The Nude Sandal - Spring And Summer's Perfect Shoe

Back when I first moved to Los Angeles, hanging out in her dressing room at CBS one day, Vanna White gave me one of the most important fashion pointers ever.
She told me to always buy nude heels - sandals and pumps, because a nude high heeled shoe will always elongate and slim the leg.

I've never forgotten it. To this day when I'm buying nude heels I always think of her. And right now I'm in the market for the perfect nude heel for spring, because a nude heel goes with everything.
Dress up jeans and a t-shirt, take the vamp out of a black dress, feel chic with a sundress, give more leg to your jeans shorts - there are endless fabulous ways to wear nude sandals.

I don't have time to go to the store, so I've been cruising Nordstrom.com looking for the perfect nude sandals for spring.

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Steve Madden Lavii Platform $99.95

Frye Sara Harness Strap Sandal $277.95

Greet Spring with New Arrivals in Women's Shoes—now at Nordstrom. FREE Shipping. FREE Returns.

Jimmy Choo Holly Sandal $925.00

Stuart Weitzman Elixir Sandal $455

Jessica Simpson Barrow Sandal $89.00

Prada Strappy Wedge Sandal $790

Everybody Wants Some Press Tour

I don't normally say too much about the totally cool jobs I go out on, largely because I'm old school. I started my career at a time when the goings on behind the scenes remained behind the scenes.

But today I'm going to tell you about a super fun gig I was on last week, because I want you to go see the movie.

Last week I was on a press tour for Richard Linklater's new movie
Everybody Wants Some!! which opens April 8th.

Basically I spent my time grooming the totally gorgeous and hilarious cast members Tayler Hoechlin, Blake Jenner, Glen Powell, Wyatt Russell, Juston Street, Will Brittain, J Quinton Johnson, and Forrest Vickery.
It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it.

If you follow me on Instagram you will have seen this hair and makeup team selfie, taken at one of the Fox affiliates.

There are 8 ridiculously handsome men on set behind us, but we are dealing with the serious business of taking selfies

In the middle there's the statuesque Allison, flanked on the left by Colleen and me on the right.
If you don't follow me on Instagram yet, you should! There is all kinds of different content on my insta that you won't find here on the blog.

Anyway, The film is hysterically funny. It's set in Texas in 1980 and follows college freshman (Blake Jenner), his new baseball teammates and their disco dancing, girl chasing party crowd. It has a killer soundtrack, to which I know every single word, except for Rapper's Delight, (which the boys can drop and rap on a dime).
And have I mentioned it's hilarious??

A press tour basically involves a bunch of days doing media interviews. 

Behind the scenes at an NBC affiliate interview. I'm standing behind the cooking segment set

Early morning, breakfast TV interview

We had some at TV stations, and loads more with national media at a baseball stadium. These are the 2 minute interviews you see on TV promoting a new movie. sometimes they are pre-tapes that will air closer to the opening date, others are live interviews.

Blake, Will and Tara on the interview set

Blake, Glen and Will 

These last 2 images I lifted from TV personality Tara Hitchcock's
Twitter (@TaraTV1)

Tara, Tayler, Wyatt and Juston

Blake Jenner and Will Brittain with Tara Hitchcock

Check out the trailer for Everybody Wants Some

Us and them

Make sure you go see Everybody Wants Some, opening April 8th!

The Best Braids Of Spring 2016

Don't you just love braids? I think they are fantastic.

The spring 2016 runways were full of braids.
You can wear them messy, you can wear them sleek, you can wear them chic.

wrap around braids at Herve Leger

Images by Frazer Harrison/Getty images

Make a braid the focus of your look, or use it to keep your hair out of your face when its hot outside.

Versatile and fabulous here are the braids of spring 2016, courtesy of The Outfit.com. You can see more of these braids here

sexy, messy braids at Alexander McQueen

image by Fracois Durand / Getty Images

braids at Celine Spring 2016

 Images Bertrand Guay / Getty images

braids at celine spring 2016

sexy, messy high pony braid at Alice and Olivia

 Image by Andrew Toth / Getty Images

messy braids at Lauren Conrad Spring 2016

In the mood for more braids?

The Barefoot Blonde Amber Fillerup-Clark is easily the reigning queen of braids.
I love checking out her Instagram just to see what she is doing with her hair, and what type of braid she's sporting today. If you search "braids" on pinterest your feed becomes the Amber Fillerup show.

Which type of braid would you like to wear??
Happy braiding!

What To Eat In Venice

What To Eat In Venice

Food in Venice often gets a really bad rap, which is such a shame because the local cuisine is fantastic.

