Aside from being able to do what I absolutely love, one of the most rewarding things about being a make-up artist is meeting and getting to know the people I am fortunate to work with.

Last weekend was no exception. Saturday started off my first wedding of 2009. It was a gorgeous and clear day for a winter wedding. Despite the early hour, Libby (pictured at right) was fantastic to work with and the epitome of a calm, cool and collected bride. The final result of our session was a classic glam look fitting for the beautiful bride-to-be. Click here to view more of the photos.

On Saturday afternoon, I also had the pleasure of working with bride-to-be, Bex – not for a wedding this time (that's coming up in May!), but for a Bridal Shower (neat idea, right?!). Bex (pictured at left) and her bridesmaids first treated her bridal shower attendees to a cooking demonstration and then to a smoky eye make-up demonstration (yes, that’s where I came in). The demonstrations all went hand-in-hand with the Stepford Wives theme of the shower. Neat ideas indeed! Lesson of the day: it never hurts to look good...even while cooking!

(Thanks for the picture, Bex!)

On Sunday, I had a couple more trials with these two lovely ladies pictured below, Denise and Hun-Sun. Both brides-to-be were after classic and natural make-up looks for their wedding days. We focused on perfecting the skin and adding subtle definition with make-up. I'm looking forward to working with these ladies later this year...and to the rest of the amazing year that 2009 is going to be! Thank you :)

Q: Hi, I'm a make-up newbie - my daily morning routine consists of Vaseline on the lips and mascara on the eyelashes (when I want to be "fancy"!). I'm trying to venture more into the world of make-up, but there's so much stuff out there!!! What's the diff between a lip balm, a lip conditioner and a lip gloss?

A: Both lip balm and lip conditioner are built to lock in moisture for the lips and protect the lips from the external environment. Once applied, they both provide minimal to sheer coverage. Depending on the formula, you can also have moderate to wet-looking shine from either product.

Gloss is primarily more of a cosmetic product, rather than a maintenance product like lip balm and lip conditioner. Gloss can be clear, sheer, or opaque. It can have moisturizing ingredients, or be purely intended for a shiny aesthetic with a sticky like feel. You can build up gloss more than you can a balm and conditioner, and the look is more finished overall versus when you use just a balm.

Now, which to choose? It's good to always have a lip balm/conditioner handy to help maintain soft and supple lips. Remember, make-up always starts with a good base and any lip products you apply will look better on moisturized, non-chapped lips! Yet, nothing beats the look of a high-shine gloss: light-reflecting effects can create the illusion of larger lips and an instant glamourous look.

Go to your local drugstore to score deals on lip balms (i.e. you don't have to spend much on a balm - think Chapstick, Carmex). Save the majority of your pretty pennies for lovely lip glosses - great finds are available both at the drug store and department store level.

(Yes, choose both!)

What a fab, but busy, weekend! Saturday kicked off with my first wedding of the season with the gorgeous bride-to-be Libby. Libby was after a classic 40s glam look for her wedding day (think a la Veronica Lake). The result was a look that was definitely red-carpet worthy (and wedding-aisle ready)! Here are the key elements to Libby's Wedding Day Look:
1. Balance the skin out with foundation.
Skin without foundation can be especially noticeable on camera. Foundation gives the skin a flawless and glowing finish, so you're ready for all those flashing lights!

2. Polished brows.
Libby has naturally perfect shaped brows. To polish the look, I filled sparse areas of the brow with a brow pencil and brushed the brows into place.

3. Strong eyeliner concentrated on the top lash line.
Focusing eyeliner application mainly on the top gives a polished look without looking overdone. Eyeliner that encompasses the whole eye can look too strong, especially when paired with bold red lips. I used a combination of gel liner and liquid liner on Libby's eyes to help give it longevity throughout the day.

4. False eyelashes.
Falsies are like the icing on a cake! Every make-up application looks better with a full set of lashes. When done properly, falsies will not only make the lash line look fuller, but will also make the eyes look larger. Love it!

5. Knock 'em dead red lips.
I used Make-up Forever Blue Red #205 to complete Libby's classic glam look. For tips on how to apply red lips, see this post.

Check out www.artistrhi.com to see more of the behind the scenes photos of Libby's Big Day. Congratulations, Libby!!

Related posts:
WEDDING | All Weddings
GET THE LOOK | Red Lips
Q & A | Choosing the Right Eyeliner Product for You

While recently perusing my local Wal-mart*, I happily came across one of my favourite eyebrow pencils in a never-before-seen colour! I discovered Rimmel London's Professional Eyebrow Pencil available in Black #004. Previous to this find, Rimmel's eyebrow pencils in Hazel and Dark Brown have been long-time staples in my kit (with Dark Brown being my personal daily go-to eyebrow pencil).

Rimmel London's Eyebrow Pencils are a steal at a pricepoint of only $6.99 CDN! I have yet to see the Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in Black available at Shoppers Drug Mart (my other frequent drugstore make-up hang-out).

Whether it be from the lower drugstore end of the spectrum or a higher end department store choice, check out these tips for choosing an eyebrow pencil :

1. Choose a colour that is closest to your hair colour.
For blondes, choose a taupe. Redheads, go for an auburn to hazel. Brunette beauties can try out a hazel to dark brown. For ladies with black hair, opt for a pencil between the dark brown to black range.

2. Choose a pencil that has a waxy (rather than creamy) texture.
A waxy texture will last longer against the skin, and will prevent you from drawing on that "tattoed" eyebrow look.

3. Test the pencil out on your hand - it shouldn't allow you to draw the lines too dark!
Remember the key to natural looking brows is to use "light, feathery strokes". An eyebrow pencil that doesn't glide on too creamy is key!

For more brow power, check out these posts:
BEAUTY 101 | Arch Nemesis: The Power of Good Brows
PRODUCT REVIEW | Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil

*where no matter how far they "roll back the prices", I always end up spending way too much! Let's just say I'm doing my share to help our disparaging economy - ummm, right!

I was away last week when MAC officially launched their Hello Kitty make-up collection (so this post is a little overdue!). The special limited edition collection consists of two lines: Hello Kitty Mild and Hello Kitty Wild.

I popped into my local MAC store earlier this week to try out some items from the collection first-hand. Of course, I couldn't leave the store empty-handed! I scooped up a gorgeous pigment in Deep Blue Green, glitter in Reflects Pink along with She Loves Candy lipglass (detailed reviews and photos to follow later this week). There were many other great pieces to this collection--all made more enticing with the Hello Kitty branding--but I did my best to restrain my inner kid-in-a-candy-store tendency!

I grew up with Hello Kitty stationery, so I admit I have a slight affinity for the cartoon kitten, even though I’m a grown woman! I love the idea of Hello Kitty marked MAC products, and think that MAC has truly done a wonderful job in combining the two worlds. It reminds me what make-up is all about – looking good, but having fun!

MAC does Hello Kitty. The cat’s definitely outta the bag on this one! More to come!