How To Buy A Strapless Bra

Don't you just love summer clothes?
All those strapless, shoestring strap, sleeveless, haltered tops and dresses, low backed, arms and shoulders free?
All of you that is, except for the girls with big boobies.


You see for she of the perky A and B cup, she of the firm and youthful C cup, and she of the righteously augmented California/Scottsdale-style breast (you know, the gravity defying power breasts who's nipples point skyward no matter what position the body is in), summer clothes are a dream.

Jennifer Lopez in a strapless dress

But for she of the full breast, she of the round breast, the heavy breast, the large breast and she of the pendulous mammaries any and all of the above mentioned clothing styles are more like a nightmare.
Generally gravity calls to all big breasts like a siren song, luring them ever downward, making the strapless styles and their brethren all but an impossibility unless said boobies are bound into an industrial strength hoisting contraption, also known as a strapless bra.

Helena Christianson in a strapless dress

For those of us who don't have their own personal Howard Hughes, or who are not married to an architect who can custom design an ergonomically correct, aerodynamic support structure that provides both the caging and raising of the beasts and perfection in aesthetic balance, the world of the strapless bra is pretty much a no fun zone.

They squeeze and corrupt, don't stay in place, make you nervous to bend over, terrify you at the mere thought of raising your arm and leave you at the end of the day with red line road maps marking their turf.

Unless you get a really good one.
A great strapless bra that is perfectly sized for you is a wonder to behold.

So today on the blog we are going to explore the fundamentals of How To Buy A Strapless Bra.

1. Avoid VS.
They have no end of fun lingerie, but when you need a workhorse to do a serious and important job, this is not the place to go.
Unless you are super lucky you will find most department store lingerie departments, such as Macy's and Dillards are a total waste of time too.
You can't be certain that the girl who is fitting you (assuming they actually have a girl there to fit you) wasn't working in the toaster department last week,  or that she knows what she is doing. 
They all say they are trained in fitting, but start asking questions about said training, or ask questions about bra construction, fabrics or shape and more often than not you will find yourself facing a blank stare.

Le Mystere strapless bra

2. Go To A Bra Specialist and Get Properly Fitted.
Either find a lingerie specialty store in your area, or Nordstrom tends to have really well trained and knowledgeable bra fitters. They also have quality merchandise.
Once you have been fitted by a pro you will be able to spot an impostor a mile off.
Strapless bras have a big job to do, and they cannot do it without being properly fitted.

3. Invest In High Quality.
You are not going to find a great strapless bra for big breasts at bargain prices. Look at your strapless bra as an investment, and be prepared to pay more for it. Quality is everything in strapless bra land.

4. It's All In The Band.
The band of your strapless bra is going to do all the work. This is where you get your hold, your support and your security.
The band has to fit you firmly without squeezing you. If it is too tight you will get fat rolls over the edges, even if you're not fat. If it's not firm enough you will have no support.
This is where a really good bra fitter is priceless. She will not only make sure it is sized correctly, but will look for unsightly overflow. It's important that your back looks smooth, so if you have large, weighty or fuller breasts a wider band is best.

5. The Gore must Be Flush To Your Chest.
I was told this yesterday. The gore is the flat part between the cups, and it needs to sit flat against your breastbone. If it is lifting away from the skin the bra isn't fitting you properly, and the cups will lift at the outer corners, or pull away from the top of the breast.

6. No Side Gapping.
If the band feels good, and the gore is flush with your skin but you are seeing gaps between the side of your breast and the cup of your bra you either need a different size, or that bra isn't right for your breast.

7. Choose A Molded Contour Cup.
For a bigger breast, especially a natural big breast or a fleshy big breast, cups that are molded will give you a smoother line in your clothes. Molded cups have a fit that feels more snug.

8. Beware Boob Ridge.
Check the line of your breast as it meets the top of the cup and make sure its smooth. Top boob rolling over the cup or spilling out of the cup both looks awful and means the bra doesn't fit you correctly.

9. Bring A Lightweight Top Or Dress.
The best way to test the fit is by trying on the sheerest fabric you are likely to wear with your new bra. Sometimes the bra will look great, but when you put your top or dress on you see the line of the top of the cup. A quality bra is expensive, so you need to make sure it looks good with everything you are going to wear it with.

