How To Brighten Your Eyes ~ Beauty Tip Of The Week #13

Whether springtime allergies have got their hold on you, you sit in front of a computer screen all day, you're exhausted, or you just want a makeup pick-me-up, the key to looking vibrant, refreshed and alert is in brightening your eyes.

Waking up your eyes with makeup is super easy. All you need is a couple of really great products and a few good tricks.

How To Brighten Your Eyes In 6 Easy Steps

1. Start with Eye Gels.
Eye gels are amazing. You can de-puff your under eyes, cool them, hydrate them, and get them in glorious condition, all in about 10 minutes.
Try Tony Moly Intense Care Snail Eye Mask from Memebox

2. Color Correct
Use a color correcting concealer, but only on the dark shadows. If you put concealer on puffy undereyes, you will just make them look puffier.
Try Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer





3. Luminize
If you have sunken under-eyes or have deep ridges, a color correcting concealer alone can't make the shadows disappear. Use a touch of luminizer blended into your concealer to add a little light reflecting sheen to pop out those under-eyes. You will instantly look 10 years younger!

4. Curl Your Lashes
One of the best ways to open and brighten your eyes is to curl your lashes. 
Give them a quick pump with a lash curler before you apply mascara. I've used Shu Uemura's lash curler for years. It fits every eye perfectly and gives the loveliest bend to the lashes.
Discover the award winning eyeash curler from shu uemura today!

5. Complimentary Opposite
To really make your eye color spark use an eye shadow color that is opposite your eye color on the color wheel, then add a little sheen to the inner corner.
Try Laura Mercier Sateen Eye Color


6. Mascara
With your lashes freshly curled, add multiple coats of a volumising mascara, making sure to avoid clumping and keeping your lashes separated instead of letting them clump together.
Try HourGlass Superficial Lash Mascara for thick, long, luscious lashes.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas From Natori

I've been scrolling around through Natori's website looking for Mother's day gift ideas. Actually I was really shopping for myself. 
I buy Natori sleepwear and lingerie, but didn't realize they have fabulous homewear as well!
Check out some of the fabulous things I found and then scroll to the bottom for a discount link for Corinna B's World readers.

The Natori Incense Set



The Natori Scented Candle With Signature Dragon Lid



Party Bucket with Dragon Handles


Lacquer Square Tray set


The Natori Boudoir All Over Lace Chemise
Love. 


The Natori Adore Chemise
34" length with lace trim and adjustable straps


Josie Natori Rounded Snakeskin Bangle


Natori Lingerie Bag
with knot closures to making it expandable. Perfect for travel!


Josie Natori Lace Lolita Wrap
35" length, luxurious silk charmeuse


Here is the discount code:
Enjoy 20% Off Using Code LOVEMOM2015 on Natori.com

Mother's Day Gift Ideas From Memebox

Need some gift inspiration for Mother's Day?
Check out some of these cool ideas from Korean Beauty purveyor
Memebox.

Chocolate and Wine Box

Memebox beauty boxes make gorgeous gifts. Each box has it's own assortment of skincare and /or makeup products, all in full sizes (instead of sample sizes).
Memebox carries Korean skin care products, all of which are at the absolute forefront of skin care technology.

Here's a look inside the Chocolate and Wine box

Chocolate and wine for every occasion! Whether you’re getting ready to go out, or set on being cozy by the fireplace, we can’t think of a better combination. Especially after a long week when all you want to do is wind down and relax.

All About Eyes Box

$74 value for $35 + FREE shipping

Get ready to have all eyes on you, with our All About Eyes box! 

We’ve got the products to prep, prime, and bring out your eyes to the fullest.

Whether you need a quick morning touch up, or a bold look for night time- we’ve

 got you covered. 

This box is the perfect mix of our very own private label XO Memebox products

for beautiful eye makeup and several skincare products to pamper the delicate eye area! 

Perfect Crease Set

This set includes: ($26 value for $16) 

• I'm Brush #01 Eyeshadow Blending Brush ($11)
• 
  
• I'm Series #13 Ginger Cookie Eyeshadow Mono ($5)
• 
  
• I'm Series #14 Earl Grey Cookie Eyeshadow Mono ($5)
• 
  
• I'm Series #17 Friday Night Eyeshadow Mono ($5)
• 
  

What it is:

When it comes to eye makeup, it's all about the perfect crease! 

To do that you will need the perfect transition color and a good blending brush. 

So this value set is the way to go- it's like you get those two and you get two eye shadows for free

How to use: 

Ginger Cookie is a versatile sandy beige shade you can use to contour your eyes or even your face!

