13 Things To Do Before You Travel Overseas

There are so many things to do before you take off on a big trip, beyond packing your best bikini and decanting your skin care products into 3 fluid ounce containers.
Here is a list of 13 things you need to take care of before you head to the airport:

If you plan on posting your trip on social media, make sure you have house sitters living in your home while you are away. 

Photocopy Your Passport
Have a couple of copies of the photo page of your passport packed in different parts of your luggage. This expedites the process should you either lose your passport or if it gets stolen. It doesn't hurt to also have your passport number stored in an email or somewhere you consider safe online, but don't rely solely on anything being stored on your devices or anywhere that needs internet access to retrieve, because there will be plenty of times when you have zero access to the internet super-highway.

Stop Your Mail
Go to the post office and fill out the form to have your mail delivery stopped until you return, even if you have house sitters staying in your home.

Get Your Paper Collected.
Arrange for someone to collect your newspaper while you are away. If you have house sitters staying in your home make sure they are clear on picking up the newspaper from your driveway - you don't want to advertise your absence to potential thieves. And you can't assume your house sitter will think to do it.

Call Your Bank.
Your bank needs to know a couple of weeks in advance that you are leaving the country and planning on using your cards. Generally they want to know departure and arrival dates and which countries you will be visiting. If you don't clear it with them ahead of time they will most likely refuse or shut down your cards when you try to charge them or withdraw cash overseas. 
Getting them re-instated and regaining access to your money can take days.
Should your flight get re-routed to another country and you need to use a card to get food/accommodation etc call the number on the back of the card first and tell them what has happened prior to using the card.

Call Your Cell Phone Provider.
Make sure you are set up on your cell provider's international plan before you leave the country. Have them mail or email you the terms of the contract so that you have everything in writing, and recheck the details. Going over your minutes, texts or data can cost you thousands of dollars. 
While you are at it make sure you know how to turn off your roaming data. 

Check Visas
Some countries require you to have an entry visa. If you don't have one you can be turned away at the airport and refused access to your departing flight. Usually these are now done electronically and the process is simple. Make sure you check ahead to see if you do require a visa for any of the countries you are planning on visiting.

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Charge Your Electronics And Pack Your Chargers In Your Carry-on
Make sure everything is fully charged before you leave home. Check anything that requires batteries, and pack spares, and always make sure you have your chargers and international chargers in your carry-on luggage. Things happen, your flight gets rerouted or delayed, and you need to be able to access your devices.
I also recommend traveling with a fully charged battery charger. i use the Anker 2nd Gen Astro E5, as it has the ability to fully charge a completely dead iPhone and iPad, more than once.

Separate Your Prescriptions
If you are on any prescription medication make sure you split your supply in half and carry one set on board with you and pack the other into your checked luggage. Should your luggage go missing with all your prescription medicines your trip could be ruined.

Make Copies Of Your Credit Cards And The International Help Numbers
If your cards get stolen you need to be able to call the international help line, and you need to have the credit card numbers. Don't rely on your credit card company to 
A) be staffed by helpful, intelligent people
B) have people whose accents you can understand answering the phones
C) have the ability to find your card number based on your name and social security number.

Empty Your Wallet.
Only take exactly what you need, no surplus cards, cash, or other items.

Pack Snacks And Reading Material
Don't blow the budget on overpriced salty, sugary junk foods at the airport (fabulous, guaranteed recipe for jet-lag and swollen legs), or on overpriced magazines and books. Do a little front end planning instead.

Leave Very Clear, Written Directions And Rules For House Sitters.
Don't assume common sense will prevail.
And don't assume verbal rules will be followed.
Unplug computers, put important papers in a safety deposit box at the bank.

Put Clean Sheets On Your Bed.
Invariably you will arrive home from your international trip exhausted. There is something so wonderful about slipping between fresh, clean sheets when you crawl into bed.

As always, if you have anything to add to the list please hit me up in the comment section below!