10. Move And Groove.
With your perfect fit strapless bra on try a variety of movements.
If you are going to wear it dancing, bust a move and see if the girls get out or stay in place.
Try everyday movements that would normally be scary in a strapless - bend over, reach your arms out in front of you, raise your hands above your head. Twist and turn your body and see if your boobs stay in place.
With the exception of the monkey bars at the park you should be able to do most things in a strapless bra and not have your breasts slip out or fall out, or have the band and/or the bra itself slip down toward your waist.

5 Hard Lessons You Learn Traveling The World

I first started traveling overseas in my teens. I would make vacation runs to Australia from my native New Zealand, and it made me feel very cosmopolitan and international.

Mount Cook in my beautiful homeland, New Zealand

When I was 20 I moved to London to become a makeup artist and my wanderlust started in earnest, London being the ultimate base for a world traveler. Since then I have traveled as much as possible, both for work and for pleasure, the line between the two being blurred at best and non-existant at second best.

Travel is the greatest education you can be blessed with. To really understand the world and its people, their different customs and religions, to really comprehend the magnificence of this planet you need to venture out, explore and experience as much as you can.
The world is the greatest classroom of them all.

But it's not all easy, and it's not all wonderful. 
Here are 5 Hard Lessons You Will Learn While Traveling Overseas

1. You Won't Like Every Place You Go.
Some places are awful. Some places are scary.
There are places your friends have loved and found fascinating or that have looked amazing in books, but when you get there they are disappointing. Or dirty. Or full of bugs that see you as the ultimate smorgasbord. 
There are oceans that look beautiful in travel magazines, but when you get there are un-swimable. It can be really disappointing.
But.
You can learn something from every place you travel to, you can gain new perspective, and the ones that disappoint you only serve to make the wonderful places seem more sensational.

Mazatlan, Mexico. I got so sick here that I actually wanted to die.

There are also places that seem good at first, but have a perilous underside. 
A few years ago I went to Mazatlan to shoot a workout video for a few days. On the last night I got so violently ill I just honestly wanted to die. Lying on the cold floor of the Mazatlan airport I swore I would never set foot in Mexico again. (For years I didn't, but now I go all the time!) The flight home was hell, and it took me weeks to get better. Safe to say not all trips go as planned...

2. Not Everyone Will Like You.
It can be jarring at first, but not everyone will like you, even though you are planning on liking them. 
In general I find most people are wonderful, wherever you may be in the world. But when you meet some un-friendlies it can be awful. I've had people shout at me about being American and starting wars (I'm not American, I'm a Kiwi and I am anti war, but that's irrelevant), I've been held at gunpoint in the middle of the night in the Malaga airport because I looked like someone on a wanted list, (years ago and at the time I thought it was madly exciting), and more recently I have run into some really surly, tourist hating restaurant workers at Bar Papisca on the Sicilian island of Lipari.
It can be a really discomforting feeling at first, but ultimately it's just part of the real world experience.

3. Not Everything Will Go As Planned.
That's an understatement!
You can't be married to your itinerary, and when you are traveling you have to realize that things will go wrong, and for a variety of reasons. Flights get delayed, bookings get misplaced, luggage doesn't arrive.
It can be absolutely devastating when you have been looking forward to seeing something, someplace, someone and you have traveled clear across the world to a country you may never come back to again, and your one opportunity is lost.
Even if you do have a plan B and even if you do keep a flexible mind and a great attitude it can really knock you sideways.
There have been many times during my travels when things have gone wildly awry, but I try to always have backup plans that I can put into action. Often you find that when things go wrong the opportunity that vacuum creates actually leads you to something better anyway.

This is Helsinki. When I was there it was completely overcast and grey, not beautiful and colorful.
The weather didn't go as planned!

4. Reverse Culture Shock Is Often Worse.
It's normal to experience some measure of culture shock when you travel. In fact seeking a new experience is the main reason we leave our own shores and go explore somewhere new. 
You adjust to, embrace or at least experience the country you have traveled to, it's customs, it's people and it's foods, and that is part of the magic of travel. But what you don't expect is what a huge shock to the system the return home can be.
It takes me a long time to re-adjust to the red, white and blue, every time I come home.
The endless chain restaurants and chain stores feel so homogenized, the abundance of everything feels decadent, the lack of languages spoken feels numbing. The absence of simple things such as starting the day with a really good espresso or the endless human interaction that you find in the great walking cities of the world as well as the small, hidden villages can leave you aching.
For me, reverse culture shock is always worse.

