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The Bossticks
Tina Chen Craig On Personal Resilience, Discovering Your Passion, & How To Adapt To Thrive In Life
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- [00:00]
Tina Chen Craig
The following podcast is a Dear Media Production.
- [00:05]
Michael Bostick
She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire.
- [00:08]
Lauren Everts
Fantastic.
- [00:09]
Michael Bostick
And he's a serial entrepreneur, a very smart cookie. And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostick are bringing you along for the ride.
- [00:16]
Lauren Everts
Get ready for some major realness.
- [00:18]
Michael Bostick
Welcome to the Skinny Confidential. Him and her.
- [00:25]
Lauren Everts
Today we have my friend Tina Chen Craig on the show. She is a bad ass, let me tell you. Her skin is glowy, it's supple, it's beautiful, it's glassy. But she is also an incredible entrepreneur. She is strategic. She's a beauty expert. She is a master in the digital space, and she also is the founder of you Beauty. I am sure you've heard of you Beauty. So here's the deal. I had not tried it and she brought me some and I was like, okay, like, I'm gonna try this the next day. And I put it on while I was in the car on the way to the gym. And I used the resurfacing compound. I was so blown away with how my skin looked like dolphin skin that I text her 20 pictures of myself. It was like, immediately I had her kind of skin. And I can't even explain how beautiful her skin is. I feel like you have to go to Instagram and do some stalking. She has this just really youthful glow, glowy look. And I'm blown away by the resurfacing compound. That is like, the one. I also really, really like her lip treatment. It's absolutely beautiful. I think it makes my lips look two times bigger. So she really nailed it. She cares about products. And you may also recognize Tina early from the days of Bag Snob. Let's get into this episode where we talk about suppositories, her journey of entrepreneurship, her childhood, and how she reinvented herself. Tina, welcome to the show.
- [01:56]
Michael Bostick
This is the Skinny Confidential.
- [01:58]
Lauren Everts
Him and her. Tina, I have known about you for years. Way back when you were a bag snob. I remember launching the Skinny Confidential and you were one of the people that I stalked. So it's been a long time of you building everything you've built.
- [02:16]
Tina Chen Craig
Yeah. And I was following you. I was like, obsessed. I'm like, my favorite word.
- [02:22]
Lauren Everts
Well, I'm flattered because your skin's amazing.
- [02:24]
Tina Chen Craig
Thank you.
- [02:25]
Lauren Everts
I wanted to invite you on the show because I wanted to tell your whole story. Because everyone I told you off air sees your beautiful Instagram stories and all the events that you're at and your gorgeous skin and everything you've built from an entrepreneurial standpoint. And I Wanted to get the lay of the land about how you got here. So take us back to when you're a little girl. Have you always been this entrepreneurial?
- [02:47]
Tina Chen Craig
Oh, gosh, no. I mean, I talk so much that my bro, like, people now, will say to me, I will pay you a dollar if you are quiet for every minute you're quiet. But I was very shy, and I was an immigrant, and so I moved to the US when I was 8 years old. Didn't speak a word of English. And it was. You know, it was really hard because growing up in Taiwan, I was born to a Chinese immigrant family. So over there, they literally called you outsiders. Like, your name was like, oh, you're an outsider. So I grew up being an outsider in my own birthplace. Then I came to America, I was even more of an outsider. Cause now not only did I not speak the language, I didn't look like anybody else. This is, like, 1978. So this is when they first opened up immigration to Taiwan and South Korea. And I spent most of my formative years hiding in the bathroom during recess, having no friends. Like, my imagination was the world I would escape to and read everything I could. I was just really quiet. And then on top of being super nerdy and looking different and having clothes made by my grandmother because she had, like, tailors in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Once they realized that once I learned English, my science and math skills were so far ahead, like, to my. I was so horrified. Once a week, they put me on this bus to call the GATE program Gifted and Talented Education. I'm, like, 11 years old once a week already being ostracized because I was so different with these thick glasses. Now I'm being shipped off once a week to a high school to study science and math with, like, high school kids. And because I was an immigrant, I lived with my aunt and uncle. I was. You know, I moved back and forth, and by the time I graduated high school, I'd been to eight schools in 12 years.
- [04:24]
Michael Bostick
That's a lot of changing.
- [04:25]
Tina Chen Craig
It's a lot of changes. But you know what it was? It became my superpower. Like, adaptability, resilience, learning to, like, I have five seconds to make friends in this new classroom. So you get the lay of the land. And before, you know, I could just tell by the way someone smelled or the way they looked or the way they dressed. If I could trust them, I don't know. Because I didn't speak English, fashion and scent became my second language, if that makes sense. So that's when I started honing, I think, my. My people skills. So by college, I was again, like, totally different. I was not a sorority girl. I wasn't allowed to do that. So I joined a business fraternity, so.
- [05:00]
Lauren Everts
A business fraternity? Yes, like, with the boys.
- [05:02]
Tina Chen Craig
Full of nerds. Yes, full of nerds. Where you learned how to write your business plan, write a deck, learn how to interview, learn how to talk to people. So by the time I graduated usc, all the good internships were going to all the sorority girls to be a fat cause, you know, they would give, like, the fashion internships, the things that I was interested in. And so I started my first company when I was 23 years old. I was like, well, I'm never gonna get hired because I don't have the look of, you know, this is now. This is 93. When this was all happening, it wasn't. There was no, like, inclusivity. There was a certain look that people wanted in the fashion industry. Tall, you know, And I never grew up with anyone who looked like me because I thought, you know, I'm like, I'm gonna grow up and be blonde. And they would tell me, no, you can't. I'm like, yes, I can, people. I never grow up.
- [05:46]
Lauren Everts
How did your parents support you even when you were in Taiwan? How did they support you when you were feeling not confident?
- [05:55]
Tina Chen Craig
Chinese people don't talk about that. There's no, like, how do you feel? It was like, just get good grades. You know, you're good. Just get good grades, get to Harvard, be a doctor, be an accountant, be a lawyer. But my grandmother, really, she was the one who would just say, put your best face forward. She gave me that self confidence. Everything we did, everything we ate, from bone broth to chicken butt to chicken feet and collagen foods and snow fungus, was about health and wellness and good skin. So when I was younger, I was never told. They don't tell you you're pretty in the Chinese culture. They tell you have great skin. You have healthy, great skin. So I heard that growing up over and over and over.
- [06:32]
Lauren Everts
Gosh, I wish my parents fed me all of those things. You're so lucky. Don't you look back on that and be like, wow, now I do.
- [06:39]
Tina Chen Craig
But when I was younger, it'd be like a plate of fish eyeballs, you know, she'd be like, eat this.
- [06:43]
Lauren Everts
It's so good for you.
- [06:44]
Tina Chen Craig
The chicken butt.
- [06:46]
Lauren Everts
I need to get my kids eating eyeballs and chicken foot.
- [06:48]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes, Lauren.
- [06:49]
Michael Bostick
And people get annoyed at me telling the story. But you don't know this. Look at me. My grandmother was a full Japanese woman.
- [06:55]
Tina Chen Craig
Oh, my gosh.
- [06:56]
Michael Bostick
And so my mother's half Japanese.
- [06:58]
Tina Chen Craig
Okay.
- [06:58]
Michael Bostick
But I try to explain the differences from the way that Lauren was parented compared to the way that, like, my Japanese grandmother in an Asian household.
- [07:07]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes.
- [07:07]
Michael Bostick
And obviously I had input from my dad, who was white, and my mom, who is half Italian as well. So I'm, you know, what is a third generation. Yeah. But what I explain is, like, there's not a lot of, like, praise that. That goes from. That comes from that culture.
- [07:23]
Lauren Everts
It seems like they don't praise effort.
- [07:25]
Tina Chen Craig
And so we suffer. It's expected.
- [07:27]
Michael Bostick
Yes. And we get in trouble sometimes. Or I get in trouble in our relationship because it's almost like I have to try harder to bring that out of me. To praise and to close.
- [07:35]
Lauren Everts
Be like. I'll be like, I tried my best. He's like, there's no try. Like Yoda. I'm like, shut the up.
- [07:40]
Michael Bostick
Well, no, I mean, it's like in. In when I was a kid, it's like, did you do it right or not right? Is it like, did the. You know, there was no, like, hey, good job for such an effort. If it was wrong.
- [07:49]
Lauren Everts
Right.
- [07:50]
Tina Chen Craig
Exactly.
- [07:50]
Michael Bostick
It was wrong or right.
- [07:51]
Tina Chen Craig
Exactly.
- [07:51]
Lauren Everts
It sounds like you were really close to your grandma.
- [07:53]
Tina Chen Craig
I was really close to my grandma. But if you didn't come home getting straight A's and the best grades, like, second place. That's not. No, that's not a thing.
- [08:02]
Lauren Everts
So when you were going through school, did you feel like you didn't have any friends, or did you eventually end up making friends?
- [08:08]
Tina Chen Craig
I eventually made friends. I made friends. But still, like, those formative years stay with you, like, hiding in the bath so you never really. Even when I tried out for Pom Pom Girls, and I made it one year, and. And I just never felt like I was part of that group. I always felt like an outsider. Because then I'd be like, you know, my snacks are cuttlefish snacks. And then someone go, what does that smell? And I'm like, oh, my God. Wait, I'm with the cool girls now. Don't eat these things. And, you know, all the things that people now love, back then, they would just look down at, like, seaweed. I would bring all of that to school and. Cause I wanted to retain my. That's what I want. I had a little hello Kitty. Bags were always really important to me because it was like having your own apartment with you. Because I was going through so many changes, going to different countries so that's why I became Bag Snob. Because ever since I was little, having a bag was my security blanket. I would have my snacks in there, my books, you know, my little pencils. I could take notes, you know, people think you were writing about.
- [08:58]
Michael Bostick
What is it like psychologically at that young age, having to kind of assimilate and learn a foreign language with everyone around you knowing that language and having to go to a school and be in that environment without having that knowledge? What does it feel like?
- [09:14]
Tina Chen Craig
I think you know what it feels like. It's like you're underwater and you're not able to breathe the way everyone else is. Like, the fish is breathing, and they're just like. That's why I think they say fish out of water. And you just all the time have this panic, like, I'm different. I can't speak the language. I'm staring at them and I'm smiling, and I could see they're talking about me, but I'm not sure what they're saying. So it's really. I think it's really hard for. Especially for children. And I was 8 years old, so I was very cognizant of what was happening. I didn't speak the language. I looked different. So Shame, I think, became my first, like, really the first identity was like, Shame was like, oh, my God, why don't I look like them? I'm ashamed of my grandparents. I'm ashamed of this. I'm ashamed of my Chinese culture. Whereas now I'm so proud of it. It's like, it's all I talk, you know, with my son, I really. He's also Asian, like you. He's half. So I always tell him, you know, be really proud. He's like, I am proud. I want to bring dumplings to school. So it's such a different generation now where he's being celebrated because his mom's Asian.
- [10:15]
Michael Bostick
Nobody. You know, I grew. I was always very sensitive to people who got bullied. Cause I grew up listening to my mother tell me the stories about what happened to her and her sisters. They make fun of their eyes and they. A lot of these things. And so I think, like, when I think about it, it almost makes me tear up, because I don't think unless you've gone through it, people understand. 1. Kids are cruel.
- [10:34]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes.
- [10:34]
Michael Bostick
And they don't mean to be. But, you know, little kids are cruel.
- [10:37]
Tina Chen Craig
Right.
- [10:37]
Michael Bostick
And you don't really have a way to defend yourself because you can't communicate.
- [10:42]
Tina Chen Craig
Right.
- [10:43]
Michael Bostick
And I think it's for any immigrant that's coming and not learning. It's a really tough situation.
- [10:47]
Tina Chen Craig
I think it really, thank God kids are a lot more adaptable. But once I learned English, it became worse because then I understood what they were saying. It was always ching chong ching. And then those movies like Sixteen Candles with Long Duk Dong. You guys are a lot younger, you probably don't remember these movies. But imagine back then having a movie and the only Asian character, his name is Long Duk Dong. Or the only Chinese or Asian female character always plays some sort of like me so horny. Do you know that phrase that came from a movie? So those movies would, I would go to the movie not knowing that's what it's gonna be about. And I would sit there just wanting a hole to open up and swallow me. Cause everyone's laughing and seeing it. I'm like, oh my God. Oh my God. So then it became, I would make sure, I would kind of try to research a movie. But you couldn't. There was no Internet. I would like look up the billboard and ask people about it before I would go to make sure there were no Asian characters in there. Cause I knew if there was ever Asian representation, it was to be made fun of. It was never to be celebrated. So again, shame, shame non stop, you know?
