artistrhi had the chance to chat with MAC Senior Artist, Caitlin Callahan for some tips on getting gorgeous for summer! Check out the Q & A below!

1. What are some key products to a quick and easy beauty routine for the summer?
A cream bronzer, tinted moisturizer, lipgloss, waterproof mascara. In the summer I ease off the powders for my clients and myself – the sun reveals all. It’s like God’s own HDTV. Lets see what I have in my makeup bag…Tarnish Eye Kohl, To The Beach Cream Bronzer, Studio Moisture Tint (dark), #109 brush, Splashproof Lash Mascara and Viva Glam V lipglass. Perfect, low-maintenance summer face. For eye shadow, try a Paintpot instead of a powder (Waterproof!!)

2. What are some common make-up mistakes women make when the weather heats up?
Using too much foundation and powder. Lay off! If there’s something that really needs concealing (like the friend that pops up on your chin right before a big date), use concealer. If you’re super oily, use a matte primer before your makeup instead of powder on top.

3. Any make-up tips for those of us that are sensitive to the sun but want that bronzed glow?
Start with SPF 50. Then apply a sheer coat of tinted moisturizer (you can go one shade darker because it’s so sheer.) Then apply bronzer (the cream ones look most natural) – start under you cheekbones and sweep towards your nose. As the product wears off your brush, apply to forehead, apples of cheeks and a touch on the nose. Super sunkissed.

4. I've been told powder can look too "heavy" during the summer season, but I have a very oily T-zone so I feel like I need it especially during the summer. Can I improve my skin care routine or are there other products that can help me combat shine?
See above. Start with MAC Matte through the t-zone after you’ve applied moisturizer. You’ll see what happens…it’s amazing!

5. My make-up seems to slide off with the summer heat! Any tricks of the trade to help prevent my eyeshadow from creasing and my foundation from melting?!
Primers are magical. But I’d also recommend easing off on the foundations and powders. Choose a Paintpot that you love (faves: Indianwood, Rubenesque and Artifact).

The latest MAC collection, To the Beach, is summer inspired and available as of May 29th at MAC stores and MAC counters. Product reviews of the collection's Cream Bronzer to come! I'm loving it so far...I've been on a cream blush/bronzer kick as of late! :)

A huge thanks to Caitlin for answering our beauty questions! Be sure to follow Caitlin on Twitter for more beauty inspiration! :)

Images courtesy of MAC Cosmetics. Image layout by Rhia Amio.

More with the lovely Amelia! Check out Geehae's blog and site for more with the wonderful Amelia. Amelia and her now-husband, Dan, celebrated their Big Day at the AGO (thanks Fiona!) in Toronto and Geehae captured the happy couple, the day and all its details beautifully.

Oh Amelia! I love this lady's smile...and her laugh is sooo contagious. You can just see from these pics how much fun I had getting her ready for her Big Day. :)

See more from Amelia's prep for the Big Day on artistrhi weddings!

Congratulations, Amelia! xo

Here are my favourite shots of gorgeous bride Jenna as we get her ready for her Big Day! Can't believe it's already been two weeks that she's been married (yes, I'm a little behind in posts, but hopefully I can have a productive couple of days with the weekend and Monday being a holiday!)

Jenna - candid and glowing

Jenna has great skin as it is, but I love how the pic above shows her glow (with a little help from MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle). Flat, dull skin is passé for today's modern bride (thank goodness!). Just make sure you're shining in the right places - the temples, areas above the cheekbones and atop the browbone are all ok, but the T-zone should still be shine-free!! See this oldie-but-goodie post for more tips.

Another random shot - I love the glamourous feel to this one.

and here's a sweet little e-note from Jenna that made my day (well, 7 days ago...but still makes my day whenever i re-read it. My brides are the best.)!!

Congratulations, Jenna!! Thank you for a wonderful time and all the best! xo

To see more of Jenna's behind the scenes, check out artistrhi weddings!

Check out the gorgeous results of an e-shoot with Claudia featuring the awesome couple Dorothy and Matthew.

matthew + dorothy

getting Dorothy all dolled up!

I had a great time hanging out with Dorothy and Matthew, as we did Dorothy's e-shoot prep. I'm always amazed by how accommodating the couples I work with are, even in instances like this, where we may have just met! Here's to wishing Dorothy and Matthew all the best for their Big Day in June!! :)

This past weekend I had the pleasure of working with wonderfully talented Alice Xue (www.alicexue.com). Here's a little preview (taken from Alice's homepage) of an outdoor shoot we did with the gorgeous Annabelle from Ford.Be sure to check out Alice's portfolio/site - she's definitely one to watch...aside from being obviously talented, Alice is such a sweetheart....and oh yeah and did I mention she's only 17?! Such raw talent. Simply amazing.

It's been a while since my previous post, and I swear it's been for a good reason! I've been getting reacquainted with my 2010 brides, meeting new ones for 2011, doing e-shoots, creatives, an entrepreneurial workshop and oh yeah...still working full-time! Can't believe we're so far into May - where does the time go?!

Until I can post something a little more, check out some of my gorgeous brides on the blogs of some seriously talented photographers:

Photo: Geehae Jeong

Photo: Claudia Hung / Geehae JeongPhoto: Kumari Photography

More artistrhi brides to come! xo

We're heading into mid-May and you know what that means...wedding season is in full swing! I'll be posting regularly about the wondeful brides that I'm fortunate to work with so stay tuned for that! To kick things off, meet the stunning bride Linda who was married last Saturday. Linda wanted a fresh and simple bridal look, so we kept the colour focus on the lips and the cheeks while lightly defining the eyes.

