Luxe Life Magazine Special Edition: Self Care Diva - Christy Buss

Christy Buss

Self Care Diva

C O NTENTS

LIFE magazine

6

SELF

CARE DIVA INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTY BUSS

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Candice Bar is a multi-media mogul, speaker, mentor, tv personality and female entrepreneur advocate. Candice is the Founder and CEO of Luxe Enterprise which includes

Luxe Media

Luxe Life Magazine

Luxe Life Cosmetics

Luxe Media Studios

Luxe Wear and Luxe Life with Candice Bar Podcast.

Candice's show Luxe Life is currently on several major platforms all over the world.

“I was inspired to create the magazine for female entrepreneurs, so we could provide proper advice to all of our readers and followers who are experts in their industry. Knowledgeable advice is invaluable. It’s time for the ladies to get some recognition.”

Founder & CEO Candice Bar

Self Care Diva

Interview with Christy Buss

Candice Bar: We're doing a special with the Luxe Life Magazine on spa skin care, and I followed your skin care prior to this; I was like, “I would love to showcase her in the magazine!”

Christy Curtis Buss: Thank you so much! I appreciate that.

CB: Anyone who has read this magazine, or watched my vodcast, “Luxe Life with Candice Bar,” knows that we have the most amazing celebrities and entrepreneurs. My favorite has always been the entrepreneurs, because I find them much more interesting.

CCB: On being an entrepreneur, I’ve been a business owner for 28 years; owning my own dance studio. However, this pivot later on in my life has been an experience of its own, because when I started out 28 years ago as an entrepreneur, there was no such thing as a website. Can you believe that?

CB: Also, the name entrepreneur wasn’t really trending until like 10 years ago maybe. The term was business owners, or small business owners. Christy, you have a really cool story, so I’d like to start everything from the beginning. So, where are you from?

CCB: I am originally from St. Louis MO; I am a Mid-Westerner!

CB: OK, so you have manners.

CCB: I do have manners! I grew up with my mom, where she owned her own dance studio. Back in the day, when I was a kid, having a business as a woman was just unheard of. She was my hero when it came to being a woman standing up and saying

“Look I know what I can do!” and she ran her own business. It was very hard for my dad at the time, and that was a difficult situation because you know men ran the household in those times. So, for my mom to run her own studio then; it was very, very important. I grew up and I always watched her, and I wanted to be her. Not only in dance, which I admired her, but the way she did her business. We had to sometimes sleep on little mats that we had at the studio, as she's running her machine to do the bulletin every night. I just really appreciated her, and what she did for women back then. As an entrepreneur, that's who I am.

CB: I always love a good hustler.

CCB: Yes, she was definitely a hustler for sure. That's how it all started, my mom owned a dance studio when I was growing up.

CB: Which clearly that is where you started dancing.

CCB: Yes, I danced every day, and at around 12 years old I started assisting my mom. It was really a big part of learning how to teach, and also how to teach. Then at some point, you know disco was really big back then, so I used to go to a club, even though I wasn't old enough. They had disco before you could enter the club, and line dancing. There was a club called “The Time Machine”, and as I was going through college, I started teaching, while going to these disco clubs and dancing.

CB: I really think things are better that way; when you don't know much about it. If you knew too much about it, a lot of things would not be happening.

CCB: Yes! Some of these people are professional

Diva

Christy Buss

pageant people, and I was just like, “Little ‘Ole Me”. I could do gymnastics, dancing, and sports, but still felt inadequate. There was a contest called, “The All American Girl.” To enter, you had to go to this hotel and audition. For my audition, I disco danced in my tuxedo! I thought it was so cool at the time! So, maybe a month later, I was sicker than a dog and I had bronchitis. I was back in Saint Louis, and suddenly I received a telegram. Yes, back in the day there were no phones, there was nothing - it was a telegram! I was told that I got picked out of 45 girls to go to Las Vegas, and be a participant in the contest! That's how it all started so, off I went to Vegas.

CB: Yes, how was that for you?