- [11:43]
Lauren Everts
So it's, that is so crazy to hear this from your perspective. It's just, yeah, it's, it's really unbelievable. I, I, but I now that you're saying all this, kids are cruel and they were crueler, which is interesting. I don't now.
- [11:58]
Tina Chen Craig
Because it was acceptable back then. Yeah.
- [12:00]
Lauren Everts
It's not acceptable anymore. People don't stand for it.
- [12:03]
Tina Chen Craig
Yeah.
- [12:04]
Lauren Everts
When you look back at your entire childhood, do you think that all these moments that you went through, through sort of shaped who you are now? Because you would never know all these things by looking at you now.
- [12:15]
Tina Chen Craig
Right. I know when I show people my photos, they're like, that was you. I think it definitely shaped me because I became super independent. When you don't have friends and you're alone all the time. Especially, you know, from 8 years old to about 13 years old, I think I grew into myself when I became a teenager. I grew my hair out, got some lip gloss. I wasn't allowed to wear makeup. Cause very strict Chinese family, so, so I would take my makeup to my friend's house and put it all over my face before school and wash it off when I came home. But those years really taught me independence, resilience and perseverance. I think I just Kept, I just kept trying, I just kept going. And I just, you know, I would watch Charlie's Angels and Three's all the Shows in the 80s. And I wanted to speak English perfectly. I was gonna speak English better than Americans themselves. So I just like studied really hard. And when I moved to Texas, I felt like I was a fish out of water again. And I remember people going, why do you speak English so good? I said, well, I made it my job to be American. I really wanted to assimilate.
- [13:18]
Lauren Everts
One of the things that is really interesting about you is you're incredibly resourceful too. It's like you wanted to learn English so well, so you tried to do it as best as you can. Also, what you said about the movie, you wanted to research the movie before you would go. It seems like you're finding all these creative ways to sort, sort of make it to get what you want.
- [13:35]
Michael Bostick
Well, this is a strange statement to make, but I, as I'm listening to you talk and even thinking about some other people that have similar backgrounds, it's almost like, you know, now we do a really good job of kind of guarding people, especially children, against any of these kind of hardships. But there's so many stories like yours of people that go through something like that and then they use it to fuel and drive them. And it sounds like more than just learning the language, like you've built huge businesses, you built a platform like, you know, you know, all the right people, like you've really made something of your life. I wonder how much of your early days drives that still.
- [14:11]
Tina Chen Craig
Oh, a lot of it. Because for me it was like, failure is not an option. It's going back to the Asian upbringing because you would bring shame on the family like you succeeding as their success. So for me, I am so laser focused when I want something. It's not that I don't, I don't say I don't give up because I think it's just you just pivot. I'm just very quick and nimble to pivot and decide like, okay, this isn't working. I mean, my first business, I cold called Ron Popeil Ron. You guys, I don't know if you remember Mr. Microphone Popeil Pasta Maker in the 90s, he was godfather in infomercials. And I decided to license his company because in Asia, Taiwan was a cash rich economy and everyone wanted American products. So I thought, great, I have access to American products and then buy the license and sell it there. And I would cold call and I went to Kinko's and made myself a little logo Legend International. Called myself the president. And I made little. And I would fax that office over and over. And finally they called me and they said, if we give you a meeting with Ron, will you stop faxing every day? And I said, yes. So I walked in, you know, president of Latin. I'm 23 years old. And he looked at me and he said, where's the president of this company? I'm like, that's. That's me. And, of course, took several more meetings, but he ended up selling me the licenses to six different countries for Asia for his company.
- [15:27]
Michael Bostick
And it did well.
- [15:28]
Lauren Everts
God, it did well. I'm sorry.
- [15:29]
Tina Chen Craig
It did well. Yeah, it did well. And then I ended up buying Brooks Shields forever sheer pantyhose license. This is all in my early 20s. It was just.
- [15:35]
Lauren Everts
And what do you do with it when you buy her pantyhose?
- [15:38]
Tina Chen Craig
Buying the license. She had this pantyhose line. I bought the license, and you would distribute all over Asia, and then you pay the licensing fee.
- [15:46]
Lauren Everts
That's genius.
- [15:47]
Tina Chen Craig
That was my first entrepreneurial effort. And, of course, being before I turned 25. So you. Any money you make, you spend it. You're, like, just doing stuff. And I. Yeah, people don't realize how.
- [15:59]
Michael Bostick
Big those businesses are. We had a meeting randomly one day with Playboy, of all people, and they were saying. They were telling us how big the business in China is just licensing the Playboy bunny. And, like, the men wear Playboy suits, and it's like a huge thing.
- [16:10]
Tina Chen Craig
It's so different.
- [16:11]
Michael Bostick
Not even just, like, for the pictures.
- [16:12]
Tina Chen Craig
But, like, even Elle magazine. That license, you'll just see it on bags randomly.
- [16:17]
Lauren Everts
So you took her pantyhose and you brought it to China and you sold it as pantyhose under the brand name.
- [16:23]
Tina Chen Craig
Yeah, it was just. It was Brooke Shields forever sheer. It's called forever sheer pantyhose. I brought it up to her when I finally met her in person not long ago, and she was like, oh, my God, I forgot about that. In the early 90s. Yeah.
- [16:34]
Lauren Everts
And everyone loves a good pantyhose.
- [16:35]
Tina Chen Craig
They do.
- [16:36]
Lauren Everts
Like, let me tell you, the hooters tights. If you get Hooters tights, that is.
- [16:40]
Tina Chen Craig
So they hold everything in.
- [16:42]
Lauren Everts
They hold. If you're gonna do a Halloween costume, go get a good pantyhose.
- [16:45]
Tina Chen Craig
Right?
- [16:45]
Lauren Everts
I'm telling you, those Hooters tights, those girls.
- [16:47]
Michael Bostick
Is it pantyhose or h. Hose.
- [16:49]
Tina Chen Craig
Hose.
- [16:49]
Lauren Everts
Hose. When is the first time in your life that you remember feeling really confident and Comfortable in your skin. Was it your first business endeavor? Was it when you were in high school?
- [17:02]
Tina Chen Craig
I know that I can carve out my own seat. So I know I've created this seat, and I know I belong there because I've made myself belong there. But there's never that moment where I woke up and be like, okay, I'm confident in my own skin. It's always like, how do I improve? How do I get better? I'm just always. I always feel like there are hunters and gatherers, two different types. To me, I'm a hunter, and if.
- [17:21]
Lauren Everts
I'm not, explain the difference.
- [17:22]
Tina Chen Craig
So a gatherer is someone who's like, happy to just, like, get everything together. And they organize you. And, you know, like, in a couple, I always see there'll be someone who's a gatherer. And then I'm more of like a hunter. If I'm not hunting for something, I start hunting myself. So I'm constant. People are like, why are you so ambitious? Why do you have to keep. I'm like, it's not ambition or even the money that drives me. What drives me is, like, the next goal, the next. Because I don't. They're like, don't you just want to be, like, at peace and hang out? I'm like, no, that sounds so boring. That's not for me. I want to keep hunting. I love the excitement, love the thrill. And as an entrepreneur, I crave that. Like I always say, because you always ask me, how do I start a business as successful as you have? I'm like, this is my 10th business. So I'm finally. Success was not overnight. I'm in my 50s. But when I know something's going to work, it's when I am so crazy about it, it makes me crazy. Like teenage love. That's when I know that this is gonna work.
- [18:16]
Lauren Everts
So after you did your pantyhose business, what was the next sort of thing that got you closer to bag snob?
- [18:23]
Tina Chen Craig
Well, I then got burnt out. Cause I'd been working, traveling all over Asia. Before I was 25. I was running these companies. And so then I. Because I speak English and Chinese fluently, back and forth. MTV Asia was launching mtv. And they saw me, and so they just said, do you want to come in for a read? When I was 13, I got a job at Sam Goody Music Store. Cause I wanted to buy a red bikini. And no one. My Chinese families, like, if you can buy it yourself, you can have a bikini. So I went to the mall and got a job at 13 years old.
- [18:48]
Lauren Everts
Resourceful.
- [18:51]
Tina Chen Craig
I love, you know, I'm a product problem solver. I don't run from problems. I see problems as like a way for me to be creative and like hunt and figure out the solution. So, yeah, so when I went in for my reading, it happened to be MTV Classics. That was supposed to be the audition, but I nailed it. So they were like, we're going to air this. How do you know so much about music? And I go on, I was 13, I had a job at Sam Goody Music Store. So I know all about the classics.
- [19:14]
Lauren Everts
You know, so it seems like you've like cherry picked all these different, like almost professions and put them together and mixed together.
- [19:22]
Tina Chen Craig
Isn't that funny? I've never, you know, I, I never let any opportunity. I see every experience for an opportunity for growth or just something. I talk to everybody. Even when I saw you at the Backstage Nordstrom, were you in Seattle?
- [19:35]
Lauren Everts
Me, my best friend and I were dying when you got on stage because we were like, oh my God, you just knew how to like massage the audience and like, it was amazing to watch you on and off stage. Like you were the same person on stage, but it was like you, you had like this extra pizzazz, this extra sparkle. We were at Nordstrom Seattle.
- [19:54]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes.
- [19:55]
Lauren Everts
And we were talking on stage about our products.
- [19:57]
Tina Chen Craig
So.
- [19:58]
Michael Bostick
But you know, we do obviously we do like a ton of research before we do these shows. We have a lot. And one of the things that came up about you in that research is like the Nordstrom's thing is that they said like you worked your ass off and you know how to work the room.
- [20:10]
Tina Chen Craig
I get the perfume spray, I come out and spray them like you want to be. Do you want to smell delicious, make every man's mouth water? And they're like.
- [20:19]
Lauren Everts
But it's funny because I feel like probably a lot of that also comes from you being on the mtv. Like I bet you have pulled things from that to go up on stage.
- [20:28]
Michael Bostick
Like this, but it also, it takes a certain bit of confidence to do that and work a room in a crowd like that.
- [20:34]
Tina Chen Craig
Is it confidence or is it survival skills? I don't know. Yeah, I think it's a mix because I just, I knew that when I got on MTV it was fun also. It just sounded really fun. I always, I've been driven my entire life, my career, and when I was younger, there was this friend of mine who was like, life's not a hehe and a haha. It can't always be fun. I said, yes, it can.
- [20:54]
Lauren Everts
Life is a hehe and a hehe and a haha. Life has to be a hehe and a haha.
- [20:59]
Tina Chen Craig
I was a football player in my high school and I was always laughing. He's like, why are you always laughing? I'm like, what's the alternative? Cry like, I want to have fun.
- [21:06]
Lauren Everts
That's.
- [21:06]
Tina Chen Craig
I think if anything's not fun, like Arisa, who's with me, knows, if it's not, if it doesn't sound like fun, I'm not going to do it.
- [21:13]
Lauren Everts
I don't blame you, right? No. If it's not a fuck yes, it's a no.
- [21:16]
Tina Chen Craig
Exactly. Fuck yes. If you're having fun, that's like a surefire way to ensure that you're going to be good at it because you're having such a great time.
- [21:24]
Lauren Everts
Agreed. You launched a blog before anyone in 20 years ago. That's a lot.
- [21:32]
Tina Chen Craig
20 years ago. My son just turned 21. He was a baby when I started it because I had a really hard time conceiving. I had miscarriages. When I had him, I thought, oh my God, I can't go back to work because I was working with my husband at the time and I just thought, someone's gonna steal my baby, eat my baby, drop my baby, take my baby. So I had to stay home and I started this blog as a journal just to document my love of bags and fashion. And it resonated because back in 2005, if you googled the Chloe Paddington bag or Chanel bag, my little blog would come up.
