Lipari ~ The Glam Italia Tour

 Lipari, Aeolian Islands, Sicily.

Midnight in Sicily, on the beautiful island of Lipari

Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere.
And sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

Lipari at night.

This year I lead a private tour of Italy.
We called it the Corinna B's World Glam Italia Tour.
It really was quite glamorous.
We spent a few days in the Aeolian Islands, with home base being the beautiful island of Lipari.

Lipari town, Lipari

Lipari town, Lipari

Lipari town, Lipari

From Lipari we took boat trips to other islands in this breathtakingly beautiful volcanic chain.

boating in the Aeolian Islands

Boat trip in the Aeolian Islands

Aquacalda, Lipari

One of the most magnificent things about the Aeolians is the lack of Hiltons. And Marriots. And any other major chain of hotels.
There were no condo complexes blighting the horizon.
It was perfect.

Lido on the beach in Porticello

scooters at Canneto Beach, Lipari

If you venture to Lipari, stay in Canneto Beach. It is only 5 minutes from the main harbor and Lipari town, but is quiet, lovely, and has a perfect view of the active volcano Stromboli across the water.

Blue waters off Canneto beach in Lipari, with a view of Stromboli smoking in the distance

From Aquacalda in Lipari you can see Salina, the island from Il Postino

There are fantastic places to eat in Canneto Beach, and you can walk to them all.
(Just make sure you avoid La Papisca. They charge tourists a ridiculously inflated prices and are surly and mean. Everywhere else is fantastic). 

Canneto Beach at night

Canneto Beach at night

Canneto Beach at night

We stayed at the beautiful Hotel La Zagara. The service was amazing and very personable, and we loved everything about this hotel. I most definitely plan on staying there again next year.

10 Things I Love About Fall

I live in a hot place. 

A very hot place.

Summer here in the desert can be brutal so every year when fall arrives it lands like a gift. The kind of gift that leaves you giddy and a little drunk with excitement.

This year in Phoenix we are not having an extended summer rolling on into October, instead we have a perfect new season for real, all soft skies soft air, and soft light. It's magic!

To celebrate the loveliness of it, here are my 10 favorite things about fall, in no particular order.

Deep, dark lips. 

Big, chunky sweaters

Chunky knits from The Row, Fall 2014

Boots!

Jimmy Choo Boots, Fall 2014

Jimmy Choo Boots

Dark nails

Pumpkin soup.

Actually any and all soups. But I'm making pumpkin soup this weekend.

Trees changing

Scarves.
I never used to be a scarf person, but now I love them.

Hats

Smudgey, moody eye makeup

Charlotte Tilbury Makeup

Furry coats

Gucci Furry Coat, Fall 2014

John Galliano Named Creative Director Of Maison Martin Margiela

I have missed him so much!

When he was dismissed from Christian Dior in 2011 after a drunken anti-Semitic rant in a Paris bar it almost felt like a personal loss. 
John Galliano is without a doubt one of the greatest talents of all time. His brilliance is undisputed.

After rehab for alcohol and substance abuse, Galliano ran the Oscar de la Renta Autumn/Winter 2013 show, in a deal brokered by Anna Wintour, leading to speculation about his imminent return to the fashion world.

As the newly appointed Creative Director of Maison Martin Margiela, Galliano will oversee the design all the lines including Couture as well as both men's and women's ready to wear.

Maison-Martin-Margiela

He is a fascinating hire, being that Martin Margiela is known as fashion's most hidden man - supposedly there is only one photograph of him in circulation, and even that is considered to be a fake. He avoided the spotlight, and even after his departure from his namesake brand in 2009 the design team stayed anonymous.

Dior by John Galliano

Galliano on the other hand is known for his brave and unpredictable choices and his  flamboyance. He is the ultimate showman.

It will be fascinating to see what he does with the line. Margiela is known for classic tailoring melded with an avant garde aesthetic, whereas Galliano's signature is whimsical and romantic, a little wild and endlessly feminine.

He took Dior to new heights and made the line exciting. Can he do the same with Margiela? And will his public ultimately forgive his anti Semitic remarks?

John Galliano's first collection for Maison Martin Margiela will debut  at Paris Fashion Week in January.

I can't wait for the collection, and I can't wait to see what he wears when he takes his legendary bow. 

Galliano the matador - his final bows are legendary

Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Lifting Mask

Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Lifting Mask

I am so in love with Tatcha products. They are so sumptuous, so high performance, so special.

In Italy on the Corinna B’s World Glam Italia Tour I took with me the beautiful Tatcha LuminousDeep Hydration Lifting Mask.

These single serve masks are incredibly luxurious. They give your skin an intense hydration boost, nourish it, and leave it dramatically lifted and deliciously luminous. They are magic after a long flight, or anytime you just want your skin to be gorgeous and radiant.

I brought them for a post flight recovery (my initial travel day was 30 hours) and also for a mid-tour glam boost. Afterall it can’t be the Glam Italia Tour if my skin is looking anything less than super glam…

After a day boating off the Aeolian Island of Lipari, time to treat the face to some deep hyration!