5 Hair Mistakes That Make You Look Older

Tuesday is Bridal Beauty day on the Corinna B's World blog, and today I am pairing a hair story that is relevant to brides, mothers of brides - any one in the bridal party, and is equally relevant to those of us who are not in the wedding game too.
It's all about hair mistakes that age us unnecessarily.

1. Color Is The Ultimate Ager.
This applies any which way you look at it, whether you have made a color error, or whether you are not coloring your hair when you should be.
Un-colored hair can look flat and make your complexion look dull. Simply adding some warm highlights to frame the face can soften your features, warm up your skin and make you look younger.

Hot. Mess.
Lindsay Lohan's platinum hair is just awful

The two worst color offenders when it comes to adding years to your look are 
1) blondes that are too pale, which washes out your skin tone, and 2) coloring your hair too dark. 
Black hair color and super dark hair color can sap the life out of your skin and make you look harsh.

Catherine Zeta Jones' black hair is too harsh, and ages her lovely face

Blondes that are too pale are super aging, especially on anyone who is out of her 20's. (in your 20's it just looks like you don't know any better). Too pale blonde also makes you look hard.
A friend of mine's too pale blonde wife recently celebrated her birthday, and I was stunned to find out that she's not in her 60's, but is actually in her mid 50's. The combination of too much sun and borderline platinum blonde hair has her looking far older than she is.

2. An Out Of Date Cut.
Your cut shouldn't be identical to the one you wore 5 years ago.
As your face ages your haircut needs to move with it, to bring out the best in your features. Adding a little balayage color around your face to maximize the shape of your new cut, and to compliment your skin tone can keep you looking youthful.

3. Not Trimming Regularly.
Crunchy, split ends detract from your lovely face and can be really aging. A small trim every 6 to 8 weeks keeps your cut looking fresh, keeps the movement in your hairstyle, and keeps you looking youthful.

4. The Fringe And The Part.

Sophis Bush's blunt bangs are too heavy for her face, accentuating the hollow under eye area

Two super quick fixes to update your 'do are changing your fringe and/or moving your part.
Again watch how the aging process is affecting your features, and use your bangs and your part to either soften your look, or to divert attention. For example if your eyes look heavy or tired, blunt bangs will accentuate the bags and the crows feet, whereas soft, side-swept bangs will minimize them. Regardless of your age

5. Wearing Your Hair Too Tight.
Pulling your hair back too tightly accentuates every fine line and every flaw in your skin. It also accentuates any aging that is showing around the eye area.
Instead try either not pulling all of your hair up, or soften the look by letting some soft wispy pieces fall around your face.

How To Repair Summer Skin Damage ~ Beauty Tip Of The Week #23

With summer winding down it's time to take stock of the damage we've done to our skin during the warm and sunny months, and come up with a plan to both protect our skin and heal it.

Here are a selection of skin care products to fight environmental damage, erase dark spots, super hydrate and heal, and turn back the clock on summer to give you radiant, gorgeous, glowing skin.

From Philosophy, The  Microdelivery Overnight Anti Aging Peel $82 combines the skin smoothing, micro exfoliation of a peel with the soothing, calming, restorative benefits of an overnight sleep mask. You wake up with gorgeous, glowing skin!

Rodial's Dragon's Blood Sculpting Gel $98 is magic in a bottle! It masks redness, plumps and smooths skin to reduce wrinkles, and leaves your skin looking firm and renewed.

Protect your skin from environmental pollutants and damaging free radicals by adding vitamin C to your skin care routine. Ciracle Vitamin Source C-20 not only protects your skin, but also makes it look brighter and more vital. Vitamin Source C-20's incredible delivery system gets the nutrients deep into your skin to lighten dark spots, diminish fine lines and wrinkles, and helps your skin to create healthy new cells.