- [22:06]
Michael Bostick
Let's talk about some of the essential supplements we're taking here in the new year. Of course, we cannot live without Armour Colostrum. Ever since Lauren and I interviewed the founder of Armor on this podcast years ago, it has been one of our staples, one of our go tos. And that is because Colostrum works at the cellular level to bolster your health from within. Colostrum is also nature's first whole food with over 400 bioactive nutrients that fortify GU, strengthened immune health, fuel performance and more, paving the way for your best health and vitality. What I love about Colostrum so much, and especially Armor Colostrum, is that it packs such a punch. It does so many different things. It strengthens your immune health, it fortifies gut health, it can help with a healthy metabolism, hair health, skin health, and fuel performance and recovery. What's also great is you can take these scoops, typically four daily scoops, into your mouth directly, or you can put it in your favorite beverage and it comes in these travel packets or a jug that you can just keep at your home or in your office. Wherever. We keep them in the home and the office and we also have the travel packs. Because here's the thing, we live in an environment our biology was never designed for. EMFs, artificial light, seed oils, microplastics, endocrine disruptors, modern stressors. All the things we talk about regularly on this podcast. So we need everything we can get our hands on to make sure that we're guarding against these modern day disruptors. So check them out. We've worked out a special offer for our audience. Receive 30% off your first subscription order. All you have to do is go to armor.comskinny or enter skinny to get 30% off your first subscription order. That's a R M R A.com skinny.
- [23:27]
Lauren Everts
Armor.Com skinny okay, there were these red ballerina flats that I had been looking everywhere for. They were by the row and I wanted them to wear with jeans and a red sweater and I couldn't find them anywhere. So of course I went to the RealReal and guess what? I found them. And not only did I find them, I didn't have to worry about them being real or fake. Everything from the RealReal is the most trusted. I'm not joking you. Everything is authenticated luxury resale. And it is my source, my tip, my hack for finding all the things that you can't find online. They literally have things that are vintage. They have watches, they have shoes, they have handbags, coin purses. Things that just aren't available anymore on their site. I'm the type of person too. I'm like a dog with a bone. When I want something I will scour the Internet to find it. So it's really nice to go to the RealReal and always find the things that I'm looking for. So I finally got my red row ballet flats. I'll show you them on Instagram story. They're so cute and I am just so excited about them. You also should know, and this is something that I do that you can sell on the RealReal. The RealReal is the world's largest and most trusted resource for authenticated luxury resale with thousands of pre loved luxury arrivals daily. No one does resale like the RealReal and no one makes the holiday shine brighter than the RealReal. And now get $25 off your free first purchase when you go to therealreal.com skinny. That's therealreal.com skinny to get $25 off start shopping now at therealreal.com skinny if.
- [25:07]
Michael Bostick
You'Re just catching up on the show this year, Lauren and I recently did an episode with the founder of Jevity on this podcast towards the end of last year, talking all about the groundbreaking stuff they're doing over there at Jevity to make sure that you're living your best, most healthiest life. So what is Jevoty? Jevoty tests 100 plus biomarkers, hormones, metabolic health, inflammation, micronutrients, biological age markers from your home, and use functional ranges, not just clinical ones, to help keep you your best, healthiest self. The founder of Jevity, Nate, lost his dad unexpectedly to late stage lung cancer. The tragedy wasn't just the loss, it was realizing it could have been caught earlier with better screening and proactive monitoring. Catch problems before they become catastrophic and most serious conditions brew for years undetected and annual physicals miss them. So with Jevity, this is how you stay ahead. I love platforms like this that give you information so that you can live the healthiest, best life that you can. We're in the dark a lot of the time wondering what's going on with our bodies, what supplements to take, what nutrients nutrients that we're missing and what we need more of. With Jevy, you get all of this information after a simple blood test from home. And then they help you build personal protocols based on your data with zero guesswork. No generic supplements or one size fits all plans. Everything is built for your actual biomarkers and your care team interprets results, identifies what's suboptimal, and creates a protocol specifically for you, then retests every six months to track improvement. So check them out. We love tools and platforms like this. Go to gojevity.com skinny and use code Skin Skinny at checkout for 20% off. That's G O G E V-I T I.com skinny and if there's someone in your life you want to keep around as long as possible, your parents, your partner, yourself, this is one of the most meaningful things you can do. You can literally give someone the gift of better health. Don't wait until something's wrong to start paying attention.
- [26:48]
Lauren Everts
I remember googling a bag and your blog would come up. Now this is I want to say when like fashion toast Rumi Neely and.
- [26:57]
Tina Chen Craig
I was a little bit before.
- [26:58]
Lauren Everts
You're before.
- [26:59]
Tina Chen Craig
What about Brian Boyd Brian when I were the same time he might have been a little before me Brian. Me Brian Susie Bubble.
- [27:04]
Lauren Everts
Okay.
- [27:04]
Tina Chen Craig
It was really the three of us and we're Still. I. We talk all day, every day still. Yeah.
- [27:09]
Lauren Everts
Oh, my gosh, that's crazy.
- [27:10]
Tina Chen Craig
We have this group chat that with.
- [27:11]
Michael Bostick
I Love Brian, like 2009.
- [27:14]
Lauren Everts
I didn't start till 2010.
- [27:16]
Michael Bostick
2010. Yeah.
- [27:17]
Tina Chen Craig
So that was still early.
- [27:17]
Michael Bostick
15 years ago, five years before that. And people say that she was early. So you were really early.
- [27:23]
Lauren Everts
What was the bag that popped off for you?
- [27:26]
Tina Chen Craig
Chloe Paddington. That was the one that was. We had probably, I mean, tens of thousands of searches per day on that bag.
- [27:35]
Lauren Everts
Do you know what I love about this for you? I feel like it's a great way for you to get all the bags you wanted from your husband. Because it's work.
- [27:43]
Tina Chen Craig
That's what I used to say to him. I'm like, you have real estate. I have Birkins. This is my real estate. But a bag snob was funny because I was anonymous. Because back then on the Internet, it was really scary. Don't. Don't give your real name. Never had I ever thought that I would say, I'm gonna be at Nordstrom and Bellevue Mall at 10 o', clock, come and kidnap me. Cause remember back in the day, the Internet was a scary place. You didn't wanna give out your real name. You didn't wanna tell people where you were. It was just a different time.
- [28:08]
Lauren Everts
What was the big moment for Bag Snob? Like? Was it a celebrity recognizing what you were doing? What was your first big break?
- [28:14]
Tina Chen Craig
It was when Kate Moss, like, the British, really discovered us. Cause they just loved our cheeky humor. We would take. Oh, my God, we were so mean about bags. We were just like, does no one see that this looks like a barf bucket? Does no one see that this bag looks like a picture of a bag?
- [28:29]
Lauren Everts
Looks like a barf bucket?
- [28:30]
Tina Chen Craig
This was the Louis Vuitton bucket bag. And it was all these different pieces just put together. Just look like they pulled up scraps from the floor of the showroom. But Kate Moss to some magazine, she said, Bag Snob is the best website in the history of websites. And we popped off after that. British Vogue called. They're like, we want to do an essay on you want to do. You know, you've got to come out at anonymity. And we just said, okay. And so that was the moment.
- [28:54]
Lauren Everts
And then how long do you do Bag Snob before you decide to pivot?
- [28:58]
Tina Chen Craig
I did Beauty Snob within six months. I went, I flew to New York. I signed up for this AMEX forum because I was always trying to, like, learn and because I'm very curious. I'm like, how did Bobby Brown. Because I love Bobby Brown. I love beauty. And she. And with. What is that brand? Kate Spade and Andy Spade were doing this amex forum in 2006. So almost a year after I launched, flew to New York, and I sat there and I'm like, I gotta launch Beauty Snob. And so I then did Beauty Snob, then I did Couture Snob, Then we did Tot Snob, Shoe Snob. I was running six blogs, writing. I was writing all the blogs myself with my. My partner at the time, my college best friend. We had six blogs. People were like, do you do a blog a week? I'm like, I did six entries a day.
- [29:44]
Lauren Everts
That's so gnarly. How would you do that? Would you just sit down at the computer and just write?
- [29:48]
Tina Chen Craig
You know, with a baby. So the baby's napping. So I had time. I was like. And so now, to this day, he's in college. If he can't sleep, he opens his laptop. The humming of the laptop just knocks him out.
- [30:01]
Lauren Everts
Oh, my God.
- [30:02]
Tina Chen Craig
Lullaby. Is that funny?
- [30:03]
Lauren Everts
Oh, my gosh, Michael, why didn't that happen to you when I was on my blog?
- [30:06]
Michael Bostick
No, I don't.
- [30:07]
Lauren Everts
Michael used to be like, get off your computer.
- [30:10]
Michael Bostick
No, because you. She would come home from bartending, and Lauren's got. She's got a.
- [30:14]
Lauren Everts
That's what I have to do.
- [30:15]
Michael Bostick
You've got a heavy type and a heavy type. It's like a. It sounds like an old. Like an old kid.
- [30:21]
Lauren Everts
Well, you have heavy things, too, or even. So when do you decide that you want to go from writing and blogging and everything that you're doing with fashion events and switch.
- [30:36]
Tina Chen Craig
You know what? Everything was so organic. It's just these, like I said, opportunities. I go to places. I start talking to anybody. I will talk. I just talk to everybody. And this one person I was speaking to turned out. She. Her name is Mindy Grossman, and she was actually in Dallas last night. She's like, we gotta have dinner. But she became. She had just become the president or CEO of hsn. And I just started because no one else was talking to her at the show. So I just started talking to her. She didn't look like an influencer or one of these supermodels or whatever, but she just looks so interesting to me. She's like this confident woman, and she was like, I want this face on hsn. I was like, oh, maybe I should sell something. Okay, this is good. So I started thinking. But what happened, really? My first Product line was with Donna Karen because we were totally trashing the bags. So DKNY PR girl tweeted at me, elisa. Hi, Elisa. And she was like, haven't you ever taken a bad photo? That was just a bad photo. I go, all right, send me another photo. Send me the bag. Like, I sent a backdrop. It's still an ugly bag. I don't like it. So finally I said, look, I'm never gonna like your bags. Why don't you let me design one? Because in my head, I wanted to learn what it took to design a bag so I could be a better, like, critic. Not for any reason. There was never, like, I'm gonna have a bag. It was just, let me design it for you. I want to come to the showroom so I could learn. And so she goes, okay, great. But it's not. We're not going to give you existing shapes. You're going to design them. Do you know how to design bags? And I said, yes. I always say, yes.
- [31:51]
Lauren Everts
That's what you should always say. You should say, that's my specialty.
- [31:54]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes. That's what I say.
- [31:55]
Lauren Everts
I say it all. I go, that's my specialty.
- [31:57]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes. I'm like, yes, I do. I'm the bag snob. She goes, okay, great. So I flew in. The whole team was waiting for me. Jeannie Kim, I think she was one who designed DKNY for Donna. And they all sat there like, okay, where's your inspiration board? I go, it's at the hotel. I go, I thought we would just sit down first and talk about this collection. Let's talk it through. They were like, okay, you're supposed to come with your board, your color mood. And I'm like, so I'm like, listening. I'm like, okay, all right. So I went back to the hotel, did my mood, and I came up with the five essentials. I said, we should. Every woman should treat their bag collection as a wardrobe. They should have five. Cause we're always buying the same black tote over and over and over again, right? Another black tote, another this, another Vuitton bag, whatever, which is great. So I said, every woman should have a tote bag, a travel bag, a treasure bag, something really special, maybe exotic, or just something that's special to you. A trendy bag. Because no matter how classic, every year, you want to be on trend. And a clutch. So from there, you know, I built out this bag collection, and then we pre sold it and net. A porter picked it up. They were just doing this for press, and I Said, no, I'll sell these. There's not a day that goes by my life that I'm not selling something. I just sold my whole skincare line to your dad's neighbor on the valley bus. She was like, excuse me. Your skin looks really good. I'm like, oh, it's my skincare. We started talking. She goes, where are you going? I'm gonna be on the Skinny Confidential, him and her. She goes, oh, I know her. I'm friends with her dad. I go, great.
- [33:14]
Lauren Everts
By the end of it, daddy, go buy my dad's elk pozole moose farms.
- [33:18]
Michael Bostick
At the Farmers in San Diego. I don't even want a bag. And I. I'm not the market. And I. As you were talking, I'm like, I kind of want that collection. I don't know.