Abu Simbel, Aswan Egypt. I want to explore more of Egypt, but the time never seems right.

5. There Is Never Going To Be Enough Time To Do It All.
When I was younger I thought I would absolutely be able to go to all the countries I wanted to visit, experience everything I wanted to in the world, live for a time in some of the magnificent locations on my list.
But life gets in the way, and as you get older and maybe a little wiser you start to realize that the more you travel, the more there is to see. You will in all likelihood never get to do it all.
Sometimes I can't come to terms with the fact that I've never lived in the south of France, Sicily will probably only ever be a holiday destination for me, not a home, and my lifelong plan to spend a year in Paris may not eventuate. My list of travel destinations grows longer and longer, but unless I hurry up and win the lottery I will probably never get to do it all.

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale ~ Sneak Peak Early Access!

Are you a Nordstrom shopper?
I love Nordstrom. Love.



And I'm excited about their annual Anniversary Sale. We are only halfway through summer, so there is still tons of time to wear all the amazing items you can buy, and being that its Nordstrom's sale there are serious bargains to be made!

So here's what's cool. Corinna B's World readers are getting early access to this year's Anniversary Sale, starting July 9th!
Just click on any of the sale banners below and you are in!!



* If you are a Nordstrom card holder you can shop their most popular sale of the year 8 days early, and get first dibs on all the best stuff.
* Non cardholders can view products and their prices and add them to their wish list, but can't actually purchase them until July 17.
* Non cardholders can apply for a Nordstrom card, get an instant decision and start shopping the sale right away.
* There are also Beauty Exclusives and gift with purchase on beauty products.



What I didn't realize before is that from July 17 until August 3 you can also buy new season's fall arrivals from top brands at big savings. Prices go back up on August 3rd.

So Check the sale out as of July 9.
Buy everything you want from the sale immediately if you have a Nordstrom card, or wishlist it for July 17 purchase if you don't have one.

6 Summer Bridal Beauty Tips To Avoid A Makeup Meltdown

Gorgeous sunny summer weather makes for the perfect backdrop for your wedding. But the hot and sometimes humid weather can set you up for a makeup meltdown, so here are 6 tips to keep your summer wedding makeup looking flawless and staying in place until the night is over.

Use A Light Moisturizer.
Unless you have dry skin use a lightweight, gel formula moisturizer. Apply it as soon as you get out of the shower and give it plenty of time to soak in before you move on to makeup.
Blot away any residue on the surface of the skin with tissue before starting makeup.
A fabulous alternative is to use a gel sheet mask to revitalize your skin. Try Glacier Water Gel Mask from Memebox

Invest In A Mattifying Primer
Give your complexion all the help you can by using a high quality mattifying primer to keep foundation in place and too aid in fighting shine. Mattifiers have light diffusing properties that will stop light from bouncing off the smooth planes on your face.
Try Hyaluronic Hydra Primer by Terry

Check Your Foundation Formulation.
If you are being airbrushed on your wedding day ask for a water based formula rather than a silicone base. Water based is much more sheer and weightless.
If you are using traditional foundation keep your application as sheer as possible. The thicker the application the more gooey it will look as it heats up. Try Giorgio Armani Lasting Silk SPF 20 Foundation at Nordstrom.com

Be Aware Of Lash Length.
If you will be outdoors or are having outdoor photography be cautious with strip lashes and with the length of your false lashes.
A lash that is too dense will collapse your eye and make you look like you are squinting in all your pictures. (The dense black line of the lash will grab light and suck it in).
Lashes that are too long will act like an awning over your eyes in the sunlight, creating  a shadow below which leaves you looking tired and haggard.
The same applies with lash extensions - they may look good indoors but if they are too long or too dense they can destroy your look when you step  outside.

