Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts

Thursday, February 9, 2017

The Single Girl's Guide To Surviving Valentine's Day

girl-with-rose
image by Brad Olson
makeup by Corinna Cooke


Are you dreading Valentine's Day?

Although it can be deliriously lovely for those who are in perfect relationships, Valentine's day can be plain awful for single girls, or girls who's significant other choose not to celebrate it.
You would be surprised how many girls are facing a February 14th spent alone. If you are one of them, don't go feeling bad - take the day into your own hands and have yourself some fun!

The Single Girl's Guide To Surviving Valentine's Day

Plan A Girls' Night Out

Chances are some of your friends don't have Valentine's dates. Get the gang together and go out somewhere fun! Plan something girl-centric, go to your favorite restaurant or go dancing - just make it fun.

Plan A Girls' Night In

Host a girl's-spa night in with wine and appetizers, have a masseuse, a nail person and a makeup artist come over. Turn your home into the most fabulous spa-zone ever!
If everyone else has a date and you are going to be alone, take the time to celebrate yourself.

Get Dressed Up

Even if you don't have a date get dressed up for yourself. Buy a pretty dress, do your hair and makeup, and celebrate you!

Get a Mani/Pedi

When your fingers and toes look and feel lovely, you feel lovely. So what if you are staying home with Netflix??

Take Yourself To Dinner

Get dressed up, grab a good book and take yourself out for a fabulous dinner. Who needs a dinner companion? read a great book instead.

Buy Yourself Some Roses

Who doesn't love flowers? Valentine's is nothing if not the flowers and chocolate holiday, so as kitschy as it may seem, buy yourself an armful of flowers, a box of chocolates and maybe a demi-bouteille of champagne.

Curl Up With A Good Movie


If all else fails, put on some bold red lipstick (the world is more exciting with red lips on!) put your flowers on the coffee table next to your chocolates and some popcorn, and curl up on the couch with Netflix for a romance movie marathon.

The best bra is one you never think about.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Simplify.


Daniel-Wellington-Tarte-lip-Paint
Simplify Your Life


One of my major goals for 2017 is to streamline my life a little more. To simplify.

and prompted by a subsequent flood in my house started massively clearing the clutter, cleaning out closets, donating boxes of stuff that we no longer needed, consigning car loads of clothes.

It's amazing how peaceful home feels when you have pared everything down!

Part of simplifying my life has been going back to using a regular day planner. I still keep an electronic calendar on my phone, but there is something soothing about opening a calendar book and seeing my week and my month clearly. Sometimes going old school is cool.
I got this day planner at Barnes and Noble. 

My favorite minimalists on Instagram have been sporting these Daniel Wellington watches. I normally wear heavier, chunkier sports watches, but was so drawn to the chic simplicity of this watch. I pair it with silver bracelets, and it really looks quite sleek.

My makeup obsession at the moment is super gleaming cheeks, feathered eyebrows, a good coat of mascara, and a power lip. My favorite lipstick is Tarte's new Lip Paint in Fly. It is the perfect red-crimson a la Miss Sloane. I think it is far more interesting than a plain red, and the undertones fire up the skin and make it look gorgeous.

Get 20% off sitewide + Free shipping over $50. Code: SHADOW. Valid 2/2 - 2/5. *Excludes Sale, Gift Cards, Breville products, Tea of the Month Club/Tea Subscriptions.   Landing page

I still am an avid coffee drinker, but have scaled back to one cup per day. The rest of the day I drink tea from Teavana. 
When I first moved to America from London I got terribly homesick. I adored living in sunny LA and had no interest in moving back to dreary, rainy old London, but still I ached for a few things British. 

I bought this tea cup in between shoots one day in an antique store on Magnolia in Burbank. It sat idle for a while, but now it serves me Teavana tea all day long. I found some of my Teavana canisters that I had completely forgotten about, and they still had tea in them, which although only a year or so old, I would have thought would have gone stale.
My favorites are Opus Rouge, Citrus lavender sage, and Maharajah Chai Oolong.
I've been making the teas in a French press coffee maker, but I think I'm going to invest in the Breville tea maker or maybe  the Blomus Modern Hot Tea Maker  



Sometimes the simple things in life bring you the most joy.  

Teavana.com
  

Monday, December 26, 2016

A Book You Absolutely Need To Read, Right Now.

So how was your Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/whatever you celebrate? My clan are Christmas celebrators, and we had a good one.
It has been so nice to finally get a break and just stop. One of the things I love about the Christmas break is curling up on the couch with a good book.