CCB: It was intimidating! I had a little twang, being a little girl from Missouri. It really was just different to be around a lot of girls that were so beautiful and just knew how to put their makeup on. I had this “Dorothy Hamill” hair cut, and I was just so not ready to be in a pageant. This pageant wasn’t based on beauty like the Miss America's. It was about being an all around, “All American.” It was a new contest, and Peter Marshall was the host, with Kathy Lee Crosby. It took place at Caesars Palace, with the big producer Bob's Stiver. He produced the Peoples Choice Awards, and Circus of The Stars. Here I am, I'm doing this show - I don't even know what I'm doing, but was it was hilarious! There was a part where you had to go find an outfit, so you got to go shopping. I'm so little, I thought, “How am I going to find anything?” It took me forever to find anything! I just picked something up because it was about this “swim scene.” The scene was, you had to wear a bathing suit front of thei parents of the boyfriend, or something like that. The only problem was, everything was too big for me! My mom came with me, she fixed everything. I was the initial one to be picked to go down to do the scene, and as I was talking, I saw the signal to get off the stage! Over the microphone, I just said “Oh my God, this is so embarrassing!” as I ran off the stage. Peter Marshall came back, because we still had to show our gymnastics, and he’s like, “Come here tiny tot, come here!” Which made me feel

more comfortable. It's like, “Hey I made a mistake you know,” but I was the first one! Anyway, I just thought there's no way I'm going to win this! Maybe I'll win the car for the dancing; the disco dancing I did with the tuxedo. I ended up winning the whole thing! I won the All-American Girl contest, and it was just hilarious! Nobody won a contest like me, and that's OK.

But not the pageant side of it. When I won, I came out to LA. I did Circus of The Stars, and I was a presenter on the Peoples Choice Awards. This was in 1980, and that’s what got me to California, and that's why I'm still here.

CB: Was California always a goal of yours?

CCB: Absolutely! For some reason every body used to make fun of me in Saint Louis. They'd see an old shack and say, “Oh there is Christy’s house!” so they teased me about it, because I knew I wasn't going to stay in Saint Louis. This was like a dream come true for me, so after coming here things started happening. It was very hard to be honest.

CB: It is difficult first coming here. You don’t really know anyone.

CCB: No. My mom would send me money, I just lived with people that I met from Circus of The Stars, and I was around all these celebrities, from Charlene Tilton to Eric Estrada. You name it! Back then, they were the biggest stars. So I was just like Brooke Shields, I was in this world already, so it's kind of weird.

CB: I really I love this story because, it's small town girl that came to Los Angeles, on a dream and a dime, and through your talent and taking opportunity. I always talk about that - taking opportunities, is a huge part of being an entrepreneur. Even when you're not ready, you build the plane while you’re flying it.

That’s how I got to LA!

CB: The point is you won it. I like highlighting that because, you didn't know what you were doing, you didn't feel qualified for what was happening, but still did it anyway.

CCB: Absolutely not! In terms of gymnastics, yes. In terms of dance, yes.

CCB: I did, and you know I didn't have a job when I first came. I started over at Knottsberry Farm, where I was a cancan girl, and we just had a good old time. After a performance, I had to get new shoes where I noticed a flyer, for a try out for the Los Angeles Rams. I'm like, “Oh my God! I’ve got to do this.” Out of thousands of girls I was picked! It just started rolling from there. I got to be the dance captain, where I was choreographing. I did eight USO tours all over the world. I was in Beirut, when the war was going on, and it was it was crazy. It was all bombed out, and to see that it was just incredible.

I always took care of my body, as it was very important to me to keep my instrument strong. I wanted to learn about keeping the rest of my body, and everything about me, as youthful as possible. so that's what made me get into my skin care.

Christy Buss

I went to Germany, Panama, I went all over the world as a Ram’s cheerleader. It was just the most exciting thing for me to represent our country, and be over there to support our troops. That's the biggest thing I've ever done in my life to be honest.

CB: You've always been an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is taking a lot of risk, It’s about putting one foot in front of the other, not knowing where its going to shake out. Clearly for you it did.