- [33:25]
Tina Chen Craig
Yeah, it was like, you want to build a wardrobe. Like, this is how I. I'm very. Like, my brain is like a computer. I think about how I should go about things, and I build things. And so not a day goes by where I'm not selling something, and I love selling. So we sold out of that entire collection before it launched at Net a Porter.
- [33:42]
Lauren Everts
So can anyone get it now on? Like, it's gone.
- [33:45]
Tina Chen Craig
It's gone. It was. So what I did was I did that, and then I did a denim collaboration, because I called it Learning with Opium Other people's Money. I was like, I let me just do all these collabs to see what I. What my passions were, because I wasn't sure if I wanted to have. You know, I didn't know if I even wanted any kind of brand of my own. So I did the bags. I did denim. I did a joy collection. I've done a lot of different collaborations, but it was always skin care. That was like. As I started aging, by the time I got into my 40s, I thought, okay, I don't want to do the lasers. I don't want to do certain things. I want to keep my skin healthy. I mean, you know, I was doing a little Botox. I didn't start Botox. I was 45. I never touched my face. In my 20s, I was dancing on tables. I was too busy. We didn't have injectables in the 90s.
- [34:28]
Lauren Everts
Who were you dancing on tables with? Like, your friends?
- [34:31]
Tina Chen Craig
Yeah, in Taipei. When I went back there, it was so fun.
- [34:34]
Lauren Everts
So when you decide to launch your skincare line and it's different than, obviously, fashion, how do you infuse the fashion into the skincare?
- [34:43]
Tina Chen Craig
Well, the reason I got into skincare also because of the beauty snob. And then all these brands started calling me. They were like, you have really great skin. Just say you use this. Just use, you know. So I started working for so many brands. La Prairie, I was traveling with them, teaching master classes, Clay de Peau as an Estee Lauder ambassador. And that's when I realized, wait, this is what my passions are. I really just loved the beauty side of, you know, the beauty snob. So we had all. By then we had writers and the blogs were just well oiled machines. Then I had a business divorce from my partner.
- [35:11]
Lauren Everts
What's the business divorce?
- [35:13]
Tina Chen Craig
My bag's not a partner. We just parted ways.
- [35:15]
Lauren Everts
And was it a good divorce or a bad divorce?
- [35:18]
Tina Chen Craig
It was a hard divorce. Not good or bad, but it was hard because when you're best friends and then you're, you know, she was my son's godmother and now we don't speak. So, I mean, if I saw her, we would speak. But it just changes because I wanted different things. It's like a marriage, you know, you grow apart. We've been friends since college. And as the business grew, I wanted certain things and I was very ambitious. I wanted to do certain things. I saw it like I am. I have this singular vision of when I want something, it's like the blinders are on. I don't listen to the noise. Cause I know that my point of view, my singular vision is my greatest asset. So if I allow any kind of noise infiltrate, I'm never gonna get to that goal.
- [35:55]
Lauren Everts
How can the audience do that in their own life?
- [35:58]
Tina Chen Craig
So I think what's really important is to know what you don't like. That's why I tried so many things. You know, it's kind of like a filter system. Try everything, Nothing is beneath you. Do everything, try everything. If you really want that entrepreneurial journ journey, obviously get a great job, that's great for you. But if you want to be an entrepreneur and you want to know how to find your passions, first know what you don't like. Because once you filter that out and then you. When you do discover what you love, then you'll be like, this feels right, this feels good. And then set goals. But not like lofty, crazy goals that are so impossible. Like, but goals for me, it was always, in six months, I'm going to do this. In 12 months, I'm going to do this. People are like, where are you going to be in five years? Like, I have no idea. I'm barely figuring out the next six months, like, I just see what's in front of me, and then I keep going, obviously, like, the overarching strategies in my head, but I don't. And I. I did this guest lecture, Columbia Business School, which I thought was so funny that I didn't get into there, but they asked me to come and guest lecture.
- [36:52]
Lauren Everts
So funny, right? Yeah, it's amazing.
- [36:54]
Tina Chen Craig
And they're all with their notes, and I said, oh, no, no, no, we're not. We're not doing that. I spent so much time obsessing over business plans in my 20s when I should have been obsessing over what I was going to create. Obviously have a strategy, but I think have an easy deck and outline, but not. Don't stress about your business plan. Number one, know exactly what it is that you love. And it's okay if you. If you don't know. You'll figure it out. Try it. Try it first. There's nothing wrong with failures. I always saw failures as lessons. I mean, look, I've had so many companies, like, Bag Snob's no longer around because I pivoted. I don't call it a failure. I call it a pivot. Gotta be nimble, and you figure it out. Like, look, maybe you're not gonna find your thing till you're in your 40s. Like me, because bags Nov is in my 30s. You, beauty was in my 40s. Now I'm in my 50s. And I'm having the best time of my life because I just didn't. I just. I was resilient.
- [37:44]
Michael Bostick
Lauren's one of those lucky people that kind of knew her passion and what she wanted to do from the early. And I. I always struggle. And I've said it on this show when people would come on and be like, chase your passion, Chase your dream. Because for me, it's similar to you. I had to, like, do a bunch of shit that I was not clear about and many times didn't like. And it kind of slowly, like, stumbled.
- [38:01]
Tina Chen Craig
Upon, pay the bills. You're like, this is great, but I don't. I'm not fulfilled. I don't feel it.
- [38:05]
Michael Bostick
But I think it's. I think sometimes entrepreneurs that know right away and chase it, they sometimes do a disservice saying, like, oh, just chase your passion and do what you love. Because some people, like, if you don't know, that can be very confusing. Whenever I would hear that, I'm like, what the hell are you talking about?
- [38:19]
Tina Chen Craig
What does that mean? So for me, it's about trying everything Just try it. Just, if there's an opportunity, take it. There's a reason things are put in your path. There's a reason for everything. I feel, and I've led my life and my business really, with my intuition. Because again, when you don't speak the language at that age, that pivotal age between 8 to 10, and you're trying to figure out where you fit in in this world, and then you're going. You know, you start going to that early puberty and all that stuff. So there's no shame. I've learned, in admitting your mistakes, and it's really like, you can learn so much from them.
- [38:51]
Lauren Everts
I think that's great advice. There's a lot of forever students where they just want to be a student and they want to write the business plan and they want to read the books, but they don't want to actually execute.
- [38:59]
Tina Chen Craig
Go do it.
- [39:00]
Michael Bostick
Yeah, but the other thing, like. And you just nailed it. Like, you're up in your 50s. Like, we're moving into our 40s, and I, like, honestly can say 20s and 30s was just us, like, flailing around in the confusion. Yeah. And I think that's okay, though.
- [39:12]
Tina Chen Craig
Yeah.
- [39:13]
Michael Bostick
I think sometimes, especially young people that have parents that put pressure or family members or just people that put pressure, they think they need to figure it out.
- [39:19]
Tina Chen Craig
20S, 30s, or themselves. First of all, like, nothing's as scary as that scary movie you're playing in your head. The loudest voice is generally your own. So make sure it's telling you something really great and positive every single day. And look, there are people who are under 30 and become billionaires, like Whitney, who used to live in Austin. She's a really good friend of mine. I just talked to her yesterday. Her baby's so cute. But, like, that's great. But stop comparing. I think, with social media now, there's so much pressure. Like, my son just turned 21. He's like, I'm not where I want to be in life. And I go, what?
- [39:51]
Lauren Everts
I was on the bar, like, flashing guys at 21.
- [39:54]
Tina Chen Craig
I know, me, I was dancing in a cage above a bar.
- [39:57]
Michael Bostick
I was on the floor under the bar. So there you go.
- [39:59]
Tina Chen Craig
There you go. Look at us now.
- [40:01]
Michael Bostick
But no, I mean, I really do, honestly. And I talk to Lauren about this all the time. I really feel like we're just now finally getting started.
- [40:07]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes.
- [40:08]
Michael Bostick
And we've now been doing these kind of things for two decades. And that's maybe strange for people to hear that aren't as far along, but we were kind of Like I said, we were just flailing around in the early 20s and 30s. And I don't think you have to have it figured out there. And I think that society puts a lot of pressure on young people to have it figured out. Here's the other thing, and maybe this is wrong, but most young people that I encounter, like, 20s and 30s, when they come to me for something, I don't take them as very serious. It's not that I don't think they're serious people, but I'm like, okay. Like, it's like. You know what I mean? Like, they come really serious the same way that I probably used to.
- [40:40]
Tina Chen Craig
Oh, yeah. We took ourselves so seriously.
- [40:42]
Michael Bostick
But people that have a little bit more experience, like you, I understand the phase of life they're in.
- [40:46]
Tina Chen Craig
Right.
- [40:47]
Michael Bostick
They're not there yet.
- [40:47]
Tina Chen Craig
And the thing is, I think when you're young, like, this is the time if you're gonna fall, fall in your 20s and 30s, because you can take it. You can get back up. Don't be like, I'm 70 now. I'm gonna finally take that chance. Like, obviously, it's fine. You can always dream big. Always. But I'm just saying, if you are in your 20s and 30s and you want to take that step and you're scared to, like, do it, I thought there was.
- [41:08]
Michael Bostick
So I was like, if we fail, then. But looking back, we had no kids, we had no mortgages, we had no health obligations, didn't have to take care of anyone.
- [41:15]
Lauren Everts
I didn't have to worry because you just worried for me.
- [41:17]
Tina Chen Craig
Right. But the point is, yeah, I just.
- [41:20]
Lauren Everts
Gather he's the hay in my truth.
- [41:21]
Michael Bostick
But for the young people listening, like, I think it would be so liberating to go back to then and be like, man, the worst thing that can happen is I can't afford the bar tower.
- [41:29]
Tina Chen Craig
Exactly.
- [41:30]
Michael Bostick
Or, like, you know, I can't afford.
- [41:32]
Tina Chen Craig
And we would feel so embarrassed. Like, I don't want to let anyone know this didn't work out. This one didn't work out. Like, you get some.
- [41:37]
Michael Bostick
Like, you get kicked out of an apartment, have to go to a cheaper one. Like, now the stakes are higher when you have kids and a family.
- [41:42]
Tina Chen Craig
Right now, it's all about their comfort, being able to give them, offer them a certain, you know, lifestyle and comfort and raise them in safety, security.
- [41:51]
Lauren Everts
It's. It's not easy raising them with social media either. I know it's not easy. I tell. I try to tell my daughter, like, even when she, like, will peek over my shoulder, like, I want her to know it's a movie set.
- [42:02]
Tina Chen Craig
How old is she?
- [42:02]
Lauren Everts
She's five.
- [42:03]
Tina Chen Craig
Oh, I was going to say when she's about 10. I mean, a friend of mine gave me this contract that I made my son sign, and it was a real social media contract. What he'll do and not do when he's on his iPad. And he was like, I'm only 10. I'm like, it's okay. I'm gonna sign for you. I'm your guardian. He goes, okay. What did the contract explain it to you? It was just, you know, certain hours and how you're gonna respect these boundaries, and if you didn't, then your access to this. So it's never like, you're in trouble. Go to your room. I'm taking your iPad. So it's never like that. Like, he knew. He knew if he messed up and he would test me. I'm like, well, you know, what did the contract say? Oh, yeah. So it's like, really? I think I've always treated my son like a little person. Just because he lacked the language and experience didn't mean he lacked the intellect. So I would talk to him like this, and my friends are like, he is three years old. I said, he understands. Don't you? And he's like.
- [42:55]
Michael Bostick
It'S very Asian mom of you.
- [42:57]
Lauren Everts
I'm gonna make a contract with Towns. There's a couple contracts I need to. To make.
- [43:01]
Michael Bostick
I make a couple contracts with you.
- [43:03]
Lauren Everts
I'm not citing.
- [43:04]
Tina Chen Craig
Exactly.
- [43:04]
Lauren Everts
I'm not. And you're not my guardian.
- [43:06]
Tina Chen Craig
He's. He's. She's allowed to bully you?
- [43:07]
Lauren Everts
No, I'm not saying anything.
- [43:08]
Michael Bostick
Well, she does a good job of it.
- [43:10]
Lauren Everts
Okay, we need to talk about the elephant in the room, which is your skin. Your skin. Every time I've seen you, it's, like, just beautiful.
