I'm so excited!! Here's a sneak preview of some photos from last night's shoot with Nadia. The shoot took place at none other than Toronto's finest Fiorio salon and spa by Yonge & St. Clair (I know - kinda a big deal, right?!). It was a gorgeous location and a super team that came together. This is one of several looks we did for the day. Nadia was super impressive behind the lens setting up shots and moving her body around just as much as our gorgeous model, Katie. I can't wait to see what else Nads has up her sleeve, and of course, I'll be sure to post them!

Location: Fiorio Salon (Yonge/St. Clair)

Model: Katie B
MUA: Rhia Amio
Hair Stylist: Fabio Persico
Styling Assistant: Keith Sam
Styling/Photography/PP: Nadia Cheema

Let me know what you think! Post a comment here or send drop me an email.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! This weekend was a busy one - just wrapped up a wicked photoshoot with a super team, including photographer Nadia Cheema, who I collaborated on this project with. I'll post some of the behind the scenes photos later this week (need some sleep first!). I can't wait to see the end results - I'll post them as soon as I get my hands on them. You won't be disappointed - Nadia is such a talent and pleasure to work with. I can't wait to do more creatives with her in the upcoming year!

Speaking of photoshoots, here's another great capture of Joanna courtesy of Dave Abreu Photography. Enjoy and have a good night!!

For brides-to-be in the GTA and Southern Ontario area, Toronto Wedding Professionals is an excellent resource for all things wedding. Check the site out and you'll also see some of my bridal make-up tips! As originally posted in TWP:

So now that we have a handle on how to get our best skin yet, it’s time for a pro make-up artist tip to help maximize your foundation application on the Big Day! Make-up artists everywhere swear by primers when doing bridal make-up applications. What is a primer you ask? Well, similar to priming your walls for paint application, make-up primer sets the skin for foundation application. The main ingredient in make-up primer is silicone; silicone sits atop the skin and smoothes out the surface to help achieve a flawless foundation finish. It also acts as a mattifier helping the make-up last longer and reducing excess shine throughout the day – which is particularly useful for all the cameras that will be flashing your way!

How to use it:
Once your daily moisturizer has had time to absorb into your skin (at least 10 minutes, preferably 30 minutes), apply a pea-sized drop of primer and distribute it all over face. I like to concentrate more of the primer application in the T-zone area, as this area of the face is more prone to shine for normal skin types. Give the primer 5 minutes to set and then run your fingers over your skin to feel the noticeably smoother consistency. Next, apply your foundation and blend well. Set the application with a light dusting of loose powder for flawless skin that’s Big Day ready!

Recommended primers

for normal to dry skin types:
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer (approx. $40)
for oily skin:
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light (approx. $40)

To read more on the wonders of foundation primer, see post on Artist Tip: Primer is Your Friend.

More make-up tips to come!
Check out my blog at: www.artistrhi.com
Rhia Amio, Toronto Make-up Artist
web: www.artistrhi.com
email: rhia@artistrhi.com

As we approach the official first day of winter, the days get shorter and the latest trends in make-up have taken a turn towards the dark side. This year, the Fall/Winter 2008 runways (yes, sorry this post is long overdue) saw the return of a seasonal favourite - dark lips. Last year, it was red that was all the rage off the runways. This year, there was a noticeable trend of vampy, even some gothic black, lips. Now let's keep in mind that most runway trends are not meant to be interpreted literally as they aren't exactly wearable by your everyday woman. To translate this vamp look into something for the realway, try this out:

Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey initially looks pretty intimidating coming out of the tube with a dark black cherry like colour to it. Upon rolling it out of the tube, I actually had a flashback to the mid-90s when I experimented with MAC's deepest lipstick shade Film Noir. Needless to say, it was a passing phase...similar to any trend that comes off the runway!

Once applied, Black Honey goes on sheer and gives just enough colour to the lips. The Almost Lipstick formula is also moisturizing and feels great on the lips. Now, who doesn't love products that look good and feel good on the lips!

Usually, I stray away from doing both dark eyes and dark lips for make-up applications. Instead, I like to choose one area as the focal point of the make-up. With Clinique's Black Honey, you can very well still do a smoky eye and not worry about looking like you have too much on! Wear this look out for an evening on the town. After all, the vamps come out at night!

Ever wonder how the pros get the look of such fine, even borders around the lips? Aside from a steady hand (and tons of practice), there exist reverse lipliner products which are a godsend for those of us who don't get our lip application right the first time! Reverse lipliners come in handy for refining the edges of lip application and also help to prevent lipstick from bleeding.

Cargo's popular The Reverse Lipliner is pictured at left, but rest assured you don't necessarily have to shell out another $20 for a 'reverse lipliner' product. You can also use your creamy concealer as a reverse lipliner. Use it with either a q-tip or a concealer brush and lightly trace just outside the border of the natural lipline to essentially "erase" any jagged edges. Choose a concealer that matches your skin tone exactly and be sure to blend it so it's not visible. Otherwise, you'll end up with a light ring around the mouth!