CCB: It did! I never had to be a waitress. It’s just weird how I never had to do that. Once I did that and the Rams, I ended up teaching. My friend taught at a club, and I learned how to teach workouts. My life was based on me teaching class, and then getting off at 10:45. and having my day to go on calls and doing all that. I also taught aerobics, where I characterized the word “cardio choreography.” I used my dance background to teach classes around the country for IDAA. That's how you get your education forwarded. I did that, and then from the Ram’s, and I danced with the Clippers. It was an experience of choreographing there, and that's where I met Johnny Buss. God bless his soul, he’s no longer with us, and I miss him dearly; but meeting Johnny was a huge part of my life too. Being able to travel the world with his dad, and go to Laker’s games and All Star games, was very exciting. I'm a sports fanatic, so that was really cool. Johnny was more of an artist, so we did a lot of things together. We did videos together for kids, dance videos, and I did a workout video with him. I did the soap star workout too. My list keeps going, so yes just doing a lot.

CB: It's really cool because, everything that you've done sounds like you've always got to do what you wanted to do.

CCB: Yeah it’s true, but you don't even really realize that when you're in it. To know that I didn't need to be a waitress to be an actress, or dancer, or choreographer, in LA was really something to achieve. Nothing against it but I didn't have to do that. Being in the field of dance, I got to start my dance studio where I taught up to 450 kids at some point. I did that for 28 years and I still have all these kids that are

a big part of my life. I see them growing up, and I still get “Miss Christy” here, there, and everywhere! Over about the last three years, and after Covid, I was ready. I'm 64 right now, and starting at 60 I'm thinking, “Wait, there's got to be more to life than me just teaching children every single day!” Even though that was my passion, I knew I wanted to pivot. Around that time, I had a talk show myself, and I met this woman who was a med-spa owner, but talked about skin. I always took care of my body, as it was very important to me to keep my instrument strong. I wanted to learn about keeping the rest

nothing, or the fragrance from a lemon or citrus, or something similar.

CB: It's like a spa, I really love it. This really is such a great line. Let's talk about the name, Hedo. What does it mean?

CCB: Hedo is derived from the word “hedonism” and it has a sexy aspect to it because it's self-indulged. Self love, every thing about yourself, self-indulgence. I love that because when it comes to skin care even guys, they need to take care of their skin. It's all about melanin, and all that to protect. I even have shaving cream, and shaving balm for the bumps and all that matters when it comes to your face, or skin. It's kind of a unisex line.

CB: It's good because it is taking preventative measures, and not dealing with it after the fact.

CCB: I wish that I had this information and did what I do now back then. That is why in your 30s everything starts changing, like the collagen. You do not produce collagen anymore, so I made sure this was medical grade. It's tied in with botanicals like organic olive oil, organic aloe vera, and certified Japanese green tea leaves. It's intertwined because I'm an organic person. When it comes to organic skin care, they have never done testing on it. So in that bottle, it could be really nice smells of all these things that are clean, but they could have mold on it because there's nothing there to preserve it. It's stuff that can drive into the deeper levels of your skin. Organic stuff doesn't do that, it just feels good and smells good on your face.

CB: It just sits on top.

of my body, and everything about me, as youthful as possible. so that's what made me get into my skin care.

CB: Let's talk about that! You sent me some product, and I really love it. As I shared earlier, I have extremely sensitive skin. So when you sent me some products, I was like, “OK let me try this.” I've tried everything, so when this worked, I thought “Wow this is amazing!” It even smells amazing too.

CCB: That’s because there is no artificial fragrance. Whatever comes out - it's either

CCB: It doesn't do much, but you're not using chemicals in their mind. I chose medical grade over an organic line, because that's going to be what works.

CB: Yes, well it's fabulous so let's talk about it. What do we have here?

CCB: Well, my cleansers are really awesome. There is a purifying gel and there is a deep clean cleanser. I'm also getting another one for even mature, more dry skin. It's more of a creamy cleanser with apricot, but the purifying gel has salicylic

I consider myself a boutique line that can grow, because I want the personal side of this line to be important, not just try to sell an item.

