Little Things That Bring Me Joy

Sometimes its the little things
that bring me Joy.







Neo Whimsical.
Neo Whimsically yours.
Love.


Van D'go
Perfect.

Hello spring!
I'm ready.

Pucker It Up Lip-o-licious!

Soooo.
Valentines Day is just around the corner.
Round about now would be a super good time to figure out what your kisser will be dressed in
on the big day. Or Night.

I've just done about a billion jobs featuring hot reds.
I'm a little bit over the red thing for this weekend.
So I'm thinking more of softer, more kissable colors.

Here's what I'm lovin



Chanel Glossimer lipglosses.
They have enough color to be endlessly fabulous.
They're smooth and they have some sparkle, adult style.
This weekend I'm feeling it in Equinoxe, a deeper more sultry color,
and in Sundress, a soft pinky tone.
Kissable.



Nars lipglosses.
I use them in my kit endlessly.
Bilitis. Of course he saw that movie!





Positano. Love the town, love the lip color.

La Dolce Vita. Glorious on all skin tones.

Mr Nars also makes the beautiful Sabrina lip balm.
It smells like melon, has SPF20, and is a subtle pink shimmer.
Lovely if you're into keeping it sheer and sweet.



OCC Lip Tar.
I devoted a blog post to it once before.
And I say devoted, because pro makeup artists have a crazy kind of love for this
truly amazing lip product.
It never looks or feels heavy.
It goes on like a lipstick, with the ease of a gloss,
slick and moist,
then dries to a satin finish.
And is packed with color pigment.
Packed!

I adore it in Hush.
An antique bridal pink.
Gorgeous.

My last choice for Valentino's Day?

Dior Beige Silk.

Beautiful, classic, lovely.
Definitely smooch worthy.

Enjoy lovies!

SuperSonic Skin Care Looove!!!

I forgot to ask you if you got anything good for Christmas???
I did.
Santa gave me some lovin
via the amazing Clarisonic Plus Limited Edition.




I've been wanting a Clarisonic for ages.

Movie stars swear by Clarisonic
Models swear by Clarisonic
Cosmetic surgeons and Dermatologists swear by Clarisonic

And now, so do I!

Clarisonic was created by the same people who made the Sonicare toothbrush,
and it works along the same lines.
Except that the brush head was specifically designed to be used on the skin.
And more specifically the delicate skin on the face.

The gentle sonic vibrations rotate at 300 movements per second,
cleaning deeply, clearing pores and removing six times more makeup than regular cleansing.
Rough patches get evened out,
dead, dry skin gets lifted away,
blemishes clear up and go away,
oily areas get reduced,
and you are left with clear, gleaming, radiant, beautiful skin.



It also works on the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Its amazing!

We just shot 10 new makeup tutorial videos, after I'd been using my Clarisonic Plus for 5 weeks.
You can see the difference in my skin.
(check out the Valentine's Day Makeup video series and see for yourself!)

I am sooo hooked!

One of the special features of the Clarisonic Plus model, is an extra brush head that you can change out and use on the body.
You can spot treat areas like decollete, elbows, hands, arms, knees.
Smooth it all!
The set comes with cleansing products too.

Some of the aesthetics schools,
such as the SouthWest Institute Of Natural Aesthetics in Tempe, Arizona
actually have Clarisonic training as part of their curriculum.
That's how important this product is.
Its revolutionary in the world of skin care.

Love!

The Limited Edition (like mine) comes in a classic rose and lilac paisley print.
50% of the profits from the Limited EditionClarisonic go to
the Susan G Komen Foundation to help us win the fight against cancer.
So you're saving your face and saving your boobies.

The Limited Edition Clarisonic is available exclusively online at
www.Clarisonic.com

New year, new decade, new you - you need a Clarisonic Plus.
Your skin will love you for it.

NV Perricone Advanced Eye Area Therapy

Back to the glorious skin!

We've talked about cleansing, we've talked about your daytime moisturizer.
Now we are going to talk about eye care.
They say that your eyes are the windows to the soul.
Turns out they are also the windows to premature aging.
Great big windows with flashing neon lights above them.
There's no hiding it.

