looking at other brands which might inspire you, or are relatable gives ideas and inspiration which are important! It doesn’t mean that you are copying anyone but learning from the ones who are already established.
Different makeup artists, such as Mario, Bobbi Brown, and the late Kevin Aucoin, as well as different brands, such as Benefit cosmetics, inspire Christina creatively. She has a lot of love and respect for their packaging and whimsical names.
Being a makeup artist, she has to spend her off time with CEOs, athletes, actors, celebrity chefs, and celebrities, who have inspired her and shared amazing advice. Tyler Florence motivates her to be the best she can be by providing her with endless energy, ambitions, and new ideas! Christina’s dreams grew bigger as a result of him!
“The best advice that I could give anyone wanting to get into the beauty business space, would be to make sure you love your idea/product and are very clear on your goals and dreams. Think of a product that is missing from your life, that you want to create.” Christina is someone who would start with something small rather than investing her money at once in something very big! According to her, one should dream big and aim for the best being well aware of the reality! You should always have a backup plan ready! If A, doesn’t work, work on B or C, but never lose hope!
Christina wouldn’t change her path for anything! She handled all the ups and downs in her life, even through the saddest times of her life when her husband and son died! She never gave up on her dreams and this is what makes her life beautiful, exciting, and fulfilling!
“I am blessed being the CEO of Pretty Girl and being a celebrity make-up artist. I love both my jobs beyond words can express and I think they complement each other. My wish for everyone in the world is that they wake up each morning with big love in their heart, excited and inspired to start the day,” adds Christina. There is no denying the fact that hard work pays off and if you want the best, you have to give your hundred percent to it! Christina Flach is a woman who is both hardworking and humble. Needless to say, thousands of people are inspired by her. Patience and determination are what shine brightly in her!