“ ”

acid that takes the inflammation out. It has botanicals of citrus, and you can take your makeup off with it now, so it's not going to irritate your eyes. The deep clean cleanser is more about pH balance; it stimulates collagen. They are both different and good for different reasons, my cleansers are top rated.

CB: It really is an excellent cleanser, I love it.

CCB: Thank you. My Vitamin C is another product that is also top quality. What I want to do is, I want to have the best products that people can still afford. That's why this line has to be educational. To teach people the importance of how quality can be worth the price. People have to learn that just because they don't want to spend that kind of money sometimes, it will effect you in the long run.

CB: Yes, but they’ll be paying for it later.

CCB: You're not getting any benefits, it's like a Band-Aid over your face.

CB: It really is very good, and I know we talked about earlier too, but I love the packaging. You were talking about the packaging, and when I got the packaging I was like, “I can’t throw this away!” because it’s too beautiful.

CCB: That was our intensions, because I'm trying to look at the environment too. I wanted to be not wasteful to the environment. We still have a lot of work to do with other products besides the boxing to reuse. So we're getting refills and stuff like that, but we want you to keep that box. You can put it on your counter so you can put your jewelry in it.

CB: It really is like that because, like you were saying earlier, it’s velvety and has a soft touch to it. There's a lot of detail to everything, it's really beautifully done.

CCB: Thank you. We have spent a lot of time on it. You said there's horror stories? Well, I've been there! This has been a nightmare and a lot of pleasure. In my dance world, I owned my studio for 28 years, it was all about me making my mistakes and me having to make decisions. Being the responsible person to make my

studio run. When it comes to product and an item, it's a whole different ball game. The world has changed so much in terms of entrepreneurship and business. A lot of it is depending on people to get things done. Sometimes you give them money, and they don’t come through; I’ve lost a lot of money.

CB: It's an expensive lesson, and its always like this.

CCB: I learned a lot from it and everything happens for a reason, so the

know, “I don't have that much longer on this earth, you’ve got to get this done now!” Back when I was 30, I could take a little bit more time with somebody telling me they're going to get it done.

CB: Well, you know, everything needs to be done yesterday.

CCB: Right! As you know as an entrepreneur yourself, when you say that it's going to be something, it gets done. That's the kind of people you need to work with.

CB: In my mind that is how we run, that's how I run. It has to be like that because, you can't expect from someone when you’re not on that level too. I think even becoming like that, sometimes, that takes time to mold.

CCB: Well, I mean I wish I had more of a backbone. I don’t know if you feel like you have a backbone?

CB: It took time.

CCB: I had a really strong backbone when it came to my studio. Like, I knew how to run that.

CB: Well, you are in a new arena.

CCB: It is definitely a new arena, and I just need to educate myself more of how things are done. The social media aspect of it and the marketing, that is so different from me.

CB: Those are animals within itself. Social media is independent, marketing is Independent. There's so many other things to that.

trials and tribulations of doing stuff like this; the rewards are going to be amazing. That's what’s starting to flourish right now.

CB: That's where perseverance comes in.

CCB: I mean seriously, I've cried a few tears. It's been very hard, and it's not easy, but when you want something bad enough you never give up. That's the most important thing for me. I keep telling people, “You can't do this to me!” you

CCB: It's amazing, because when I did the studio, I used to just run door to door and put out flyers or put an ad in the paper. That is not how marketing is done now. It's just so overwhelming. Social media people and then the marketing, to depend on them, and the money that it costs to do that is crazy.

CB: Then it's as you said before, if they come through.

CCB: If they come through. I've gotten so

What I want to do is, I want to have the best products that people can still afford. That's why this line has to be educational. To teach people the importance of how quality can be worth the price.