Using a high quality eye cream is one of the most important things you can do.
The skin around your eyes is actually the thinnest, most delicate skin on your body.
It needs its own special moisturizer.
And plenty of tender loving care.

Eye cream every morning and every night.
No excuses.

If you give your eye area the love, and keep it hydrated
it will love you right back.

I am in love with Perricone MD's Advanced Eye Area Therapy.
N V Perricone is a world renowned anti agin expert, award winning inventor and board certified dermatologist.
He gets written up everywhere.

And oh so close to my heart, he has devoted his career to keeping us youthful.
His skin care philosophy and products have revolutionized the industry.

His products are spectacular.

Just so happens I've been using his Advanced Eye Area Therapy for quite some time.
Religiously.
And I love it.
This one works on several things at once.
Fine lines and wrinkles and discoloration,
its tones and firms the skin around the eye area,
and it gives the skin a luminous, smooth appearance.
Magic in a bottle.
Love!

Remember me telling you there would be some cool giveaways in 2010?

Well here comes the first one!

One lucky reader is going to win a fabulous
Advanced Eye Area Therapy
from Perricone MD.
Thats a $95 value!

Here's what you have to do to enter:

1. Go to CorinnaB.com and sign up for the newsletter.
Your info is kept private.

2. Put a comment on this post. Tell me why you need this product - tell me about what products haven't been working for you, or what you're noticing with the skin around your eyes.


3. For an extra entry, RT this post on twitter. (And let me know you did by posting your twitter address in the comments section and telling me you RT'd!)

The winner will be drawn on February 4th 2010 and will be announced here on February 5th.

If you are the winner, you have to put a product testimonial in the comments section of the post, after you've been using the product for a while. Tell us what you think!

Disclosure: This promotion includes products/prizes that were provided by the manufacturer/PR Firm for the express purpose of this giveaway.

This giveaway is for U.S residents only

9 Essential Pieces For Your Makeup Wardrobe

New year, new decade. We've been cleaning out all the old, icky makeup that we have no more use for...
So now its time to make a list of the basic products a girls needs to build her makeup wardrobe from the ground up. Most of you wont need all new products. Use this list as a guide to fill in the missing links.

Look at building your makeup wardrobe the same way as you build a really fabulous clothing wardrobe.
Select great quality, well made products that will serve you well for a long time, not just a season.
A few key pieces can take you beautifully through any event.
The following list makes up the staples for your collection. Think of them as the LBD and black high heels of makeup...

1) Primer.
This is going to give you a pre-makeup base for your foundation to adhere to, to help it stay even, keep it matte, and in general will make your makeup look beautiful, longer.

2) Concealer.
I'm loving Makeup Forever's HD concealers and Julie Hewett's Omit concealers.
I wear one of these two brands every day.
Make sure the concealer you buy can be applied super sheer, so you don't have creasy, gooey or crepey looking concealer showing through your makeup.
Not a good look.

3) Foundation.
Buy the best that you can afford. If you can do a flawless base your makeup will always look great. Try to buy quality.



I normally have a slightly fuller coverage foundation for going out at night, and a lovely sheer, fresh base for day to day.
Be aware too that most of us are a different color during the winter than we are mid summer, so be prepared to have a couple of different shades as well as formulations in your makeup arsenal.

4) Powder.
You need two powders, one loose to set your foundation, and one pressed to do touch ups with.
Ideally get a powder that is colorless and translucent.
When buying powder one of the most significant factors is how finely milled it is.
The smaller the particles, the less you will see on the surface of the skin.
A good powder will be colorless and very finely milled, and will disappear into the skin when applied.

5) Highlighter.
Somewhere along the line its nice to add a highlighter to your product list.
Create a little sheen to the upper cheekbone, keep the skin looking dewey and healthy.


6) Blush.
Invest in a beautiful, soft blush.
This year we will be seeing a lot of soft, beautiful cheeks, so look for gentle hues rather than intense colors that deliver a more angular, defined cheek.

7) Brows.
The look for brows right now is soft, natural and unstructured.
Put brow pencils aside and move into a soft shadow for your brows.

