2008 has been a truly outstanding year. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to my family, friends and clients who have been completely supportive of my endeavours and instrumental to my success. The odd time when I’m down and questioning my place in the world, your continuous support inspires me and reminds me that nothing worth fighting for is easy. Thank you for a truly wonderful 2008. (I’ll toast to that!)

Happy New Year and a Prosperous 2009 to you and yours!
Rhia

If you're stuck for New Year's looks, why not revisit (and reinvent) an Old Faithful? The smoky eye is the perfect option for any evening out. There are so many options for the look (here's just one version of the Smoky Eye I did with Sam). You'll see the method of application is consistent, but the colours and textures are totally up to you! Have fun!

I used a taupe-grey as a base with a sponge-tip applicator to build up the colour:
The crease brush, a Kit Essential, was used with Lise Watier's Magic Pearls eyeshadow in Black/Orchid to add depth (and the smoke factor!) into the crease: I layered MAC Paint Pot in Blackground in between layers of the Lise Watier eyeshadow to up the smoky intensity (and increase eyeshadow longevity!):To add a little pop of colour, I highlighted the inner corner with an intense cream shimmer eyeshadow (MAC Starflash Eyeshadow in Grand Entrance) and traced underneath the eye with a purple-blue shimmer eyeshadow (Lancome Colour Design Eyeshadow in Trendy):

Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays! I took a little break for the past two days, and I'm happy to be back on the blogging tip - just in time for looks for fast-approaching New Year's Eve outings!

Lise Watier's Holiday Collection (as I reviewed for Make-up Junkie) is a gorgeous make-up set to carry your party looks into the New Year. The signature look behind the collection is the Pink Diamonds campaign below, which makes a stunning look for when the ball drops this year! Read more and be sure to check out the many options of Lise Watier's Holiday Collection 2008!

Make-up Junkie has been featuring Lise Watier products all week for the line's stunning Holiday Collection that makes a great gift (to give or to keep!). This last installment will feature Pink Diamonds, the signature look and name of Lise Watier's 2008 Holiday Collection, as featured on the model above.

The Pink Diamonds look features two key products from the collection: the Pink Diamonds Palette ($36) for mesmerizing eyes and Pink Icing Lipstick ($18) for a stand-out pout!

The Pink Diamonds Palette has five rich and pigmented shades that are perfect for that holiday look. The gorgeous colours of pearl white, vivid fuchsia, metallic silver, black sparkle, and gold shimmer come in a fashionable mock-croc container. Each eyeshadow glides on smoothly for vibrant colours that will last you well into the evening. Use all five eyeshadows simultaneously (as on the model above) or any combination your heart desires! You'll have fun experimenting with the colours and textures of this palette, and you'll have a multitude of looks to carry you forward into the New Year!

Lise Watier's Pink Icing Lipstick is literally that - like icing on the cake! The creamy and metallic texture of this intense fuchsia looks and feels great on the lips. Use Pink Icing with Lise Watier's Black Stars Pencils or Precious (Liquid) Eyeliners for a bold lip look. Or pair it with the Pink Diamonds palette for a dramatic look that will have you set for any holiday party! Watch out for that mistletoe :)

The signature Pink Diamonds collection is perfectly named - just like diamonds, the make-up of this collection is a girl's best friend! Enjoy and Happy Holidays to all!

To see more Make-up Junkie coverage of the gorgeous products from Lise Watier, check these out:
24 Carats Gloss and Precious Eyeliners
Magic Pearls Eyeshadow and Black Stars Eyeliner Pencil

Here are some photos of us having fun behind the scenes from a recent creative shoot with Sam (our gorgeous model) and Andrew (of ACM Photography). The pics are just a snippet of why I love what I do and why I should at all times remain behind the camera!

1. Standard three girls = Charlie's Angels shot with fan blowing à la Jennifer Lopez music video style:
2. Apparently my character is supposed to be holding a cell phone (I always thought they all held guns!). Instead, I look like I'm holding a hot dog:3. I decide that in this instance only - guns are more fun!4. Yes, too much fun!This time of the season always make me very thankful for the wonderful family and friends I'm surrounded with and for this life that I'm fortunate to lead. Thank you everyone for the support. Happy Holidays to you and yours!

...Lise Watier Holiday Collection continued! Check out the original post on Make-up Junkie!

II. 24 Carats Lip Gloss and Precious Eyeliners Liquid Liner Duo
With Lise Watier’s 24 Carats Lip Gloss and Precious Eyeliners Duo in tow, the hanging Christmas lights won’t be the only thing sparkling this season. The warm gold gloss and metallic liquid liners will help you achieve a delightfully rich holiday look!
24 Carats (pictured above) is a warm gold gloss with sparkles that brilliantly reflect the light. It has just enough stick to keep the sparkle where you apply it and feels comfortable on the lips. The gloss can be a bit gooey when coming out of the tube, but you quickly forget about that once you see the results. Usually I’m not a fan of smells when it comes to make-up, but the vanilla scent is so light that I actually find it pleasant! You can use 24 Carats on top of bare lips for a perfect pairing with a smoky eye (a la Magic Eye Pearls eyeshadow and eyeliner combination as in the previous post). Or layer it atop your favourite lipstick to kick up your lip look with some glitter. Any way you wear it, Lise Watier’s 24 Carats gloss is sure to give you a look that sparkles this holiday!

In addition to a smoky eye, another great pairing for 24 Carats is the liquid liner duo of Precious Eyeliners (see pic above). The liner comes with classic black on one end, and either metallic gold or silver on the other end. For a precious metals inspired look, apply the metallic eyeliner first keeping it tight to the lashline and drawing it slightly thicker. Use the black liquid liner next and again keep it tight to the lash line, but this time using a lighter hand to draw a thinner line. You can even smudge the metallic liquid liner to get a long-lasting intense eyeshadow effect. Just be sure to work quick, as lliquid iner generally tends to dry up fairly quickly. The two-in-one action of the liner duo is fab - just pop that baby in your purse, and you’re set for when need to take your daytime look into night!

24 Carats Gloss and Precious Eyeliners Duo make a killer combination, but both of these products can be mixed with the other fabulous products of Lise Watier's collection. See more from Lise Watier here!