Seal It with A Kiss.
A matte lip can be a lifesaver on a hot or humid day.
Matte lips can tone down the extra glow or shine you are sporting when it's hot outside and act as a neutralizing balance.
A glossy lip can make your whole face appear extra shiny.
Matte lips don't slip, and with a good color payoff last longer too.
Try Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in Miss Kensington

Finishing Spray.
A light misting of finishing spray can help hold everything in place on a humid, steamy day. Try Face Atelier Face Finish from FaceAtelier.com

6 Must Have Beauty Products For Summer ~ Beauty Tip of The Week #19

image via Harpers Bazaar Mexico

I love summer beauty.

I love fresh, glowing, bronzey, sunkissed skin.

I love the quick and easy to do makeup looks paired with beachy wavey hair.

It's fabulous.

But you do need the right products to pull off the perfect look for summer, so here is my list of essentials:

6 Must Have Beauty Products For Summer

It's Skin Facial Solution Water Mist ($14) is one of my all time favorite products. It's fantastic year round, but extra helpful in the summer. Feeling dry? spritz it on to rehydrate. Feeling oily? spritz it on to refresh. Had a long day in the sun or on the beach? spritz it on to sooth and soften your skin. Need to transition from the office to happy hour? spritz it on to re-energize your makeup. 
This one is always sold out, so when I see it available I buy 3 or 4 bottles at a time.

Chantecaille Radiance Gel Bronzer ($56) Powder bronzers sit on the surface of summer skin and look too dusty and makeup-y. Instead I prefer to use liquid and gel bronzers that give sheer, buildable color and that make the complexion look radiant and luminous. Chantecaille's is extra lovely, and doesn't clog your pores so you don't have to deal with makeup induced breakouts and blackheads at the end of the day.

MAC Fluidline Brow Gel ($16)
Hot weather, humidity, swimming and perspiring all destroy your artfully created eyebrows, leaving them tail-less and disappearing.
Summer makeup relies on a little brow accent to offset the simplicity of the rest of your look, so you want your brows to stay put. I love the MAC brow gel for it's colors, texture and staying power.

MAC Lipstick in Full Fuchsia or Girl About Town ($16)
I love both of these blue fuchsia shades for summer. They are bright and fun and make your teeth and the whites of your eyes look super white. When you are keeping everything else neutral and understated, a bold lip can look both stunning and fresh.

Tom Ford Shimmering Body Oil ($95)
I love everything Tom Ford does.
His Shimmering Body Oil is a sexy combination of a luminous golden shimmer for your limbs and a golden amber sandalwood fragrance. 

Bumble and Bumble Surf Infusion ($29)
The ultimate summer hair is beachy looking waves. Bumble and Bumble Surf Infusion is a yummy mix of tropical oils and sea salts that gives you soft, supple waves, instead of those crunchy, dried out looking sea curls. It is super awesome for dry or coarse hair. 

Best Braids Of Summer

Do you wear braids?

braids at Mara Hoffman

I'm kind of crazy about them at the moment.
I'm stalling on getting my hair cut, as I'm trying to time it so that my hair will be fabulous for some big travel that I have coming up, so it's at an in-between stage right now.

So that along with the crazy heat of summer has me utilizing braids a lot at this season.
When I'm on shoots I love having the hairstylist do some fun, wispy fishtail looks on me, but I can never do it as well as they do!

Check out these gorgeous braids for summer:

I love halo braids for keeping hair out of your face

I took this last one from Amber Fillerup's instagram (@Amberfillerup) 
She does so many inspiring hairstyles using braids. She also does tutorials for them on her blog, Barefoot Blonde.

Reasons Why You Can't Sleep On A Plane

I used to be able to sleep anywhere.
And I could sleep easily on airplanes. 
Now? Not so much. In fact lately I have a really hard time sleeping on planes, especially long haul, international flights.
In a few weeks time I have some really crazy trans-world flights happening, that seriously require a situation that involves me, sleeping.

So I was looking around to see if I could find some new advice, and I found this great article on AirfareWatchdog.com

This Is Why You Can't Sleep on the Plane

By Avital Andrews

image via Huffington Post

When boarding a plane, you have the purest of intentions: You're going to use this rare empty stretch of time to catch up on much-needed sleep. You'll land at your destination bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and ready to take on the world!