8) Mascara.
I'm not a fan of drug store mascaras.
You dont have to spend a lot of money on mascara, but do get a quality one.
MAC has several that are inexpensive and good.
If you're not going to be swimming or crying, avoid waterproof.


9) Lip Balm.
Every night, every morning, keep your lips luscious.



Eyeshadows and lip colors are more seasonal, so I'll be showing you different products as they come along, but this list should get you started on building a makeup wardrobe that will take you through any season, to any event, or just day to day wear.

Lip Lock Love

Do you ever find that the gorgeous lipstick you absolutely have to have
changes color when you put it on?

Or maybe
the new look is a very pale gloss,
and the full bodied color of your natural lip color keeps
showing through?

Some lips have a blue undertone to them,
othertimes our natural pH just goes ahead and changes the lip color we've applied.
Hmmm.

Well, not to worry.
Gotcha covered.
MAC has a fabulous product called Lip Erase.
Its not a new product, but with all the pale lips heading our way its one you should know about.




Lip Erase is a flesh toned balm that neutralizes and erases natural lip color.
Its shine free and texture free, so you can even use it under a very pale gloss
and not see built up product on the lip.

It comes in two shades for use on pale and medium skin tones.

Fabulous fab-u-lips.






xo

C

Alice!

As a make up artist, I have to say there are certain movies that you see that leave you gasping for breath, and lamenting the fact that you ever stopped doing movies!
Big gorgeous make up movies, like Chicago, Dreamgirls, Memoirs of a Geisha... (I actually have a huge list of big make up movies).

Just watching the trailers for the new Tim Burton Alice In Wonderland has me wishing I'd stayed with film! (As opposed to most of the time, where I have no regrets!)

Check it out:






So anyway, with a big, gorgeous, creative spectacular like this on the very near horizon, you just know that some cool companies have brought out some cool products for the girl who loves a little color in her life.

Nail polish genius OPI has their Alice In Wonderland Collection







Fun!

And check out this new Alice In Wonderland Collection from Urban Decay!


The colors here are superb! A girl can do a lot with a set like this!

Thanksgiving Makeup

So I've had so many people asking me about how to do their makeup for Thanksgiving with the fam, or more specifically with the fam-in-law.

The most interesting thread here being the difficult to outright evil mother-in-law.
So prevalent - who knew???

I've been coaching a couple of friends through this particular trauma, and my main words of advice are: she may have the venom, but you have youth on your side.
Want to deliver the ultimate smackdown? Look absolutely fabulous. Completely and utterly gorgeous. Ha! That's where its at!

Now in most cases when its Thanksgiving with the fam, you don't want to look overdone, or like you've gone to too much trouble. So the name of the game is effortless beauty. And here's how you're going to do it:

First up and always its the skin care equation. You need to keep your skin looking hydrated and glowing. I recommend steaming your skin morning of or night before, with a great serum on, like Rhonda Allison's amazing Pumpkin E Serum.
Make sure you are well exfoliated too. I love enzyme masks for gently removing dead skin and leaving your skin looking robust and gorgeous.
Tons of water (especially if you are traveling), vitamins, good food and oodles of moisturizer leading into the big day.

Jen knows a thing or two about great skin, and she's always toting the smart water, so you should too..

Can't live without it!

On the day, spritz some of MAC's amazing Fix+ with Rose Water onto your face. The rose water is so soothing and calming to the skin.





I absolutely swear by Makeup Forever's HD primer. It's going to provide the perfect base for your foundation to adhere to, and has stability like no other, which translates to your foundation not moving during the day.


Keep your foundation light and sheer. Remember, we want to look effortless and lovely, not overly made up.

Keep the colors you are using soft, beautiful, and skin tone friendly. A very soft glow of blush, just kissing your cheeks, a tiny dab of highlighter on the cheekbone.

I adore a smudge of burgundy on the eye - again a very soft touch. Try MAC eyeshadow in Sketch, (pictured) or Twinks (a little more shimmery).
If you have blue or green eyes these shadows will enhance them like no other!



Make sure your mascara is smooth and defined, and not clumpy. And if you're using eyeliner it MUST be soft and smudgy - no hard lines!!