It's Skin Power 10 Formula CO Effector $11 is a super affordable example of how staggeringly effective Korean skin care products really are. This highly potent collagen serum needs only a couple of drops to be massaged into the skin to super hydrate from the inside out, making the skin look instantly resilient and moisturized.
You can read more about the Korean skin care revolution here

Tatcha's Radiant Deep Brightening Serum is the Holy Grail of serums, and as such is the secret currency of celebrities. The instant it hits your skin you begin to see absolute magic happening. No matter what your skin type you see your complexion become radiant, firm, glowing. Although the company makes no claims about this serum healing anything, I have seen dreadful facial eczema disappear overnight, scaly, alligator like skin smooth in front of my eyes and red, irritated skin calm down in minutes. This is easily one of the greatest skin care products ever created.

SNP's Gold Collagen Sleeping Pack $30 is another brilliant piece of Korean skin technology, and is the final step in your night time skin care routine. After layering on your serums, essences and ampoules you apply an even layer of sleeping pack across the face and neck at least 10 minutes before bed. When you wake up you gently remove any residue with luke warm water. Your skin will be absolutely shimmering! This product is super nourishing, moisturizing and healing, and an incredible ally in damage control and the fight against aging.
And did I mention it has gold in it??

Kim Kardashian As Cleopatra Courtesy Of Pat McGrath For The Violet Files

Pat McGrath is considered to be the greatest makeup artist of our time. Vogue magazine calls her the most influential makeup artist in the world.
We call her Mother Makeup.
She is beyond amazing.
And Kim Kardashian is, well, Kim Kardashian.
Love her or hate her she seems to be here for a while.

Kim doesn't normally hit my radar, but Pat always does, and I am blown away by the sheer genius of McGrath in this work for the cover shoot for The Violet Files.
(I am frequently left speechless by her makeup magic and her incredible vision)

Pat channeled Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra, giving the look a futuristic 3D spin.

Ms. McGrath explains. “I wanted to portray a luxurious decadence by using elements of ornate facial jewelry constructed into shapes that pay homage to Egyptian culture, and of course to the rich exotic character that Taylor portrayed in this role.”

McGrath made the eye shadow by combining ground lapis stone and gold pyrite flecks, incorporating 3 dimensional gold metal into the makeup design. Exploring the concept of makeup as jewelry she wanted the images to be luxurious, evoking a modern take on the opulence associated with Cleopatra and her makeup.

Photographed by Ben Hassett, this is the first installment in a series for Violet Grey Magazine in which Pat McGrath will re-imagine icons, transforming old Hollywood glamour onto new faces.

10 Things To Do On The Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast has to be one of the most beautiful, most chic, most fabulous stretches of coastline in Europe. Winding it's way from Positano to Salerno, the Amalfi Coast is a wonderland of things to see and do, from taking in it's aching beauty, to exploring ancient villages, dining like kings, relaxing like heiresses and generally feeling like a jet-setter.

Here are 10 of my favorite things to do on the Amalfi Coast.

1. Drive it!

Drive the Amalfi Coast road

Rent a stick shift/manual transmission car (they are far more fun to drive), pull the side mirrors in, and take yourself for a drive along one of the most beautiful coast roads in the world.
Driving the Amalfi Coast road is both fun and breathtaking, partially due to the incredible scenery and partially due to the narrow, high, winding road and the buses that come hurtling along it! You need to keep your mirrors in as you will find yourself closer than you had ever planned to be to the rock wall on one side, and the oncoming bus on the other. But what a magnificent drive it is! Don't worry if you can't drive a stick shift - you will hardly ever get beyond 2nd gear anyway. Traffic rolls slowly, which isn't such a bad thing when the views are this spectacular!

2. Enjoy A Glass Of Wine At Il San Pietro di Positano.

Mediterranean Terrace, Hotel San Pietro Positano

Sitting on the Mediterranean Terrace of the Hotel Il San Pietro di Positano late in the afternoon with a glass of wine has to be the closest you can get to being in heaven itself.
Considered to be one of the very best 5 Star hotels in the world, Il San Pietro is also one of the most beautiful. The views from the Mediterranean terrace are beyond spectacular, and include the island of Capri and the most famous view of Positano.
Everything about this place is magic, and is absolutely not to be missed!
Read more about the Hotel Il San Pietro Di Positano in my blogpost here
Book a room at the San Pietro here


3. Take A Hike.
Not at all difficult, but completely awe inspiring views, the Sentiero Degli Dei (Pathway of the Gods) is an unforgettable experience.