- [43:20]
Tina Chen Craig
Thank you.
- [43:21]
Lauren Everts
It's just not something, like, just so fresh and youthful about your skin.
- [43:25]
Tina Chen Craig
Thank you. No fillers, which. Nothing wrong if you do, but I like to make people's skin so healthy that it'll hold their injectables longer. That's, like, my whole goal, to give you healthy, dense skin.
- [43:35]
Lauren Everts
That's.
- [43:36]
Tina Chen Craig
It looks dense and bouncy.
- [43:38]
Lauren Everts
Yeah, it's beautiful. And listen, I saw it when I was in Aspen. It was, like, in the pure sunlight. That was most incredible because you know how you'll see someone in the sunlight, and it's like, maybe, like, a lot of makeup. It's like your skin just, like, radiates. It's really cool.
- [43:52]
Tina Chen Craig
Thank you.
- [43:53]
Lauren Everts
You're very.
- [43:53]
Tina Chen Craig
I do a lot of stuff. Yeah, I'll get into that. Okay. So I do from the inside, obviously. Every morning, I start with either pure olive olive oil or cod liver fish oil. Okay. Cod. Yeah, Liver fish.
- [44:06]
Lauren Everts
You're drinking it or applying it?
- [44:07]
Tina Chen Craig
Drinking it. Okay. Straight in. I drink one spoonful. I switch off because I never let my body get used to anything. So I do the codfish liver oil. Like, I did that this morning. Yesterday, I did the olive oil.
- [44:17]
Michael Bostick
Do you have a brand of the codfish that you like?
- [44:19]
Tina Chen Craig
It's a Norwegian brand.
- [44:21]
Lauren Everts
I know what you're talking about.
- [44:22]
Tina Chen Craig
Yeah.
- [44:22]
Lauren Everts
Will you text it to me?
- [44:23]
Tina Chen Craig
I know what you're talking about. And then I. Every morning I have peak tea, fermented green tea, and then I do shore magic.
- [44:30]
Lauren Everts
Is this the pure one?
- [44:32]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes. The green pu. Erh.
- [44:34]
Lauren Everts
I knew you were gonna say that.
- [44:36]
Tina Chen Craig
So good. I have some. I had some in my back pocket. I have some in that bag.
- [44:39]
Lauren Everts
Okay. So you do your cod liver shot, then you do your peat green tea.
- [44:42]
Tina Chen Craig
And I do green tea with the shore magic. There's only one ingredient. It's hydrolyzed codfish skin. So it's pure marine collagen. And then I don't eat breakfast because when I moved to America, I was from. You know, we had hot breakfast. This, like, cereals, pancake. That didn't interest me, so I just. I didn't know. But I was doing fasting since I was young stuff. And I think the main thing with good skin is you don't ever go up and down in your weight. I've been the same weight and size unless. Well, other than being pregnant my whole life, since I was 18.
- [45:09]
Lauren Everts
Oh, I'm fucked.
- [45:09]
Michael Bostick
People are gonna love that, too.
- [45:10]
Lauren Everts
I'm fucked. I'm so fucked.
- [45:13]
Tina Chen Craig
No, you're not. No, you're not.
- [45:14]
Lauren Everts
I have three kids. And it goes. No, that's pregnancy.
- [45:16]
Tina Chen Craig
That's. Pregnancy's different. It's different now your skin, you could tell there's collagen.
- [45:20]
Lauren Everts
Okay.
- [45:21]
Tina Chen Craig
Yeah. You look good.
- [45:22]
Lauren Everts
I hope so, because I really.
- [45:24]
Michael Bostick
Because it maintains the same shape consistently.
- [45:26]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes.
- [45:27]
Michael Bostick
And so it doesn't change the skin.
- [45:28]
Tina Chen Craig
It's really, really. Especially now with the GLPs, there are people that really need it, but if you don't, don't take it for your five to ten pounds.
- [45:34]
Lauren Everts
Like, just because it. It drains the collagen from the skin.
- [45:38]
Tina Chen Craig
Yeah, it does. It really does.
- [45:39]
Lauren Everts
I don't know if that's the right scientific.
- [45:41]
Tina Chen Craig
No, what it does is that you lose the fat.
- [45:43]
Lauren Everts
Yeah.
- [45:44]
Tina Chen Craig
Quickly and then you don't gain it back when you stop taking it. Because that facial fat is so precious, so important.
- [45:50]
Lauren Everts
Yeah, I know what you're. It's definitely a certain look. Yeah, you do have to be. I feel like if you're going to do the GLP1, you got to be eating that collagen.
- [45:57]
Tina Chen Craig
I think microdosing is what they recommend.
- [45:59]
Lauren Everts
Yeah.
- [46:00]
Tina Chen Craig
And, and there are certain people need it. They need it for their blood pressure, they need it for diabetes and stuff. But for your five to ten pounds, I feel like just cut out the heavy dinners.
- [46:09]
Lauren Everts
It's so crazy how people off air are talking about the GLP1 now. Like, we'll go to dinner with someone and it's literally like they said, I got my eyebrows waxed now. It's not a big deal.
- [46:19]
Tina Chen Craig
Like they call. I mean, I love microdosing, but I don't. I like.
- [46:24]
Michael Bostick
But here's the thing that I would say, so we know. I mean, a lot of people are doing this and no shade on anyone.
- [46:28]
Tina Chen Craig
No, no, no.
- [46:29]
Michael Bostick
And we have a lot of friends and I'm all for it. But I do think that what you're touching on here is with anything, what I always say with this is anything, there's always a price to pay somewhere else. Right. So like maybe you lose that five to ten pounds and maybe your blood pressure, but now you've also maybe changed your face.
- [46:46]
Tina Chen Craig
I think the main thing is moderation. If you are going to do it microdose, like they say, like safely and in moderation. Homeostasis is my favorite, favorite word ever. And it's just about maintaining a balance. That's just the way the Chinese culture is, is find Japanese culture, finding that balance. And that's with you beauty. Everything's about finding that ph balance in your skin, finding that homeostasis. Because I had created so much cosmetic confusion, I was, you know, being beauty snob, repping this brand and that brand. And next thing you know, I had this 13 step routine. 25 products in the morning, you know, 25 more at night. And it was just my skin had the worst rosacea, I had eczema. It was all caused by these external products. And I couldn't use retinol, I couldn't use any kind of active ingredients. And as I was getting to my 30s, I'm like, this, this, some. Something's got to like give that. I was working with so many different brands trying to find a better way. I just knew that there had to be a better way and that simplicity and performance should and could live in the same bottle, But I couldn't find it. And there were so many brands that said, let's do a collab. I'm like, okay, I love collaborations. And that they wouldn't let me develop any. They were just like, no, no, the serum's done. We just want you to sell it and say you made it. And I would say, no, I'm not doing that. If I ever were to do a skincare brand, I would have to be the one in the lab, develop it, have to be my ideas. I would have to be the one doing everything. And my business partner, she's married to one of my good friends, and she told me about this medical grade lab in Italy. They had been developing a molecule that mimics a healthy skin cell. And we could pack it with anything. And if you think about right now, when you're putting active ingredients, the reason we get irritation is because the active ingredients are blindly pushed all over your face. Only the damaged needs that only the free radicals need. But your healthy skin cells suffer that collateral damage. They really in order for it to reach it. So imagine like you're trying to get oil into your oil gasket. I'm explaining in the way that Mike. But instead you're putting oil all over that engine, hoping to drop skin that oil gasket. So you're destroying the engine while you're doing it. But with our technology, I call it like a GPS system, because we mimic a healthy skin cell. It's made of the exact same polyunsaturated fatty acid as your skin. So free radicals are magnetically attracted to it. They attack it, thinking it's a healthy skin cell. When they penetrate through that molecule, it bursts open, releasing active ingredients only where your skin has the oxidative damage, only treating the damage, bypassing your healthy skin cells in the last 10 years. I started this journey eight years ago. My friends are like, you're aging backwards. They're like. And I know it's not anything you can get from, you know, at the doctors. Like, it's. It's like the skin you had when we were kids.
- [49:13]
Lauren Everts
What are you wearing on your skin right now, you beauty.
- [49:15]
Tina Chen Craig
The skin tint this.
- [49:17]
Lauren Everts
But what's underneath it, that's what I'm.
- [49:19]
Tina Chen Craig
More curious about, you, beauty. I've got on our new smooth wrinkle defense. I don't say. I don't say anti aging because I feel like that is so degraded.
- [49:28]
Lauren Everts
It's just anti aging is like low vibration.
- [49:31]
Tina Chen Craig
Yeah, low vibration. And for me, because I Had. Had. You know, I was. I had a cancer scare right before I launched you beauty. A pre cancerous tumor was discovered. And it was like, I'm like, I can't be sick. I told my doctor, I'm like, I'm launching a skincare brand in. That's how my brain works. I'm like, it's September 21st. My brand is launching November 1st. How do we. How do we fix this?
- [49:52]
Lauren Everts
Where did they find that?
- [49:53]
Tina Chen Craig
In my uterus.
- [49:54]
Lauren Everts
So what did you do?
- [49:55]
Tina Chen Craig
I just opted for a full hysterectomy.
- [49:58]
Lauren Everts
And was that tough?
- [50:00]
Tina Chen Craig
It was, but at the same time, it was like I was so like, again, I'm like, I've got to get there. So this is a problem. The most. The best way. I talked to three different doctors. I called the doctor and MD Anderson. At the time in my late 40s, they were like, you're not gonna have any more kids. Like, there's no reason to keep. To keep that. And I say, you feel the same. Yeah, I feel great.
- [50:18]
Lauren Everts
You feel great.
- [50:18]
Tina Chen Craig
Well, I'm also on hormone pellets. I'm on bioidentical pellets that I get from doctors.
- [50:24]
Lauren Everts
Does that hurt?
- [50:25]
Tina Chen Craig
No, it doesn't hurt. No.
- [50:27]
Lauren Everts
So, like, they put a needle in, and then they put it in.
- [50:30]
Tina Chen Craig
They. They inject you with a numbing solution. I go to Dr. Chris Cassandra in LA and he then puts in the pellet, and it's just like, you don't even feel it.
- [50:39]
Lauren Everts
So you have to go back to what?
- [50:41]
Tina Chen Craig
They're bioidentical.
- [50:44]
Lauren Everts
Yeah, you have to go back to what you're wearing under your skin. You said. You said the wrinkles.
- [50:48]
Tina Chen Craig
I'm so add. I'm like, what am I talking about? Where am I?
- [50:50]
Lauren Everts
Don't worry. So I am all, wait, Michael's like.
- [50:53]
Tina Chen Craig
What are they talking about? And I understand. I'm keeping this.
- [50:56]
Michael Bostick
I'm keeping.
- [50:58]
Tina Chen Craig
So I've got the smooth on. And then because it has copper peptides, which I'm obsessed with, I inject that every six months for 60 days. And then I have on the super hydrator, which Jen Aniston's obsessed with, so is Demi Moore loves the body hydrator. Like, people love the hydrator because it really penetrates deeply.
- [51:15]
Lauren Everts
And that's what you brought me.
- [51:16]
Tina Chen Craig
That's what I brought you. And then I have multi modal defense, which is a butter balm with spf. And then I have my super tinted. It's a tint.
- [51:25]
Lauren Everts
And you don't have any other makeup besides the tint.
- [51:27]
Tina Chen Craig
I have a little blush stick, a cream.
- [51:29]
Lauren Everts
It's not like you have like a bunch of foundation.
- [51:31]
Tina Chen Craig
No, no, I don't have foundation on. Wow.
- [51:33]
Lauren Everts
You know what your skin looks like? Stacy Christie, can I tell you something? You said you don't use retinol.
- [51:39]
Tina Chen Craig
I do.
- [51:39]
Lauren Everts
Now you do.
- [51:40]
Tina Chen Craig
Encapsulated in our. Because of our encapsulation, the retinol is only going to be released where your skin has oxidative damage. So I don't get rosacea anymore.
- [51:49]
Lauren Everts
I'm very specific about the retinol. The one that I likes. Alpharette. Should I try yours?
- [51:54]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes.
- [51:55]
Lauren Everts
Okay.
