There's nothing like a little getaway + much needed sleep + sun that does wonders for your beauty routine!

This was my final look at the gorgeous resort lobby this morning. It was fantastic to be on vacation, but I certainly missed my laptop! Stay tuned as I have plenty of posts that I've been looking forward to catching up on!!

:)
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

Meet gorgeous bride-to-be Vinci! Vinci's Big Day is in August of this year, and I'm thrilled to be on board for her Big Day prep! Obviously she has such beautiful features to work with that essentially my 'work' is effortless. Here are the before and after pics from our fun bridal trial together:

Vinci's before = naturally gorgeous

Look 1: Soft and Polished (perfect for daytime!)

Look 2: Evening Eyes (an evening look that's not too dramatic nor overpowering)

Evaluating Look 1 and Look 2 against each other demonstrate how when done properly, more make-up can make smaller-set eyes look bigger! Simply keep the darkest colours downward from the crease to the lashline - this will help to create the illusion of a wider lid and to brighten the whites of your eyes!

A special thanks to Vinci and her awesome Mom for such a fun girly time!! See you beauties in August :)

Welcome to a new category of posts called Beauty Buzz! In this category, you'll get the latest info on new products and launches directly from the beauty press release wire.*
The latest make-up buzz comes from MAC:
MAC's Art Supplies launches for a limited time as of April 1st, 2010 until May (or while quantities last!). The collection of grown-up/make-up crayons and markers sees the introduction of two new limited-life products to the MAC arsenal: i). Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner and ii). Pro Longwear Lipstain Marker. Art Supplies also features the popular (and an artistrhi favourite) Greasepaint Stick revisited in eight different shades. (I've already made my list of what colours I want to add to my kit!).

Check out my previous review of Greasepaint from the MAC DSquared and Style Black collections:
Lipstain Marker is another item on my 'lust' list - I smell the potential for a bridal kit essential with this toted long-lasting lipstain. I have yet to find a lip stain that I like, so here's to hoping that MAC's version works better and (at least) offer more colour selection than lip stains I've tried in the past.

Currently, I'm test-running Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner (that I received as a sample for consideration from MAC). Long-lasting and non-smudging? We'll see about that! Check back in a week's time for a review!

Here's the official word from the MAC wire:

Art Supplies is everything you need to paint the ultimate self-portrait: focus on a Greasepaint Stick in eight fabulous, limited-life shades - the ultimate inky colour payoff is an homage to the success we had with Style Black and DSquared² last season. Use as a Shadow or Liner: ludicrously long-wearing, transfer- and water-resistant, flexible and five-star comfortable. NEW Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner with an exciting new shimmering sparkle effect, will also launch in limited-life, featuring six slick, smooth, sextronic shades. NEW Pro Longwear Lipstain Marker has the doodle fun of a pen, but with sophisticated, light and long-wearing results. It’s all about artistic freedom!

*(Often times, I'll receive product that I hope to review in advance of the actual product launch, but alas the schedule doesn't always permit! Hopefully, this set of posts will help to keep me on my toes and up-to-date with my product reviews/previews, as there's no point in reviewing too late and once the product's not readily available to the public!)

My poor eyelashes (pictured above) have endured more than their share of curler torture, so I'm game for anything that will help condition them and encourage growth! Thanks to the folks at L'oreal, I've been test-running Lash Boosting Serum for the past couple of weeks, applying it twice per day while crossing my fingers each time that'll work! In their study, L'oreal researchers found that after four weeks' use participants noticed:

"lashes appear multiplied with daily application of mascara and twice daily application of serum: underneath mascara and on bare lashes overnight."

Huh?! Obviously lashes would appear multiplied after mascara is on! Call me skeptical, but I do hope to be converted. It would make this serum an amazing deal for the approximate $14.95 it retails for.

So far I've been using it as prescribed (once before I apply mascara and then again prior to bedtime), and I do like the look of my mascara applied over top of it. Applying the serum first acts like a hairspray for the lashes, helping to lock my curled lashes in place while adding a bit of thickness....and all without the usual white messiness of a mascara primer! I found this to be immediately noticeable after the first use, so hopefully there's more improvement ahead. Check back in a couple of week's time for after photos of hopefully lusher lashes! :)

Want to join the L'oreal Lash Growth Movement?
L'oreal also generously sent me a few of these babies to give away! Be one of the first six people to send an email to rhia[at]artistrhi[dot]com, and a tube of L'oreal's Lash Boosting Serum can be all yours.

The only prerequisites are you must be:
1). a Canadian resident
2). a fan of artistrhi on Facebook

I'd love to hear your feedback too on the product once you've had a chance to try it! Fingers crossed for all of us! :)

Check out the following wedding photographer's sites for inspirational pics, and of course, some of my bridal make-up work! :)

Side note: I'm really lucky to come across such amazing photographers/fellow artists in my line of work. Their talent, hard work and dedication to their craft is a definite inspiration to me!

Claudia Hung (www.claudiahungweddings.com)
One of WeddingBells.ca's Top 25 Inspirational Canadian wedding photographers, Claudia's talent never ceases to amaze me! I've said it many times before - her work obviously speaks for itself - but she's simply an awesome person to work with.

artistrhi Bride: Anna

Geehae Jeong (www.geehaejeong.com)
Geehae works frequently with Claudia, and you can easily see how their individual styles complement each other well. I love the feel of her clean, editorial style....simply gorgeous!

artistrhi Bride-to-be: Nicole

Union Photography (www.unionphoto.ca)
Union Photography, led by main photographer Jon, is also on WeddingBells.ca's Top 25 hot list! I love his creative approach to capturing the Big Day - exquisite!

artistrhi Bride: Mary