The pathway links the town of Agerola with Nocelle in Positano.
You can access it by bus at Agerola (get off at the Bomerano stop), or if you are in the mood for stair climbing you can start at Praiano and climb  along flight of stairs up 580 meters above sea level to the Colle Serra Pass. (I'd rather die). From there you walk through the heavens, taking in views that defy belief. Chances are you will encounter grazing sheep and goats along the way.
When you reach Nocelle you can either take the bus down, or walk down the 1500 stairs to the Arienzo neighborhood. If it's summer time take another 300 stairs down to the beach for a swim.
In ancient times Nocelle was only reachable by foot, climbing the stairs from Positano.
If you start at Agerola the hike will take you around 4 hours.

4. Buy Ceramics At LizArt in Praiano.

A few years ago my bestie and I rented an apartment above the Liz Art ceramics store in Praiano (Via Roma 42). It was wonderful. Every day when we came home we would sit at the giant table in the ceramics store with Anna (the owner) and Laura (who worked there) and various local ladies, and they would ask us all about our day. The ladies would bring us bowls of fruit from their gardens to have in our apartment, including lemons and local fruit nespole. I loved walking around the store, and before we left we each bought several pieces of ceramics, handmade by Anna's family. I still absolutely treasure them.
I will be back on the Amalfi Coast in a couple of weeks, and hopefully will be able to see the ladies again, and buy more ceramics. They ship everything to your home, so you don't need to worry about traveling with breakables.
Check out their website here

5. Take A Boat Trip Along The Coast.
Ferries and hydrofoils run the length of the Amalfi Coast. One of the loveliest ways to experience the coast is by boat, so stretch out in the sun and enjoy the unfettered views from the water.

6. Explore Beautiful Salerno.
Salerno is one of the Amalfi Coast's best kept secrets. 
Situated at the opposite end of the coast from Positano, you can either drive or take a ferry. After the tourist mayhem of Capri and the rest of the coast, secret Salerno is a welcome respite. You can breathe in the sea air all to yourself as you stroll the loveliest beach promenade on the Amalfi Coast, enjoy fantastic restaurants and wine bars without huge crowds, stroll through medieval streets, taking in the history, photographing anything you want without endless tourists getting in the way. 

Sunday afternoon in the old town of Salerno

The cathedral in Salerno, San Matteo, was built in 1085. Mostly destroyed by American bombs during World War II, parts of the cathedral have been rebuilt, and parts of the original still stand. The crypt holds St Matthew's bones, and is well worth the trip to see it.

7. Take A Day Trip to Capri
You really just have to.
Plan on spending a couple of minutes in the main piazza, then head out in any direction as fast as you can to escape the tourist crush.
Make sure you go see my old friend Aldo Lella and his lovely little wife Lydia at their sandal shop, Schettino. Aldo made sandals for Jackie O, so when I first met him I had him make them for me too!
Please tell Aldo and Lydia you read about them in my blog - they get a huge kick out of it, and they actually keep copies of receipts from my blog readers so that they can show me every couple of years when I drop in for a visit!
Aldo is 92 this year, and chances are he may not be there if you wait too many years to go see them. I've written about them before here: Buying Sandals In Capri
I also have a post on What To Do In Capri, which covers my 8 favorite things to do while I'm on the island.

8. Visit Ravello
The drive up the hill to Ravello is a little on the hair-raising side, but is immediately forgotten when you reach this lovely little hilltop town. 

Villa Rufolo Ravello

Take in an evening concert under the stars at the Villa Rufolo during the world famous music festival that takes place from April to October. Walk around the Villa Cimbrone,

Villa Cimbrone Ravello

then have a glass of wine at the wonderful Hotel Caruso and look out at the world from their infinity pool in the sky.
The Caruso in Ravello is a divine place to stay on the Amalfi Coast, super chic and luxe. See the Hotel Caruso Ravello here


9. Visit The Grotto Dello Smeraldo, Positano.

Grotto Dello Smeraldo, Positano

Everyone has heard of the Blue Grotto in Capri, but most have never been to the Emerald Grotto outside of Positano. It wasn't discovered until 1932, kept secret by not having a natural outlet above the waterline. From the Amalfi Coast road you walk down to sea level where you take a boat and go inside this amazing emerald colored sea cave.