- [51:55]
Tina Chen Craig
And stop everything.
- [51:56]
Lauren Everts
I don't use retinol besides Alpharet. I don't like it on my skin. I don't like how it looks. Yeah, but I will try yours.
- [52:02]
Tina Chen Craig
Our resurfacing compound is our first product. It's eight serums. And when. That's why I started this journey. When she told me about this technology, I was like, okay, this sounds like sci fi. I've been. So many skincare brands have made promises and no brand at that point, I just knew there hasn't had any real encapsulation technology since like the 50s or 60s. It was the same titration time, release, all of it. So with ours, it's like your skin finally takes control of your skincare. My son was 13. He was on so much tretinoin, his skin was so dry. And then he would get this cystic acne because the oil glands go into overdrive underneath. So the upper skin gets over dry from the harsh chemicals that he was putting on. And then beneath, the oil glands would go into overdrives. So we're in Taiwan and he's like, oh, I forgot my medication for my doctor. And I said, well, I have the resurfacing compound. And he's like, you're not a doctor, mom. But he took it and I never saw it again. So I just knew. I just knew. I'm like, if a 13 year old. I mean, we don't sell. This is not for teenagers. But my son was, you know, my. I only had that one child and he, he was testing it out with me and it changed his skin.
- [53:05]
Lauren Everts
What if he made you sign a contract to give him half?
- [53:07]
Tina Chen Craig
I know, right? What we're being like.
- [53:10]
Lauren Everts
Out of all your products, what's Kathy Hilton's favorite? Kris Jenner's favorite and Lauren Sanchez's favorite?
- [53:16]
Tina Chen Craig
Lauren. Oh, gosh. Lauren loves it all. She loves the new smooth Kathy. Probably the neck. Okay, Nikki, the neck as well. Paris loves the barrier, loves Chris, has used the eye cream before Courtney. Courtney loves the plasma and Jen loves like super the plasma. All she.
- [53:37]
Lauren Everts
So a lot of celebrities are just obsessed.
- [53:40]
Tina Chen Craig
Yeah.
- [53:40]
Lauren Everts
What were your sales like when you launched? Was it bigger than you thought? Has it taken a while to grow? What's been the vibe?
- [53:47]
Tina Chen Craig
Well, when we were launching with just one product in my head, we didn't even have a business contract. I just said, let's just make the best of product. Let's not even talk about that. I told Katie, I said, I'm still going to keep working with the brands as an ambassador because for the first time I was writing a check. I was no longer playing with other people's money. So she and I wrote checks and we took a line of credit from the medical grade clinic. And the resurfacing compound, which is eight serums in one, has vitamin A, which is the retinol vitamin C and it has vitamin E and it's got aha's glycolics and peptides and it has witch hazel. So it's also your toner and all of it in one. Everyone said, that's crazy. That's not gonna work. Because in the past, if you used a retinol with vitamin C at the same time, it was like George Costanza, like two worlds colliding. Your skin would blow up into some rosacea or some sort of rash. But because of our encapsulation and the delivery system, we were able to combine everything together. And you will see results in two to three days because we're just really focused and precisely delivering to where your skin needs to be.
- [54:46]
Lauren Everts
And that's the hydrator or the resurfacing.
- [54:48]
Tina Chen Craig
The resurfacing compound. Men love that product because they get it. It's a serum they put on, they go to bed.
- [54:52]
Lauren Everts
Don't do this. Because now he does this all the time. Someone comes on. No, you should see. He has my guasha hairbrush.
- [54:58]
Tina Chen Craig
Oh my God, he has. Look at his hair.
- [55:00]
Lauren Everts
He has.
- [55:01]
Tina Chen Craig
Why does his hair look better than both of ours?
- [55:02]
Lauren Everts
Like, it's so qua cuz he has a whole routine.
- [55:05]
Tina Chen Craig
What is this?
- [55:06]
Lauren Everts
He uses my hair frequency or my high frequency wand. He's over there with my beef tallow chapstick. He has a colostrum cream.
- [55:14]
Tina Chen Craig
He's been very like.
- [55:15]
Lauren Everts
Yeah, I know, I know.
- [55:16]
Tina Chen Craig
He's like, loves it because I love the technology.
- [55:18]
Lauren Everts
It's insane. He has my flosser that I use, but you know, he uses my brow peptide. It's insane.
- [55:23]
Tina Chen Craig
What brow peptide?
- [55:24]
Lauren Everts
I got to.
- [55:24]
Tina Chen Craig
I do, I do cast. I want to use that.
- [55:26]
Lauren Everts
It's castor oil.
- [55:27]
Tina Chen Craig
Oh my God. I love castor oil.
- [55:28]
Lauren Everts
It's organic cold pressed castor oil with a peptide in it. I love to give you one.
- [55:33]
Tina Chen Craig
So I put it in my belly button and I put a patch and then a heating cloth or some sort of heating thing. So that goes into your liver, goes into your organs.
- [55:40]
Lauren Everts
Good for you, right?
- [55:41]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes. And I make my own probiotic suppositories because. Because your gut, your gut destroys all of your probiotics before it reaches the lower gut. Okay, hear me out. The lower gut.
- [55:52]
Lauren Everts
Go. Go for getting my popcorn.
- [55:54]
Tina Chen Craig
The lower gut is where all of the serotonin is made. So all the depression, all the microbiomes that we had a million years ago, they're all. Most of them are gone from, you know, modern food and every. The packaged foods that processed foods that we're eating. So I met this acupuncturist and he was telling me how he cured himself of colon cancer making these suppositories. So we figured out. So I buy it from. I buy it from a lab and it's got like 250 billion CFUs. And then I use the delivery system. I like this cacao, pure cacao butter. So I melt that down to room temperature. Then it's very specific. I buy these molds and I have this whole like lab set up. Then I. The room temperature cacao butter I put into each little suppository mold and then I get the powder and I have this little colander thing and the powder goes in there. And then I fill more of the room temperature cacao butter and then I put in the fridge and then a harden to a little bullet suppository.
- [56:43]
Lauren Everts
So is it like a penis mold that you're doing?
- [56:46]
Tina Chen Craig
It's a little suppository. It looks like bullets.
- [56:48]
Michael Bostick
So why do you need a dick size suppository?
- [56:52]
Tina Chen Craig
It's like this big. It's like the size of my pinky.
- [56:54]
Michael Bostick
What's going on with you?
- [56:56]
Lauren Everts
I've seen a penis that big, so don't put that. It's a micro penis. It's not pretty. Michael.
- [57:01]
Michael Bostick
Disclaimer. It wasn't mine.
- [57:02]
Lauren Everts
It's not Michael.
- [57:03]
Michael Bostick
My God. Christ.
- [57:04]
Tina Chen Craig
I do it for take six celebrity.
- [57:07]
Lauren Everts
But it wasn't my.
- [57:08]
Tina Chen Craig
We didn't need that name. Six days. So it takes six days to repopulate the microbiomes. And I do it once a month for six days. And because of my precancerous tumor. They found I was forced to do a colonoscopy in my late 40s. So they discovered I think five to eight polyps that were precancerous. Then I had to go back three years later and now I just did mine. And then again it was like five to six polyps. And so this time I went back this past summer and she was like, not a single polyp. What have you been doing? And I told her she was keep doing it.
- [57:41]
Michael Bostick
What are you waiting for? It's been too long. We've been talking about Branch Basics on this podcast for years now, ever since we had Alison, the founder on this podcast, talking all about the ways that they're changing health in the home by giving you better for you cleaning supplies that do the same job that chemical cleaning supplies do, but without all the hormone disruptors, bad fragrances and things that cause our bodies harm. And it's made perfect for families, especially those with babies, kids or pets. If your kids or pets are crawling along on the floor and breathing in these toxic, harmful chemicals, what do you think is going to happen to their long term health? This is why Lauren and I switched to Branch Basics and have never looked back since. Branch Basics was founded by three women, each with transformative personal experiences. They've told those stories on this very podcast. Just search Branch Basics Skinny Confidential and those episodes will pop up. They're some of our favorites and these products have life changing benefits of creating a truly healthy home. It sounds small, but the products in your environment play a huge role in your overall well being. Especially if you're resetting routines, building healthier habits, or starting 2026 with more intention. So check them out. Their premium starter kit comes with one powerful concentrate that makes everything laundry detergent, bathroom cleaner, glass cleaner, even pet wash and veget. They do the same job that normal cleaning supplies do, but without all the harmful ingredients. And they're cost effective. And here's some more good news. Branch Basics is now available everywhere you shop. At Target, Target.com Amazon and Branchbasics.com Tossing the toxins has never been more convenient. If you want to try the premium starter kit today and get 15% off, head to branchbasics.com and use our code skinny15 for 15% off your first order. Again, that's skinny15 for 15% off your 1st starter kit@branchbasics.com every single day of.
- [59:14]
Lauren Everts
My life and I will never give this up. I eat bread. I love bread. I have eaten bread even when I've had to lose baby Weight with three babies. Bread is just something that I have to have every day. And there's this company and it's called Herobread. And they have these bagels that I'm going to put you onto that are absolutely delicious. Here's what I do. I take Herobreads bagel. I toast it lightly, I put some cream cheese on it, a little bit of wildlife salmon, some lemon capers, organic crunchy raw red onion, sliced tomatoes, and a sprinkle of crunchy salt. And it is delicious. It feels like I'm having a New York City bagel with all the toppings. And the best part of all of this. Ready? There are 0 to 5 net carbs in this bread brand. Everything is high fiber, which we love. Gets things moving and it's soft and fluffy and delicious. They have all kinds of things too that you would want. Like they have 2 gram net carb hero croissants. They have a buttermilk biscuit. They even have just regular bread if you want to make like avocado toast. They've thought of everything. Oh, and the best part? This is the best part. Their protein breakfast bagel has 19 grams of protein. They thought of everything. This year, hit your goals without giving up your favorite bready dishes. Herobred is offering 10 off your order. Go to Hero Co and use code skinny at checkout. That's skinny at H e R o.
- [60:47]
Michael Bostick
Co. Let's talk about Beekeepers Naturals. I basically survive and thrive all because of Beekeepers Naturals. Their propolis is one of the best products that I've ever taken to stay healthy, to keep my immune system strong, to feel good when I travel, and to fight off all of these crazy viruses that school age kids bring home. It is insane. They bring home the plague every other week, it seems like. But with Beekeepers Naturals, I don't have to worry about my systems shutting down on me. So what is propolis? Propolis is what the bees use to protect their hive from germs. For us, it kills germs on the spot and supports our immune system with 300 plus essential vitamins, antioxidants and bioactive compounds. What I take every single day is I take their throat spray, especially when I'm traveling, if I'm going to the office, if I'm on the go. And now I also take their nasal spray because the last time we had Carly, who's the founder of Beekeepers Natural, on the podcast, we also talked about how the nasal passageway is another area that viruses get into the system. So I'M taking their nose spray, I'm taking their throat spray and I'm feeling good knowing that I'm killing viruses before they can enter my system. I also take their cough drops or their throat lozenges, I guess they call them. When I do this podcast, I need to keep my voice strong. I need to make sure that I'm not weakening my vocal cords or letting any viral infections get in. We give this to our kids. We take it ourselves. We cannot live without it. We literally have have their sprays and their throat lozengers and their cough syrups and all of their lollipops and all the stuff all over the office, all over the house in our backpacks and our bags. It is something that is a go to for us and our family. So check them out if you want to be well, if you want to take care of yourself, if you want to get sick less, especially this time of the year. Beekeepers has you covered. Today, Beekeepers Naturals is giving our listeners an exclusive offer. Go to beekeepersnaturals.com skinny or enter code skinny to get 20 off your order. That's B e e k e e P e r S n A T U R-A L S.com skinny or enter code S skinny. Beekeepers Naturals products are also available at Target, Whole Foods, Walmart, Amazon, CVS and Walgreens.
- [62:36]
Lauren Everts
Do you guys hear that? That's fresh. New Skinny confidential drop. Okay, this has been something that I have been working on for the last year, introducing face towels. Your skincare routine has been reimagined once again. There is no more using butthole towels on your face. There is no more using the towel that your boyfriend has used on his balls. You are going to be using the cleanest face towel on your face with no formaldehyde, no inks, no fragrances, no dyes, no bpa.