I do believe the book I just finished (minutes ago!) is essential reading right now for all females living in the west. 

 the girl who escaped isis this is my story

The Girl Who Escaped ISIS: This Is My Story  by Farida Khalaf is an incredibly important book. 

On some level I think that we in the west, with our comfortable lives, our busy lives filled with work stress, our exhausting lives, our complicated lives, our simple lives, we don't really connect to the absolute horror of what is happening to women in other parts of the world.
We see the reports of women being taken by ISIS and sold into slavery and sexual abuse and we find it awful and offensive, but the actual reality of the lives and communities that are destroyed, the devastating reality of what actually happens, doesn't necessarily hit our stream of consciousness. 

I am so ashamed to admit that when I would hear about it on the news I would think "oh God how awful!!", but then I would think about something else, and not necessarily connect to the full force of what was happening to these girls.
I'm not ashamed to admit that this book had me in tears, and now that I've finished reading it I am sitting here just shell shocked.

Farida Khalaf is a Yazidi girl from northern Iraq. She excelled at school, particularly in mathematics, and had been thrilled at the prospect of becoming a math teacher when she finished school.
She was close to her parents and siblings. She had friends and relatives and a strong community living all around her.
Farida and her family were living a lovely, normal life. 

And then in the late summer of 2014 ISIS attacked her village.
All the men and many of the boys were taken and killed in the school yard, and the girls were taken and sold into slavery.
The 9 and 10 year olds fetching the highest prices. (Let that sit with you for a minute.)

Farida was transported and held in a slave market in Syria, from where she was sold and resold to ISIS soldiers, over and over, brutalized to near death, then eventually sold to an ISIS camp in the middle of the desert.

Farida tells her story in devastating yet crucial detail. Somehow despite soul crushing abuse and torture she is able to maintain her resilience, find hope, and ultimately plan and execute an against all odds escape for both herself and 5 of the other girls held captive with her. 
Her bravery should inspire you. And devastate you.

Freedom has it's burdens for Farida too. The girls who do make it to the relative safety of refugee camps are shamed for having lost their virtue. They have to deal with sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies and the trauma of what has happened to them.

There are multiple reasons to read this book.
This memoir lets Farida make sure that what happened to her was not for nothing. It is a way for her to make you see what ISIS really is, and to let them know they didn't break her spirit.
It is a way for you to see what is happening over there and to find a way to help.

You need to read this book.


“As gripping as it is appalling…a compelling testament to the suffering of ordinary people caught up in violence far beyond their control—and to the particularly terrible price it exacts from women.” —The Guardian


Tuesday, November 15, 2016

5 Ways To Manage Stress

meditate-stress
image by Kelly Cappelli


It's been a week since the election - how stressed out are you?
Everywhere I go it seems that people are majorly stressed out. Trump fans are mad that the haters be hating, Trump haters are stressed out that he even got elected let alone that he is going to take office.
The world is stressed out that God only knows what will happen, and today I even heard Trump voters stressing out that he is putting Steve Bannon, the white supremacist in the White House.

I have been super stressed out that this has happened to my adopted country, meanwhile a massive earthquake hit my home country, which has me beyond stressed out.
Add to the mix working the past 44 days straight, AND having a major flood in my home and frankly it has been a stressful few weeks.

The thing about stress though is that it doesn't achieve anything. Well, nothing positive anyway. The trick is to find ways to manage your stress so that it doesn't manage you.

 5 Ways To Manage Stress


1. Do Yoga

Even if you just do a few sun salutations each day, yoga is a fantastic way to manage stress. The focus on your breath, the stretching, the flow from position to position make yoga the ultimate stress buster.
If you can't get to class just roll out your yoga mat and do some sun salutations with a you tube yoga guru.
Don't have a yoga mat? Check out Manduka.com for all kinds of yoga wear and yoga supplies. I'm ordering a new 5mm Eko mat and a new bolster to replace those that got lost in the flood.

Manduka - Designed for your practice.

2. Take a walk outdoors.


puglia-italy


Fresh air and nature are wonderful stress relievers. A long walk with no distractions, just you and Mother Nature, is food for the soul.


3. Sit and reflect by water.


amalfi-coast

Looking out over the ocean or watching the waves are instant stress busters.
Watch, breathe, repeat.