10. Dinner At Villa Gabrisa In Positano
I always make sure that I go to the restaurant at the Hotel Villa Gabrisa in Positano,  no matter where I am staying on the Amalfi Coast. 
Sit outside and take in the view of Positano by night as you enjoy one of the best meals of your life, or enjoy the ambience inside their small dining room - either way it's an absolute win, and an evening you will remember forever.

private terrace at the Hotel Villa Gabrisa in Positano

The hotel itself is a luscious little boutique hotel that oozes romance. The rooms have very sizeable private terraces that look out over the ocean, and make the perfect place for an end of evening limoncello, or your early morning coffee. 
It is absolutely divine. Check out the Hotel Villa Gabrisa here

Do you use Trip Advisor? I use it all the time to search out places to go, and I write reviews there too. My review of the restaurant at the Villa Gabrisa in Positano has been read by nearly 7, 000 people.
I am on Trip Advisor as Corinna B's World.

How To Have A Happy And Productive Day

Have you ever noticed that if you wake up late, race to get out the door on time, start your day frazzled and frantic, the whole day seems to go downhill at the speed of light?

I'm borderline phobic about being late for anything, so to avoid starting my day out with an I'm-running-late stress-bomb I started working out ways to make my morning flow nicely. The more steps I added in, the better my entire day became. I found myself happier, more productive and more relaxed all day.

10 Steps To Make Sure You Have A Happy And Productive Day.

1. Go To Bed Early.
Well, I would love to get to bed early, but that pretty much never happens, so I focus on getting to bed a half hour earlier than usual. Sometimes its only 15 minutes earlier, but every little bit counts.

2. Plan Tomorrow's Outfit Tonight.
Lay out tomorrow's clothes before you go to bed, or at least think them out. Mornings move more smoothly when your wardrobe is at least mentally sorted ahead of time.

3. Wake With Gratitude.
Get into the habit of starting your day by acknowledging 10 things you are grateful for. Think them out before you get out of bed.
If you start your day with gratitude you will automatically be happy. There's magic in this madness too - the more you tell the Universe you are grateful for, the more things it will give you to be grateful for. 

4. Stretch.
Whether you do sun salutations or just simple stretches, your body, your mind and your soul will love you for it.

5. No Screens For 30 Minutes.
There was a time when I would automatically click on CNN and start scrolling through emails as soon as I woke up. Now I have a no screens policy.
When you don't have news hysteria hijacking your brain, and you wait 30 minutes before even considering opening email, your mind can ease into your day.
I used to think that I needed to be informed and know what was happening in the world, but then I realized that CNN doesn't give you world news anyway, and they just regurgitate the same stories over and over for the first few hours of the morning, so you won't be missing anything if you wait 30 minutes.

6. Play Music.
With news television out of the way, start your day with beautiful music. Or invigorating music. Something happy and inspiring to lift you up.

7. Drink Water Before Coffee.
Start your day with a large glass of cold water infused with lemons.
Lemon water is good for your skin, good for your immune system, detoxes your liver, relieves stress and much more.

start your day with lemon water

8. Exercise. (if you can)
Anytime that I can exercise in the early morning I feel fantastic all day. As a makeup artist I have so many super early starts to the day that I hardly ever get to work out as early as I would like. Even doing just 10 minutes of yoga will lift your spirits, but if you can get outside and run or bike or power walk, mother nature will lift you even more.

9. Live With Intention.
While you are getting ready visualize the day ahead, seeing everything going the way you want it to. Over time you will find that instead of worrying about deadlines and meetings, reviews and potential problems, your brain will automatically plug into the most positive potential outcome. Not only will you walk taller and with more confidence, but instead of worrying about what might go wrong your mind will move to problem solving mode, priming you for success.

