Monthly Make Up Tips with Hope Henderson

Last month we introduced you to the lovely, Hope Henderson.  She will be providing the RFS blog with a make up tid bit, trend or fun fact every month.  This month she offers a little advice for winter wedding make up. 

Hope says: 

The #1 thing to worry about for a winter wedding is your skin. The weather can make your skin so dry and blotchy. Be sure to drink plenty of water and exfoliate. Use a hydrating mask at night to help lock the moisture in. For winter weddings especially, I like to mix MAC Strobe Liquid Lotion with a regular moisturizer to make the skin have a natural looking gorgeous glow. It's light enough to work well on oily skin as well as dry. Once you put your foundation on top of the moisturizer your skin will look picture perfect! 

Something that always looks great in winter is a deeper shade of lipstick or red lips. Anyone can pull off red lips, you just have to find the right shade. Go to a cosmetic counter and play around with the shades. Find one that is the most flattering and wear it around the rest of the day. You'll be surprised how confident and sexy it makes you feel. Some of the shades I like the most are MAC Dubonnet, NARS Vesuvio, and Bare Escentuals Red Delicious.

You can check out more information on Hope at her website www.hopeartistry.com!

Meet RFS!

CHRISTOPHER CARITA - Co-Founder of RFS

The SERIOUS STUFF:

Chris deserves, but usually refuses to take the credit for the idea behind Ring Finger Studio.

He and Tara were walking up 86th street in Brooklyn, and he was quietly reflecting on his friends, more and more of whom were taking the plunge into marriage.  It occurred to him that each one of them had contacted Tara to get some help with the overwhelming process of purchasing an engagement ring, and each one of them felt confused about where to go and what to do.  They all dreaded walking into a traditional jewelry store, clueless, feeling pressured, feeling like everyone was watching, or judging what they chose and how much they were spending.

Known for having complete conversations in his head,  Chris blurted out, "Why does nobody specialize in engagement rings?  It's the biggest and usually the first jewelry purchase a guy will make?"

Weeks later, a new business was born. A place that specialized in the most important jewelry purchases in life, place that was comfortable, relaxed, and private.  And the rest as they say is, history.

The REAL STUFF:

Chris is a hopeless romantic and incredibly kind.  He's quick to buy a meal for anyone down on their luck, and he literally would give you the shirt off of his back.

He loves to cook, and recently has mastered baking bread.  His prize loaves are born from the oldest sourdough starter in the country, originating in the 1700's in New England.  A romantic even when it comes to his baking.

Chris loves playing basketball, is a Scrabble fantatic, loves imported artisan beers, and the mechanics of how things are engineered (especially guns)

Any other questions for Chris?  Email him at Chris@ringfingerstudio.com


Photo Courtesy of Ashley Brockinton Photography

hip.e trunk show - PREVIEW

Just an additional teaser for Thursday's trunk show at hip.e boutique!

Here's a sneak peak at some of the over 50 unique Estate Pieces we'll be showcasing.

Donna Karan Spring Collection at Neiman Marcus

During our meeting with Neiman Marcus a couple weeks ago (cross your fingers for us!) we were invited to attend today's event where DONNA KARAN spoke about pieces from her spring 2011 collection.

We OBVIOUSLY accepted the gracious offer!

Today we joined up at the Bal Harbour Neiman Marcus, filed into 4 limos, each equipped with a bottle of Vueve Cliquot, at 11:15AM and we were off to Neiman Marcus Merrick Park, in Coral Gables.  Yes, we had champagne for breakfast!

During the fashion show, DK and Ken Downing, the Director of Fashion for Neiman Marcus, conversed about each piece.  It was surreal.

Of course the clothing was inspiring, but even more inspiring was listening to Donna Karan speak about her work in Haiti, her belief in "caring, sharing, and giving" and finding the calm in our chaotic world.  We all already knew it, but she really is fabulous!

(Find out more about her Urban Zen charity work here.)

And, see the entire Spring Collection here.

Exclusive RFS Trunk Show with hip.e

RFS is collaborating with the upscale boutique, hip.e, in Coral Gables.  On the evening of January 27 at 6pm hip.e owner, Mari Alarcon-Grimalt is extending an additional 20 percent discount to those shoppers that come to see RFS's signature conflict-free diamond engagement rings along with a very special collection of estate pieces that will only be available that night at hip.e.

