Kirsten Dunst Looks Amazing In The New L'Oreal Beach Waves Campaign

Have you ever seen Kirsten Dunst looking so fantastic?
Check her out here all bronzed up and sexy-fied, with that plunging black maillot, smokey sexy eyes and that amazing hair!
I'm guessing it's probably a banging set of extensions and some masterful work in post, but who cares - she looks fabulous.

Kirsten is advertising L'Oreal Professional's new "Beach Waves" kit, an 8 step process to deliver those sex-bomb wavy tresses.
I would happily head to the salon for some Beach Waves if it meant looking that good!

How To Look Great In A Bikini

Its bikini time again, and whether you are the girl who works out fanatically everyday, or whether you are just realizing that you have in fact been forgetting to work out, chances are that by virtue of being female you are feeling a little self conscious about greeting the world wearing next to nothing. 
Here are tips for how to look good in a bikini:


1. The Anti Bloat

3 days before bikini D-Day go on an anti bloat crusade. No alcohol, no salt or salty foods, kill the carbs, and abandon gas inducing veges such as broccoli, replacing them with diuretic veges like cucumber, celery and tomatoes.

2. Exfoliate Exfoliate Exfoliate!
You need to get somewhere between a healthy glow and a subtle sheen to the skin so that the light just rolls right off of it, so invest in a good body exfoliant (or make one) and keep that skin super smooth.

3. De-Fur
Laser it, wax it, or get a really good razor and some shaving foam - whichever works your budget, but if it's furry, remove it.
Everything else can be completely perfect, but if it looks like a nest of spiders are about to escape from your bikini bottoms you've blown the whole deal.

4. Fake A Tan

You get no points for spending time on the melanoma beds at the tanning salon, but instead go for an airbrush tan or a good faux tan that builds over a few days, such as St Tropez.
Golden skin looks infinitely better in a bikini than ghostly skin.







5. Get A Lift


Strategically supported boobs sit higher thus slimming the waist (and creating all the diversion you need).
Go for a bikini top that has an underwire to support the girls and that is structured to give them a little lift.




6. Position Yourself Perfectly.

image courtesy of InStyle Magazine

I saw this one in Instyle Magazine and thought it was pretty hilarious. Body language expert Patti Wood says to sit with your knees up, which creates a slim line by drawing the eye to your upper body and knees, and rolls fat away from your thighs.
They also suggest digging a 1 inch hole in the sand and planting your booty in that so that your saddlebags and spillover from your thighs will be hidden.
Personally I'd rather look extra-curvy than sit in a hole with my knees up all day!!

7. Wear A Straw Hat

image curtesy of InStyle Magazine

It works for Elle Macpherson so chances are it will work for you.
A hat keeps your hair controlled, keeps sun off your face and can look pretty cool. Especially when paired with some chunky jewels.

8. Hide Flaws With A Little Body Makeup.

I'd prefer to just faux tan them away, but even supermodels have veins, bruises and other imperfections that they want to hide. At Miami Swim Fashion Week body makeup is a staple, the brew of choice being MAC  Face and Body.

9. Find The Bikini Style That's Right For Your Shape.

Dolce and Gabbana vintage style bikini

Don't get all consumed with whatever the latest fashion fad is, or what your friends are wearing. Instead find the style that is best for your body shape. If you're not sure which shape works best for you, go to a higher end department store or swimwear store and have a professional guide you.
You don't have to be the skinniest girl on the beach to be the sexiest girl on the beach.





10. Get A Great Sarong And Stand Tall.
Pretty self explanatory. A killer sarong slung around your hips can both mask the iffy bits, and look super-sexy-cool. Combine that with standing tall and you've got a win! Nothing is sexier than self confidence, so throw your shoulders back, keep your spine straight and just own all that you've got!

Cooking Lessons In Tuscany

One of the most fabulous things to do when traveling in Italy, is to learn how to prepare and cook the amazing local food.

It is so much fun to get off the beaten track, away from the touristy T shirt shops, and go somewhere really beautiful, like a private villa, a winery or a farmhouse, and have a lesson with a local chef.

Marcello makin fresh pasta at Podere Cunina in Tuscany

 Typically you will learn magical recipes that have been in the chef's family quite literally for hundreds of years, passed down through the generations.

My very dear friend Silvana Freddi and her husband Piergiorgio own a beautiful Agriturismo in Tuscany, outside of Siena, not far from Montalcino.

Podere Cunina perched on it's mountain in Tuscany

I have written about it before - the lovely Podere Cunina, perched on a mountain, with views that would make you weep.
An Agriturismo is a boutique farm (agricultural  - not an animal farm) with apartments or houses for tourists to rent and live in for their vacation. See my post from last year, Where To Stay Under The Tuscan Sun to look at pictures and read about lovely Cunina.

After first reading Frances Mayes "Under The Tuscan Sun" back in the late 90's I became obsessed with Frances' recipes and the idea of spending a day cooking in Tuscany.
Fast forward a few years and I wound up renting an apartment in Tuscany from Silvana every summer, and building one of those wonderful friendships that will last forever.

