I have this theory when traveling. If Plan A goes awry, Plan B is invariably far better anyway. And that's how it was when I went to Caserta.
As I was running up the stairs to the platform the train was pulling out of the station. My perfect plan to spend hours and hours at Caserta had just gone sideways. The next train wasn't for over an hour.
Plan B
Once I finally arrived at Caserta the lady in the ticket booth told me to hurry and go to the gardens first, as they would be closing in an hour. You can rent bikes and ride the 7 kilometer round trip to the top of the garden and back, which had been my plan, but the bike rental dude wouldn't rent me one due to the garden closing in an hour.
So I walked it, which turned out to be the most perfect option! It was a gorgeous December afternoon, sunny and t-shirt weather, ideal for strolling through palace gardens. Had I rented a bike I would have been stopping every couple of minutes to take photos anyway, so I was happy as a clam. The entire 7 km round trip I only saw maybe 40 people (including the workers), so it was almost like having the entire place to myself. See images of the gardens here
The Grand Staircase, Caserta Palace
Plan B got really great once I walked inside the palace itself, because that late in the afternoon on a Monday in December I literally was the only person there.
Grand Staircase Of Honor, Caserta Palace
If you have ever been to any palace in Europe you will already know how maddeningly full of tourists they all are, all the time.
Upper vestibule Caserta Palace
Normally you can't get a clear picture of anything because there are so many people in the way.
Empty upper vestibule Caserta Palace
This by contrast was absolutely surreal. There was just me and and empty palace.
Entrance tot he palace royal apartments
Every now and then a room would have a worker in it, but I basically could have run naked through the place and not encountered a soul!
A worker at the end of an otherwise empty hallway, Caserta Palace
At one point in one of the grand salons I decided to take advantage of having the place to myself, and played some Verdi on my iPhone.
With no one to stop me I lay down on the floor of the Throne Room and took in the ceiling while La Traviata played.
Throne Room Ceiling, Caserta Palace
It was brilliant! Then, because you only live once, I danced my way around the entire salon to Verdi then Delibes, whirling round and round like a fool. The kind of red haired fool who has an entire palace all to herself.
The Throne Room
I sat next to an Italian ballroom dancer once on a flight to Sicily. We have always stayed friends, and I kept thinking how much fun it would have been to have him there with me, dancing around my private palace.
empty hallway in the royal apartments at Caserta Palace
Italy has the greatest art in all of the world, none of which is in the palace of Caserta.
Neo classical ceiling fresco in the royal apartments, Caserta
To quote Alessandra Stanley of the New York Times, "Art lovers shudder at thelèse-majesté " but in all honesty it is actually part of the mad-charm of this place.
The Palatine Chapel, Caserta Palace
Caserta is bombastic yet delightful. And it is enormous! It gives you an incredible insight into the world that was, and you can't help but be impressed by how magnificent it must have been in it's heyday.
It is definitely worth taking the time to visit, and I know that I will go back over and over.
Bathroom, Caserta Palace
Unfortunately the chances of me having the palace all to myself ever again are slim to none. I found out that earlier that day there had been a few thousand visitors to the palace. My missing the first train had meant that I arrived as they were all leaving. Had my day gone as planned I would have been there with the masses, and would not have had an entire palace to myself. I also discovered that the day before 10 000 visitors had come to the palace.
Add captionThe New Apartment, or 19th Century Apartment, Caserta Palace
To end this perfect Plan B day I asked the man in the palace bookstore if there was somewhere nearby where I could have a glass of wine before taking the train back to Salerno.
The December sun setting over the Palace of Caserta
He drew me a map, told me I could take in the town's Christmas tree while enjoying a glass of the local Moio, and still have ample time to stroll to the train station 5 minutes away.
Gran Caffe Margherita, Caserta
A glass of local Moio, Gran Caffe Margherita, Caserta
The Christmas Tree in Caserta
When I got back home I did some research on Maria Carolina. She, like her palace, was just fascinating. If you are heading to Caserta read up on her first. Read my post on the Caserta Palace Gardens, and see photos of the statues here.
Spring 2016 is going to be a fun season for makeup lovers.
This is a season that's all about color and sparkle.
False eyelashes, glitter, liner, electric blue eye shadow, and my favorite - bright, bold, fun red lips!
Makeup at Celine spring/summer 2016
Makeup at DKNY spring/summer 2016
Makeup at Dolce Gabbana spring/summer 2016
My favorite of all the trends is that stunning, red lip. This is not just any red, we are talking Snow White candy apple red. As true of a red as you can find.
Not all reds look sensational on all skin tones.
