7 Shoe Rules Every Girl Should Know

I'm a shoe fiend.
I love shoes more than any girl should, and I've amassed quite the collection over the years!
So my shoe-fetish radar went off when I saw this article on one of my favorite blogs, Career Girl Daily.
Now I want silver shoes...

Not one word of it is mine ~ it was written by Celina from CDG

Image via Vivaluxury

We’ve got all the secrets and insider tips you need to know to finally score that perfect pump at the perfect price!  Here are the rules on which pairs to wear and how to wear them with style.

1

A heel can be too high

Don’t copy what you see on the catwalk. There is nothing less attractive than a girl who can’t walk in her heels. As a matter of fact, 120mm/5 inch heels are bad for you and can actually cause injury!

Loeffler Randall silver flats available at Nordstrom

2

Shop for shoes at the end of the day

You really should only be shopping for shoes at the end of the day when your feet are swollen. That’s a good way to get a size that fits you well.

3

Invest in your shoes

You don’t have to wear designer shoes, but always make sure you have great shoes and a great bag, as that’s all you need. Bad shoes will ruin your feet so you’d better invest in them.

Jimmy Choo Mayje in silver, available at Nordstrom

4

Try on three sizes before you buy

Better be safe than sorry, right? Different brands have different sizes. So try the size you normally wear and try one size bigger and one size smaller to make sure you pick the right size.

5

Comfort is more important than looks

No matter how pretty they are. If you can’t walk in them don’t buy them.

6

Choose one attention grabber

If you wear a basic outfit a stand out pair of shoes will lift your outfit. But if you wear an over the top dress keep it simple with a basic pair of heels.

Prada Oxford in silver, available at Nordstrom

7

Choose the right balance

When you’re wearing a heavily layered look try a thicker heeled shoe to keep things in balance. And the other way around when you’re wearing a flowy skirt a thin strapped sandal could be more appropriate.

Tory Burch "Miller" in silver, available at Nordstrom

Find more articles like this at Career Girl Daily

Keeping It Simple ~ Makeup For Spring 2016

 I just had a new editorial come out (a couple of weeks ago), and I think it's one of my favorites. So I'm showing it to you today. 

Keeping It Simple

French girls understand the key to beauty is keeping it simple.
Create a beautiful complexion opting for a sheer foundation instead of a heavy one, add a little accent to the brow and then complete the story with a lovely lip.
I wanted to evoke a little Parisian beauty for this fashion story, and keep it on trend for Spring 2016. 
You can read about the major makeup trends for Spring 2016 here
and find out about the red lips I'm loving for the new season.

Up Your Beauty Game ~ Add An Essence

It's no secret that I have been totally wowed by Korean skincare (K-Beauty) for a very long time. 

I write about it allll the time. I get so annoyed at over priced skincare products in department stores, that are all consumed with packaging and with their celebrity endorsement, and that make almost no difference to the condition of your skin. I like products that make a huge difference to your skin, a difference that you can see and feel in the first few days.

And that's what happens with state of the art Korean skincare products.

I'm also enthralled with the K-Beauty 10 Step Skincare Regimen and how they layer their products.

Many of my readers want to try it but don't know where to start, and the thought of suddenly going to a 10 Step Program is far too overwhelming, so today lets talk about one Korean skincare product that you can add into your current skincare program. It can be your starter Korean Skincare product.

Essence.

Its Skin Power 10 YE Effector

This is a category of skincare product that for the most part we don't have here in America as part of our normal skincare routines, with the exception of SK II's Facial Treatment Essence

The closest thing to it here would be a serum.

Serums are typically heavy and leave a film on the skin. They are designed to have a few active ingredients that penetrate more deeply than a moisturizer, and deal with specific skin issues.

Korean essences tend to be much more lightweight and at the same time more concentrated.

You use an essence after cleansing and toning and before moisturizing.

What I love is that they disappear into the skin and don't leave a slimy film on the surface. (If you have that extra layer on the surface of the skin makeup will slide around and disappear).

What are your skin concerns? Maybe you have a dull complexion and dark spots. Or maybe you have blackheads and enlarged pores but your skin is also dehydrated? Maybe you are concerned with aging and your skin is dry.

