Hello My Name is Rika of @rikatrinaaa
Last Christmas, Althea approached one of our Althea Angels in Cabuyao, Laguna (Philippines) to carry out an important mission to spread Christmas cheer to the front liners and essential workers. It was a heart-warming collaboration with her, our ambassador which involved groundwork and dedication to give out a million peso worth of Kbeauty products from Althea.
A strong single mother of two, Rika not only showed perseverance and strength in her life but also knew what kindness meant for many. As such we didn't bat our eyelashes when we approached her on this "surprise" project together.
From collecting thousands of products, moving them, and packing each Althea box filled with 6 - 10 items. She went out her way just before Christmas to give 200 gift boxes on the streets and hospitals. Such an act of kindness from our Angel Rika is one of the reasons we interviewed her for our International Woman's Day article. Thank you, Rika from all of us at Althea Korea 💖
Watch the surprised faces last Christmas when Rika gave out Althea Christmas gifts in Laguna!
1. Tell us a bit about yourself and where you're from!
I’m Rika, from the land of more than 7,000 islands - the Philippines! I’m a 36-year-old self-love advocate, makeup and skincare enthusiast, a content creator, and a single mom of two boys. I have a full-time work-from-home job, and I post product reviews on my blog on the side.
I’m into self-improvement. I went through skin transformation, weight loss, and most importantly, a shift in my energy. I used to think who and where I was was who and where I’d be. I used to think I’d just be stuck in the same cycle forever. I am also into Tarot reading, but I’m not a professional (yet!). I have been practicing for a year now and it has helped me so much with my transformation. Tarot has helped me gain clarity and focus.
Being a single mom has also been an essential ingredient in my growth. Embracing and enjoying my aloneness, and spending more quality time with my sons who are 17 and 11 respectively. As much as possible I try to maintain a balance between myself and my responsibilities. I make sure one does not become detrimental to the other.
I’m passionate about learning, gaining more experience, and breaking through my limiting beliefs. I’m also a huge Harry Potter fan! Who else here is a Potterhead?
2. Could you share what happened last Christmas? (with Althea)
Absolutely! Last Christmas was a super exciting time! I had the privilege of sharing happiness with the front liners and essential workers here in the Philippines.
Despite the fact that Althea was also affected by the pandemic, they still wanted to give back. When Tammy reached out to me, I excitedly accepted it. I will not deny, though, that I was very nervous at that time because it was a HUGE project! But Tammy held my hand and walked with me, virtually that is!
Althea gave away a total of 200 pink boxes of happiness! Each box was filled with up to 10 K-beauty products that definitely gave a huge smile to everyone who received it.
I, accompanied by a friend and my sister-in-law, went around and, without a warning, we approached cleaners, vendors, food deliverers, security guards, etc., told them about Althea and that Althea wanted to show their appreciation for their hard work and sacrifice. That they, too, should take care of themselves, too.
Oh! The look on their faces! Their eyes and mouth wide with surprise. Unforgettable. Priceless. There they were minding their own business, doing their jobs, then strangers appeared all of a sudden handing them a box of goodies!
We also delivered pink boxes of happiness to a hospital and health centers.
I will always be grateful to Althea and Tammy for making me a part of this project. It was such a wonderful experience. I’ve learned so much from it and I hope that this beautiful gesture inspires us all to pay it forward.
3. The famous question: skincare or makeup?
If I were answering this 3 or 4 years ago, I would have said makeup! But now, it’s skincare for me! My interest in makeup was mainly because I wanted my skin to look good. I wanted to hide the imperfections, thinking that there wouldn’t be improvements, that my skin was a hopeless case. But I just became even more disappointed when my makeup did not turn out the way I thought it was supposed to be. Then I discovered K-beauty!
I was never into skincare until I saw the changes in my skin. I have felt more comfortable and confident in my bare skin. I also realized that makeup looks so much better on good skin. I know not everyone is blessed with good skin, mine isn’t perfect either! But that’s why we should know more about our skin and what’s good and bad for it.
4. Share a quote that inspires you!
Honestly, I can go on and on with this one, but my most favorite will be this one from Osho.
“First be alone. First, start enjoying yourself. First, love yourself. First, become so authentically happy that if nobody comes it doesn’t matter; you are full, overflowing. If somebody comes, good, beautiful. If nobody comes, that too is beautiful and good.”
For almost half my life, I had a distorted idea of myself. I was self-deprecating, self-blaming, and self-disparaging. When things went wrong, I’d blame myself. When things didn’t go my way, I always believed it was my fault. Because I had nothing, I was nothing.
I looked for things and stuck to people whom I thought would validate my existence. I latched to them despite the red flags. I was afraid of jumping out of familiarity. I was afraid of being alone.
Eventually, I learned that what I attract has the same vibration as what I emit. So, I did a lot of inner work and transformed my old “I am lacking” mentality into a “I am abundant” mentality. I faced my shadows, accepted what was (and was not), and embraced what I had.
If there’s one person I’ll ever need validation from, that’ll be me. Being happy even when all I have is myself.
5. What's your favorite product from Althea? and why!
OMG! This is the toughest question! I am a huge fan of Althea products, and I truly love the products they’ve come out with.
But if I were to tell you what’s on the top of my list, I’d say it’s their Real Fresh Skin Detoxers! I love using Rose in the morning and Green Tea at night. I love how they act as a wash-off mask and a cleanser in one. As for me, I use them after washing my face. They’re nourishing, hydrating, and brightening.
I am obsessed with the real rose petals and green tea bits in it. I also love that it’s so potent I only need 10 seconds! My skin looks and feels great after. It’s all prepped for the next steps.
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