4. Meditate.

If you can still your mind meditation is an amazing stress-buster. It calms you, helps you focus, helps you sleep better. Most of the super successful people that I work with in my real life (makeup artist) meditate for 10 to 20 minutes per day. I figure I can find 10 minutes somewhere each day so I just downloaded an app called Headspace that offers 10 minute meditations, but there are plenty of meditations available on You Tube.

5. Get off social media

Social media can be fun, but it can also be a huge source of anxiety. Whether that anxiety comes from comparing your life to others and feeling inadequate (remember no-one's life is as good as it seems on Facebook!) or whether its people being contentious and going all attack-dog over issues (hello Trump) the dark side of social media can be very dark.
Give yourself a two or three day total break from all social media, and then when you go back don't look at any social media in the first 30 minutes after you wake up or the last hour before you go to sleep



Manduka Holiday Gift Guide

Friday, September 16, 2016

3 Books That Will Positively Change Your Life

I'm back in Italy again, leading another Glam Italia Tour. 
Actually I'm leading 1.5 Glam Tours because at the end of the first tour I'm meeting a second group to do a few days in Rome.
Have you been following along on Instagram? Follow me @Corinnamakeup and get yourself a daily dose of fabulous Italy!

While I'm gone I'm still posting everyday. Today it's a great post from Because I'm Addicted. Because I am - I get this blog in my inbox each day and I love it. I found this post when I was looking for books to buy for the plane ride. They also make fantastic gifts - don't forget the countdown is on for Christmas!
Check them out and let me know what you think.

books that positively changed my life
image via because I'm Addicted

3 Books That Positively Changed My Life

via Because I'm Addicted


One of my favorite ways to unwind from a busy day is to read in silence. I try and turn off all technology and dive into a book 60 minutes before bed to decompress and have a little me time. I personally like real paper books vs. tablets to give my brain a break from electronics and fall asleep faster. Plus, the smell of books gets me every time!
I know I’m not alone when it comes to the love of reading, so I wanted to share 3 books that have honestly changed my life (for real, I’m not being dramatic!). I probably think about something in one of these books every single day, as they are full of life lessons. I’ve read each one multiple times and all are easy reads. Some of these might be “self-help,” but I’ve never been one to shy away from “self-improvement,” as I like to call it!
Here they are:

I actually found this author via his amazing blog when I was going through a confusing, unmotivated period. When he started publishing, I pre-ordered this book as quickly as I could. I’ve since gifted it to tons of people—all who reach out after to share the positive effects.
The author suggests a simplistic approach to living a “zen” life. He talks about habits, personal struggles, and gives action items for achieving a peaceful life—and everything is realistic; there’s no woo-woo here. I’d rec this book to anyone who loves lists, wants to incorporate minimalism, or needs obtainable ideas on how to live a happy, healthy life.
by Don Miguel Ruiz
A friend gave me this book, who actually got it from her therapist, and it’s such a nice read! I especially like the section about communication and how humans speak to each other. This is a short, compassionate book that makes you stop and think about how you’re living your life and treating others. It extra fitting if you’re feeling a little self-centered (because we all get selfish at times) and want to practice being humble.
by Sarah Knight
I’m sure most of you have heard of The Life Changing Habit of Tidying Up (which is also stellar), but I loved this version even more. I’ve been a lifelong people pleaser and in 2016 I made one of my resolutions to “care less.” That might sound harsh, but I needed that lesson to focus more on myself. This book was PERFECT for figuring out what was essential to me as an individual, and it gave me support to eliminate things—including people—that I didn’t need. Can’t recommend this more!

Undies.com Publisher Exclusive Offer, valid until end of the month, cannot be combined with any other offer






Tuesday, September 13, 2016

3 Fabulous Books For Girls Who Love Paris (and things Parisian)


paris-books

I'm sitting on my couch, it's late at night and I've had one hell of a week. I've had editorial shoots, I've been teaching a pro makeup class, I've been doing the final prep for the next Glam Tour which takes off in a couple of days.
Yesterday I took a red eye (at 1:45 am) from Phoenix to Dallas to speak to a fabulous crowd at the Pinner's Conference Texas. I am the beauty director for a fantastic new magazine called Luca, ( I am super proud of this magazine!) and I was in Dallas with Luca speaking on one of my favorite subjects, beauty. It was great fun. I wish I could have stayed overnight, but my schedule is crazy at the moment, so I had to fly back last night at midnight. And this morning was up and working super early again.