Earlgrey Cookie is a cool-toned pink beige shadow that's perfect as a blending color. 

Apply on your crease as a transition color.

Add a little sparkle with Friday Night, a gorgeous shimmery copper that's flattering on every skin tone. Apply all over the lid.

What To Eat In Sicily

I'm so excited! It looks like I will be leading another private tour of Italy and Sicily at the end of summer. ( Glam Italia II). 

I was just thinking the other day that if I were to find out I was never going to set foot on the magnificent isle of Sicily again, I would probably just curl up and die right there on the spot.

Sicily is one of the most magnificent places I have ever traveled to. And I can never wait to get back.

I think about Sicily every day.

There are so many things to love about Sicily. One of them is the food.

American Sicilian food is nothing like the food in Sicily. Sicilian food is spectacular. Everything has been grown locally in nutrient rich volcanic soil, the seafood is caught in the pristine waters of the three seas that frame the island, and the exotic blend of flavors reflect the multicultural history of this place.

If you are heading to Sicily make sure don't leave before you try each of these:

Arancini

These are rice balls filled with ragu and deep fried. They are soooo good! And very filling. Your eyes might be bigger than your stomach!

Seafood Antipasti

seafood antipasti at my favorite restaurant in Giardini Naxos. Alici bottom left.

Especially Alici. (anchovies)
There is something about the way Sicilians prepare their anchovies. You couldn't pay me to eat them at home where they are horrible, salty and pungent. But there they are sensational. The first time I ate them I didn't know what they were, and probably wouldn't have even tasted them had I known they were anchovies, now I eat them every day in Sicily! And every day I eat the local seafood. The restaurant menus change all the time as they are based on today's catch, not on what is in the freezer.

Pasta Alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma

At some point during a trip to Sicily you have to try this dish of pasta made with fresh tomatoes, fried eggplant, basil and fresh firm ricotta. 

Fresh Peasant Salads

Eolie salad, Blu Caffe, Canneto Beach, Lipari

We ate this salad at a little cafe on the beach in Lipari on the 2014 Corinna B's World Glam Italia tour. It looks simple enough, but was so amazing we went back three times! Simple "peasant food" in Sicily is so good 

Cannoli

This is another food that I really don't care for stateside, but in Sicily (where they are from) fresh cannoli are just amazing. Crispy shells filled with fresh sweet sheep's milk ricotta flavored with chocolate chips or local pistachio. There's just nothing quite like them! 

Granita

Breakfast granita al cafe con panna, Canneto beach, Lipari

You can't beat an icy cool granita on a hot, sunny Sicilian day. They come in a variety of flavors are super refreshing and are nothing like Italian ices in America. The texture, consistency and taste are completely different.

In Sicily, when the days are long and hot and start early, granita and gelato are also breakfast food. A coffee flavored granita with cream ( beware - they add a very generous serving of cream) or a limon granita make a divine way to start the day. 

Brioche With Gelato

Brioche con gelato, Sicily

The first time I went to Sicily my friend Silvana made me a list of foods I HAD to try. One of them was brioche with gelato, a combo I would otherwise have passed on. Believe it or not this is another breakfast food! Warm sweet brioche filled with the creamiest gelato on earth. It is super sweet, gets a little melty, and is the food of the gods.

Pistachio Anything.

Pistachios were introduced to Sicily during the Arab rule, and now find their way into all kinds of foods. There are so many pistachio flavored foods to try - don't miss out on them!

Bridal Beauty Tip #13 Tips For Choosing Your Wedding Perfume

When it comes to your wedding day perfume you have to decide whether you are going to wear your usual fragrance, or a new one.

Jo Malone Peony And Blush Suede

Your usual fragrance may just be something you wear everyday, and that you like, or it may be your trademark fragrance, a scent that identifies you, a scent that inhaled anywhere in the world by your people will make them think immediately of you.
He knows you in that perfume. He fell in love with you in that perfume, and maybe you reason that he should marry you in that perfume.
And that is totally perfect.

Or maybe you want something new for your big day. Something new and special. Something that will powerfully link you, your husband and that beautiful dress forever, making an olfactory memory that snaps you both back to that magical day for the rest of your lives with just the faintest whiff.

Tips For Choosing A Wedding Perfume.

Choosing a new perfume for a really big occasion can be daunting. Especially for something as huge as your wedding day.
Here are 4 tips to help you choose 

1. How Do You See Yourself?
What words do you associate with seeing yourself walking down the aisle? Do you think of words like serene and pretty? Or romantic and sensual? What about sexy and alluring? Every perfume has a mood, a feel, an emotion to go with it and if you can find the words to describe your feeling, emotion or mood finding your fragrance becomes easier.

