More Things To Do In Rome ~ Teatro Marcello

I'm just crazy about Rome.

Piazza Navona, June 2016, rain coming in

I love the history, I love the hustle and bustle, I love the people, the ambiance, the vibe.
Rome is a walking city - the best way to experience it, to get to know it, is to hit the streets and walk. That's where you get to see the color and fabric of a city, learn it's textures and it's smells and it's sounds, and that's they way to see how the real folk live.

My street in the Trastevere, Rome

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

Most people traveling to Rome seem to only go to the main sights - Colosseum, Vatican, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, which although they are fantastic don't really let you experience Rome. They just put you with a million other tourists jostling for a good camera angle. There is so much more to do in Rome
I've written before about things I love to do in Rome and about things you may not know about Rome but this week I want to tell you about some other cool things to do in Rome. So each day it's going to be something new. Check in each day this week because there are some really fabulous places to add to your Rome to do list!

The Teatro Marcello

A short walk down the street from the Wedding Cake (Monument Victor Emmanuel II) and the Forum you find the lesser known but totally fantastic Teatro Marcello. It looks like a mini Colosseum.

Completed in 11BC by Emperor Augustus and named after his nephew Marcus Claudius (who died before it's completion), the theater was actually the brain-child of Julius Caesar. Theaters were traditionally built from wood, and would burn down or otherwise succumb to destruction, so Caesar decided to have a permanent theater built.

It is still is use today.

Teatro Marcello by night, June 2016

I always take people to see the Teatro Marcello, and invariably we are the only people around. Walk in any direction from the Teatro Marcello and you will find amazing things to look at and places to explore with very few tourists blocking your view.

Ponte Sisto and the Vatican at night, June 2016

Teatro Marcello is wonderful at night. From there walk down to the river and take in the view of the bridges at night with the Vatican in the background.

10 Things Only People Winning At Life Understand

This post came to my inbox this morning from Career Girl Daily.

Although CDG is really geared to early twenty-somethings it is a fantastic blog for all women to subscribe to. 

Their information is always on point, current, relevant, and if you actually apply what they say you'll find that no matter what your age is, it really works. When I read this post this morning I realized that I am failing in many of these points. I work too many hours, skip meals, don't get enough sleep, am always multitasking and seldom get time to unwind. I am however the queen note taker and drink water all day long.

I'm going to make a conscious effort to do each of these 10 items, every day, for the next 30 days (so that they become habit...)

Check out more great posts from Career Girl Daily here

10 Things Only People Winning At Life Understand

image via Career Girl Daily

Do you ever look at those people who are winning at life and wonder how the heck they got so successful?

They might be one of your high school friends who’s now killing it at a top-tier law firm or a colleague who just keeps getting promoted. But that person could also be you.

There are many things successful people always do that guarantees them wins in almost every aspect of their lives. They are all quite easy to pick up but it’s the trick of adding them to your daily life that makes a huge difference. It’s definitely doable so look no further for your roadmap to success!

#1 Tackle one thing at a time

Sure it’s great to be that office multi-tasker, helping everyone out. But studies have shown that when our attention is divided between tasks our attention to detail falls short.

Of course, your tasks will sometimes get interrupted. Some of us are super busy, but if you try doing one thing for at least 20 minutes you’ll see how much your work improves when your focus is narrowed.

#2 Get home for dinner (or at least at a reasonable hour)

There’s always going to be late nights at the office on occasion but the last thing you want to do is make them the norm. Know when to put your pen down so to speak and leave. Being at home with your family or flatmates with time to relax can lower your stress levels after a crazy day.

#3 Don’t scrimp on sleep

Science has shown us that when we’re super overtired we have the same brain function as someone who has been drinking! You don’t want to be that person in the office. Getting a good night’s sleep helps you deal with stress and figure out the infinite issues that daily life brings.

Sleeping in on the weekend, unfortunately, doesn’t count for 5 hour nights during the week. Make sure to get at least 7 if not 8 every night.

#4 Don’t skip meals

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And so is lunch. And dinner! You do need to get all three. If we don’t have enough food, our bodies conserve energy for the most basic of functions. Which will make you feel drained mentally and physically. Load up on healthy fruit and vegetables, complex carbohydrates and try to get some protein in at every meal.

#5 Water, water, water!

Water is so, so important for you every day. Even if you get a tiny bit dehydrated you’ll start to feel a headache coming on, your brain function will dip; you might even feel hungry when you’re not. Hello, regrettable afternoon biscuit run! Keep a big bottle on your desk and aim to refill it at least once if not twice a day.