A soft, lovely mouth is so alluring. Avoid the bolder colors - they are too hard to wear, and breakdown looking not so fab. Dark shades can make your lips look thin and angry, and our goal is soft and youthful...

So, exfoliate them, make sure your lips are smooth and hydrated, and try something soft and delicious like the Pink Ribbon Collection from Bobbi Brown. (these are part of a breast cancer research campaign, so you're saving the boobies while wowing the kisser).

Lastly, go easy on the alcohol. It'll dry your skin out, make it flushed, and will take away your strategic advantage.

And as a final note, no matter what nonsense she pulls, smile, be gracious and lovely, and don't let on that you're getting frazzled. Maintain grace and dignity & you will own the day!

Work it sistas!!!

xo

C

Check Out My Concealed Weapon...

I get a steady stream of emails, tweets and messages from girlies all over the globe asking about how to conceal under eye circles, and what products I really use.

My absolute favorite of all is a pro product available to everyone through Sephora.

Its the unbelievably amazing MakeUp Forever HD Invisible Cover Concealer.

It looks like something James Bond should whip out of his inside pocket and talk to China on, but is actually technologically the most advanced, high performance concealer on the market.

The main issues women have with concealers are that the grey blue under eye color shows through, and that the texture of the product sits on the surface of the skin.

The HD Concealer color choices are based on color theory, as opposed to that maniac concept of "picking a color one shade lighter than your skin tone" nonsense.
Color theory in this case means that you are using a shade that cancels out the problem color. So they have these beautiful peachy-pinky shades that actually cancel out the blue/grey that we're all trying to hide in the first place.
(Going one shade lighter than your skin tone is still going to let the blue show through...)

There is all kinds of magic in the formulation too that works with product texture.

One of the main attributes of the MakeUp Forever HD line is that these products are designed to be virtually invisible to the human eye (and to HD cameras). You blend this product with your finger (patting it gently) until it disappears.

It has hydrating properties in it that stop it from drying out, cracking and creasing, which are the normal under eye concealer side effects. After 6 hours your under eye area will still be 74% more hydrated than you would be without the product on. This is important ladies, as the first signs of aging and tiredness show up under the eyes!

It also diffuses the light and instantly brightens the eye area.

It comes in 14 shades, because you and I dont fall into the light/medium/dark category. We are a tad more complex and spectacular than that!

(BTW, I got this pic from www.studiomariepierre.com)

It comes in a wind up pen form, with a cool silicone applicator. (I think its silicone anyway. Super soft & gentle)

Just figure its a revolutionary HD compatible concealer that brightens, camouflages, moisturizes, firms, stays invisible and helps reveal the Goddess that you really are.

Love that!

xo

C

Such Fragrant Loveliness

I so totally live by such a firm set of rules, but you know what they say about rules - they're meant to be broken!

At this time of year I only ever wear deep, sultry, sexy wintery fragrances. Never anything light and breezy and floral.
Actually I'm not really the breezy, floral type at any point in the year.

However.

Last week I was rifling through my makeup drawers looking for an elusive lip gloss, when I found one of those sample perfume vials they give you in the department stores.
I have no idea how old this one is, or how long it had been hiding there, but I put some on anyway, and was so completely surprised and, quite frankly, delighted!

Its a delicious little flowery blend from Gucci called, coincidentally, Flora.
And I love it!
The sample I have is only an eau de toilette, but it seems to linger all day, in a sweet and lovely way. It doesn't over power you when you put it on, and is very fresh and feminine.

I googled the bottle for you. Its kinda cool really don't you think?

Anyway, I just thought I'd clue you in on it.

Now I have to go deal with the rule I broke (a thousand times over, no less) about eating carbs & not working out.

It appears I have to do some dramatically significant exerciseto get ready for some upcoming on-camera pieces that I'll tell you about soon.
(Assuming this whole "trimming back down" thing happens.....)

xo!

C

P.S I only just found this centering the text button on the blog a few days ago. The novelty will wear off soon, and I'll be back to all the text on the left...

9 Essential Steps To A Flawless Fall Makeup

Now that the seasons are well and truly changing - some of you even have snow already! - I thought it might be a good time to look at what steps you really need to take to make your fall/winter makeup look really, truly, fantastically beautiful.

