High Time We Had Ourselves A Mint Julep!

When you are reading this one I'll be in Nashville watching my good friend Jennifer Jo Cobb racing in the Nascar Camping World Truck Series.
It will be hot and humid in Nashvegas and I will no doubt be thinking about a cold, refreshing sip of the deep south.

Doesn't a Mint Julep sound like the perfect drink?

 image by Rob Palmer

Here's how you make them: 

2 cups of water
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, torn up
32 ounces Kentucky whiskey
8 sprigs of fresh mint leaves to garnish

Combine water, sugar and mint leaves in a saucepan and slowly bring to a boil, simmering until sugar is dissolved. Allow syrup to cool (about an hour in the refrigerator), then strain to remove mint leaves.
Fill 8 frozen silver goblets (or chilled glasses) with ice. Pour 4 ounces of whiskey and 1/4 cup of syrup over each (according to taste) and garnish with a mint sprig and a straw.

Enjoy your Friday, and make sure you cheer for Jennifer in tomorrow's race!
If you're on twitter follow her @jenjocobb
and follow me @Corinnamakeup

Join my facebook page Corinna B

Beach Time Anyone?

Already August is upon us,

and for some of us the last beach excursions

are looming like a lover about to leave.

So whats a girl to pack?

Don't worry, I came up with some ideas for you...

Jantzen has been the purveyor of all kinds of fun this season.

I love this maillot and cover up

perfect to BBQ in, non?

Next you need to accessorize:

Tres chic hat from Helen Kaminski

and a Helen Kaminski beach tote

I love this whole raffia thing. And the bag is big enough to hold a chilled bottle of wine and a good book.

Tory Burch brings the perfect sandal

 Now some earrings to brighten your look

Big, bold and turquoise

Speaking of bold, lets do a bright pink glossy lip

Feeling bloated? I found these in a magazine.

Haven't tried them, but they look intriguing

They're called Tummy Tuck Sticks.

And a little SPF that will leave you smelling lovely

Perfect n'est ce pas?

Beat The Heat - Makeup That Stays On

Today's segment on SheKnowsTV Daily Dish is all about makeup that works in the heat.

Basically there are two different dynamics at play.

1. When the air gets dry the skin gets red, dries out and gets a very lackluster, uneven suface with rough patches. It gets difficult to have your makeup look even and flawless.


2. When the humidity kicks in it turns up the oil production in skin. Your complexion gets greasy and shiny and it becomes difficult to get makeup to stay on.

So a girl needs a few good tricks up her sleeve. I pulled some really cool products out of my makeup kit that help you beat the heat. These are items that I use both on shoots, and on myself.

No Foundation Foundation from Perricone MD is a fabulous option when you don't want to wear foundation. It evens out your complexion, and gives the skin a lovely dewy finish. You can use it under a foundation or by itself.


When you do have to wear a foundation on a hot day, the prepping that you do underneath is crucial.
If your skin is dry, or you're in a very dry place HD Elixir from Makeup Forever gives your skin an instant hydration boost, and will stop your foundation from crackling up like an alligator. Which is never a good look.

If you'resomewhere humid, or if you tend to get more oil and shiny, you need a mattifying product to help cut down the sheen. I use All Mat by Makeup Forever

I also use the Makeup Forever HD Primer, which really helps foundation to hold.


When it comes to foundation and beating the heat, my main advice is to avoid powder foundations and crushed mineral foundations if you are somewhere very dry, or if your skin is dry. They will make you look like a lizard!
If you are somewhere humid, they can be your saving grace.


I love cream blush on hot summer days - it helps to keep you looking fresh and luminous.

For your eye makeup, look to something waterproof. I use the Makeup Forever Aqua Cream colors all the time. They are sheer, buildable color that canbe as pale and translucent as you want, or can go to full Lady Gaga style instensity. They come in 22 colors, so you have lots of options. After about 90 seconds they go waterproof, so you can swim, sweat, or play in a rain shower and still look fabulous! The Aqua Liners work in the same way.


Another great option to help your makeup stay is to use a finishing product.
Spritz Face Atelier's Face Finish over your makeup and it will last all day long.

Cold Plasma

One of my absolute favorite,

just can't do without

products at the moment

is Perricone MD's

Cold Plasma.

I originally got Cold Plasma as a rescue product,

to help me resurrect my skin

after the combination of the

drying effects of the desert heat,

endless air travel 

(including long hauls to Australia and back)

and long days in TV makeup

left my complexion screaming for help.

