Interview with Pixi Beauty’s Global Ambassador Colleen Lota
Who doesn’t love a good TikTok dance? I know I do, especially when all the vibes burst through the screen with so much fun energy! The content that makes you want to get up and do the dance too. The type of content that screams “Let’s Glow” and “You Glow Girl'', made famous by the one and only Pixi Beauty finest, Global Educator and Brand Ambassador, Colleen Lota (and she's Filipino)! Not only is Colleen active in sharing her passion for dance through social media but she has this really awesome career journey in the beauty biz that I have to tell you about. I’m so proud to say I’ve known her since we were kids, she has always had this smile that radiates the room and the energy that attracts people to just want to be her friend. The best part is Colleen is so happy to want to be friends too. I believe her natural kindness, her expertise and experience in beauty brands and lastly her genuine passion for the Pixi brand makes her the best at what she does. This allows her to live her purpose and do what she loves. We can definitely learn a few things from her. If you’re struggling to find what you're good at, looking for purpose or trying to make it in the beauty industry this article is for you.
Colleen Lota is the Global Educator & Brand Ambassador for Pixi Beauty, the international beauty brand renowned for its youth-enhancing, skin-loving, multi-tasking colour and skincare products. With over 20 years of experience in the beauty industry, Colleen joined Pixi over a decade ago and has traveled the world with the brand to work with retail teams including beauty advisors and distributors, lead masterclasses, host events, meet with press and influencers, and share the #PixiLove wherever she goes!
In our Practice to Purpose program, I always suggest you tap into your past and try to remember what you did or what you were good at as a child. As a few examples, it could have been math, dance, science, maybe even talking or reading? Anything you can remember that sparked joy or happiness in your life at that time can be a good indication of what it is you are looking for. Thinking back can sometimes help you trigger what it is you are supposed to be doing in-the-now. Colleen is a prime example of this situation. When speaking with her I asked, “how did you know that becoming a make-up artist was what you wanted to do when you grew up”? Colleen replied with, while in high school, we took an assessment test and I was really nervous about it since I never even thought about what I was going to do out of school. I had a friend who already had her whole life planned out and was surprised that I didn’t know! She was to become a pharmacist and that was that. So I was inspired to really start thinking about it in fear of being left behind. I ended up taking an art class and I was told that the teacher was very difficult to please and very hard to impress. While painting in her class, the teacher came up to me and told me she really liked my project, which sealed the deal towards my artistry path”.
I totally love this; it goes to show that friends and teachers are truly impactful in one’s life. Colleen started doing makeup on her friends for high school dances, then moved to freelancing during college and worked on one of the biggest events in our Filipino community - Filipino Cultural Night (PCN)! She was able to beautify over 60 people in one night! Eventually landing a job at my very own happy place, Sephora for five years. Colleen learned about every brand out there, worked on various faces and knew what each product was excelling at or what was missing, making her a prime candidate for any beauty brand smart enough to make her part of the team. In 2002, Colleen met Petra, creator of Pixi Beauty and has been part of the Pixi family for nearly twelve years.
One of her challenges while making it in this industry was while she was freelancing.
Colleen mentions, “the challenge that I faced was trying to fill my calendar with more work. I enjoy keeping productive and busy. There were times when my schedule was booked and times when it was not. The days I was not busy, I worked on seeing what were other options to get more work.”
“Advice I have for those who want to enter the Beauty Industry is to work with a Brand that you love and believe in. When you do, your passion will show and people will support you and the Brand you work for. For those who are finding their purpose is to find your passion. Find what fulfills you, what positive impact you can bring onto others and what makes you happy, eventually, things will fall into place,” Colleen explains.
My key takeaways from featuring Colleen, is if you are a person looking to find purpose or trying to make it in the beauty industry is 1) revisit your inner-child and remember what it is you enjoyed, 2) learn about the industry you are looking to get into, know the benefits and the weakness of various brands. Last but not least, if you don’t have work, go out and look for it.
If you want to check out Colleen and her passion for makeup, “glow” check out her Instagram @colleennicole26 and don’t forget to check Pixi Beauty @pixibeauty while you're at it!
Written By Rose Buado
Business and Life Purpose Professional Certified Coach
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