Come and enjoy drinks and light snacks by fellow Miracle Mile staple, Seasons 52 while shopping Mari's unique mix of apparel and RFS's never before seen estate rings.

This is an event you surely will not want to miss.  Please contact us with any questions at info@ringfingerstudio.com.  You can RSVP here!

Beer, Rings and Wings, January 13, 2011

The morning after has arrived and I would definitely deem Beer, Rings and Wings, our event on how to buy an engagement ring, a complete success!  If you hadn't heard, the invitation to the event that RFS put on last night is above.

Some chicken wings and a couple beers into the evening our guys tested their diamond knowledge, learned  some tips on where to start and some questions to keep in mind when engagement ring shopping.

A casual setting at Buro Miami in Midtown, where our studio is located, allowed the guys to get comfy, ask a lot of questions  and be very involved in discussions with the RFS team.

One lucky guy even brought home a $250 gift certificate he can use towards an engagement ring at RFS!

A special thanks to Miami New Times, Urban Daddy and Soul of Miami for featuring our event on their websites.

Wait one second, you're shopping for a ring (or know someone who is) aimlessly? And you didn't know about last night!?  Not to worry, we will hold more informative events very soon.  Send us your email address to info@ringfingerstudio.com and we will make sure you are personally invited.

Meet RFS!

TARA ROSE - Owner of RFS

The SERIOUS STUFF:

Tara was born into the jewelry industry (her father is a designer).  She graduated from Pratt Institute and was the Director of Production and Product Development for a multi-million dollar fine jewelry line that was a top earner for Saks Fifth Avenue by the age of 23.

In 2007 she launched her first Engagement Ring and Wedding Band Studio in Brooklyn's trendy DUMBO neighborhood.  One of the few jewelry boutiques acknowledging a desire for conflict free diamonds, the business grew quickly with features in the New York Daily News and on the Style Network's "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?"

October of 2010, she launched Ring Finger Studio in Miami, FL which has already been featured in Miami Magazine, The Miami Herald, Blackbook, 944 Magazine, Premier Guide Miami, locally and nationally on CBS and NBC, Daily Candy, and AOL City's Best!

The REAL STUFF:

Tara never gets tired of talking about diamonds.  She truly believes that life is all about the ones that you love, and she's a firm believer that we should all be allowed to love whomever we want.

She loves her husband Christopher, her family, true friends, good food, a perfect cappuccino, drawing, really good art, and music like Adam Haworth Stephens, The Knife, and Neil Young.

Tara LOVES the crossword puzzles in New York Magazine, Infinite Jest, and old things...including photos, objects, and people.

She likes substance, hates wasting time, and holds herself to an incredibly high standard.

Any other QUESTIONS for Tara?  You can email her at tara@ringfingerstudio.com

2010 RFS Blog Recap!

A year can bring a lot of change and a lot of new blog posts!  After reading through a year in blogs I have decided to point out some special posts all in one place.  Whether you are a new or old friend, here is 2010 and here's to 2011!

In February we debuted our branding which was done by our friends Ashley and Sam at Ashley Brockington Photography.

In April we showed you how we made custom rings.  This is our dear friends Cait's finished ring.  If you go back to the "Cait's Custom Ring" post you can see how we came to this!

In June we were designing new packaging and, you must check out our series of Love letters between Tara's grandparents that will melt your heart.  

We also found these darling mugs from Fishes Eddy! 

In June, we also named ALL of the rings!! 

In July, RFS was featured on the Style channel's "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?"

October... milestones for sure!  October gave us a home at Buro Miami in Midtown!  We got TONS of press and had our grand opening party!  Honestly, you should take a look back at the entire month!


November was so busy we didn't even blog about the grand opening party!  Here are some never before blogged RFS Grand Opening Party pics!

  
In December we kicked it into high gear!  We released two full concierge packages for our local Miamians and people that would like to travel to us called "Love is in the Air" and "Love is in Miami"! 

We started a section of our blog called "Your Story" where we will feature stories you submit about yourself or your friends that will bring an audible "awwwww!" to all of our readers.

Last, but far from least, we released the invite for our event for every man that missed the boat for the holidays and didn't propose, "Beer, Rings and Wings" which will be taking place this Thursday, January 13. 

Now that we have completed our walk down memory lane, we are excited to announce we have a lot in store for 2011, first being a special series of blogs where you get to meet the RFS family!  


Best wishes to all for the New Year!