First up, as always, is the condition of your skin. It is crucial to have it well moisturized before you put any make up on. If your skin is looking dry, or "pulled", or if you wear Bare Essentials style mineral foundations I recommend the incredible Elixir by Make Up Forever.


It boosts your skin's hydration by over 500%. Your skin instantly looks super healthy and luscious.
Its an important piece in my makeup kit, as well as in my personal makeup arsenal.


Number 2:

Always use a primer. My favorite? Smashbox Photo Finish. I like the clear one best.
Let your moisturizer soak all the way in before you apply it.

The third piece of the puzzle is a foundation brush. This one is from the CorinnaB line


Use a simple press and roll motion, rather than "painting" the face. A high quality foundation brush will enable you to do a flawless & gorgeous foundation application.

A little side note here. My favorite foundation? There are 2 that I personally use:

Makeup Forever's amazing HD Foundation when I want more coverage...





And Makeup Forever Face & Body when I want a more sheer finish. You don't want your skin to look "made up". Ideally you want it to just look like beautiful skin. These two foundations are perfect.

Back to the Essential Steps...


Number 4:

You must powder your foundation to set it, and you must use a really good, finely milled powder to do this. You don't want to see particles sitting on the surface of the skin, making the skin look dusty.
I use Makeup Forever HD powder.






Number 5 on the list is using a little something special high on the cheekbone to create a little shimmer magic (keeping the skin looking alive & glowing). I have two favorites.
Nars The Multiple in Copacabana, which I have used for years, and the amazing Julie Hewett Shimmy

















I actually wear Shimmy every day. Love, love looove it!

I also wear number 6 on the list every single day, and don't think I could live without it. Cream Blush

Check out the ridiculously fabulous Julie Hewett Cheekie cream blushes. My absolute favorite? Vampie, shown here.




Now don't be put off by how dark it looks in the jar. It is actually a soft wash of color that you will add to the cheek, giving it a beautiful glow. It's not the goth purple that it appears to be, but more of a warm berry tone. Universally gorgeous, it looks fantastic on everyone.

I love a good cream blush to keep the skin looking vibrant. Most don't have the holding power to stay all day, or they look gooey on the skin. Julie Hewett Cheekie stays on all day, and is movie star perfect. (she did after all, create it for movie stars...)

Number 7:

This season is all about the eyebrow. A beautiful, groomed, full brow to be exact.
I find pencils are too obvious. They are more about an extremely defined, angled brow, so what I am loving this season is the super cool Smashbox Brow Tech, shown here.



One side is color, the other is a wax that you can use to control those wiley strays, should you have them. Smashbox has fabulous color choices that work with your skin tone, rather than against it, as many brow products out there do. I also like the formulation, as it really does disappear into the brow, and not sit there glaring at the world for all to see.


Number 8 on my list? A really, really killer mascara.
Avoid the drug store cheapies completely. They're not doing anything good for your lashes, and they tend to crumble and drop.

I have long been a major fan of the incredible DiorShow Blackout mascara, and buy it in bulk.
However I just got turned onto Julie Hewett's mascara with rose oil.
You can really extend and build a fabulous set of lashes with this divine mascara, and it smells like roses!
I'm sure the rose oil has all kinds of conditioning benefits for the lashes, but the thought of roses when you're batting those babies is really quite sensual!


Finally, step 9, is a really, really high quality lip balm. Every night, and throughout the day you must keep that kisser supple and hydrated. Flakey, cracked, chapped lips? Not so zexy.

I've been using Julie Hewett Organic Camellia Lip Balm for ages. I have it in original, and in ruby.
Camellia oil is an amazing conditioner, and this product has the right texture, so your lips aren't slimey, and it doesn't ball up on the lip.

I keep these in my car, my handbag, my nightstand - everywhere.

I know it sometimes seems that I talk about the same companies over and over, but my commitment to you is to only tell you about products that I really do use, both on myself and on makeup jobs as part of my professional kit.

And now you have the Essential 9 Steps To A Flawless Fall Makeup...

xo

C