- [63:09]
Tina Chen Craig
Okay?
- [63:09]
Lauren Everts
Our towels are so thoughtfully designed. They're vegan, they're cruelty free because your skin deserves the best. I, a long time ago wrote a blog post about how a lot of people are washing their face and then they're drying their face with the same towels that they're using on their body or they're using a towel that maybe has a bunch of, I don't know, detergent in it. So I wanted to create something that was fresh to remove your makeup, to remove your oil without irritation. I wanted it to be buttery soft. I wanted it to be a hundred percent sustainable bamboo, silky soft. You never have to worry about build up with these towels. It's just like a breath of fresh air for your face. So how I use them is two ways. Ways. The first way is I will cleanse my skin with an oil cleanser, and then I'll exfoliate it. And I'll do this in the shower or in my sink. And then if I get out of the shower or I'm done with my sink, I'll take my towel and I'll pat it across my face and my neck to dry my skin off. My skin feels so much cleaner doing it with a facial towel than using some random towel that who knows where it's been. So if you want to support a healthy skin barrier and you want something really sensitive, especially if you have acne. Acne. Or you have hyperpigmentation, this has a really gentle texture. It's absolutely beautiful. I'm such a fan. I've been using them for a long time. I know you guys have maybe seen them in my Instagram stories. Each box includes 50 disposable face towels. And like I said, they're made from 100 sustainable bamboo. This is the travel size. It's like a little box that you can throw in your makeup bag. And then we also have the one that can sit on your vanity. It's a box that you want out. It's so cute. It's baby pink. And I should tell you, the towels are shaped like a doily, so that's fun, too. Go to shopskinnyconfidential.com to grab your face towels today. Tina's next business is a suppository snob. So listen, that's the next business, you little plug snob.
- [65:10]
Michael Bostick
Tina, you can give it off. I'm going to start with the oil first. Your suppositories.
- [65:15]
Tina Chen Craig
I'm going to send you guys some. I'm so. It needs to be frid. And it came on.
- [65:18]
Lauren Everts
I.
- [65:18]
Tina Chen Craig
If.
- [65:19]
Lauren Everts
I will, like, die if you send me a cooler of suppositories. I love it. I'll do a tutorial on it.
- [65:25]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes. It's so good. You got. You don't understand because that night, the first night will be painful because it's killing off the bad microbiomes. Like, your stomach will hurt by the third night. And you wake up that fourth morning. Usually second or third. Fourth morning is. You know that when you get that first date feeling the butterflies in your stomach, you feel that, like, out of the blue for no reason. You just like, like.
- [65:44]
Lauren Everts
Because I'm sure Michael will be thrilled. Yes. How many days do you have to do it in A row, Just six days. And you literally just pop it in.
- [65:52]
Tina Chen Craig
Your butt at night, laying on your left, because the colon dips that way. So you lay on your left and you put it in there.
- [65:57]
Lauren Everts
Tina, I would never lay on my right side. You. That's why, if my back is to you every night, because I will never lay on my right side.
- [66:03]
Michael Bostick
What's wrong with your right?
- [66:04]
Lauren Everts
It's really bad.
- [66:05]
Tina Chen Craig
It's really bad.
- [66:05]
Lauren Everts
It's really bad. Have you not noticed I always lay on my left side?
- [66:08]
Tina Chen Craig
You gotta lay on your left side.
- [66:09]
Lauren Everts
Explain to the audience.
- [66:11]
Tina Chen Craig
Well, it's. It's the way the organs are. Because when you're doing it this way, you're crushing a lot of the weight. So it's this way.
- [66:16]
Lauren Everts
You've been crushing your organs for the last.
- [66:17]
Michael Bostick
You know why? I used to lay to the left side, but our son runs into our. Our bed now, so you don't want.
- [66:23]
Lauren Everts
To break your nose. I know.
- [66:24]
Michael Bostick
And this guy's got, like, what's a bowling ball of a head? I don't know what's going on with him. He swings this thing.
- [66:30]
Tina Chen Craig
He's smart. Bigger head, bigger brains.
- [66:31]
Michael Bostick
You get a broken nose if you lay with this kid. So I go the other way.
- [66:34]
Lauren Everts
Bigger brains, bigger.
- [66:37]
Tina Chen Craig
It's not the hands. I'm just kidding.
- [66:38]
Lauren Everts
So. So I need to lay on my left side and how often?
- [66:42]
Tina Chen Craig
And I. I buy these, you know. Then you use. I'll send you gloves, okay? And then you just stick it up with the glove and you throw. And then you lay there and you go to sleep. Just go to sleep.
- [66:49]
Lauren Everts
But for how? Like, how often do you do this? Is it once a month?
- [66:52]
Tina Chen Craig
Once a month?
- [66:53]
Lauren Everts
Once.
- [66:53]
Tina Chen Craig
And then actually now I've cut it back because I'm in a good place. So now I probably do it every two or three months.
- [66:58]
Lauren Everts
How did you know to do this?
- [66:59]
Tina Chen Craig
The acupuncturist.
- [67:01]
Lauren Everts
Just the acupuncturist?
- [67:01]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes. And then I studied, of course.
- [67:02]
Lauren Everts
How did you know to, like, mix the catalog?
- [67:05]
Tina Chen Craig
And then I just. I research. You know me, I'm, like, so analytical. It's a problem, like, solving. I'm like, okay, how do I do this at home? Because I don't want it. Because he was talking about, like, enemas. I'm like, I'm not doing that.
- [67:14]
Michael Bostick
Let me see your chat. GPT history.
- [67:16]
Lauren Everts
We're just gonna say, let me see your butthole.
- [67:19]
Tina Chen Craig
We're not there yet. I am dating someone.
- [67:22]
Michael Bostick
I don't just invite guests on the show.
- [67:24]
Lauren Everts
She has a boyfriend.
- [67:25]
Tina Chen Craig
I'm dating someone.
- [67:29]
Michael Bostick
I do bet your Chat GPT history is. There's quite the chat going on.
- [67:34]
Tina Chen Craig
There's quite the chat going on. There is. I'm always like, delete, delete. No more memory.
- [67:38]
Michael Bostick
You know what's scary now is I think they can, like, can't they? Like, don't they use that data or keep it?
- [67:43]
Tina Chen Craig
If you let them. I. Yeah, if you let them or something. They.
- [67:46]
Lauren Everts
I. I asked it the other day. I said, you better not be sharing my data with anyone. I talked to it, like, a friend, and it says it will never do that to me.
- [67:52]
Tina Chen Craig
Mm, sure. I talked to.
- [67:53]
Lauren Everts
I swear to God. I talked to it for, like, an hour about sharing my data. I'm like, I don't want this anywhere.
- [67:57]
Tina Chen Craig
You know what's so funny, though? I use a different name for login, and then when I ask questions, I change all the names. Like, so this guy I'm dating, you know, Robert or whatever, I make up a name so never knows who I am.
- [68:09]
Lauren Everts
My latest favorite is when he does something that annoys me. I go to it and I say, this is what my husband's doing. It's all his fault. I don't know what to do. I need to get across a message that's really clear. Can you please give me something that's straight to the point? It's helped me respond to you a lot.
- [68:24]
Tina Chen Craig
I love it.
- [68:25]
Michael Bostick
What was your last prompt about?
- [68:27]
Lauren Everts
Well, I had to take accountability at one point, which was really important because.
- [68:31]
Tina Chen Craig
It asked me what I did.
- [68:33]
Michael Bostick
Oh, my God.
- [68:33]
Tina Chen Craig
I love it.
- [68:34]
Lauren Everts
I talked to Chat GPT, like, more.
- [68:35]
Tina Chen Craig
Than a relationship, like, advice giver, all of it.
- [68:39]
Lauren Everts
I love it. And I get mad at it. I say, I don't think you're working hard enough today. Like, I, like, literally, like, I'll, like, go on and tell it. Like, I have to do this, this, this, this, this, this today. How do I do it? Make it make sense for someone who has ADHD and it, like, gets to work.
- [68:53]
Tina Chen Craig
Do you have it or does he? I feel like all three of our.
- [68:57]
Lauren Everts
Questions, he's like, what do I do if I have a gray hair? I'm not asking it.
- [69:01]
Michael Bostick
I asked it today.
- [69:01]
Lauren Everts
I'm like, my husband came into the room last night, and you will never guess what he said. I will talk to it like a best friend.
- [69:08]
Michael Bostick
Yeah.
- [69:08]
Tina Chen Craig
Yeah, I love it. Yeah, I did that.
- [69:10]
Michael Bostick
I asked it today. I. I was trying to learn about condoms.
- [69:15]
Tina Chen Craig
What?
- [69:15]
Michael Bostick
Well, because now we have all these kids.
- [69:17]
Lauren Everts
I'm not doing a condom.
- [69:18]
Michael Bostick
Well, I. You Gotta. But you also don't do birth control so.
- [69:21]
Tina Chen Craig
Well, we could do the rhythm but.
- [69:23]
Michael Bostick
I said what is I said or something.
- [69:25]
Tina Chen Craig
How many you're three now, right? Yeah, yeah.
- [69:27]
Michael Bostick
I was like what is the like the thinnest where is the whole like.
- [69:30]
Tina Chen Craig
Golf, you know, what does it say?
- [69:32]
Lauren Everts
The thinnest best condom is Michael something.
- [69:34]
Michael Bostick
Called skin S K Y N and I heard of it so I gotta look into it. I'm not a big condom guy, you know, clearly what they call the kids. So now I'm trying to find that out.
- [69:40]
Tina Chen Craig
You don't want that in you.
- [69:41]
Lauren Everts
No, I don't want a condom. I'm not putting a condom on.
- [69:43]
Tina Chen Craig
No.
- [69:43]
Lauren Everts
Use it to beat your meat upstairs. I'm not doing that.
- [69:46]
Tina Chen Craig
Yeah, she's not doing that.
- [69:46]
Michael Bostick
A condom's like putting like a bag over your head and doing.
- [69:49]
Lauren Everts
Okay, well then stop. ChatGPT is like oh you pervert. Get away from me.
- [69:53]
Tina Chen Craig
There's other things you can do. Just you know, the old fashioned, the moon, the lunar cycles.
- [69:58]
Lauren Everts
Yeah.
- [69:59]
Michael Bostick
Michael, she doesn't know how to look at her cycle.
- [70:03]
Lauren Everts
No, look at my cycles coming out.
- [70:07]
Michael Bostick
She tells me to figure it out. How am I supposed to know?
- [70:08]
Tina Chen Craig
Chat GPT.
- [70:09]
Lauren Everts
Yeah, you got to be your next prompt.
- [70:11]
Michael Bostick
I'll just ask Chad about that. No, the problem is is like you listen like at you're at past three kids. If you get to four then you're starting to really get up against it and it's like you know what are we gonna do? Just, just you gotta be careful here.
- [70:21]
Tina Chen Craig
Yeah, be careful.
- [70:22]
Lauren Everts
Yeah. I, I, you're gonna have to take that to chat gbt. I can't take it on ask chat GPT.
- [70:27]
Tina Chen Craig
But I studied it and I realized the best like delivery system would be because I all that delivery system ever since I became this you beauty journey learning that smart. Yeah. Because the cacao butter can melt in your body temperature quickly.
- [70:39]
Lauren Everts
Okay.
- [70:39]
Tina Chen Craig
And make sure you only. Well I'm gonna make it for you. But anyone who wants to do this, you know, disclaimer. I'm not a doctor, I'll show.
- [70:47]
Lauren Everts
Would you send me a big cooler of suppositories?
- [70:50]
Michael Bostick
Whenever anyone any of these so called journalists write pieces on us, they say woo woo health misinformation. They're going to get a hold of this conversation and be like Michael and Lauren are talking about suppositories with cacao up your ass. And Tina told us to do I want to say Tina told us.
- [71:10]
Lauren Everts
He tells us what to do.
- [71:11]
Tina Chen Craig
Well because that's it. Reaches the lower gut. My friends were telling me I was crazy a couple years back when I was doing started it. Then they went to Sun Valley and they're like, all the tech CEOs are saying, oh, the best way to take all your meds is. I'm like, straight to the source, bypasses your gut. Because your gut acid will kill all of that probiotic before it even reaches your lower gut.