Cold Plasma is one of those fabulous products

that gives you instant, discernible results.

So in the first week of use, I was in love.

Then I came to find out that it is actually

preventative maintenance as well.

It combats the 10 most visible signs of aging,

has an innovative delivery system,

and actually communicates with your skin.

According to Dr Perricone:

"Each individual is unique; some may require 10 times higher levels of a particular nutrient than another person. Cold Plasma’s ionic suspension can provide an available form of all the nutrients needed by the individual cell. The cell will select and utilize only those nutrients needed."

To you and me that means our skin gets

exactly what it needs, when it needs it.

You use Cold Plasma morning and night

under your moisturizer.

Read more about it here: Vanity Fair Blog

You Tube on Cold Plasma here

Coupons are available here

Loving Giles!

When I was in Australia this summer there was significant buzz about 

cool Brit designer Giles Deacon, who is taking over the helm at

Paris based line Ungaro.

Deacon has a suitably interesting background - from designing at Bottega Veneta, to being snapped up for Gucci by Tom Ford, and stints at 

Jean Charles De Castelbajac, Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren.

In 2007 he won the Brit Designer Of The Year award for his Giles Deacon line.

"Hopefully, if you saw someone wearing one of our frocks you'd think she looks quite interesting to have a chat with and say hello to. They're a bit 'We're on, we're out, we mean business'," he says.

What a refreshing perspective!

Personally, I'm just loving Giles.

With August upon us already I decided it might be fun to have a look at my favorite pieces

from his Fall 2010 Ready To Wear collection. 

I love everything about this look, down to and including the accessories and the nail color

This dress is perfection.

I deal for business, for lunch, for drinks.

Simple, put together and super chic.

And the makeup is sensational!

This model's lips are quite scary, but look at the cut on those pants!

Everything about them is perfect. And the shoe could not be better either!

I love the movement in this dress. Again, the accessories, shoes, hair and makeup

all tell such a fabulous story.

Completely love this one.

I love the colors and the neckline???

Sensational.

Fun, flirty, great little cocktail number.

I died over this coat.

The cut is so exciting, and the color is so alive!

Fabulous.

And just how fun is this???

I guarantee you we will be seeing and hearing a lot more

from Giles Deacon!

When Big Undies Are Crazy Sexy

Its easy to think of full cover undies

as being sexless granny wear.

But much adored (by me!) Kiki De Montparnasse

has a line of incredibly sexy bottoms

that run the gamut on full cover

 hello Christmas list!

how hot are these bloomers???

tuxedo undies with matching cami

If you're the girl who saves her sexy undies for the weekend,

here is a fun little full cover Monday thru Friday

option from Kiki.

 

Naughty little french lesson panties

with messages including

mange ~ moi

attache ~ moi

baise ~ moi

Check out Kiki's website at www.kikidm.com

Bottoms up ladies!

Have a gorgeous weekend...

Violet Flame Enzyme Mask

At this time of the year our skin needs extra help.

Typically it is experiencing all kinds of stress from the heat,

perspiration mucking up the pores, sunscreens and humidity holding extra grime against the surface, and the extra oil production that the summer and a good dose of humidity bring.

Conversely if you live in a dry heat, you're constantly battling the overwhelming loss of water and moisture from your skin.

So you need to add some repair products and some booster products to your skin care regimen.

I cover this in an upcoming SheKnowsTV show, but here on the blog I'm going to breakdown the individual products that I talk about, so you can get a little more info.

All the products come from a fabulous skincare website that everyone can access, no matter where you are in the world,

www.beautyatskindeep.com

Violet Flame Enzyme Mask 

This is one of my favorite masks of all time.

 

Powerful fruit enzymes digest the dead surface

cells, giving you a beautiful exfoliation,

without using a scrub.

(I'm not a fan of facials scrubs)

Meanwhile it is oxygenating the skin and

energizing skin respiration.

 

Your pores get a nice deep cleanse, and its

full of vitamins that boost vitality and restore

hydration.

 

This mask is fabulous

for anyone, but is extra loving

to skin that has had to deal with weather,

or just needs a little TLC.

 

It looks gorgeous, and smells good enough to eat!

Ideally you use it every week or two,

depending on your skin's needs.

You will see an instant result,

so its also a fabulous mask to use

before a big night out, or a special event.

 

Check it out here: Astara Violet Flame Enzyme Mask