Silvana's son Marcello is a master chef who was running a boutique restaurant on Lake Garda, but has since moved to Podere Cunina to work in the family business and teach Tuscan cooking lessons to tourists, both those staying at Cunina and also those who just want to spend a day cooking and eating and drinking the glorious local wine.

A gorgeous group of Russian tourists spending the day cooking, eating and drinking wine with Marcello at Podere Cunina in Tuscany

People from all around the world come to stay at Cunina and to learn to cook with Marcello. His recipes are divine, and he is fun, charming and engaging.
Everyone wants to come back and cook with him again!

making homemade pasta with Marcello at Podere Cunina in Tuscany

If you have never rolled out fresh, homemade pasta before, it is an experience you won't forget anytime soon. And no pasta tastes like homemade pasta!

There is much more to Tuscan cooking than just pasta. (although the pasta is spectacular!) There are so many wonderful dishes to experience, so many fantastic recipes to bring home and wow your friends and family with.

Marcello wanted to improve his cooking English and his tourist English, so last December he came out to Phoenix to live with us for a couple of months.
We cooked together every day, and Marcello even filled our freezer with homemade pasta meals and gnocchi before he left.
So I can personally vouch for his amazing cooking!

You can find out about staying at Podere Cunina, or just booking cooking lessons with Marcello by clicking here

If you are having a lesson with Marcello and are completely wowed with his cooking English have him do a little Kid Rock for you. We not only taught him how to use words like "whisk" and "sprinkle" and "bring it to a boil", but we also taught him to rap his way through "Cowboy" - after all you never know when it might come in handy :)

Summer Dreams ~ Lara Stone Channels Brigitte Bardot For Porter Magazine

I love Lara stone.

I have a giant print of her lips (from Made By Girl) in my office.

Lara Stone Lip Print from Made By Girl

This month the 30 year old Dutch beauty,

and face of L'Oreal

absolutely sizzles in the summer issue of

Net-a-Porter's Porter magazine,

channeling 60's icon and sex kitten Brigitte Bardot,

paired with a western/cowgirl spin.

Lensed by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin,

 in Venice Beach California.

Summer Dreams

Kendall Jenner Goes Topless For Interview Magazine

18 year old Kendall Jenner, sibling of Kim Kardashian, seems to be making a name for herself in the modeling world.
Last month she made it into Vogue Paris lensed by Patrick Demarchelier, and now this month she is in Interview Magazine, photographed topless by Mikael Jansson.

Who cares if Kendall Jenner is topless? That face is just spectacular!

I don't watch the Kardashians, so when I first saw her I had no idea that she was a reality TV girl. I thought she was a particularly stunning model.
She looks like she has what it takes - her face is just amazing (the brows! those eyes! that mouth!) and her body looks long and lean. 
You can see more of her Interview Magazine shoot here

Prepare For International Travel In Style

"I will prepare, and someday my chance will come..."

Abraham Lincoln

One of my mantras.
I believe in it to my core.
So I like to be prepared at all times for any excitement or adventure that may come my way. 

In my book that means having a valid passport and a valid International Drivers Permit at all times. Should an impromptu trip to somewhere exciting or an international makeup job land in my lap, I am always ready to go.

You can organize a passport through the USPS, but it normally takes a few weeks, so don't leave it too late. You can pick up an International Driving Permit through AAA, each one is valid for a year.

While traveling overseas you are required to keep your passport with you pretty much all the time. I like to keep mine in a stylish passport holder, such as this new one I just received from Stephanie Johnson, purveyor of luxe makeup bags, luggage accoutrements and iPad covers. Her products are coveted and adored by celebrities (that's how I first found her fabulous makeup bags - actresses I  work with have them).

Pashmina, Gucci Aviators, Stephanie Johnson Passport Cover and Luggage Tag.
Ready to board my flight...

This year I am traveling with my new Malibu Lemon passport holder and matching luggage tags. Although my luggage is pretty easily identifiable I do like my accessories to match one another. The passport holder not only stops my passport from getting beaten up in my handbag, but it makes it easy to locate, and more difficult to leave behind anywhere.
And its beautiful and sunny.
The Stephanie Johnson Passport Cover comes in several fabulous colors, check them all out at StephanieJohnson.com
In addition to the lovely Malibu Lemon (which makes me think of the Amalfi Coast and Capri, two of the fabulous locations the Corinna B's World Glam Italia 2014 Tour will be hitting this September), I especially love the Malibu Aqua and Malibu Orange.
Order yours before they sell out!

Into The Wild ~ Coco Rocha For Harpers Bazaar Mexico

Coco Rocha is always so theatrical.

When she is modeling you feel like she has created a character,

and then she gives that character incredible dimension.

I love this shoot she did for Harpers Bazaar Latin America.

Her fierce expressions and warrior-like poses

enhance the tribal feel of this stunning editorial.

Romero Jennings' brilliant makeup 

and Fernando Torrent's graphic hairstyling

bring this whole story to life

through the lens of Xevi Mutane

Into The Wild