My number one rule with red is that rather than becoming a fashion victim, to find the red that looks really great on you. I often modify a red lipstick that doesn't work on me by using a liner that does. MAC Cherry liner is a fabulous true red that lets you bend all kinds of other reds. Just make sure you run a lip brush back and forth through it to blend away any signs of your trickery.
The trick to pulling off a huge red lip for spring is to make your skin glow with a lightweight, luminous foundation or BB Cream, balance the bold lip with a strong brow, and keep the eye close to bare or with a tiny flick of liner (avoid the Instagram favorite huge cat eye. It's Instagram popularity alone makes it incredibly passe.) Make sure you execute that red lip with perfection. Keep your lines nice and tight, and make the lip look crisp. Personally I think the easiest way to wear a red lip is to wear a matte red lip. Matte reds move less, so you don't wind up with red lipstick feathering out over the lipline or maneuvering it's way around your face. My absolute favorite matte red is the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipstick in Red Carpet Red.
This combines a very hydrating matte formula with the truest, classic red you will ever find. It's a classic red that makes me think of old Hollywood, but at the same time is so modern and fresh! If you want something a little more vibrant, Charlotte Tilbury 1975 Red is more of a sunset red than a true red, but it lights up the complexion beautifully.
When choosing a bright red matte lip make sure the formula is nice and hydrating so that your lip doesn't look cracked and caked. The matte revolution lipsticks by Charlotte Tilbury don't let your lip dry out, so your pout looks fabulous all day (or night) long.
Another good true red is Chanel Rouge Allure Intense Lipstick in 104 Passion. I often find that a full blown red lip can overwhelm my face when I wear it as an everyday lipstick. Maybe you're like me and find that red isn't always that flattering? Anyway one of my personal everyday lipstick at the moment gives the illusion of an in-your-face-red lip, but it technically isn't. I wear MAC All Fired Up paired with Cherry Liner. The pinker tone of All Fired Up plays nicely with my skin tone, and the Cherry liner tricks the entire look into looking like an amazing red lip. If a full on, bold, matte lip feels too much for you, try Juice Beauty's Liquid Lip in Apple, named after Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter. It's bright, fun and fresh, and the color is purrfect for spring!
I'm prepping two Glam Italia Tours that are running back to back this June, and as none of the ladies have traveled internationally before I'm sending them all kinds of great travel information to get them ready. Some of it I am posting here for you as well.
Its really easy to make novice mistakes when you're packing for your first international trip. Actually its really easy to mistakes even when you've already done it a hundred times.
So lets talk about what not to pack in your checked suitcase.
10 Things You Should Never Pack In Your Checked Luggage
1. Lithium Batteries.
Lithium batteries can move around, catch fire, and cause catastrophic damage to the plane while it's in the air. The FAA issued a Safety Alert for Operators to warn airlines "of the potential risk for a catastrophic hull loss due to significant identified dangers associated with the transport of lithium batteries as cargo on either passenger or cargo aircraft."
They are okay while installed inside your electronics (which should be in your cabin baggage with you), but loose are very dangerous.
There has been talk about lithium batteries exploding inside the hull of airliners and bringing the plane down.
Scroll to the bottom of this post to see the FAA video of what happens when lithium batteries explode and catch fire inside a simulated cargo bay on a plane.
2. Jewelry and Valuables.
Don't take the risk of your bag going missing or of someone rifling through it behind the scenes and taking or damaging your valued belongings. Whether it's your valuable watch or a family photo album, take it on-board with you in your cabin baggage. Should the airline decide to compensate you for a bag that has gone missing, or items stolen from your bag (most of the time they won't), they will depreciate the value of your items and the capped maximum on replacement of a missing bag is $3300.
3. Cash and Credit Cards.
Same as above. If you travel frequently you have no doubt found TSA notifications in your suitcase, telling you they searched your bag. Or perhaps you've arrived at your destination and found that things are in different places in your suitcase - someone has been in there looking around. It happens all the time, and the number one thing that thieves are looking for is your cash and credit card stash. Keep it with you in your cabin baggage.
Always keep the originals with you, but make copies of them (credit cards front and back as well) and keep a digital copy attachment in your email. You can keep photocopies in your suitcase, but beware that you may be creating an easy path for identity thieves.
5. Medications
This one is important. Should your suitcase go AWOL you could be in a world of trouble if all your medications/prescriptions are inside. It's a good idea to separate your medicines and take half on board with you and check the other half through, especially when travelling internationally. You can take liquid prescriptions that exceed 3.4 fluid ounces in your carry on luggage so long as it is well labeled. I recommend telling The TSA officer, and also having a doctors note to accompany it.
