Kim Chiu: Behind the Sheene

Kimberly Sue "Kim" Chiu, 16-year-old Chinese-Cebuano charmer, has become a household name since she joined the Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition and won over her 13 housemates after spending 42 days under "house arrest," performing assorted endurance tasks like sticking out her tongue for an hour and braiding the other girls’ hair for six hours (can you top that?), as well as sharing her Cinderella-like, teleserye-worthy riches-to-rags tale. For garnering 626,562 text votes or 41.4 percent of the total votes, Kim went home richer by a million pesos while also snapping up a condo unit, a four-year college scholarship courtesy of AMA Computer University, among other prices worth a cool P3M.

Two months after winning PBB, Kim continues to shine on and off cam. And now, Kim shines even more as the new image model for the hottest teen cosmetics line in Thailand today: Sheene (the last "e" is not silent, girls). She recently signed up with Dion Holding, distributor of Sheene in the Philippines, to be the Sheene endorser/spokesperson in the Philippines.

"I hope that all young people would use Sheene, the No. 1 cosmetics for teens in Thailand, as it really helps you glow," she enjoins teens as they swarm around her one afternoon at the Sheene corner in Watsons, SM Megamall. "There are products to suit every teen’s needs. They’re hypoallergenic and come in cool colors teens will love. And they’re very affordable, too."

Mediamen had to practically wade through a sea of humanity as they trailed Kim, who walked from Cabalen on the fourth floor of SM Megamall, where the contract signing was held, to the Sheene outlet at Watsons on the ground floor.

"Si Kim! Si Kim!" Kim’s fans, from toothsome teeners to toothless grandmothers, shouted and cheered as Kim made her way down the escalator. Along the way, the very friendly Kim would stop to oblige autograph seekers or pose with lucky fans armed with their cell phone cameras. We saw countless cell phones flashing and caught a security guard with his walkie-talkie, alerting the other guards on the other floors of Kim’s arrival.

No doubt about it, Kim’s got everyone starstruck. Yes, including Achara Pricha, second vice president, cosmetics and perfumes division, of ICC International Public Company Limited of Thailand, manufacturing arm and owner of the Sheene cosmetics brand, who gushes, "Kim Chiu has a star quality that makes her shine. Choosing her to endorse Sheene is in keeping with the Sheene practice in Thailand of getting young actresses to act as spokespersons for its products."

Lending their support to the Thai brand that’s gone global (Sheene, by the way, was the official makeup sponsor of Miss Universe 2005) at its launch in Manila is the Department of Export Promotion, Ministry of Commerce, Royal Thai Government, represented by commercial attache Pansak Musiklad and assistant commercial attache Natchaya Benjanarasut.

The young-looking and hip Achara, who’s a walking advertisement of her products, tells us, "With her presence and strong following, we are confident Kim can entice the young ladies to always look their best without spending so much by using Sheene – the brand tailored to fit their lifestyle and taste with its high quality products that come in beautiful colors, too."

Kim admits there’s been a big, big change in her life since she won on Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition. "From an ordinary to a showbiz lifestyle," she says with a glow in her eyes.

Of course, she misses her PBB housemates, particularly Clare Cabuigin of Bukidnon, who placed fourth.

What about the boys Mikee Lee and Gerald Anderson?

"Boys? We see each other at the workshops every Sunday," comes Kim’s quick reply.

Is it true she had a boyfriend at PBB?

"Ay! I can’t have a boyfriend. Papa will get mad," Kim is quick to squelch rumors.

With a super hectic schedule that allows her to sleep only four hours every day, Kim simply has no time for love. According to Kim, love will just have to wait until she finishes school at the Distance Learning Center of ABS-CBN and until she fulfills her dream of becoming an actress/singer.

"We couldn’t have chosen a better model for Sheene," says Dori Shani, president and CEO of Dion Holding, which has already opened 40 Sheene outlets and will open over a hundred more by year-end. "Sheene targets women, aged 16 to 45 years old, who want trendy products."

By bringing into the country the Thai brand Sheene, which carries no less than the "Thailand Best" seal of quality, to cater to the fastest-growing teen market, Shani hopes to compete in a cosmetics market dominated by American and European brands. Thailand being a top destination for Filipino tourists, Filipinos are quite at home with Thai products.

For Pinoys, there’s one more reason to be high on things Thai: Sheene. Her face aglow with her favorite Sheene oil-free powder and pink lip gloss to match her pink tee, Kim addresses her fellow teens, "I personally recommend the lip gloss so your lips will always be shiny and not dry. You can wear it to school, lalo na kung gusto nyong magpa-cute sa mga boys. I recommend the pink gloss because it’s so natural, it’s like you’re not wearing anything. Of course, because most teens have oily skin, I’d recommend Sheene’s oil-free powder that’s got an SPF (sun protection factor) to protect skin against the harmful ultraviolet rays."

What else can you find in Kim’s kikay kit?

"Aside from the lip gloss and oil-free powder, I have my blush-on, eyelash curler, and mascara, all from Sheene," she rattles off.

Teens will love the way Sheene takes care of their beauty needs with its wide assortment of products that include makeup, skin care, sun care, hair care, toiletry, medicated cosmetics, and accessories.

For makeup alone, there are 111 products listed, including foundation, loose powder, compact powder, cake powder, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, blush-on, lip balm, lip gloss, and lip color. And there’s an enormous range of shades and formulations to choose from, too.

Infusing its products with vitamins and herbs, Sheene leaves nothing to chance in caring for teen skin. Consider this staggering list of skincare products, designed for teens (but moms can use them, too): Vitamin C Cleansing Cream, Vitamin C Soothing Lotion, Vitamin C Day Cream, Vitamin C Night Cream, Q10 Moisture Foam, Q10 Daily Anti-Aging Moisturizer, Q10 Body Lotion, Lip Q10, Moisture Milk, Cleansing Cream with Vitamin E, Spa Body Lotion, Whitening Care Creme, Sun Protection Cream SPF 40, Sun Spray SPF 30, Oil Free Acne Cream, Lightening Foam, Herb Foam, Spa Cream Soap.

Whew! Do young people need all that? Well, as skin experts would say, "There’s nothing like starting ’em young on a healthy skin regimen."

Now you know what makes Kim shine.