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Christy Buss

many people that say they’re going to do something, and it just doesn't get done. That's the hardest part of this business to me. I'm training myself, and I need to learn more about my skin care ingredients and understand what they do. It's an everyday process for me but at the same time, trying to do more on my own and learn, will make me know how to handle other’s in the industry. Especially, since women get run over a little bit.

CB: They do, and it depends on who you are dealing with. I do think that statement is correct, but I think the quicker you get a backbone the quicker they won't be doing that. Someone told me something year’s ago, and I always remembered it. The statement was, “Emotions don't belong in business.”

CCB: Oh! I need that one! I totally need that one, I definitely put in emotions.

CB: Everyone runs things differently, but you’ve got to look at it like, we’re not trying to be best friends here we are trying to get things accomplished. Whatever we need to do to get things accomplished, let's do it.

CCB: My mom took me to drama school because, you know I had a lot of emotion back when I was little.

CB: Emotions are great, they just don't belong in business; there's a time and place for them.

CCB: Right, not in business. Good things are starting to happen to Hedo, and I have some interesting things coming up.

CB: We're in 2023, and things are flying by. What can we expect to see from you, or even Hedo by the end of this year?

CCB: I consider myself a boutique line that can grow, because I want the personal side of this line to be important, not just try to sell an item. Just like when I talk to you – “What is your skin type, how do you feel about certain things?” – It's more personal, instead of, “Hey I'm just going to send you some products.”

CB: It’s not like, “Slap some product on and let's see what happens.”

CCB: Exactly. It’s more personal, and I can do some consulting with that. It is not just a brand that’s just going to sell product, I want to be more involved of how things are going. With that I have people that want a skin care line in their doctor’s office, but they don't want to do what I did. You spend a lot of money to create a brand and they're wanting to take

want to be more of a line that is embraced through wanting to be a personal aspect to their skin care routine and regime for a long time.

CB: And being accessible.

CCB: Yes. Personally, being accessible, is important. Then Hedo can become more of known name. Everyday people can say, “Oh I’ve heard of that, yeah Hedo.” That's important, that’s a big thing for me.

CB: I want to ask you, you said you started this about three years ago. How was it learning something completely different?

CCB: It was amazing because, we’ve talked about aging and that our mind needs to be exercised. It was an incredible experience for me to use my brain like this. I was so automatic, and this made me use my brain again and really open up to study and embrace words that I’ve never heard of. Learning what certain things mean, and understanding the labels. People are afraid to see the back of a label. They think that they don't really know what it means. For example, you're probably seeing this word and its derivative of a willow or of a bark, but people see it as a big bad word. Another example could be the word peptide. Peptides are for re-balancing and putting back what’s been taken away. Some people that don't understand skin and ceramides and inoceramids, all that is a positive thing that's replacing what you're losing. So those big words, people are afraid of to see on the back of a label. They only want to see like three ingredients.

CB: Which is not a reality.

me on, so that is happening. Then in terms of people in the Midwest where I'm from, it's just different, and a way to educate. My mom is 88 and she uses my product morning and night, and she just loves it. I feel like if people were educated a little bit more to understand that skin care means something. Sunburning is really a big deal, in terms of not getting skin cancer. I just

CCB: Right; in food I can do that. We want as little ingredients as possible in food, but when it comes to medical grade skin care these big words mean something. It's the process of what they've done in labs to create and what they need to do to heal your skin, or penetrate into your skin.

CB: Was there any point between the beginning, and creating, where you were like, “Maybe I should've stopped?”

"In my dance world, I owned my studio for 28 years, it was all about me making my mistakes and me having to make decisions. Being the responsible person to make my studio run. When it comes to a product and an item, it's a whole different ball game."

“ ”

CCB: Oh, there was plenty of times. When people took my money, and I had to sue. From that, I had to start over, which means more money. In the big picture, if you're diligent, and you just know what you're doing; you’ve got to keep going.

CB: Yeah, I love that. How it shakes out is exactly how it should.

CCB: Everything happens for a reason as they say; good, bad, and everything else. You know, you just go, “Why did this happen?” but there's always something positive that can come out of things. You have to look at it that way.