Unlike stateside, in Italy there isn't just one type of Italian food - the food of Italy is regional, so you need to know ahead of time about the local delicacies from the region you are traveling to.

Wood burning ovens are largely prohibited in Venice, so pizzas and breads are not that great. Eat your pizza in Naples, in Venice satiate your hunger with the fruits of the Adriatic.

Venice is a city of seafood. In spite of the lagoon getting churned up by unending cruise ship traffic, it still is full of fish, as well as all the seafood gleaned from the surrounding area in the Adriatic.
A walk through the Rialto Market (in San Polo - you can't miss it!) will show you a dazzling variety of seafood, some you've probably never seen or tasted before. Local restauranteurs shop here, so you are previewing what you will be eating later in the day. You will also find an unbelievable array of spices in the mercado ,having made their way here centuries ago dating back to the spice trade. 

** Spices from asia and northern africa accessed the rest of the world via the world trade center, Venice.**

Make sure you try fritto misto, a mixture of deep fried squid, octopus and prawns. Unlike the heavy, oily deep fried seafood you're used to, Venetian chefs are superbly light handed, creating a divine misto that doesn't weigh you down.

Venetians are also celebrated for their cakes and pastries. Step up to the bar in a coffee shop, order a caffe (espresso to non italians) and enjoy a baicoli or a busolai, little local light biscuit/cookies.

One of the most fun ways to enjoy eating in Venice is to go bacari hopping.
A bacaro is a bar. Stop in for the local drink, prosecco, and pair it with a tapas like snack known as ciccheti. 

These are little finger foods, perfect with a light drink. 
Try sarde in saor, grilled octopus, baccala Montevarchi, shrimp prepared in many different ways - it's a great way to get a taste of Venice. 
If you are like me, a total lightweight when it comes to drinking, you can order un'ombra (a shadow) or smaller taste of wine.

 By stopping here and there for ciccheti you wind up eating far less than if you are sitting down in a restaurant for a full meal. Plus it's much more fun, especially in the early evenings when all the locals are out and about, stopping to socialize on their way home. 

How To Enjoy The Best Of Venice ~ learn what most tourists don't see or experience

Another thing you will see is people sipping on sunset colored drinks, normally red or orange. These are the famous Venetian spritz. White wine with a splash of campari (the red) or my favorite, with Aperol (the orange). The loveliest way to end the day and welcome the early evening is to sit outside a bacaro with a spritz and some snacks and watch the world go by. Avoid Piazza San Marco (as it will cost the same as your car payment!) instead head into the other neighborhoods, such as Cannaregio, and join the locals. The people watching is much more fun here! Read more about it in my post on Ca' D'Oro (linked here)

Read more about traveling in Venice here

Check out my favorite neighborhood in Venice, the magnificent Dorsoduro

The Best Bronzer, The Perfect Eyeshadow Palette, New Liquid Lips and W Magazine ~ Happy Sunday

 So this was my morning.

W magazine, an espresso, and a quick look at some new makeup that arrived last week.

I love W Magazine. They get so out of the box with their editorials, it's endlessly inspiring.

There were some teens on the cover, who I have exactly zero interest in, but the first thing I do anyway when I open W is go to Gio's Journal. Fashion editor Giovanna Battaglia is one of my favorite people. 

Her life looks so glamorous, and to me she represents the epitome of confidence in a woman.

Check out these gorgeous pictures of Gio and a post on how to look and feel confident

One of my friends was showing me the "best bronzer ever!!" the other day. I actually really loved the color and the texture, and needed a new bonzer so I was all ready to hit the mall or Sephora or wherever and grab one. Then she told me it was 
Miami Glow Bronzer from Motives.

I generally run a mile when I hear anything is from a multi level marketing company. Not because the product isn't any good, but because the distributors hound you to death to buy more things or sign up under them when all you want is one product. It drives me half out of my mind! 
I don't know much about Motives, but from what I understand they don't manufacture their own makeup products, instead pull from private labels and other manufacturers. You can find a distributor anywhere, but if you are like me and hate it when people try to recruit you, you can use this affiliate link to get the Miami Glow Bronzer.

While getting the bronzer I was shown (of course) some eye shadow palettes. I bought this one primarily for travel but I think I will end up using it daily because the color selection is so good. It has 5 matte neutral shades along the top and 5 neutral shimmer shades along the bottom. 