As always, the story behind this Tatcha product is fabulous. It dates back to geisha beauty treatments traced back to ancient beauty texts.

There is a divine story of tea kettles simmering through the night with swatches of kimono silk set on top of them, capturing the essence of the botanicals inside that were being distilled by the steam. The geisha would then apply the cloth, now rich in vital extracts and nutrients to their faces for luxurious, luminous hydration.

Following in these footsteps the 

Tatcha Luminous DeepHydration Mask has a gel structure derived from coconut fruit that forms an occlusive barrier on the skin enabling the potent serum of the mask to penetrate more rapidly, boosting the moisture content of the skin by up to 200% in 15 minutes.

The coconut derived biocellulose in this mask was originally developed to speed heal burn victims, and forms an occlusive layer on the skin that allows for 53% deeper serum penetration than paper masks.

Perfect recovery after an international flight, or at any time that life has your skin looking dehydrated or exhausted. Which for me is all too often.

The Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Lifting Mask is formulated with no parabens, synthetic fragrances, mineral oils, sulphate detergents, phthalates, urea, DEA or TEA.

You can purchase tatcha products online at TATCHA.com or instore at select Barneys New York locations

What Anchors You?

What anchors you?
What keeps you looking forward?
What keeps you moving in the direction of your dreams?

For me it can be something as big as the next international trip, or as small as the new boots or handbag that I am currently coveting. 
It can be as big as the home that you own, or as weightless as the feeling of being completely unencumbered and free to go do anything that you choose.
It's your anchor - you define it.

These Prada Skate Loafers will keep me anchored this fall. I bought them in Italy a couple of weeks ago and they are my absolute favorite new thing.

Miranda Obsession ~ Miranda Kerr Goes Geisha For Vogue Nippon November 2014 Issue

Anna Dello Russo has to be one of the greatest fashion stylists of all time.
She is incredible.

For the 15th Anniversary November 2014 issue of Vogue Japan she teams up with legendary photographer Mario Testino, and model Miranda Kerr, for this stunning geisha, samurai and manga inspired story.

Kerr is absolutely stunning in super dark hair by Sam McKnight, and flawlessly beautiful makeup by Charlotte Tilbury.

Miranda Obsession

Casa Cuseni, Taormina

Ever since I took my first step onto Sicilian soil I have been obsessed with the place.

It is magnificent, mysterious and beautiful. Overwhelmingly beautiful.

But with a secret darkness to it.

I just can't get enough.

As such, I read books about Sicily, books set in Sicily, fiction, non fiction - anything I can get my hands on.

One of the absolute treasures I found was a book called "A House In Sicily" by Daphne Phelps.

This is an autobiography that takes place in lovely Taormina, overlooking the Ionian Sea. A picturesque little town that holds a piece of my heart, or that maybe I'm holding in my heart. Not sure which.

Daphne lived in dreary old England, damp and grey, then inherited a magnificent home built by her uncle in sun drenched Taormina.

She moves to Sicily, and this is her story of life at Casa Cuseni. 

view from the terrace of Casa Cuseni at night

Writers and artists drop by and stay for weeks and months.

She tackles the trials and tribulations of life in this little mountain town, at the same time basking in the glory of living in a place more beautiful than words can describe.

Casa Cuseni,Taormina Sicily

Great reading for lovers of Under The Tuscan Sun and 
A Year In Provence.

Her home, Casa Cuseni, remains the star of the story, it's beauty the perpetual subtext.

Casa Cuseni, Taormina Sicily

Returning to Taormina this year I was determined to find 
Casa Cuseni. 

Which was actually really easy.

Daphne died in 2005 and willed the house to her nieces who preferred the rain in Britain to the sun in Sicily, and opted to sell it instead of relocating.

I would give almost anything to move there and own that home! I still cannot believe they let it go.

The new owners have made it into a bed and breakfast, and were more than happy to let me come visit, and look around.

Outside the blue door at Casa Cuseni

Casa Cuseni is truly magnificent.

Much of it has been kept as it was in the book.

Daphne's treasures are still there, along with her passports and personal papers.

Salvatore at Casa Cuseni

My host for the day, Salvatore Spadro, showed me many of the belongings she talks about in her book. 

We strolled through the art filled rooms and the gardens, Salvatore filling me in on the history behind every room, every piece of art, every corner of the beautiful gardens.

We sat on the terrace taking in the view, while he told me more stories.

Time for a glass of wine on the terrace at Casa Cuseni

It was just magical.

When we were about to leave he asked if I would like to see the Picassos.

Picasso had stayed at Casa Cuseni, and left the works he painted while he was there.

I still can't quite believe I was able to spend quality time with Picassos that don't live in any museum, that aren't featured in any coffee table books. That pretty much no one else sees.

If you are planning to travel Sicily, look into staying at Casa Cuseni in Taormina for a few days.

There are only 6 bedrooms, so they do book out a long time in advance, but you can email them directly ( casacuseni@gmail.com) and see what openings they do have. 
Check out the Casa Cuseni website here

If you enjoy reading books about people relocating to glorious homes in Italy and building a life there (my favorite subject!), pick up a copy of A House In Italy by Daphne Phelps here.