2. Match Your Theme
If you have a beach wedding think about a fragrance with florals and marine notes. Getting married in the great outdoors? Think about woodsy notes, chypres, vetivers. Is your wedding going to be candlelit and sensual with deep dark red roses? Try a sexy, spicy, musky fragrance.

3. Don't Fight Your Bouquet
Don't let your perfume fight your bouquet, especially if your flowers are fragrant. Either choose something complimentary, or wait til the reception to apply your perfume.

4. No Surprises
You don't want to be wearing and new perfume on your wedding day and find out later that he didn't like the way you smelled. If you have a new fragrance in mind consider giving him a secret sneek preview by wearing a sample and gauge his reaction. If he leans in for another breath of it its a winner. If he has no reaction or clearly doesn't like it, you may want to try another one.

6 Amazing Wedding Perfumes

Narciso Rodriguez For Her
Sexy, sensual, musky, for a modern, confident sophisticate.

Jo Malone Peony and Blush Suede
Charming and beautiful, flirtatious yet sensual.

Giorgio Armani Si
A tribute to modern femininity, a combination of grace, strength and independent spirit.

Coco Mademoiselle
Sexy, fresh, oriental, utterly feminine, refined and luxurious.

Kenzo Flower
Modern, chic, fresh oriental for a fashion forward, uptown girl

Tom Ford Neroli Portofino
A heady, sexy mix of sparkling water, cool breeze and the lush foliage of the Italian Riviera. Everything Ford does oozes sex appeal, decadence and luxury. Portofino is magnificent, so is this fragrance.

How To Buy Luxury Bedding

They say you should spend  money when you spend your time. (Which means I should be driving a Pagani)
Most people spend 1/3 of their life between the sheets, so following the comfort principal, it makes sense to spend good money on some luxury bedding.

Frette Doppio.
image via www.frette.com

The bedding industry is big business. In the United States the business of bed sheets is worth around $3 billion. The desire for high end bedding is ever-growing, so if you are in the market for some specialty sheets, here is a little guide to what all the terminology in sheet buying actually means:

image via sdhonline.com

Thread Count
The thread count on a set of sheets measures the number of threads per square inch, counted vertically and horizontally.
The lower the thread count the more marginal the sheet.
Thread count can be misleading though, some manufacturers use "plying" which is taking multiple fine strands and twisting them together, counting each of these mini strands in order to give a high thread count, but in reality you don't have any extra fabric. A high thread count sheet should feel like there is more fabric than a lower thread count sheet, so look for a single ply.

image via canadianlogcabin.com

Fabric
Thread count isn't everything though. You can have a high thread count sheet that is made from an inferior fabric. A short-staple cotton with a higher thread count will feel less luxe than a long-staple cotton with a slightly lower thread count.
100% Egyptian cotton is considered to be the most luxurious cotton in the world.



Weave
The weave of the fabric also changes the feel. It largely comes down to your personal preference.
Percale is a tight weave that makes sheets feel smooth and firm and doesn't come in a glossy finish. Percale sheets can be 100% cotton but they can also be a blend of fabrics, so check the label before buying.
Jersey is a t-shirt like fabric that is actually a knit, not a weave.
Flannel is a cozy, warm weave. It is a medium weight with a napped texture made by stretching and lifting the threads.
Satin. A satin weave is made with silk, and is made glossy and smooth by floating some threads over others. But beware when buying satin weave sheets - sometimes cheap sheets made with polyester or nylon are also labeled sateen. Make sure you read the label to see which fabrics have been used.
Sateen is like satin but made with cotton.



Size Does Matter
Measure your mattress before buying your sheets. A fitted sheet should tuck under the pocket comfortably, not ride up the mattress. You could have a 14 inch, 16 inch or even 18 inch mattress depth, and buying the wrong size, whether too deep or too shallow ruins the effect and comfort of your expensive bedding.
Also know the size of your pillows to ensure a perfect pillowcase fit.

Frette Bedding
image via www.frette.com

Know Your Cottons

Egyptian Cotton is grown in the Nile Valley and is known for it's silky and luxurious feel. Look for 100% Egyptian cotton - some manufacturers blend it with inexpensive fibers, which creates a less silky feel.

Pima Cotton is mostly grown in the southwest USA but is also grown in other countries (including Australia, Peru and Israel)
Pima is reasonably priced and has a smooth texture

Standard Cotton is the least expensive and lacks the luxurious feel of Egyptian and Pima cottons.