Whatever skin concerns you have there is an essence for each one. 

Another thing I love about essences is that you don't have to break the bank buying them. The first time I bought essence I didn't know what to get, so I bought several different ones by It's Skin for only $11 each. And they were fantastic!
Some good Essences to try are the It's Skin Power 10 series.
The Its Skin Power 10 YE Effector revives skin and improves it's texture and clarity.


The It's Skin Power 10 SYN AKE Essence firms and rejuvenates the skin, and goes to work on fine lines and wrinkles.



The Power 10 Li Effector is all about brightening the skin and going after skin imperfections caused by the sun's damaging rays. Freckles, sun spots and redness are targeted, and it also soothes irritated skin.



The Power 10 VC Effector is all about Vitamin C. It brightens skin, refines skin texture and gives you visable results within a few days!

Ampoules

Not sure about trying an essence? Another option is to make an Ampoule your first K-Beauty product. An Ampoule sits on the other side of serum. It's super charged, super potent and has higher concentrations of the active ingredients. Ampoules are like a super booster for your skin.
You use a small drop after cleansing and toning, before moisturizing.

Again you choose one that is specific to your skin concerns. If I am more concerned about hydration and maybe a little less concerned about Vitamin C, I will buy a super hydrating Ampoule and a Vitamin C essence.
Scinic's Propolis Ampoule helps your skin's cells to regenerate healthier and stronger, giving you a complexion that is clearer, firmer and brighter. And it's only $20!

The CosRx Centella Blemish Ampoule is to clear up troubled skin, give some sebum control and provide a protective barrier to help your skin recover.

(Actually I buy all kinds of different essences and ampoules just because they are so affordable and yet so high performance)

Once you start using Korean skincare products there really is no turning back. Your skin looks so amazing!

I buy my Korean beauty products on the world's largest online Korean Beauty store, Memebox. Everything ships from California so it gets to my house within a couple of days.

How To Spring Clean Your Skin

Finally, finally, winter is on it's way out and spring is here!
As you are packing away your winter clothes and readying your home for the new season, it is also time to do a little spring cleaning on your complexion. 

Winter is the worst season for your skin. Between the harsh, cold weather and warm to hot air with central heating and open fires, those of us who are not celebrities or supermodels tend to get overly sensitive, irritated, dried out skin. 
Now is the time to restore your skin, get it glowing and vibrant again and ready for spring.

Here are three important steps to spring clean your face:

Step One: Change Up Your Cleanser.

In my experience as a makeup artist the single biggest skincare mistake women make is using the wrong cleanser for their skin type. Mostly they are using a cleanser that strips their skin and dries it out.
Personally, I advocate foaming or wash type cleansers only for oil girls and girls battling acne. For anyone else foaming/wash cleansers tend to strip the skin too much.
I am a huge believer in oil cleansers. If your skin is in any way dry, irritated or sensitive an oil cleanser is an amazing choice for you.

For oily skin girls oil cleansers are also fabulous. (I see you backing your way across the room, but hear me out). Think about what happens when you put oil and water together. They separate. They don't play well together. The truth is, if you want to lift away oil, oil is the best thing to use!

I'm in love with these Korean beauty oil cleansers available from Memebox, the world's largest online K-Beauty store. (It's HQ is in northern California, so your order ships from there and arrives in a couple of days, most of the time with free shipping).




I'm Cleansing Oil #02 Fresh Oil for oily or combo skin

I'm Cleansing Oil #1 Moist Oil for normal through dry skin.
Oil cleansers dissolve all makeup, and clean your skin beautifully.
At only $14.00 they are a smoking deal. You don't need much, so they last for ages.

Step Two: Clean a Little Deeper And Remove Dead Cells

With the correct cleanser working for you, now it's time to get some masks happening.
You need to get rid of all the dead skin cells on the surface that are clogging your pores and making your complexion look dull.
Here are three options from Memebox


Black Sugar Mask Wash Off  $14.70
An exfoliating skin-softening mask that will remove dead skin cells and create a soft, radiant complexion with Brazilian black sugar and helps decrease the number of black and white heads.