But things aren't ever that simple, are they? In reality, you end up doing all the things that keep you from floating into dreamland. By the time you deplane, you're tired, disheveled, and your carefully planned trip is off to a shaky start.

To prevent thwarting yet another vacation or business meeting because you're overtired, figure out what you're doing that's making it difficult to sleep—and cut it out. Whether your goal is to squeeze in a catnap during a quick commuter flight or a half dozen REM cycles on a red-eye, these are all the ways you might be sabotaging your mile-high shuteye.

You Stare at a Screen

Who among us hasn't gone down the social-media or Web-surfing rabbit hole when we should be resting our eyes and brain? It's an easy mistake to make, but a mistake nonetheless, especially considering that smartphone, tablet, and laptop screens emit a bluish hue that messes with your body's natural sleep hormones.

"Essentially what blue light does is interfere with melatonin production in our brains," says Shelby Harris, the director of behavioral sleep medicine at New York's Montefiore Health System. "Melatonin makes us sleepy," she adds, "but needs darkness to work. And blue light reduces melatonin even more than plain old full-spectrum white light."

If you can't slow down your thoughts unaided, get into a paper book (or Kindle e-reader) instead. "Reading on an airplane is one of the best possible rituals you can do to help you fall asleep," says Ben Michaelis, a clinical psychologist and wellness author. "It helps put your mind at ease, making you feel relaxed and distanced from the hustle and bustle of traveling."

You Booze Before You Snooze

Sure, having a stewardess-stirred cocktail might make you nod off quicker (thanks, adenosine). But don't fool yourself into thinking that a nightcap will help you sleep better. In fact, dozens of studies have confirmed that any form of alcohol consumed within an hour before shuteye will dehydrate you, leave you groggy when you wake, exaggerate jetlag, and, worst of all, disrupt your overall sleeping pattern, since you get fewer REM cycles during alcohol-induced sleep. (Besides, you'll have to get up to pee.)

You know yourself best, of course, but if you're like most humans, liquor is pretty much guaranteed to mess up your circadian rhythm so that you won't sleep as long and you won't get much real rest from the sleep that you do get.

You Drink Coffee

As tempting as a steaming cup of joe might sound as the flight attendant asks for your drink order, especially if that roasted-bean smell is wafting through the cabin, resist the urge if your goal is to sleep.

The fact that coffee keeps you awake hardly needs expanding upon (a typical eight-ounce cup packs 95 milligrams of caffeine), but it's astounding how many passengers order it even if they intend to doze. Don't do that.

Instead, request room-temperature water, herbal tea, or warm milk. Beware the airlines' go-to Lipton tea, though—a bag steeped in eight ounces of water delivers 55 milligrams of caffeine. Steer clear of Coca-Cola and chocolate, too, both of which will buzz you up on caffeine and sugar.

You Pick the Wrong Seat

If you've ever been stuck in the middle seat between two strangers, you know the near impossibility of achieving sleep status there. And if you're in the aisle, you'll get awoken whenever your row mates need to visit the loo or the flight attendants need to deliver service. Your most nap-optimal option, then, is always the window seat. You've got the wall to lean against, the shade to close, and the luxury of being left mostly alone.

Book your window seat when making your flight reservation. Or if you're flying an airline like Southwest whose seats are first-come, first-served, set your alarm for as soon as you can check in online. The earlier you check in, the earlier you can board the plane—and the likelier you are to nab a window seat.

As for other seat-related factors, Clint Johnston, founder of Triphackr.com, recommends using SeatGuru to suss out your most comfortable spot: "A seat away from the lavatory and the galley is a must," he says.

Wherever you end up sitting, buckle your seat belt atop your blanket or jacket so that the flight staff won't need to wake you to confirm that you're safe.

You Come Unequipped

Don't expect to be able to sleep well if you don't bring the proper equipment. "Before your flight, pack a small sleep kit and toss it into your carry-on," recommends Alanna McGinn, a certified sleep expert and the founder of the Good Night Sleep Site. "Earplugs and an eye mask can help minimize distractions and let you drift off a little easier," she adds.

The other experts I surveyed for this piece recommend bringing noise-canceling headphones, thick socks, a neck pillow (some prefer to use it under the chin instead of behind the neck), a blanket, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and your contact case and solution if needed. If you don't have an eye mask, sunglasses work in a pinch and can double as a do-not-disturb sign. 