10. Make Today Count.
I love this quote from Steve Jobs' famous commencement speech at Stanford in 2005. 
If it was my last day in the world I would spend it traveling somewhere fabulous with those I love most...

For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Have yourself a happy and productive day my friends.
xo

8 Bridal Beauty Blunders

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life.
It is also one of the most photographed days of your life. Make sure that you can enjoy those pictures forever by avoiding the following 8 Bridal Beauty Blunders.

1. Getting Caught Up In Trends.
Trends and fads come and go. The biggest look of the moment will be out of fashion in 3 months. Your wedding look should be timeless and beautiful, and not look dated next year, or in 10 years time.

2. Contouring And Highlighting Like A You Tuber.
Following on from avoiding trends, understand that the excessive highlight and contour you see on you tube is perfect for drag queens, but can be an absolute nightmare for brides.
Most wedding photography happens outdoors in natural light, which is the absolute worst light possible for an over-contoured face. Rather than making you look beautiful, heavy contour and highlight can make you look like a caricature of yourself.
Save your big contour for nightclubs, where it's perpetually dark, and everyone is drunk anyway!

3. Trying Something New.
Your wedding day isn't the day to try something new. Don't break out a big red lip for the first time ever, or suddenly convert to an intense smokey eye or giant strip lash.
Your groom needs to recognize you as you walk down the aisle. You need to look like your very best version of you, not like a stranger to him. 

4. Skipping The Makeup Trial.
The trial is not only important for setting up the look for the day, but it gives you a chance to observe the makeup artist, their skills, products, hygiene. It also gives you a chance to see if their energy matches yours. Some artists are technically brilliant but their energy is just toxic. You need to make sure the vendors who will be around you on your big day bring good energy and a pleasant vibe.

Bring pictures to your trial, both of makeup you love and makeup you hate. It's the best way to make sure you are both on the same page.

5. Shimmer And Shine In The Wrong Places.
I always advise scaling way back on the shimmer, or even skipping it altogether. Shimmer can translate to sparkle in sunlight, and look terribly wrong, especially high on the cheeks and under the brows.
Glowing, dewy skin is lovely, but can make you look oily/sweaty in the wrong light, so don't go overboard on the shine. Adding shine to the center forehead and along the bridge of the nose can be fabulous on a fashion shoot, where everything is controlled, but on a bride can often look like greasy skin.
Avoid glitter completely.

6. Too Much Dark Drama On The Eyes.
Black liner and black shadow are a no-no for brides. Black liner grabs the light and makes you look like you are squinting in all your pictures. If it doesn't shut your eye down in the outdoor light it becomes the main focus on your face, and you see the liner before you see the girl. Opt for dark expresso browns and deep moody purples instead. They will give you the accent you are looking for without closing your eye down.
Even if you can make black shadow look fabulous in the makeup chair, wedding makeup has to last 10 to 12 hours at least, and black shadow as it wears in can make you look heavy and tired under the eye, and can make your eyes look like they have sucked in to the back of your skull.

7. Lashes That Are Too Big.
Back to the outdoor light - lashes can act like awnings hanging over your under eye, creating big shadows that make you look tired and haunted. They can also be too dense at the lash line, making you look squinty in your pictures. Be careful with strip lashes if you are not used to wearing them. Tears can weaken the glue in the inner corners of the lash, making them lift away and look crazy.

8. Foundation Mis-match.
Your foundation needs to match your skin, not only in depth of color, but also in undertone. Your makeup artist needs to know if you are a cool tone or a warm tone, and needs to have a solid grasp on color theory, so that they can build you a perfect color. Once your perfect shade is created it needs to be applied in a sheer and even veil. Thick, chunky foundation looks awful, especially in the daylight. It should look like perfect flawless skin, not thick, opaque makeup.
I just read on a Facebook pro makeup artist community page a post from someone bragging that they do 10 faces in 4 hours for weddings. That is only 24 minutes per person, which tells me some major steps are being missed, and my guess is the first missed step is going to be the creation of the perfect complexion.