CB: I will ask you, which I ask pretty much everyone for the magazine or show; is there a quote or a scripture, that you keep in the forefront of your mind to keep you on a positive track?

CCB: I love this! Well, I live in Hollywood and I walk down Vine St. everyday to take my boys out (her two dogs, Max and Little D), since this is a high rise, I take them where they can smell the grass and smell the leaves and that, because you know they need that. But when I drive down and I see the homeless on both sides of the street, it just makes realize how much you have in your life. One of my big goals is to help the homeless when Hedo becomes a household name, I have it on my visionary board.

CB: Those boards are powerful too.

CCB: Yes, and it is something that means a lot to me. I have to say every time I pass by there, I'm just so blessed to have what I have, and to be able to do what I do. Hopefully, with what I do and the way I'm working, can help them in the long run. It's not just about homelessness, its about mental health because it's growing more and more.

CB: The problem really isn't really homelessness; we have plenty of homes. The problem is really mental-illness that’s not being addressed. That's the core issue.

CCB: It just destroys my heart, so I need to use what I have, and that's my motivation. How can we help? That's

my motivation for Hedo too, as part of whatever I can make from it. I've done this all on my own. There's no investors, this is all me and my hard work, so when it becomes really something that I can do to contribute something worthwhile.

CB: That's beautiful, I love that. So really, it's being in gratitude.

CCB: You have to be grateful. I thank Johnny everyday for the opportunities that he gave me, because being in that family it's just been so wonderful. In fact, he wants me to do stuff for him at the Ice House when it comes to musicals and theatre, so he wants to bring in theatre into the to the comedy club. We're still entangled in that too so it's been great. Oh, can I bring up my boyfriend?

CB: Absolutely, yes!

CCB: Being my age, you never have to look at a number because when you love somebody for who they are. My boyfriend plays basketball, he's in Saudi Arabia right now. We've been together for about three years and he's 33 and I'm 64.

CB: Get it, yes!

CCB: I am so proud of that because we get along so well. I've met his mom and his grandma, and he's met my mom. When you have somebody in your life that can truly support you, which you know, I'm just so grateful for that. So, I wanted to bring up Darius!

CB: It sounds like you were able to really get to know the real each other.

CCB: What we did during Covid was so awesome. Since nobody could do anything, we would just drive up to Santa Barbara and just walk around. It would take less time because, nobody was on the roads. We were just in the house the whole time, so we got to really know each other.

CB: It’s cool to hear this story because, you know, during that frame of time, if were in a relationship, that was either going to make you or it was going to break you. A lot of people got divorced! For many it was like, “I've never been around

this person for so long in my life!”

CCB: Exactly! It was a really interesting thing because, he was going to stay for the weekend, and let’s be real, never left. It was just something that was so meant to be. You know me, I am by myself, I like being by myself, but for some reason it was just very comfortable.

CB: What would you say to ladies dating, or wanting to date, younger men?

CCB: I think whoever you date, older or younger, it's just having total respect for each other.

CB: I always thought it as it's more of an energy thing.

CCB: I think it's an energy thing, but I also think that it’s the respect too, because he respected me. He knows who I am, he knows my age. He used to date older women, obviously I’m a little older than he dated, but I do not feel like I'm my age either.

CB: You do not act or look your age!

CCB: I don't ever feel like I'm that old. I mean with my list of things that I've done in my life, I've been very blessed to do so much. That’s what makes me realize how many years I have been here, but at the same time I don't feel like I'm my age.

CB: I'd say you have a young spirit.

CCB: I believe so too! That's why I think we get along. I had to convince him at his age to start using skin care because it's going to mean something down the road.

CB: That's true for everyone! Where can they find you if they want to connect with you or get your goodies?

CCB: My website is Hedo.co and that's really easy to find! On Instagram, I am @christycbuss because, I came into this world as Christy Curtis. That's how I won my “All American Girl” so I used the “C” because that's part of me too.

CB: Beautiful! Make sure to reach out, follow, and connect with Christy for more about her, and her amazing products!t