6. All Of Your Clothes
Always pack a couple of days worth of clothes in your carry on luggage. Should your suitcase not arrive with you, you need to have something to change into. For most of us spending the first few days of your international vacation in the smelly clothes you flew over in would really ruin the trip. One of my friends spent 3 weeks of her 3 1/2 week trip to Spain last year without her suitcase. Luckily she had enough supplies in her carry on to be able to rotate her outfit each day. You won't always have enough money to buy a new travel wardrobe, and there won't always be places to buy things that you like. Typically airlines will get your bag back within 3 or 4 days, but chances are you will be moving around, which makes it harder to reconnect you with you bag. Shop Sale Items at Samsonite.com!
7. Laptops/iPads/Electronics
Think in terms of theft and breakage. Your electronics are of course, a very popular item to steal. On top of that you have to know that no matter how many sweaters you wrap your laptop in, chances are it won't survive being in a bag that is thrown around and has heavy bags thrown on top of it. Just take it on board with you.
8. Flammable Items
Lighters, matches and flammable items are banned from checked luggage. See a full list of banned items on the TSA Website
9. Breakables
Have you ever watched them throwing suitcases or piling heavy suitcases on top of each other? Your breakables don't stand a chance! Even if you've bubble wrapped them and cushioned them with socks and sweaters, how many heavy suitcases stacked on top of yours would it take for the collective weight to break your treasures? Read Confessions Of A Baggage Thrower for more insight into the perils of packing breakables.
10. Film
The X-Rays used to screen suitcases can damages film. If you have been shooting your trip with wet film, put the film in clear cannisters or ziplock bags and take it with you in your cabin baggage. Ask the TSA agent at the X-Ray machine to check your film by hand. Here is the FAA video of what happens when lithium batteries explode inside a plane:
Did you know that the largest royal palace in the world sits just 37 kilometers outside Naples? On the morning of January 20th 1752 the first stone of Caserta Palace was laid for Charles VII of Bourbon, King of Naples and Sicily. The Bourbon King had decided to build the largest palace in all of Europe, a palace to rival the beauty of Paris' magnificent Versailles, and the Schonbrun palace in Vienna. In an odd twist of fate Charles VII never lived in Caserta, instead abdicating the throne in 1759 to become the king of Spain. His third born son, Ferdinand IV became king of Naples and Sicily, lived in Caserta, and in 1768 married Maria Carolina of Austria, who grew up in the Schonbrun Palace, and who's sister MarieAntoinette would marry Louis XVI of France two years later and move to Versailles, the very palace that Caserta was designed to beat. Makes your head spin, non?
Aerial view of Caserta Palace (image via google)
The Palace of Caserta is massive. It has more than 1200 rooms, stands 42 meters (45 yards) high and 250 meters (273 yards) long, taking up 44,000 square meters.
the uppermost end of the gardens
The fountain of Diana and Actaeon
The gardens are 3.5 kilometers long, with a central waterway and 6 fountains, surrounded by a tree filled park.
Statues enjoy a break from the sun, tucked away in the shade of the trees.
They also line the walkways.
And adorn the bridges. The statues are a celebration of the arts.
You can take a horse and carriage ride through the grounds, rent a bike, or just stroll.
The park was nearly empty on this Monday afternoon in December
pathways in the palace gardens, Caserta
In 1997 Caserta became a UNESCO World heritage site. For years and years I had wanted to go to Caserta but it never fit in with the trips I was on, whether I was private tour guiding or traveling with friends. This past December I was lucky enough to be able to sneak off to Italy for a week, during which I was able to finally go visit the spectacular Palace of Caserta.
The palace and the grounds are nothing short of spectacular. No matter how prepared you think you are, once you walk onto the palace grounds the sheer size of Caserta is staggering. In it's day it must have been magnificent. But basically no one bothers to go see it. You would think the largest royal palace in all of Europe would get great tourist traffic, but Caserta gets around 500, 000 visitors per year compared to Versailles 5 million. Unfortunately Caserta is sorely lacking in funds and as such is a little run down. The palace has been used as a training facility for the Italian Air Force, which along with the Carabinieri still has offices there. Movies including Star Wars, Mission Impossible and Angels and Demons have shot there. Palace security is apparently lacking, and despite the Air Force and the Carabinieri both being in residence there have been problems with theft, most notably recently $100, 000 worth of copper being stolen from a lightening conductor on the roof. There is something incredibly sad about this once majestic palace and it's enormous gardens. Just the thought of Hollywood descending on it and stomping around disrespectfully all over the grounds and the rooms while they make their movies makes it feel desecrated. And yet because hardly anyone bothers to go visit Caserta it also feels like your best kept secret. Other than my friends who live in the area I don't even know one person who has been there before.
If you are in the Amalfi Coast/Naples area Caserta is well worth a visit. The train station is right outside the palace, so you don't need to rent a car.