If your skin is feeling sensitive or irritated you may want to avoid a scrub style exfoliator. Here are 2 options that give you smooth, radiant skin without scrubbing:

Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask $14.00

Innisfree’s Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay mask is one of Korea’s best skincare items of all time. The award-winning product provides 6 intensive pore care functions which effectively puts the skin at its best state. It minimizes pores by contracting them, control excessive sebum production, exfoliates, removes deep-seated dirt, brightens up skin tone and gives a soothing cooling sensation. It contains Jeju volcanic capsules that has AHA to effectively remove dead skin cells and maintain smooth and soft skin.

I have this next one in my Memebox shopping cart. I love enzyme peels and very gentle peel-style exfoliators!

SNP Advanced Peeling Gel $15.00

Free your skin from dead skin cells with SNP Advanced Peeling Gel. This peeling gel gently removes skin impurities along with dead skin cells that usually cause rough skin texture and clogged pores. With seaweed extract as its key component, this peeling gel not only removes dead skin but also supplies abundant nutrients to help improve the skin’s overall condition. It also moisturizes the skin to give a softer, smoother skin texture.

Step Three: Nourish

Once you have your skin beautifully cleansed and masked it's time to add back in nutrients that your skin is craving.
In Korean beauty the final step each night, after loading the skin up with essences and ampoules is to seal all the goodness in with what they call a sleeping pack.
A sleeping pack falls somewhere in between a night-cream and a moisture mask. (don't worry - they don't wind up all over your pillowcase).
When you get up in the morning you simply rinse away whatever is left with a warm washcloth.



The Waterest Vital Sleeping Pack is only $25.00
Invigorate and restore radiance to your skin while enjoying a relaxing, beauty sleep! Waterest Vital Sleeping Pack features premium revitalizing natural ingredients that boosts the skin’s nourishment and moisture retention to ensure great skin the very moment you wake up. It contains double-fermented lotus flower extract which delivers moisture to the skin twice as fast. It helps purify and hydrate the skin overnight to give you smooth, soft and glowing skin the very next morning.

And now your skin is spring cleaned and reboosted, and you are looking once again like your most gorgeous self!

Win VIP Passes To A Private Screening Of Allegiant

It's giveaway time again! Are you a fan of the Divergent series?

The third installment of the blockbuster Divergent franchise is set to open on March 18th.

Lionsgate Films has given the Corinna B's World blog 5 Pairs of VIP Passes to a private advanced screening of this movie on Tuesday March 15th.
The screening is in Tempe Arizona, so this giveaway is only open to those who either live here or live close enough to get here.

SYNOPSIS:

 ALLEGIANT takes Tris [Shailene Woodley] and Four [Theo James] into a new world, far more dangerous than ever before.

 After the earth-shattering revelations of INSURGENT, Tris must escape with Four and go beyond the wall enclosing Chicago. For the first time ever, they will leave the only city and family they have ever known. Once outside, old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless with the revelation of shocking new truths. Tris and Four must quickly decide who they can trust as a ruthless battle ignites beyond the walls of Chicago which threatens all of humanity. In order to survive, Tris will be forced to make impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice and love.

Check out more cool Allegiant previews here

Enter to win here via the Rafflecopter widget.

You can get more entries everyday and increase your chances!

The giveaway closes on March 13 at midnight.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Coolest New Skin Care Product Ever! 7 Seconds Morning Sheets

I just discovered the coolest new skincare product (ever!) for the busy, modern girl-on-the-go! 

Do you find yourself skipping parts of your A.M. skincare routine because you are running late, over slept, or just can't deal, and then all day long your makeup doesn't sit quite right because your skin didn't get prepped properly?
Or maybe your post-workout skin is flushed and sweaty and won't talk to your skin care products, leaving you looking like an oil slick landed on your face?
Or maybe you live somewhere hot and dry and your skin is literally begging you for some love when you get home? 
Or maybe you sit in front of a computer screen all day and your skin hates you?

I have the answer for you! 
It's a South Korean beauty secret called 7 Seconds Morning Sheets.


