If you've been staying in touch with recent artistrhi tweets, you would have noticed the chatter (well, twatter?) about a Beauty Benefit for relief efforts in Haiti!

I'm very excited to announce the Hope for Haiti Beauty Benefit will be taking place with the help of the gracious beauty pros and beauty bloggers that will be lending their services and talents for this fundraiser. Here's the scoop for those of you that are in the Toronto area!

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HOPE FOR HAITI BEAUTY BENEFIT
...because doing good looks good on you!

Join us for a day of beauty fun while raising money towards relief efforts in Haiti!

Where: downtown Toronto (location details to follow)
When: Sunday, February 7th, 2010 11:00AM - 4:00PM
Ticket Price: $25 (Participants are asked to donate a minimum of $25, but any amount above is also welcome). We only have spots for 50 people so RSVP fast (either via the facebook invite or to rhia[at]artistrhi[dot]com).

More details:
The Hope for Haiti Benefit will feature Toronto beauty pros donating make-up and hair services to raise money for Haiti. Participants are asked for a minimum donation of $25 for an afternoon of beauty services, hors d'oeuvres and fun!

Services include the following beauty stations:
1. Eyebrow Know-How:
Have your brows professionally tweezed, and learn how to fill them in properly.

2. Mini Mani:
Polish off your look with the latest colours in nail trends.

3. Smoky Eye Make-over:
Once you're done at this beauty station, you'll be looking for somewhere to go on Sunday night! :)

4. Hair:
Learn tips and tricks on how to make-over your hair, without cutting it!

5. Before and After Photobooth:
Perfect for updating your Facebook profile photo :)

Participants will receive goodie beauty bags and there will also be beauty prizes up for raffle thanks to our generous Beauty Sponsors!

Please take a moment to look at the work of our sponsors and volunteers below. Looking forward to seeing you there!

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PARTICIPATING SERVICES

Make-up:
Rhia Amio
Joy David-Tilberg
Ande
Maggie Ng

Hair:
Suzie Choi Bridal Hair

Photography:
Spencer Fu

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BEAUTY SPONSORS:

CARGO
BALMSHELL
Mary Kay
Shoppers Drug Mart
Face Atelier
Vidal Sassoon
Cake Beauty

For further info or to be added as a service/sponsor, please contact Rhia.

Q: What contouring products do you recommend?

A: Before I get into what products I'd recommend, let's go through the basic principles of contouring (and its complement--highlighting) to make sure we're all on the same page! Techniques of contouring and highlighting play on principles of dark and light:

Photo by Nadia Cheema

CONTOURING
When you want to make areas on the face appear smaller, we 'contour' by applying a darker shaded product atop the area.
i.e. to make the nose appear smaller, to add more definition to the cheeks, to slim down the face and make your decolletage pop!

HIGHLIGHTING
When we highlight, we apply a lighter shaded product on the area we want to bring forward. Highlighting works well with contouring, as it helps to exaggerate your contour by contrasting against it.

See this post for more info on contouring + highlighting!

Some products that I would recommended:
MAC's Sculpt & Shape powders (which I think is only available via macpro.com)
This collection of powders are a great option for those looking to subtly contour. These powders are smooth with just the right amount of pigment that your application won't look streaky.

Make-up Forever's Sculpting Kit
Each MUFE Sculpting Kit comes complete with two shades - one shade for higlighting and a darker shade for contouring. The powders are finely-milled and not too pigmented, so no need to worry about a streaky looking finish! The kits are also available in four different colour combinations making it easier to find a pair that works with your own skin.

Being resourceful...
You don't necessarily need to use a product that's specifically marketed for 'contouring' or 'highlighting'. I've used concealers, foundations and eyeshadows as contour/highlight products in the past. Here's how to do it:

1. The real key is always blending (so that's where your finger, brushes and sponges come in handy!). Blend well to get rid of any harsh lines!

2. For contour, be sure to use matte products (i.e. no shimmer!), as any products with reflective particles will look obvious and reveal your contouring secret!

3. Don't choose a shade that's too dark for your contour (i.e. 2-3 shades darker should be sufficient!), as it can make the area you've applied it to look 'dirty' rather than a natural shadow.

4. When using eyeshadow as contour (on areas other than the eyes), lightly dip your brush in some loose translucent powder first before dipping into your eyeshadow. The initial coat of powder will ensure your pigmented eyeshadow doesn't glide on too strong! Blend, blend, blend (yup, it's my mantra!).

Hope this helps!
Rhia

If you have a make-up related question you'd like to ask, drop me an email: rhia[at]artistrhi[dot]com or send me a message through the W Network. I look forward to hearing from you!