Here are some of my favourite behind the scenes pics of her Big Day:

Aerial view of Linda's make-up (getting her falsies on!). Random pic I know, but I love it. Also realizing that I should get my nails done more often when taking pics like these lol!

One of Linda's gorgeous bridesmaids. I love the way this shot is framed. Yes, another random.

The blushing bride-to-be! When the make-up's done, that smile is just one of the many reasons why I LOVE what I do.

Check out more from Linda's Big Day on artistrhi weddings!

Side note: I seeeriously have the best brides. So thankful! Congratulations Linda! xo

The gorgeous Jenna pictured below is getting married THIS weekend. Such a beauty. I can't wait to get her all dolled up! :)Side note: I really LOVE the difference that eyebrows make. Subtle but such impact!!

I have the wonderful pleasure of knowing Diana through a previous (and also awesome!) bride of mine, Kieu. Aside from having killer features (gorgeous eyes and brows, but also check out her bone structure and PERFECT teeth), Diana was so fun to work with. I love it when it and we all just click. I seriously have the best brides!! So much to be thankful for.
I'm looking forward to working with Diana for her Toronto wedding reception in October. She's also having a ceremony in Cyprus prior to her Toronto celebration...and come to think of it, another one of my brides is having a Toronto ceremony, but a reception in Paris! Oooh la la! Now, just gotta work on convincing them all to take me with. One day :)

Happy Friday everyone!

Meet one of my gorgeous 2010 brides, Shemara. Look at the surface area on those lids - I could seriously play make-up all day on eyes like that!

Shemara's Big Day look is all about classy drama - to get her look, try these key products:

1. MAC Paint - an artistrhi kit essential, I use MAC Paints as a base for eyeshadow and as an amplifier for when I want to kick up the intensity of a powder eyeshadow. Just smooth on a MAC Paint that closely resembles your natural skin tone, layer your powder eyeshadow atop and watch the colours pop!

2. Yaby eyeshadows - another kit essential. Yaby eyeshadows glide on smooth and are packed with pigment. Yaby is well-known for their efficient (and well, genius!) packaging - the travel-size friendly palettes always makes sure I have a variety of colours at my fingertips. Absolutely love.

3. L'oreal Liquid liner - a classic. Tried and tested, this is my daily go-to liner - I apply it at 6AM in the morning and it stays in tact until when I remove it before I sleep (and that's usually midnight on a good night!). I use this on my clients when they're after a bold and dramatic look like Shemara's attention-grabbing eyes above.

4. Quo false eyelashes - a dramatic eye make-up look always look better (and more 'professional) with a set of falsies. I used a lash set with more volume than usual on Shemara to enhance her natural lash line that was already quite full. (I know...lucky girl, right!).

I'm looking forward to Shemara's Big Day (actually maybe I should say wedding weekend!) in June. I'll be doing her make-up for her mehndi ceremony and for her wedding day later in the weekend. I'm quite excited about it....I've always been intrigued by the diverse traditions of other cultures that someone will have to keep me focused on doing the make-up!!

Stay tuned for more from this beautiful bride-to-be! :)

tokidoki is a line that reminds us what make-up is all about - having fun!! Looking at this collection is like re-living my make-up crazed teenager days - the colourful textures and playful packaging make me want to experiment with colour again (yes, despite my age!) :)

The collection includes a range of make-up products and accessories, all encased in decorative packaging by the brand's creator, Simone Legno. Legno is of Italian descent, but his main inspiration for tokidoki derives from Japanese culture and anime, as showcased on the collection's eye-catching exterior.

Products that I think will be ones to watch are:
i). Cromatico eyeshadows ($20 CAD) - these are available in 16 shades and boast quality Italian and Japanese finely milled ingredients that glide on to leave a smooth, velvety finish (currently, I'm test running the eyeshadow in Samba - review will follow soon!)

ii). Fantastico Lip Stain ($20 CAD) - now i know my friends are going to make fun of me for this, but I'm actually quite drawn to the idea of a 'mango' flavoured stain. Oh yes...and all day wear - I suppose that's appealing too :)

iii). Perfetto Eyeliner ($21 CAD) - I'm all about precision when it comes to make-up applications, so the chisel tip of the Perfetto liquid eyeliner is right up my alley! The formula is waterproof and comes in some seriously funky colours for liquid liner (i.e. even pink, bright blue, white). They can be used for lining the eyes, but also for doing temporary body art. I smell artistrhi kit essential on this one... :)

tokidoki will be available exclusively at Sephora as of May 2010. To celebrate tokidoki's launch in Toronto, the Sephora at Eaton Centre will be hosting a meet-and-greet on May 13th with the line's creator, Simone Legno. While you're there, you can also receive a complimentary make-over inspired by the tokidoki collection from a member of Sephora's Pro Make-up Team....and just to entice you even more, if you're one of the first 200 people to spend $25 on tokidoki products, you can also receive a free mini-gift from tokidoki! Please check with Sephora Eaton Centre for further info.

Event details:
Tokidoki Launch at Sephora Eaton Centre (220 Yonge Street, Toronto)
May 13th 6:00PM - 8:00PM

See??! Fun!!
:)