This one-step product has clarifying toner, essence (a fast absorbing super lightweight super serum) and moisturizer all in one. At $19 for an entire tub they are a smoking deal too!

You keep your 7 Seconds Morning Sheets in the refrigerator so that they stay nice and cold, (or if you are like me and take them out and about with you, keep them in a lunch cooler with an icepack).

The way they are supposed to be used is in the morning you lift out one of the little sheets and spend 7 soothing seconds wiping it across your face.



During that 7 seconds your skin gets a high potency, pre makeup treatment that lasts all day.

If you tend to have an oilier complexion this may be all you need.
If you are like me and trend normal to dry, you may add in some other products too.
If you are or have a teenager this is a super fast way to give your skin what it needs to look gorgeous.

After much scientific research (A.K.A me playing with them endlessly), I found they were great to keep in a lunchbox cooler with icepacks and take with me on shoots to give my models a little high speed skin loving. I also found that after the gym they are skin savers. When I am working day and night for multiple days in a row and I just feel and look like hell, they are soooo wonderful, all icy cool and refreshing.
Days like today, spent in front of a computer screen feel rewarded with 7 seconds of skin swiping.
Now I'm trying to figure out how to keep them cold on a plane for some travel-skin rescue!
They also work without refrigeration, but I like the cooling effect.

You can find this treasure in a tub on my favorite skin care website, Memebox.
Memebox is the world's largest online Korean skincare store and is based out of California, so shipping is super fast and mostly free (I think you just need a $35 order to get free shipping)

Read more about Korean Skincare here

8 Things You Must Do In Naples

Ah - the beautiful chaos of Napoli! I'm in love with this city.

Did you know that Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world?? Bronze Age Greek settlements were established in the second millennium BC. 

lovers and families in Naples

Naples is gritty and raw, and a bit dirty. It is also fast, sexy and very exciting. 

This beautiful city is the gateway to the more refined and subdued Amalfi Coast, the main access point to the incredibly chic Capri, the spa-like island of Ischia, and to one of the 10 most colorful places on earth, the gorgeous and quaint little island of Procida. 

Her suburbs include Pompeii and Herculaneum ( Read my blogpost about Pompeii: Things You Probably Didn't Know About Pompeii)

Naples is a heartbeat city. Alive, vibrant and fun, a city you absolutely need to experience.

On foot. Even with all the miles I have racked up driving the length and breadth of Italy and Sicily you couldn't pay me to drive in the madness that is Naples. Even on a scooter.

A vacation on the Amalfi Coast needs at least a day devoted to Napoli. But once you've spent a day in Naples you will leave itching to get back for more. A week wouldn't be enough time to see it all in Naples!

Here are 8 Things You Must Do In Naples.

1. Drink Coffee. 

Italy has the best coffee in the world, and Naples has the best coffee in all of Italy. Start your day in Naples with a quick caffe or macchiato, and then stop throughout the day to get refueled. 
Neopolitan coffee is very, very strong. It tastes like no other coffee on earth. In a way, it ruins you, because after coffee in Napoli every coffee you drink pales by comparison. Just don't go past 9 in one day...

 News articles have told of unfortunates who drank ten espressi in one day and keeled over dead as a result. 

2. Walk Spaccanapoli

Spaccanapoli, literally split Naples, is a perfectly straight street that dates back 2000 years to Greek times. It runs right through the heart of Naples' historic center. 
Walking Spaccanapoli you experience a sensory overload of everything you've ever thought Naples to be. It is narrow and vertical, built up high with fantastic old buildings. At street level it is teeming with life, a visual explosion of shops and people and restaurants, and, well, life!
The sounds of Spaccanapoli are wonderful and loud. Neopolitans don't talk, they shout. And gesture, and emote. They are wonderful!
Don't forget to look up and see the laundry strung out across the street, drying in the coastal breeze.

3. Eat Baba. 

This light as air cake is smothered in a rum syrup. Or maybe it's pure rum? Who knows - I could swear I got a little buzz from it.

Either way Baba is a must.

4. Walk and walk and walk. 

This is definitely not a city to view from a bus window. Hit the street and make a circuit from the train station down past the university, cut through to the Plaza Plebiscito, walk up through San Carlos,  the mall Galleria Umberto and see the exquisite Buildings being restored to their former elegance. 