With a few shell shocked minutes up my sleeve I've been clicking around Amazon.com looking for books for the trip ahead. I figured you might enjoy the books sitting in my shopping cart waiting for me to click and ship. I may double buy them actually, as each would make a fabulously chic gift and Christmas is on it's way.

Image result for garance dore book

Love Style Life  by Garance Dore
I covet Garance's life. It is so glamorous just as she is so glamorous. Her book is a best seller and her blog is legend. (GaranceDore.com)

Image result for garance dore book
Garance Dore

 thirty chic days


Thirty Chic Days: Practical inspiration for a beautiful life

I'm super excited about this one! Written by fellow Kiwi Fiona Ferris who you may know from her blog How To Be Chic, this book will feed your inner imaginary life in Paris. Even though I'm on my way back to Rome this will make a fab read on the plane!

 how to be parisian wherever you are

How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are: Love, Style, and Bad Habits

Parisiennes are the epitome of chic cool n'est ce pas? And you and I can channel our inner Parisienne with the help of this book. I'm especially interested in the bad habits....


This post contains affiliate links. There is a chance that if you purchase one of these books I could be paid a few cents.

Undies.com New Arrivals

Friday, July 8, 2016

10 Things Only People Winning At Life Understand

This post came to my inbox this morning from Career Girl Daily.
Although CDG is really geared to early twenty-somethings it is a fantastic blog for all women to subscribe to. 
Their information is always on point, current, relevant, and if you actually apply what they say you'll find that no matter what your age is, it really works. When I read this post this morning I realized that I am failing in many of these points. I work too many hours, skip meals, don't get enough sleep, am always multitasking and seldom get time to unwind. I am however the queen note taker and drink water all day long.
I'm going to make a conscious effort to do each of these 10 items, every day, for the next 30 days (so that they become habit...)

10 Things Only People Winning At Life Understand


sophia
image via Career Girl Daily

Do you ever look at those people who are winning at life and wonder how the heck they got so successful?
They might be one of your high school friends who’s now killing it at a top-tier law firm or a colleague who just keeps getting promoted. But that person could also be you.
There are many things successful people always do that guarantees them wins in almost every aspect of their lives. They are all quite easy to pick up but it’s the trick of adding them to your daily life that makes a huge difference. It’s definitely doable so look no further for your roadmap to success!
#1 Tackle one thing at a time
Sure it’s great to be that office multi-tasker, helping everyone out. But studies have shown that when our attention is divided between tasks our attention to detail falls short.
Of course, your tasks will sometimes get interrupted. Some of us are super busy, but if you try doing one thing for at least 20 minutes you’ll see how much your work improves when your focus is narrowed.
#2 Get home for dinner (or at least at a reasonable hour)
There’s always going to be late nights at the office on occasion but the last thing you want to do is make them the norm. Know when to put your pen down so to speak and leave. Being at home with your family or flatmates with time to relax can lower your stress levels after a crazy day.
#3 Don’t scrimp on sleep
Science has shown us that when we’re super overtired we have the same brain function as someone who has been drinking! You don’t want to be that person in the office. Getting a good night’s sleep helps you deal with stress and figure out the infinite issues that daily life brings.
Sleeping in on the weekend, unfortunately, doesn’t count for 5 hour nights during the week. Make sure to get at least 7 if not 8 every night.
#4 Don’t skip meals
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And so is lunch. And dinner! You do need to get all three. If we don’t have enough food, our bodies conserve energy for the most basic of functions. Which will make you feel drained mentally and physically. Load up on healthy fruit and vegetables, complex carbohydrates and try to get some protein in at every meal.
#5 Water, water, water!
Water is so, so important for you every day. Even if you get a tiny bit dehydrated you’ll start to feel a headache coming on, your brain function will dip; you might even feel hungry when you’re not. Hello, regrettable afternoon biscuit run! Keep a big bottle on your desk and aim to refill it at least once if not twice a day.
#6 Stay moving
Successful people understand that their mental strength is tied to their physical strength. They use that to their advantage. They work out to solve problems and relieve stress. It’s the best way to free up some mental space!
#7 Write everything down
Carry a notebook around with you and write down anything work related that you don’t understand or any terms you’re not familiar with. Research them later, either on your own or by asking your boss. Knowledge is power and the more knowledge you have the easier your job will become. People will turn to you for advice or help – even before you’re promoted above them!
#8 Refrain from the inbox
Whilst it might seem wise to keep an eye on your emails all day, make sure it doesn’t rule your life. Some employees will be tied down to it, but if it’s not your full job you shouldn’t be a slave to it. Try to make it a habit that you only check it a few times unless you’re waiting on something urgent. The inbox can draw us away from our tasks so allow some time for checking then move on.
#9 Dress for the part
People always look successful before they are successful. That old adage, “dress for the job you want, not the one you have” is so true. Do whatever you have to do to make sure you look professional at all times. Wear makeup and try to style your hair every day if your career demands it. Otherwise, ensure you’re clean and well-groomed. These things go a long way when your superiors are discussing whether you’re suited to that higher role.
#10 Leave time to unwind!
This one is definitely as important as the rest – and fun! Working hard to get apromotion or get your business off the ground is all important, but you should make sure you still leave time for yourself.
Catch up with friends, see that movie, go shopping or out to a nice dinner. These things improve your outlook on life and your emotional stability and in turn, will help to make you that successful person you know you can be!