This palette (the Demure palette) is like the little black dress or the killer black pants of your makeup wardrobe. These are the essentials that are the backbone of your wardrobe, or in this case your makeup case. Most eye shadow palettes give you a few good shades and pad it out with others you will never use, but the colors and textures in this palette are awesome. If you don't want to buy from a distributor here is an affilate link for the Demure Palette

Disclaimer: I am not a Motives distributor and have no intention of ever becoming one. These links are via blogger affiliate marketing. Please do not try and recruit me to this or any other MLM

I'm also excited about right now about these Phyto Pigment Liquid Lips from Juice Beauty. You may have heard about the Juice Beauty - Gwyneth Paltrow connection. She is the Creative Director of their makeup line. (You can read about it here.)
The Liquid Lip colors are all named after Gwyneth's peeps, fro her mother Blythe, to her friends such as Reese and Cameron to her daughter Apple.

Juice Beauty makeup skin care and hair care products are all organic and start from a base of organic botanical juice.




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9 Things You Need To Do Before You Go To Italy this Summer

Summer will be here before you know it and if you are planning on traveling to Italy this year during the sunshine months there are several things that you can be doing right now to get prepared. Today we look at nine of them.

9 Things You Need To do Before You Go To Italy This Summer

1. Buy Travel Insurance.

I cannot stress this strongly enough.
Buy. Travel. Insurance.

Take a look at the Most Popular Trip Insurance plans Allianz has to offer.

It's not expensive and it will protect you from missed or cancelled flights, lost luggage, and medical problems, including flying you home with a nurse if need be. If you get sick and can't travel it will help you recoup your losses.
I get mine through Allianz, but shop around and see what works best for you.

Check out the Top Ten reasons why people buy Travel Insurance and see if it is right for you.

2. Get Your International Drivers License 

If you get he chance to drive in Italy it's super good fun!
If you are on a bus tour or a cruise you probably won't have time to do any driving, but if you are roaming on your own or having some extra days at the end of your tour, make sure you have an international drivers license. (You can pick them up at AAA)

Read about renting cars in Italy here

3. Book Your Intercity Trains Now.

The train system in Italy is amazing. Its super efficient, quick and inexpensive. (Why don't we have that here??)

checking out the handsome conductor on the Rome to Florence fast train

The local trains are super cheap and you just buy your ticket from the dude at the ticket office (or the ticket machine), but the high speed intercity trains can cost a fortune if you buy tickets on the day at the station. I use RailEurope.com and buy all my intercity train trips online well ahead of time. 
I've just finished buying all the intercity train tickets for the 2016 Corinna B's World Glam Italia Tours. By buying tickets ahead of time we are able to travel first class for the same price as economy.
Which means more money for shopping!

4. Book tickets To Museums, Colosseums, and Day Tours.

Don't waste 3 hours of your vacation standing in line waiting for tickets to get into the Uffizi Gallery or the Colosseum, book your tickets online before you leave home.
If you are planning on taking a day trip somewhere book it now before it gets sold out.

5. Google Where You Are Going.

View of Giardini Naxos from the Greek Theater in Taormina, Sicily

Don't just rely on your tour guide to tell you everything - do a little research yourself. You may find that there is something you would die to see in the next town over, or that you will be close to a famous winery or art museum that you would love to go to.
Italian towns and villages have their own market day each week. With a little knowledge up your sleeve you can plan day trips around market days so that you don't miss them.


There are always music festivals, festivals celebrating the local saints, parades - all kinds of fantastic events that it would be a shame to miss, so research the towns you are going to, and also look at other towns and villages nearby.

6. Read Reviews On TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor is your best friend when traveling. From reviews on where to eat, to where to stay, to whats good to do in the city, town or village you are going to, there is a wealth of information, all submitted by other travelers.

I have found so many incredible places to go, things to do and absolutely killer places to eat in Italy from reading reviews on TripAdvisor.
Don't Miss Out! See Today's Top Hotel Deals at TripAdvisor
I'm on there as Corinna B's World, and as much as possible I try to leave reviews too.
You can book flights on TripAdvisor and find places to stay.
It's brilliant!

       

7. Learn Some Simple Things To Say

Wherever you are traveling in the world you should always learn a few basic things to say including hello, goodbye, please, thank you, where is the... , how much does this cost, etc.
Making an effort and being polite will both get you a long way in a foreign country.

8. Make Sure Your Passport Is Current

You still have ample time to get your passport renewed or to get a passport. But you don't have much time.

9. Learn The Food, Regionally

Learn the wines too.
There isn't just one "Italian Food". The cuisine changes regionally.
in my experience it is very different to most American-Italian food.
Do some research on the foods of the places you are going so that you don't miss out on something fantastic that is specific to a place you are traveling to.
Eat Panforte in Tuscany, especially in Siena. Eat cicchetti and drink a spritz in Venice,  you have to try baba' in Naples, and of course eat pizza and drink their amazing coffee (read more about Naples here). Drink Limoncello when you are on the Amalfi Coast - every place in Italy has something special!