From there head up to Spaccanapoli, a lone, narrow road that literally splits Naples in half. There is so much to see here! Santa Chiara and it's amazing  cloisters, the cathedral of San Gregorio Armeno and via San Gregorio Armeno where you can buy the world famous presepi. 

These are nativity scenes and individual items from nativity scenes which are an integral part of the Italian Christmas. Every home has one. 

They are not just the 3 Wise Men and Jesus in the manger, the Neopolitan presepi include everyone who lives  in the village. They are so detailed and spectacular and special!You can buy entire nativity scenes to bring home, or individual Christmas decoration pieces. 

One thing I found amazing about spending time in Campania in December was the presepi set up on random little streets by members of the community, replete with hundreds of individual pieces, some of them very very old. 

part of a presepi outside on the street in Salerno

No one stole any pieces, no one damaged any of it, stray cats didn't knock anything over. They were just there for everyone to enjoy. I can't imagine one lasting one night here in America.

5 Visit subterranean Napoli. 

Beneath the heart of the espresso-fueled madness of the city is a geothermal zone called Campi Flegrei, full of fascinating tunnels, catacombs and caves, galleries, Roman roads, early Christian burial sites, frescoes and mosaics. Take a tour and see the galleries the Romans used for their engineering works, see ruins of a Roman theater and typical Neopolitan houses called basso. 
After the volume life is lived at up above you will welcome the almost silence here below. 

Discover the best hotels in Naples

6 Visit The Veiled Christ

The Veiled Christ at Cappella Sansevero will take your breath away. 
How on earth did Giuseppe Sammartino do that? 
Sculpted in marble in 1753, the veiled Christ is considered to be one of the world's sculptural masterpieces. The veil actually brings out the body even more than a regular sculpture (did that make sense?), the shroud or veil adhering perfectly to his form, somehow making Jesus' suffering and the pain in his face palpable. 
Don't be surprised if this statue brings you to tears. And don't miss it if you are in the Naples area. ( the Cappello Sansavero is closed on Tuesdays, so work your entire trip around being in Naples on any other of the 6 days of the week).

7 Visit The Caravaggios.

Caravaggio lived and painted for a little less than 4 years in Naples. After murdering a man in Malta he returned to Naples, where he in turn was murdered to avenge the Maltese.

Of the three remaining Caravaggios in Napoli, perhaps the most spectacular is the Seven Acts Of Mercy, a life sized dark and chaotic piece housed in Pio Monte Della Misericordia.
This is art historian Andrew Graham Dixon's favorite painting by his favorite painter. Hearing him speak about it, or reading his book on Caravaggio (A Life Sacred And Profane) will turn you too into a devotee. If you only see one Caravaggio while you are in Naples, make it this one.

8 Eat Pizza

Of course you know you have to eat pizza in Naples! This is the best pizza in the world.

A couple of notes on Napoli

The best way to arrive and depart Napoli is by sea.
I have arrived by overnight ferry from Sicily at 6 in the morning, and I have sailed to Sicily from Naples as the sun was going down.
The Bay of Naples is really beautiful.
Arriving by car or by train you have to traverse endless awful suburbs crawling with run-down housing projects that bring to mind every mafia story you have ever heard. It can be unnerving.
First impressions stay with you forever, so make your first view of Naples be the staggeringly beautiful view from the bay as your boat arrives. You will see the city, the mountains, and Vesuvius lazing menacingly to the side. 

watching the sun set over Naples from the deck of our boat

Leave your jewels behind, or if you have to bring them with you, don't wear them in Naples. Naples is known for having wily pickpockets and con artists who excel at separating tourists from their diamond rings and Rolex.
The police have cleaned things up massively, so crime is down, but don't tempt fate.
I was always told to wear a cross-body bag in Naples so that boys racing past on scooters couldn't grab it and be in the wind.
I haven't had any problems there, and haven't seen anything going on, but may err on the side of caution.

I met the most fantastic people in Naples. Loud, gregarious, warm, fun and friendly - I can't wait to go back.