Last Friday was a gorgeous day here in Toronto, with unseasonably warm temperatures giving us our first hint of spring! In the world of make-up, spring signals a movement towards lighter and brighter trends in beauty products: the smoky eye gets reinterpreted with fresh spring colours, while sheer glosses take the place of matte lipsticks. The upcoming season is all about being playful with make-up, so give those winter blues the official goodbye and add a little colour to your routine - just in time for spring!

Smoky TealThe spring smoky eye was redefined on the runway at the Gucci Spring 2009 show. Models strutted down the runway with smoky eyes in modern shades of teal under the direction of legendary make-up maven and Key Artist, Pat McGrath. To keep the look 2009 rather than dated, use a pale shade of teal (and avoid white shimmer) when highlighting the brownbone. Add dramatic black eyeliner to define the eyes and smudge away!

How to Wear It: Teal smoky eyes can be a questionable make-up option for places like the corporate office. (Insert visions of Mimi from the Drew Carey Show). Save your efforts for the evening and try this look for a fun night out on the town.


Purple PoutPurple lips were the beauty focus on the runway at Zac Posen. The look was the spring derivative of the dark, black (yes, black) lips that were all the high-fashion rage last fall. To balance the strong lip look, the rest of the make-up was kept soft and subtle.

How to Wear It: Hello newsflash! Runway looks aren’t necessarily intended to look good on us non-model people. But heck, even models have problems pulling off true purple lips (i.e. see above)! From runway to realway, purple isn’t the most flattering colour for the pouts of real women. Instead, try a softer interpretation of the look in stain and gloss formulas with purple-inspired shades of plum and mauve.


Natural BeautyNatural beauty was also a staple look for Spring 2009, as featured on the runways of Tommy Hilfiger and Chloe. Despite appearances, the natural look does require a bit of work to achieve that polished natural look. When done right, you'll have that effortless "I just woke up and I look this good" kind of look.

How to Wear It: Wear this look anywhere - it's as easy as five quick steps!
1. Even out the skin tone with foundation and concealer.
2. Set the application with a light dusting of loose powder
3. Brush brows into place (use clear mascara to keep unruly brows in check).
4. Add a bit of blush to the apples of the cheeks for a wide-awake look.
5. Lastlly, dab a balm on the lips to give some moisturizing shine to the lips!

All photos courtesy of Style.com

I’ve been using Studio Scuplt Foundation for over a month now since its release and the verdict? I’m loving it! The cream foundation glides on smooth and blends well without much effort. Coverage is easily buildable and produces a finish that’s medium to heavy with the more layers you apply. You literally only need a pea-sized drop from the tube to give the face moderate coverage, which is a nice quick fix when putting on my “out-in-public” face on in the morning! When layered on, I prefer the look Studio Scuplt provides over the other staple heavier coverage MAC foundations in my kit (Full Coverage and Studio Fix). With Studio Sculpt, the buildable coverage doesn’t give the face the undesirable flat, matte look – just flawless skin! For those light days when you prefer a sheer and dewy look to your foundation, the formula can easily be thinned out by mixing in a tiny bit of moisturizer.

As for Studio Sculpt Concealer, I found the formula to be too tacky for my liking. The product lasted well on blemishes, but was difficult to work with when applying to the undereye area (my main area of concern when evaluating to see if a concealer "works" for me). Studio Sculpt likely just wasn’t the best concealer for me, as the skin under my eyes has changed from my teens and early 20s (with age, sun exposure, lack of sleep, etc., etc.). The sticky paste formula would blend best on someone with a smooth undereye surface, but I definitely need more “slip” from my concealer. Nonetheless, Studio Sculpt is a great concealer product hiding imperfections well - I just need a little more work!

ARTIST TIP: If your undereyes are similar to mine and are more crepey (ugh, that sounds terrible. Let’s say “have more character”), stick to a concealer formula that has more “slip” (i.e. liquid-based) to help prevent the product from creasing into fine lines around the eye. Yes, character indeed.

Related posts:
BEAUTY 101 | All About Foundation
BEAUTY 101 | The Basics of Concealer

artistrhi.com photo update! Check out a creative shoot from this past weekend with Erin and Ian. Most of the shoot was actually outdoors on a typically freezing day in February (if you can remember last Saturday in Toronto, it was a balmy -25 degrees Celsius!), but you can't tell it from looking at these awesome shots (thanks to everyone that participated--you were all such good sports!).

Talent behind the lens for the set is the lovely Jennifer Mong. I'm looking forward to working with these guys again! (...but let's wait until May...right, guys?) :)

Check out the wedding portfolio at www.artistrhi.com, for a recently updated view of Emily’s wedding in September. I absolutely love the creative and unique touch of Emily’s wedding photographers, LifeImages (so many great shots, amazing photography style). The bridal portraits are some of my favourites; they have an aesthetic and artful quality that not only make a great photo, but truly showcase Emily’s beauty. I could go on and on about how essential having an awesome wedding day photographer (like LifeImages) is, but check out Emily’s album to let the photography speak for itself! Be sure to visit LifeImages for more inspiration!

Q: hi Rhia, I saw your post about Crown Brushes and was wondering what's your opinion of Crown brushes now that you've had the chance to use them for a while? I'm hoping to build a brush collection for my own everyday use, so I was wondering if I should buy Crown or maybe get brushes from Sephora or MAC? What do you think?

A: Thanks for the question! I still like the brushes for the original purpose I had bought them – to build my make-up artist kit and have back-up brushes for consecutive appointments. After getting the chance to work with them, it turns out my favourites from what I purchased are the foundation brush, large powder brush and kabuki brush. The brushes apply and blend product well, and feel smooth against the skin. One thing I did note when washing the large-sized brushes (blush brush, powder brush) was that the dye bleeds slightly once wet. Small price to pay for such an affordable line of brushes!

For your own personal use, it doesn't hurt to invest in a really good set of quality brushes. They feel better on your skin (and your skin deserves to be pampered!). As long as you properly take care of the brushes, they will last you a long time. You can find great quality brushes through Crown, Sephora, MAC and other department store brands. My first two professional brushes ever are by MAC and were given as a gift to me back in high school. The brushes are still in good condition to this day, and I’ve obviously gotten great use out of them as high school was a long time ago! For the larger sized brushes especially (i.e. powder, blush brushes), you'll feel and see the difference in how the make-up is applied. For that reason alone, quality brushes are definitely worth the investment!

Be sure to check out these sites/stores:
MAC Cosmetics
Industry Cosmetics (for Crown Brushes)
Sephora

Related posts:
PRODUCT REVIEW | Splurge vs. Steal Part I - Face Brushes
PRODUCT REVIEW | Splurge vs. Steal Part II - Eye Make-up Brushes
KIT ESSENTIAL | Essential Brushes