If you know they work for you, you can take sleeping pills—Ambien is popular—or better yet, a natural sleep aid like melatonin or magnesium citrate powder. "Magnesium is an anti-stress mineral and sleep aid that will help you relax and fall asleep," says Carolyn Dean, a women's health expert. "You can take travel-size packets and pour one into your water bottle and sip throughout the flight," she adds.

You Don't Prep at the Airport

There are certain things you can do before you get on your flight that'll make your time in your seat more restful. First of all, go to bathroom before you board. Also, eat a normal-sized meal—not too big, not too small—and get to the airport with enough time to get through security so that you don't arrive at your gate flushed and stressed.

While you still have Wi-Fi, and before you put your phone on airplane mode, download a few relaxing songs and apps. Johnston recommends Sleep Machine, which, he says, "offers soothing sounds, like the forest, the ocean, or a campfire that you might prefer over blocking noise with earplugs." Roger Brinkley, CEO of Pac2Go, a travel-accessory company, swears by the Ambi Science Pure Sleep app:"It uses a combination of binaural and isochronic entrainment," he says. (That just means it plays two kinds of tones that get your brainwaves to calm down.) "Think of it as white noise on steroids."

You Don't Make Yourself Comfortable

There are so many little ways you can create your own comfort aboard an aircraft, yet most people don't do it. For maximum coziness, don't forget your pillow, take off your shoes, and slip on a pair of clean socks. If you need legroom, store as much as possible in the overhead bin; or, if you prefer a leg rest, use your carry-on to prop up your feet. A few travel experts recommend placing a pillow or your backpack on your open tray table for a comfortable place to rest your head, if you don't mind leaning forward.

The day of travel, don't wear anything constricting or stiff—except for compression socks or tights, if needed. Instead, dress yourself in clothes that are as loose and comfortable as possible without it looking like you're wearing pajamas. On a long-haul flight, consider bringing actual pajamas to change into after taking off.

"Another tip is to layer up," says Heather Richardson, a luxury travel advisor. "Cabins are always too hot or too cold, so make sure you can take off layers or put them on as required." And a jacket can double as a pillow if you roll it up.

The eternal question of whether to recline your seat remains as controversial as ever—but if no one's sitting behind you, or if that person is reclined, don't hesitate to lean on back.

Your Timing Is Off

Avoid scheduling flights for the time of day that you tend to be most awake and alert. Early-morning flights are great for this reason, so long as you don't have your usual cup of coffee. Otherwise, book a ticket that departs right before bedtime. Either way, the key is to board the plane tired. If that means you need to wake up extra-early that morning, or get in a hardcore workout during the day, do it.

"On short, transatlantic flights eastbound to Europe where flight times might be as little as six hours, the key in any class of service is to get to sleep right away," says Kyle Steward, who owns a travel agency called Trip Sherpa. "You will have a chance at five to six hours of sleep, but getting a head start is key."

You Fly Coach

Yeah, we know, this isn't something most of us can control. But if you happen to have the money, miles, or charm to get up front, use it. For better chances of an impromptu upgrade, arrive at your gate early, dress sharply, and ask nicely. The worst they can say is no.

And if the flight staff ever asks for a volunteer to give up their economy-class seat to accommodate other passengers' needs, raise your hand—there's a decent chance they'll escort you into business or first.

So long as you don't indulge in the free champagne and chocolate, you'll have a much better chance at getting longer, higher quality sleep where you have more space around you, fewer people, and seats that basically turn into beds.

You Chat up Your Neighbor

On an airplane, even a friendly greeting can be misconstrued as a signal that the conversational door is open. And then, if you're seated next to a chatty Cathy (or a talkative Tom), you're at risk for an hours-long back and forth when what you really need to be doing is sleeping.

When acknowledging your seatmate, keep it quick and polite, then quickly put on headphones or an eye mask. To solidify your chances of silence, say something like, "Hey, if the flight attendant comes by to take drink orders, would you mind telling her I don't want to be woken up?" This'll send the loud-and-clear message—without having to outright say so—that you're not up for a gabfest.