#6 Stay moving

Successful people understand that their mental strength is tied to their physical strength. They use that to their advantage. They work out to solve problems and relieve stress. It’s the best way to free up some mental space!

#7 Write everything down

Carry a notebook around with you and write down anything work related that you don’t understand or any terms you’re not familiar with. Research them later, either on your own or by asking your boss. Knowledge is power and the more knowledge you have the easier your job will become. People will turn to you for advice or help – even before you’re promoted above them!

#8 Refrain from the inbox

Whilst it might seem wise to keep an eye on your emails all day, make sure it doesn’t rule your life. Some employees will be tied down to it, but if it’s not your full job you shouldn’t be a slave to it. Try to make it a habit that you only check it a few times unless you’re waiting on something urgent. The inbox can draw us away from our tasks so allow some time for checking then move on.

#9 Dress for the part

People always look successful before they are successful. That old adage, “dress for the job you want, not the one you have” is so true. Do whatever you have to do to make sure you look professional at all times. Wear makeup and try to style your hair every day if your career demands it. Otherwise, ensure you’re clean and well-groomed. These things go a long way when your superiors are discussing whether you’re suited to that higher role.

#10 Leave time to unwind!

This one is definitely as important as the rest – and fun! Working hard to get apromotion or get your business off the ground is all important, but you should make sure you still leave time for yourself.

Catch up with friends, see that movie, go shopping or out to a nice dinner. These things improve your outlook on life and your emotional stability and in turn, will help to make you that successful person you know you can be!

Summer Beauty Essentials ~ 7 Skin Care Must Haves

Summer is the season of skin.
There is no other season when it is more important that your skin is radiant and glowing. Summer requires you to either go bare skinned, or at least trick your makeup to look like you are going bare skinned.
Summer is also all about travel, and nothing is guaranteed to jack your skin up quite like travel does, so you need to have a game-plan in place.

Here are 7 must have summer beauty essential skin care products.

Your first thought has to be the climate you are traveling to, or how your home climate is changing.
The oil cleansers that I swear by in dry climates often don't cut it in humid places. There is every chance that your normal moisturizer either won't be enough or will be too much over the summer months, or at your summer travel destination. Before you travel, or before you invest in new products for home, factor in the humidity or lack of, and buy your skin care in travel sizes.

Cleansers

If you are going somewhere  humid you may need a foaming cleanser or a wash formula. If you are going somewhere hot and dry an oil cleanser or a milk cleanser may be your saving grace.
Not sure which direction to go? 

Try Innisfree Green Tea Cleansing Water at only $12 it's a steal.



Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist

Greatest thing ever! I take this on the plane with me to spritz on when my skin feels dry.
In dry places it can boost your moisturizer, in humid places sometimes its all I use. It's a lifesaver.

Sunscreen.

The most important thing that you can do for your skin is wear sunscreen every day. Broad spectrum, (UVA and UVB protection) with a high SPF. It's non negotiable.

Try Kiehls Super Fluid SPF 50 available at Nordstrom

An Exfoliator.

Hot weather and extra sunscreen can make your skin get congested and make the texture feel thick. 

Help it stay clear and smooth with a gentle exfoliator or enzyme mask/peel. 

A Dry Oil

I am obsessed with facial oils for intense moisture, the nourishing properties they have and for how they make the skin glow. But when you are on a beach vacation or somewhere humid adding an oil into your skin care regimen can leave you feeling downright greasy. And who needs that? 

So when I travel I always have Tatcha's travel sized dry finish Camelia Oil with me. (Not only does it make your skin look phenomenal it also soothes and calms it  it after a day at the beach. Makeup glides on over top and doesn't slip away due to the dry finish.

Sheet Masks

Whether you are dry and need hydration or whether you are oily and need help clearing your skin, there's a sheet mask for you. Use them once per week all summer and your skin will be gorgeous!
Memebox has a limited time offer of their Summer Mask Bundle. 11 hydrating sheet masks for only $18! If this is sold out when you go to their website, go to their masks section and pick and choose what you need based on your skin concern.

Eye Gels

These are the greatest thing when you are feeling or looking tired, or when you need an under-eye booster. The morning after the night before they will soothe and de-puff your hungover eyes, they totally revitalize you after a long flight, and after a day at the beach they add in just the right amount of moisture so that makeup will go on evenly and look pretty.
I travel with individual packs of Elisha Coy Snail Hydrogel Eye Patches that I order online from Memebox. They are super convenient to travel with!

