Searching for an awesome concealer is pretty much the equivalent to finding the holy grail of beauty for me. Blame it on my own dark undereye circles, but trying out every decently reviewed concealer can be pretty much deemed a bad addiction....I mean, how many concealers does one need?! (Fortunately, I have the excuse of "I'm buying it for the kit"...riiiight.)

Developed for compatibility with the unforgiving scrutiny of High Definition lenses, Make-up Forever's HD Invisible Concealer easily blends and doesn't settle into fine lines. You only need a minimal amount (like we're talking a tiny dot here) for a layer of opaque coverage. It works beautifully to conceal redness and (even my) dark undereye circles!! With a selection of 13 shades to choose from, it's easy to find a colour (or a mix of colours) that matches your own skin tone.

My only gripe with the product is the packaging that takes a little bit of practice to get used to. You have to wind up the bottom to shoot the product out through the nib of the tube, but you sometimes end up twisting too much and losing some valuable product (the stuff's not cheap after all - 0.05 oz for approximately $35 CAD). Once the concealer is exposed to air, it loses a bit of its creamy consistency and becomes tougher to blend, particularly in delicate areas like under the eye. Moral of the story: be careful how many times you twist the bottom for product, as some drier product may be preventing it from coming up the tube properly. Squeeze the dispensing nib between your index finger and thumb to help ease the product out. Try to squeeze and empty the nib after each use so you can use fresh product the next time.

My favourites are 315 and 340 for their colour correcting properties. I have seeerious underye circles - so that calls for the heavy duty works - a shade of orange or a really dark peach. I use 340 (a bright orangey-peach) mixed with a tiny bit of 315 (a light pink) to counteract the dark undereye circles. I blend the skin tone matching 350 atop to help it disappear into the rest of my skin.

MUFE's HD Invisible Concealer has quickly graduated to the top of my favourites list. You'll find me using these in both my personal kit and my client kit. Thanks to MUFE's brilliant concealer, the quest for the perfect concealer has been satisfied...for now... :)

In an attempt to simplify my site's look and better cater to my target audiences, I've launched a new site www.rhiaamio.com to house my online 'creative' portfolio. rhiaamio.com will feature my fashion, beauty and editorial work.

I opted to have the site powered by Dripbook, as I loved the clean design options and ease of navigation offered through Dripbook. What's even better is that I don't have to know a thing about programming languages because Dripbook does it all for me. I can easily change the look of my site by clicking a few options here and there via the user-friendly interface (pretty much just as easy as editing an online album!). If you're in a creative trade and in the market for pre-designed sites (because like me, you only fare so well with technical languages), definitely check out Dripbook and Viewbook to showcase your work and spare you the stress :)

Leave it to MAC to always be in tune with trends for both make-up...and technology! Via Twitter, you're able to follow MAC Senior Artists and see what they're up to, what MAC products they use, etc. My favourite updates are the ones where they take you behind the scenes, as they work on the latest and greatest fashion shows worldwide. It's an instant sneak peek into the world of trends before they hit online fashion blogs and waaay before they hit print and magazines...for those who just have to know! This past month, MAC's artists were especially busy tweeting about the behind the scenes of the Milan and Paris runways for Spring/Summer 2010 collections.

Now, their tweets have been consolidated in one single site/community where Twitter users can also join in on the conversation. I personally love the twitpics of all the first-hand runway looks and face charts - the creativity is inspiring and the insider access to the behind the scenes gives you a sense of the buzz of being there! Check it out: http://www.macartiststweets.com.

Get your twit on!
artistrhi on twitter

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian readers! I have much to be thankful for (and you sitting there reading this is just one of the many, many reasons why!)
To me, Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks and giving back. On local TV this past weekend, I caught the special We Day, an initiative by the charitable organization Free the Children. Free the Children empowers youth to help youth in the developing world. If you happened to catch the We Day special, you'll agree with me that we have a lot to be thankful for...and even more tangible ways to show our thanks. Be sure to check out the Free the Children site for more :)

artistrhi weddings update! Pics of gorgeous and gracious bride, Hye-Rim, are now up on the site :) Here's a sneak peek of the beautiful imagery - be sure to check out artistrhi weddings for more:
The pics come courtesy of the wonderfully talented photographer, Christopher Luk, who I'm excited to work with again in a couple of weeks for Linda's wedding :)

Thank you Hye-Rim for letting me be part of your special day, and of course, a special thanks to to Chris for letting me share his wonderful pics.

It's been an amazing year of weddings...I truly have a lot to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours :)