This week I had the absolute pleasure of meeting the lovely Emily at a bridal trial for her upcoming wedding next June 2009. Emily had me laughing throughout the entire session even though it was our first time meeting! It's moments like this when I have the chance to connect with clients who let me in on their special day that make me sincerely appreciative of being able to do what I love. So, thank you Emily and all the brides that have contributed to who and where I am today. Next year's shaping up to be another great one in make-up already! For now, here are some pics from my fun night with Emily:

Now that a fantastic wedding season has quieted down, I've been trying to work on more creatives with photographers and models. Here are some pics from a photography workshop I helped out with last week. These wonderful captures come courtesy of Dave Abreu:Make-up: Rhia Amio (www.artistrhi.com)
Photo and Post-Processing: Dave Abreu Photography
Models: Joanna (top pic), Sterling (bottom pic)

Check out Make-up Junkie's extensive post on the gift of gloss this upcoming season! I got to test-run Benefit's Peace, Love & Glossiness set and it's definitely an item that will be on many a wish list. Gloss on!
Benefit's Peace, Love and Glossiness makes the perfect Christmas gift of gloss this holiday season! Lip gloss fanatics and Makeup Junkies will love the set of 3 gloss duos that contain 6 of Benefit’s most popular lips glosses with such irresistable names: 1. My people, Your people, 2. Talk To My Agent, 3. 24K, 4. Who Does Your Work?, 5. Magic, and 6. Kiss You.

Shine-on with Smart Packaging
I test ran the lip glosses this week wearing it from my daytime job to a night out. I did touch up mid-day after lunch to keep the lips looking glossy-fresh. The shine of one application was just right for an all-day look and perfectly suitable for a corporate office, where you may want to ensure co-workers are not distracted by over-glossed and gooey lips. What's great is that you can easily change up your look for evening with any of the alternate glosses in the set, and all you have to carry is one tube for 2 different looks! Well, unless of course you’re a super junkie and want all 6 glosses handy!! (Guilty as charged).

Stick factor
The glosses have just the right amount of stick to give a great shine, keep the product where it belongs, and not catch your hair as it blows in the wind! The downside of not being too sticky is that a midday touch-up is likely necessary, as the product will tend to wear away sooner than an overly sticky gloss.

Smell
It does have a slight fragrance-y smell that was initially noticeable. I tend to use products without fragrance (as a personal preference), but overall the smell was negligible and not unpleasant.

Benefit's Peace, Love & Glossiness set is limited edition only and at a steal of price of $30 for the six glosses, it's surely not going to stay on store shelves very long! It definitely makes a great gift, but be careful when buying it that you don’t end up keeping it for yourself!

Available at Sephora, Shoppers Drug Mart or online at www.benefitcosmetics.com

Read the full post at Make-up Junkie.

Today in Toronto, we had one of the coldest days yet this fall season which served as a quick reminder of the chilly winter months ahead. Winter weather is something that I (and my skin) can never get used to. The colder and drier temperatures tend to make my skin dull and dry. So to avoid the winter skin blues, other than diligently applying moisturizer, I use bronzer and/or highlighter to add a glow to otherwise lacklustre skin. Bronzers and highlighters aren't seasonal products that are only limited to the warmer summer months. Rather, they can be used all year-round, as glowing skin never goes out of season!

I love MAC Mineralize Skinfinish powders for achieving this effect, but another favourite product that's available at your local drugstore (at a fraction of the cost) is Bonne Belle's Glimmer Bronze. Glimmer Bronze goes for only about $6 per container, and the effect it achieves is priceless. You only need a tiny amount per application (remember starting off with less and building layers is always better than ending up looking like one of King Midas's victims!) . Use Glimmer Bronze with a clean blush brush (a powder brush will be too big). Sweep the powder atop the cheekbone to bring this area of the face forward and to get your glow on!

Q: Help! No matter what product I seem to try, my eye make-up seems to have a mind of its own and give me raccoon eyes by mid-day. What products or make-up artist secrets are there to keep my eye make-up from wandering?

A: Here are a couple of tips that I abide by, especially with my bridal clients who require extended wear from their make-up application:

1. Use waterproof products to minimize any eye make-up transfer.
Waterproof mascaras, liquid liners and gel liners are at the top of my list for waterproof/water-resistant eye make-up. If you prefer pencil eyeliner, opt for a waterproof formula. I swear by the Make-up Forever Aqua Eyes collection.

2. Pat the eyelid area with some translucent powder or your powdered foundation.
Some women tend to have eyelids that are more on the oily side (nothing wrong with that – more natural moisture also means being less prone to wrinkles!). Dusting some loose powder on the lids will help to keep your eye make-up in its place and also act as a great base for eyeshadow application.

3. Use concealer to camouflage any darkness under the eye and set with a light dusting of powder.
Without concealer, migrating eye make-up will only make undereye circles look darker. When you’re doing eye make-up, remember to think it from a full 360° viewpoint: the eyebrows, eyelid and undereye area all play their part in framing the eye and need to be properly maintained for a make-up look fit for the pros! Applying some concealer and powder under the eye will also help act as a barrier to keep migrating eye make-up in check.

4. Avoid lining the inner rim (aka the waterline) with eyeliner.
Yes, lining the inner rim makes an undoubtedly gorgeous smoky eye look, but the look only stays fresh for as long as the liner stays put (usually a maximum of 3-4 hours). This area of the eye is naturally “wet” and is a high transfer area. Once the eyeliner starts heading down south, the look can transition from smoky to spooky. Be prepared with some q-tips, concealer and eyeliner to do a touch-up throughout the day.
Alternate option: Skip lining on the inner rim and try lining just below the waterline, right at the root of the bottom eyelashes. I like to use either a brush-tipped liquid liner or a combination of an angled synthetic eyeliner brush with gel liner to get a precise (and water-resistant!) line in this area.

5. Bring a mini-touch up kit.
Particularly if you can’t let go of the inner rim lining, pack some items in your make-up kit for a quick touch-up at lunch time. Some q-tips, undereye concealer and your trusted eyeliner are some of the items you can include to keep your smoky eyes looking their best!

For related eye make-up tips, see:
ARTIST TIP | Mastering the Smoky Eye Without the Mess (Part I)
ARTIST TIP | Mastering the Smoky Eye Without the Mess (Part II)
BEAUTY 101 | The Basics of Concealer
Q & A | How to Cover Undereye Circles
Q & A | Choosing the Right Eyeliner Product For You