Summer Beauty Essentials - 8 Must Have Hair Products

If someone gave you a truly fantastic trip out of the blue, for say, next week, would you be ready to jump on a plane and go?
I have spent my entire adult life ready to take that flight.

And funnily enough when you are ready to board a flight at a moment's notice all kinds of fantastic opportunities find their way to you. 
Whether it's flying to the Caribbean to shoot workout videos, meeting a family member in Europe, accompanying a client to Cabo or Turks and Caicos or just heading out on vacation somewhere fabulous, I am convinced trips come my way because I am always ready to go.

Part of always being ready to go is having all my travel beauty essentials packed and waiting for that next trip. Thanks to the security folks at London's Heathrow airport confiscating the bulk of my travel beauty products, the same products packed in the same clear plastic travel bags that have made their way round and round the world more times than I care to count, I now have to make a list and re-buy it all.

Luckily most of my hair products were packed in my suitcase.

My list of travel beauty essentials doubles up as a list of summer beauty essentials, today we are looking at summer travel hair care:

Summer Beauty Essentials ~ 8 Must Have Hair Products

Rahua Voluminous Shampoo and Rahua Voluminous Conditioner
I love these two because they are 100% organic, make your hair bouncy and shiny, and lets face it who doesn't want added volume??

The Ouidid Curl Essentials Trial Set $36 Embrace your curls! This is the greatest thing ever for bringing out the best in your curly or wavy hair. This was my first trip letting my hair go curly, and I had been obsessively obsessing over these products, right up until they got confiscated. I tried t pick up another set at Naimies in L.A. on my way home, but they were out of stock, so I am re-ordering them online this week.

Oribe Travel Sized Gold Lust Oil $37
This lightweight yet luxurious hair oil smoothes,adds glorious shine and is the perfect antidote to a day at the beach. It has a gold fleck in it that keeps your hair looking luscious. I've traveled with it for years - partly because it is super concentrated and lasts for a really long time! You absolutely cannot beat the smell of Oribe products either.

Glossy hair in Siena, on the Glam Italia Tour

Bumble And Bumble Thickening Spray
My hairdresser just turned me on to this one a few months ago. Even though I have more hair than the next three people all put together, I use this to create volume at the root when I'm blow-drying my hair smooth. It also helps you to get more mileage out of your blowout.

Oribe Travel Sized Style Cream
For luxuriously smooth hair that bounces when you walk and smells like heaven.

Oribe Cote d'Azur Hair Refresher
Spritz a little of this magic spray through your mane any time you want your hair to be refreshed and smell like heaven. This one is a must after a long flight, when everyone's hair smells gross!

Bumble and Bumble Surf Infusion
If you are going for beachy waves and don't have to fight curly, frizzy hair, channel your inner Aniston with Bumble's Surf Infusion.

Staying At Yotel

I was super excited to be having a 12 hour layover in London on my way home from Italy.

image via TravelandLeisure.com

I had all these fantastic plans to check my bags and take the tube into town and go hit my old neighborhood. 
I figured I would have time to hit the Kings Road and Knightsbridge, Kensington High Street and Notting Hill - being that I didn't need to actually buy anything I could just walk and walk the streets and neighborhoods where my career started and where I kicked off my wild 20's. Hell, I would even have time to swing over to Camden town. It was going to be perfect!

Right up until I actually looked at my ticket and saw that my 12 hour layover was from 10 pm until 10 am.

So now I had to figure out how to play it in one of the most expensive cities on earth. A cab ride and a hotel could be super expensive, but I wasn't about to sit at Heathrow Terminal 5 for 12 hours.

Some international airports that have long layovers have hotels that you book by the hour, inside the terminal. So I decided to check out that option in case Heathrow did, and low and behold I found that they have one in Terminal 4.

Yotel is a fantastic concept for the long distance traveler. Instead of large hotel rooms that you book by the day, these are more like the berth on a ship or a large overnight train cabin. It's a micro-hotel and it is everything the weary long distance traveler needs.

A Yotel room is super streamlined, pristine and very modern. You have a bed with a big fluffy duvet and a flat screen TV, a slither of a bathroom with a monsoon shower, a desk and a chair.
Everything you need to freshen up, get a few hours sleep and catch your next flight without dealing with traffic and a commute.
Your suitcase has checked through to your final destination, so it's just you, your carry on, a hot shower and a good night's sleep.

image via yotel.com

You book and pay online ahead of time so check in and check out are extra quick. From walking through the main entrance to walking into my room was maybe 5 minutes. No standing around in lines, no waiting for elevators and walking through mammoth hallways in a hotel with hundreds of rooms. 
Yotel is relatively small. I'm not sure how many rooms they have, but am guessing it is fewer than 100.