- [71:31]
Lauren Everts
You should do a you beauty suppository. I'm not joking. Give us something.
- [71:36]
Tina Chen Craig
Imagine the liabilities of that one.
- [71:38]
Lauren Everts
Well, I think it'll crush it, but.
- [71:40]
Tina Chen Craig
You know, we do have white papers published on our technology.
- [71:43]
Lauren Everts
Yeah, tell me about the four Cs.
- [71:45]
Tina Chen Craig
The four. Oh, I love the four C. So I really, again, it's like the five essentials with your bag collection. And so I'm like, how do I make skincare so that everyone can be well versed in it? Because it gets confusing, daunting, and you end up buying things because you want your salesperson to like you at that counter. You know, it's like we end up buying everything because we want, we want to be accepted because it's like community. When you go to these places and go shopping with girlfriends, you get pressure into doing things. So I thought, okay, this is how we're doing it. Cleanse compound, which is our eight serums compound into one cream, which is your eye cream, your super hydrator cream, and the oils, any of the hydrations. And then cover the COVID during the day should be your spf, whether it's mine or someone else's. The COVID at night could be the oil or our barrier sleep mask, which is like an occlusive cover that holds in all the hydration. And it's been clinically shown to really redensify the skin, keep it healthy and thicker. And again, I'm all about just keeping that homeostasis because I'm obsessed with immortal jellyfish. And when I, when I was 18, I. I haven't tanned since I was a teenager. I was so tan when I put on Tick Tock, people were like, ma', am, that is your mother. How do you look younger in your 50s? And you did. You looked older at 18, because it.
- [72:54]
Lauren Everts
Used to be in to put the Playboy bunny on the lower hip and.
- [72:59]
Tina Chen Craig
The makeup and the hairspray, one can of Aquaphor every week. So I've been trying to reverse the damage ever since. And so my grandmother would take me for these jellyfish stem cell treatments. Like, they would just put on my face and microneedle in and all that stuff. So I told my. This is how I talked to my biochemist. I'm like, you need to bioengineer immortal jellyfish because you can cut it in half. They'll grow a new tentacle. They'll grow a new head. It is the only organism on this planet that's been alive for millions of years, so it is able to take damage damaged adult cells and reverted back to nascent, healthy stage. So I said, I need a product that does that. And they said, huh? But now they're used to me. I'm like, I want invisible shapewear for my arms, which is now our sculpt arm compound. And just the way my brain works, I want certain products. And I just tell them. And now they just go, okay, we try. We'll try it. They'll try it because they know. I just keep asking them because I won't give up.
- [73:51]
Lauren Everts
I also like your lip compound a lot.
- [73:54]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes.
- [73:54]
Lauren Everts
That's where I fell in love with your brand, is through the lip compound. It feels really nice on the lip lips. I would definitely recommend that you guys try the lip compound, because I Even looking at your lips, if you watch the YouTube, she has, like, these beautiful. I. It's like very healthy lips. Do you know what I mean? Like, there's no fine lines or wrinkles.
- [74:12]
Tina Chen Craig
And this holds in hydration. So I found out that every single day, we lose 15 to 20% of hydration. So when I was younger, I had great lips, and as I got older, they started thinning out, and I would. I was trying to figure it out, so I researched it, and it's because we're constantly losing hydration. So with our technology, because of our encapsulation, the siren capsule mimics a healthy skin cell, so it's able to penetrate the skin deeper. And once it's beneath the skin's level, and then it's in the presence of free radicals. Free radicals are able to penetrate through that capsule, releasing hyaluronic acid molecules beneath the skin's top layer, acting as a breach, a plug for the barrier breaches. There I go with the word plug. It's my favorite word. I'm skating. And also the water source for your skin to drink from. So it's the. The plasma lip compound is not just. It's not a lip balm. It's not a lip gloss.
- [74:58]
Lauren Everts
Can he wear it or no?
- [74:59]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes. Guys, I made the gray one because our investors. It used to be pink. And he was like, can we get a different color? I pull this out yeah, Michael, try it. So we were the first business of fashion wrote that we were the first to do the metal, metal tip to the lip obsession. Because I always felt like the lips were the most neglected part of the face. We spend hundreds of dollars on eye creams and face creams and then we're like, I'll just put on this lip balm from cvs.
- [75:24]
Lauren Everts
It dries your skin out or it has Vaseline in it or petroleum or some, what's it, is it petroleum? Not petroleum?
- [75:31]
Tina Chen Craig
Well, what I was worried about too with the lips was before those lip plumping products, what they do is they kind of increase circulation so they, you get like stimulated. So appears plumper, but it's actually very damaging in the long run because it gets more dry and then you're like, wait, they're more chapped than before. Why now I gotta buy something else to hydrate it. It was like this never ending cycle of getting more and more products, whereas ours, my only intention is to make the skin the healthiest it can be because it's my face.
- [75:57]
Michael Bostick
So is this a woman's product that I just put on or.
- [75:59]
Lauren Everts
No, it's unisex.
- [76:00]
Tina Chen Craig
It's unisex. That's why it's called you beauty. Because your skin, your skin is totally different from Lauren's skin and my skin. But your skin will take charge and only release active ingredients where you need it, where you have free radical activity. That's why it's called you beauty.
- [76:12]
Lauren Everts
Also you need to have skincare on every part of your body. And you never do the lips, we always neglect it.
- [76:17]
Tina Chen Craig
And then we go, oh, look at my lips.
- [76:19]
Lauren Everts
And no one likes cracked lip.
- [76:20]
Tina Chen Craig
No one likes it. It also treats vertical lines, it's instantly smoothing and it has peptides in there. I spent a lot on that lip, the research. My partner was like, you want a lip compound? And you're like, we kept testing, it's great. And I kept saying, let's just keep testing. Oh. But to go back to when we launched, we didn't have a contract between the two of us. I was so tunnel visioned to making the best product I couldn't find that had all the ingredients in there that could give me that glass skin. So when we were finally ready, we had a hundred testers like Diet Prada, Candice, Swanepoel, Nikki Paris, Kath, all these Joanna, check, you know, we had beauty editors from publications testing it for me. And finally no one had any sort of reaction because my partner was like, are we gonna just keep going I said, yes, it got really expensive. And then she said, do you think you could sell this amount in a year? And I said, yeah, I can. She goes, well, you know, we've worked with people in the past who had millions of followers. They couldn't even sell a thousand. I go, I got this. I'll sell it in a year. We sold out within 21 days of launch.
- [77:22]
Lauren Everts
Wow.
- [77:22]
Tina Chen Craig
And this is me after getting my hysterectomy. I rested for. I got on October 1. I rested till October 21. I got on the road, started traveling. I was hosting events and dinners and launches. Kathy did one at her house for me. And then by. We launched November 1st. By November 21st, I got a call and they said, we're completely sold out. Get off. Get off your Instagram Live right now. Because.
- [77:42]
Lauren Everts
Because you were selling it on Instagram.
- [77:45]
Tina Chen Craig
Live and Net a porter. They were our only partner because one of the buyers had tried it. And she goes, my skin changed, like, in two days. She said, I want to sell this. I go, oh, no, we're not doing retail.
- [77:54]
Lauren Everts
Are the products at Kathy's pajama party?
- [77:57]
Tina Chen Craig
Yes.
- [77:58]
Lauren Everts
I'm.
- [77:58]
Tina Chen Craig
Are you going?
- [77:59]
Lauren Everts
I'm supposed to go, oh, my God. I won't be there.
- [78:02]
Tina Chen Craig
I'll send all the next time.
- [78:04]
Lauren Everts
I won't be in la, but next time I have to go to New York, but I want to go to Kathy's pajama party.
- [78:09]
Tina Chen Craig
So fun.
- [78:09]
Lauren Everts
But I want to go when you're going.
- [78:11]
Tina Chen Craig
Let's go to her holiday party.
- [78:12]
Michael Bostick
The most impressive person you've ever met. Is it Tom Cruise? I saw a picture with you. Tom Cruise. I gotta think that that's number one.
- [78:18]
Tina Chen Craig
I've met him several times.
- [78:22]
Michael Bostick
I've been trying to find the connectivity.
- [78:24]
Tina Chen Craig
You kind of. You kind of look alike. Is it the hairline?
- [78:28]
Michael Bostick
You know what I was trying to think?
- [78:30]
Lauren Everts
Christian Bale married Tom Cruise.
- [78:33]
Michael Bostick
I think that that's a little bit.
- [78:34]
Tina Chen Craig
Of Asian in them.
- [78:35]
Michael Bostick
I think that's the top of the top of the heel Peep is Tom Cruise, I think. Do you disagree?
- [78:40]
Tina Chen Craig
I was gonna say you guys, but okay.
- [78:43]
Michael Bostick
No, no, no. I was thinking Career longevity world.
- [78:48]
Lauren Everts
I can't go on this.
- [78:49]
Michael Bostick
Lauren gets so mad when I go on this.
- [78:51]
Tina Chen Craig
Is your man crush?
- [78:52]
Lauren Everts
Okay.
- [78:52]
Michael Bostick
I think so.
- [78:53]
Tina Chen Craig
Have you met him yet?
- [78:54]
Michael Bostick
No, no.
- [78:54]
Tina Chen Craig
Do you want to?
- [78:55]
Michael Bostick
Yes.
- [78:55]
Tina Chen Craig
Okay. Come to the next meet.
- [78:56]
Michael Bostick
I would leave Lauren if you can introduce me right now. I'll leave her.
- [79:00]
Tina Chen Craig
Leave her for Tom, probably.
- [79:02]
Lauren Everts
I could use a brain, like. Okay, youbeauty.com. you guys. Tina gave you code skinny for 20 off. I would say to definitely, definitely get this lip compound. And what I'm excited about trying, I can tell you right now, is the one that has all of it in it, which is the resurfacing compound.
- [79:21]
Tina Chen Craig
Right? Eight serums in one.
- [79:22]
Lauren Everts
Okay.
- [79:22]
Tina Chen Craig
Up to eight products.
- [79:23]
Lauren Everts
That one looks amazing. But I feel like you can't go wrong with your line.
- [79:26]
Tina Chen Craig
You can't go wrong and they're made to go with all your current existing routines because it's, it's different from everything out there. That's another thing I always say, it has to be different. Because if you don't have anything different, why am I launching something that's already in existence?
- [79:38]
Lauren Everts
No, what you've done is incredible. I'm such a fan. I'm also just such a fan of your career and everything.
- [79:43]
Tina Chen Craig
Thank you.
- [79:43]
Lauren Everts
You're great on a mic. You can come back anytime you want.
- [79:46]
Tina Chen Craig
Oh, this is so fun.
- [79:47]
Lauren Everts
Where can everyone say hello, ask you.
- [79:49]
Tina Chen Craig
Questions, go to you beauty?
- [79:51]
Lauren Everts
And what if they want to follow you on Instagram though?
- [79:52]
Tina Chen Craig
At you beauty or at tinacheng?
- [79:54]
Lauren Everts
You got some fun pictures?
- [79:55]
Tina Chen Craig
I got some fun, yeah.
- [79:57]
Lauren Everts
There's the royal wedding at mean.
- [80:00]
Tina Chen Craig
They need to go like.
- [80:01]
Lauren Everts
Go check out her page, guys. She was at the royal wedding.
- [80:03]
Tina Chen Craig
Well, there was the prince. Prince Borghesi's wedding. And then the wedding wedding. The wedding where they both amazing. They were both amazing. Imagine it was the same month.
- [80:13]
Michael Bostick
How do you have the energy to run around all these things?
- [80:15]
Tina Chen Craig
Oh my God. I just wake up so happy and excited because my serotonin. I don't drink coffee. I'm self caffeinated.
- [80:21]
Lauren Everts
When I get these suppositories, look out. I'm gonna shove and shut up my ass on my left side.
- [80:25]
Michael Bostick
Imagine if I get.
- [80:27]
Lauren Everts
No, no, do not give him one. He already has too much energy.
- [80:30]
Michael Bostick
I'll be flying.
- [80:30]
Lauren Everts
Tina, thank you for coming on the show.
- [80:32]
Tina Chen Craig
Thank you, thank you for having me.
- [80:35]
Lauren Everts
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