Manduka - Designed for your practice.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Football Playoffs Party Food ~ How To Make A Charcuterie Board

Are you a football fan?
I love football. I learned American football when I worked the first season of NFL On Fox. Terry, Howie and Coach Jimmy taught me the game back in 1994 and I loved it ever since.
I also love football parties and Super Bowl parties, which brings me to today's post.

A few weeks ago I did a shoot with my very good friends, The Football Bettys, for Emma Magazine.

The Football Bettys are a trio of uber glamorous business women who also happen to be die-hard football fans. They are gorgeous, fun, and all about fashion. Football Betty parties are stylish and chic, and their website caters to the football fan who enjoys a good pair of heels.

Anyway, I need a charcuterie board for a football party this weekend, so I'm doing this one from the Football Bettys.
If you need some chic and fabulous ideas for football playoff parties or for your Super Bowl party, check out their website here

And if you want to know how to create the perfect charcuterie board check out this post from the Football Bettys:

How To Make A Charcuterie Board For Your Football Party



Here at Football Bettys, we like to balance our football party style- sometimes our entertaining ideas are casual and super easy (like our Quick and Easy Popcorn Bar) and other times we like to step it up and make pretty football party food. Yes, we said it: pretty football party food. 

This gorgeous charcuterie board was created by Football Betty Victoria for Emma Magazine's winter issue and there's so much we love about it that we had to share all the details! 


Have you tried ooey gooey crazy delicious honeycomb? It's a luxury item that earns the top spot on our "pretty football party food" list of must haves. Pro tip: once you take it out of the container, place it on a plate or bowl with a rim so the honey doesn't ooze off the board. 


Shoot stylist and party hostess Victoria suggests you start building your charcuterie board with the meat and cheese first since the cheese is usually the item that takes up the most room and the meat can be layered vertically. Once you have these two items placed on the board, you can build around them with the other goodies! 


When planning a pretty football party food spread, we like to use beautiful serving pieces such as the Julia Knight platters and bowls seen in this shoot. These serving pieces are among our favorites for several reasons: the quality is exceptional, the designs are both sophisticated and modern, and many of the pieces are bold in color so they coordinate with our team colors! 


Pears and Honeycrisp apples are perfect for gluten-free guests; charcuterie boards are crowd pleasers just like chips and dip but they're much more fancy and guests always ooh and ahh over them (when they're done well. If you throw some Triscuits and a block of cheddar on a cutting board, you may NOT call it a charcuterie board).

For extra crunch, freeze the grapes ahead of time. We swear, frozen grapes are so good, they can pass for dessert in a pinch (we used chablis grapes-they're delicious). 


How pretty is this??? 
We've served this charcuterie board to guests and get so many compliments on it. 



Pretty Football Party Food: Shopping List

Pretty Football Party Food: Charcuterie Board Bonus Tips

- Create levels with the items on your charcuterie board- this maximizes space and adds to the overall look 
- Don't forget cheese knives and forks
- Use herbs to add some color and pretty texture
- Offer a variety of crackers- a few hearty types with seeds/grains and some that are lighter in texture
- Fig spread is one of our best kept secrets- it may sound unusual but it's AWESOME
- Pitted olives are a necessity- guests won't have to worry about where to put their pits (or breaking a tooth)

Pretty Football Party Food: Team Players
Styling: Victoria Canada of Victoria Canada Weddings & Events
Serving Dishes:  Julia Knight Collection
Wooden board: John Boos & Co  
Clothing:  Nordstrom 
Location:  Private Residence

As featured in: Emma Magazine Winter Issue