A Prophet in the Beauty Industry

We have been blessed to have Cherry Le as our hair and makeup artist for four of our photoshoots. She always comes radiating with joy and brings peace to a room. This is no surprise, because Cherry has made a habit of inviting the Holy Spirit into her work for the last 14-years!

Veronica and Olivia first came upon her work right before our first ever photoshoot, for the Lourdes Collection. Her work was stunning - and wait, what was that? A Bible verse at the bottom? And thus, the beginning of a beautiful professional relationship was born. We are excited to share with you a little of Cherry’s story and what it looks like to share the faith in the beauty industry.

WHO IS CHERRY LE?

Cherry’s parents escaped communist Vietnam and landed in Japan as refugees. There are layers of providence in how each of them ended up there and how they met, but for now we are going to focus on Cherry.

Cherry always loved to draw and paint, specifically portraits of women. She enjoyed makeup as any teenager but never anticipated a full career in hair and makeup.

She eventually came to America and prayed her way into the University of California, Los Angeles. She figured this would be her sure ticket of financial security. She was armed with her Global Studies major, set out into the corporate world through a Japanese company in L.A., and worked a classic 9 to 5 in her little cubicle.

And then it hit: “I was not made for this.”

She knew the Lord had created her for so much more!

Also, no disdain towards those who work corporate jobs (there is a real calling there and the Lord can do big things even in the hidden work of a cubicle!!)

Only a month in, she quit her job.

No plan.

Just a prayer that the Lord would show her the way…and He did!

Cherry went back to school for hair and makeup and never looked back.

A PROPHET IN THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY

Not long before she got into makeup—she was just coming to truly know Jesus and accept Him sincerely as her Savior. A young woman had prayed over her and spoke truths about her life that Cherry had only shared with the Lord in prayer. This woman knew Jesus, and it opened the faith to Cherry in a way she never knew before.

Cherry asked Jesus for this same gift, to be able to proclaim the truth to others without fear, to be a voice of peace in chaos, to be an echo of His love.

The Lord delights to lavish us with His gifts, and sure enough, He answered Cherry’s prayer.

When she does makeup for a client, the Lord will give her words of knowledge for them. Sometimes it is about the promise of a breakthrough, an affirmation, word of encouragement, or an image that depicts what the Lord is speaking. She always knows when it is from the Lord, because it always comes with a sense of peace. Many times, clients have been moved to tears because they feel seen for the first time.

Now, Cherry has made it clear that this does not happen every time, but she is always vigilant, listening for the voice of the Lord and ready for His promptings.  

By merit of our baptism, we share in the offices of Christ as priest, prophet, and king. This means we are called to be vessels of His love.

If you are open, the Lord will work through you in this way to in whatever work you are called to. Ask you shall receive, seek and you shall find (Matt 7:7). Not for your glory or praise but purely for others to know the Lord in a tangible way.

Cherry said that this is all part of her calling from the Lord. It requires a constant posture of surrender and humility. There are times she has found herself coming from a place of pride or arrogance and things get messy really fast.

But when she humbles herself and surrenders her hands to Him, praying that the client will see themselves through His eyes, something unlocks for the client.

As a makeup artist, Cherry emphasizes that she is not here to alter what the Lord has blessed a person with but here to accentuate what God has created. As she prays for the person and does their makeup, she sees the confidence grow! Not because of her art or skill but because they feel like themselves and beautiful.

They recognize themselves as beloved again.

She loves to call her makeup aesthetic as the “Holy Ghost Glow” because it is natural, clean, and simply highlights the beauty God gave that person.

THE “GENTLE LIGHT” OF CHRIST

We asked Cherry if she had any words of advice for a Christian who wants a career in the beauty industry or fashion industry. She shared the following:

“Spend time alone with Him, both intentional silence for the Lord and moments of praise and worship. I found healing through the revelation that I am loved by Christ. Walk in that identity of knowing who you are and whose you are, everything else is only complimentary to that identity and highlights that identity of how He made you and who He created you to be.”

She continued, explaining the importance of Christians being a light in this field:

“The Lord knows your heart and might call you to go to those places where people are trapped in darkness in the industry and have fallen away. You might be called to reach the unreachable through beauty. You will look unassuming when you are into beauty and fashion, so others in the industry might be more open to you sharing Christ with them. A lot of those creatives are sensitive in spirit and called to go into the dark places with a gentle light (not bright).”

She explained how those called to serve in the industry must share the faith through a “gentle light” because those who dealt with severe trauma cannot handle an onslaught of preaching right away but will take to a gentle guidance to Christ through beauty.

Cherry continued saying, “Those that want to beautify, these Christian creatives, they highlight the good God has created and have the gift to see into the spiritual realm. They often have a tender heart to minister to those trapped in darkness.”

HOT AIR BALLOON GLORY STORY

Cherry has tons of glory stories from her work in the beauty industry, so many moments of God working wonders in the most unlikely places.

About 9 to 10 years ago, the Lord started cultivating the charism of prophecy (1 Cor 14:1-5) in Cherry. Prophecy meaning, to reveal what has been hidden. Instances of prophecy are often when God reveals to a member of the Body of Christ a word of knowledge or image that is meant to minister to another. The charism of prophecy builds up the Church because it helps others realize the goodness of God and His providence in their life.

During this time, Cherry was hired for a bridal party, and she expected that God was going to work through her to reach one of the bridesmaids.

Instead, the Lord beckoned her to minister to the 80-yr old grandmother of the bride. This is the one God had a gift for.

Jesus showed Cherry an image of a hot air balloon and He explained to Cherry about the grandmother, “All her life she has prioritized everyone else’s desires and put hers last.”

The hot air balloon was the first time in this woman’s life that she spoke about something she wanted but someone close to her said no and that wounded her. From then on, she suppressed her desires and preferences always for the sake of others.

As Cherry was doing the grandmother’s makeup, unsure how to share this word with her, the grandmother mentioned the South of France.

Cherry casually asked, “Oh do you think people can go up in a hot air balloon there?”

The woman immediately responded, “Yes, but why did you bring that up?” and Cherry shared how the Lord told her. The grandmother knew it was God because only He knew that part of her story.

They cried together at the nearness and goodness of God. And the Lord continued to encourage this woman through Cherry.

Cherry told the woman, “The Lord said ‘I am not done with you—I want to check the rest of the bucket list—what you consider as selfish is not selfish to me—your desires are important.’”

The woman said she was too old to do the hot air balloon and asked Cherry if she would go on her behalf. Cherry promised.

She prayed, “If it is your will, you will make a way.”

The Lord provided in miraculous ways for Cherry to get to the South of France to go in the hot air balloon. She went with her best friend and was covered by enormous graces and the blessing of God anointed her in that trip.

Obedience to the Lord’s will unlocks great gifts beyond our expectations.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

How will the Lord move in your industry? Do you dare to go deeper? How will you use beauty and creativity as a vessel for sharing the faith?