Yotel Heathrow is outside the terminal so you do have to go back through security before your flight, unlike the terminal hotels at Singapore's Changi, which are enclosed inside the terminal. 
Had Yotel been inside Terminal 5 I would still own all my travel makeup, haircare and toiletries - can you tell I am still irritated at their version of TSA confiscating my things???

Regardless, Yotel was a fantastic experience. 
I had my room for 7 hours and it cost 72 Pounds Sterling, so a little over $US120. It was worth every penny.

One word of advice, book your Yotel as quickly as possible. While I was there it was fully booked, and the young man who checked me in said they are almost always at 100% occupancy.
The chances of you rolling up and being able to secure a room last minute are slim to none.

Book your Yotel at London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Amsterdam Shiphol or Hong Kong via Booking.com

Capri With Ouidad

Oh Capri.
So incredibly beautiful!
I took my 2 most recent Glam Italia tours to frolic glamorously on the most chic island in the Mediterranean (and maybe the world?).

view from the boat off the coast of Capri

I chartered a private boat to take us on a half day tour around the island, with multiple stops to swim in the sapphire blue waters off the coast of Capri. 

girls reclining glamorously on a boat named the Sophia Loren

of the coast of Capri...

Really I should dedicate an entire post to the hott-ness and total fun that was Captain Paolo, but I'm sure that would embarrass him, so I won't.

Captain Paolo after a quick rain. Honestly,  I've had worse days :))

Baring in mind that  there was much glamour to follow, I normally would have either been stressed out about getting my hair wet and the total frizz induced fiasco that would have followed, or I might have skipped swimming. ( Which would have been completely lame.)

Those of you who aren't Jennifer Aniston might understand the problem. You see I never emerge from the sea and get hair that is glorious with beachy waves.
I get frizzy, dull, completely trashed looking hair that I liken to a home perm that has gone terribly wrong. It's quite mortifying.

This trip though I came armed with the good stuff, in the form of Ouidad travel sized magic potions. I brought the travel sized Curl Essentials Trial Set with me.

My hairdresser (to whom I give all the credit) set me up with 3 products guaranteed to bring out the curl and amp up the shine.

The first is the Moisture Lock Leave In Conditioner that you put through your hair before going in the water. 

Pre-swim conditioner. Note the limoncello glasses on the floor of the boat!

It both protects your hair and keeps it soft rather than ocean-brittle, but also moisturizes from the inside out, which is a key part of creating perfect curls post-swim. For those of you with color treated hair it adds an extra layer of protection.
(I should add here that my Glam Italia Tour travelers who have straight hair used it too, and post swim had gorgeous, glossy locks.)

Once out of the water and towel dried you use the Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel. There is a trick to this. She told me to rake the gel through my hair with my fingers, and then hold the ends and shake them, literally shaking the curl into your hair. 
It sounds like much more drama than it actually is - because its no drama at all. The whole "rake and shake" deal is actually doubly brilliant because it helps dry your hair more quickly too.

The last part of the equation for me was spritzing a little Botanical Boost Refreshing Spray into my hair once it was dry. (I used it the next day too to refresh the curl a little.)

The sun setting on Capri and my beachy hair!

I loved my Ouidad hair!

That night went on into the wee hours, and my hair instead of turning into a static-y frizz ball stayed wavy-curly and shiny all night long. Allowing for the fact that it took approximately 2 minutes of my time to do while flirting madly with Captain Paolo, I was thrilled to pieces!


I don't think I will bother any more with blow-drying and doing the do when I travel. In fact post Capri the remainder of my time in Italy was with Ouidad hair, which was a first for me! I normally waste time smoothing my hair when I'm traveling.

The only down side to my Ouidad story is that on the way back to the US I flew through London Heathrow airport with my travel sized Ouidad products in my carry on luggage, and along with my Tatcha skin care products and a bunch of makeup products they were confiscated. It was super annoying, but on the bright side they were only travel sized so won't be expensive to replace.


Read about why I wont use Heathrow Airport here.

You can order Ouidad products here.  

7 More Things To Do In Florence

I just love Florence.
Florence is one of those cities that I just cannot ever get enough of. Every time I go there I always discover something new. In the past 6 months alone I have been to Florence three times, and each time leaving has felt a little bit like dying. I can't wait to go back.

final morning in Florence. I never want to leave....

I've written before about 30 Things To Do In Florence, Mornings in Florence, 10 Things You Absolutely MUST Do In Florence, and now I'm fresh off the plane back home from Florence again so while it's fresh in my mind here are 7 more things for you to do in Florence

1. Go To Santa Croce

The best church art in all of Florence is inside the Basilica Santa Croce.  

The frescoes in this church are just staggering. 

Dating back to the 1300's, they are still true in color, are absolutely breathtaking, and as an art lover they never fail to bring tears to my eyes. 

The Cimabue crucifix dates back to the 1280's, and although severely damaged in the flood of 1966 is still achingly beautiful.

While the rest of Florence will be bursting at the seems with tourists, hardly any make their way to Basilica Santa Croce, which suits me just fine! Art is far more enjoyable when you're not trying to view it 5 people deep.

2. Buy Leather Jackets At Jimmy's

I've written about buying leather at Jimmy's before, (in fact that blog post still gets hundreds of hits per week) and I constantly get messages from readers who make their way to Jimmy's Leather Collection in Piazza San Lorenzo and buy his fantastic leather jackets. It's quite the fabulous and fun experience, and Jimmy's designs are to die for.

Read about where to buy leather in Florence here

3. Walk Up To Piazzale Michelangelo Before Sunset

dusk from Piazzale Michelangelo

I hadn't done this in years, but on the second 2016 Glam Italia Tour we took an early evening stroll across the Arno at Ponte alla Carraia and worked our way up the river in the lovely, residential and much less touristy Oltrarno, to Piazza Poggi where we wound our way up the hill to Piazzale Michelangelo as dusk was falling.
The view of Florence from up high is just gorgeous, and after a day exploring the city you not only get to breathe some fresher, quieter air, but you get a wonderful perspective of the terrain you've covered that day.

And of course there's the green guy on the hill, watching over the city!

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4. Take In Sunset From Ponte Alle Grazie

Ponte Vecchio at sunset, from my iPhone

From Piazzale Michelangelo it's maybe a 10 minute walk down to Ponte alle Grazie bridge, which is the perfect place to take in the sunset, looking down the Arno toward Ponte Vecchio.

5. Grab An Aperatif

After taking in the sunset from the Ponte Alle Grazie keep walking across the bridge and continue up Via De Benci a block or two to the intersection with Via dei Neri and Dei Tintori where you will find several options to sit at a sidewalk table and enjoy an aperatif. It used to be that spritz aperol was a drink you'd associate with Venice, but now it is everywhere. After sunset on the bridge try drinking a sunset colored spritz.

6. Eat The Best Sandwich Of Your Life.

Seriously. The best sandwich ever. 

I discovered this one when I rented an apartment around the corner and every night I would see the locals spilling out of Al Antico Vinaio all night long. 

the street of sandwiches, Florence

Everyone was milling about in the street with these giant sandwiches, or sitting on the curb with the sandwich in one hand and a huge glass of red wine in the other. When I travel one of my rules is eat where the locals eat, avoid where the tourists eat, and absolutely never eat at any restaurant that has photos on the menu.

the three of us had sandwiches from al Antico Vinaio on our last night in Florence

Although you can order a la carte, just pick from the favorites list and have it the way it was meant to be eaten. You will get a giant sandwich on fresh focaccia, with local creamed pecorino cheese, about a pound of freshly cut salami or porchetta, a slice of eggplant marinated in chili flakes and olive oil and maybe some arugula. What you won't see is processed food, condiments like mayonnaise and mustard, no added salt and pepper. Its all real food that just explodes with flavor and doesn't need any additives. And it only costs $5.
If you don't believe me read their reviews - people dream about these sandwiches.
Al Antico Vinaio is on via Dei Neri 2 minutes walk from the Palazzo Vecchio.

7. End Your Evening With A View

end your night with a view

Florence has so many spectacular views, whether they be of the city skyline, the piazze, the monuments, the buildings - so many amazing things to lay your eyes on! So take time at the end of the night to sit somewhere fabulous with a glass of wine and take in a view to remember forever.

Where to stay in Florence:
I'm not much of a hotel girl when I'm in Italy, I prefer renting an apartment instead. A friend of mine has just put her gorgeous apartment in San Lorenzo up for vacation rental on AirBnB. 
You can check it out here