As a makeup artist I get asked all the time which foundations I like best, how to make foundation last all day, how to choose the right foundation. Walk into any department store / Sephora / makeup emporium and the list of options can be overwhelming. Half the time the people charged with helping you make the choice are so overly made-up they look like caricatures of themselves, which hardly inspires confidence. If you look to you tube and Instagram you will find the "beauty experts" favor obliterating any concept of skin by slamming so much makeup on the face it almost looks plastic. And maybe you just want to look like a pretty, normal, lovely girl.
you use the same 4 steps to choose your model's foundation for a shoot as you do for yourself for everyday wear.
Whether I'm getting a model or a movie star ready for a shoot, or whether I'm just shopping for myself, here are the criteria I look for when choosing a foundation:
1. What finish do you need?
What type of skin do you have? If you are oily you will want a slightly more matte finish or a water based foundation to offset some of the shine you are battling. If you have dry skin you need a foundation with a glowing, dewey finish to make the skin look luminous.
2. How much coverage do you really need?
Rather than hijacking the face and holding your skin hostage, foundation is supposed to create the illusion of a beautiful, radiant complexion. If your skin is clear you only need a sheer cover foundation. If you have scarring, uneven skin tone, blemishes that need disappearing then you should opt for a more full cover foundation. If your skin falls somewhere in the middle, you need coverage that falls somewhere in the middle. The worst thing you can do is overload the skin with a foundation that is far too heavy. Instead make creating lovely looking skin your goal.
3. What is your undertone?
Basically foundations come in two color groupings. There are cool toned foundations, which cover ivory, porcelain and pinky undertoned skins, and then there are your warm tones for girls with a yellow or olive undertone. If you have a cool toned skin and wear a yellow based foundation it will look awful. The same applies to a warm toned girl wearing a pink based foundation.
4. Find your shade
Rather than testing your color on some remote corner of your jawline, test it somewhere where you can clearly see whats going on, such as your forehead or the front of your cheek. You should be the same color from your hairline to your chest, and your face shouldn't be any darker or any lighter than the rest of your upper body.
I get a little obsessy about Adele. About her makeup. About the exquisite execution of her makeup by the complete genius' who work with her. Adele covers the March 2016 issue of Vogue magazine, photographed by Annie Liebowitz. What are your thoughts?
It's very Kate Winslet-y don't you think? Very pretty and she looks lovely, but I like my Adele Vogue covers to have a little more ba-boom to them. I love those images where she knocks you over with her incredible wow-factor. Such as the Vogue cover that Mert and Marcus shot in 2012.
Stunning, non? Check out the bts video from the recent Vogue shoot, and then scroll to the bottom for a link to the article in Vogue.
Thinking about spending some time under the Tuscan sun?
sunset at Podere Cunina in Tuscany
Every year I like to spend a few weeks in Italy.
People always ask me where to stay in Tuscany, especially if they are not seeking out an overly homogenized hotel experience.
Podere Cunina standing watch over the Crete Senesi
Personally I love to rent an apartment, rent a car and drive around Tuscany, finding endless spectacular towns and villages that aren't in the guide books.
Podere Cunina, Buonconvento, Tuscany
I like to be super close to Florence, and not too far from Rome. In a country with such a fantastic rail system, I like to be close enough to a train station that it's easy to make a last minute day trip to Venice, or maybe Pompeii - wherever feels like fun that day.
I like to relax in the piazza, drink cappuccino and watch the world go by. Shop at local markets for fresh produce,all grown inside a 10 mile radius and picked to be sold today, with flavor that just explodes in your mouth. (Unlike the flavorless factory farmed produce here in the US) There's nothing quite like having a local vendor choose items for you, and tell you how to prepare them the way generations of their families have been doing for centuries, and then going home to your gorgeous Tuscan apartment, throwing it together and enjoying it, truly enjoying it with a local Sangiovese, or maybe a Brunello, living the luxe life.
I love filling my Italian apartment with freshly picked wildflowers and sprigs of fresh rosemary, the combined olfactory delight of which tells my brain I'm really, truly here.
My dear friend Silvana is living the life I dream of. Together with her husband Piergiorgio she bought an old, run down farmhouse on a little hill overlooking the spectacular Crete Senesi. They rebuilt, refurbished and restored it using traditional materials, creating a home that at the same time is visually mesmerizing, maintains historical truth but is equipped with all the modern conveniences. Its called Podere Cunina.
Beautiful Podere Cunina in Buonconvento Tuscany
The stonework, the iron work, the colors are achingly beautiful. Part of the restoration project involved creating 7 apartments to rent to vacationers.
One of the apartments at Podere Cunina, Tuscany
Apartment at Podere Cunina, Tuscany
Apartment at Podere Cunina, outside Buonconvento Tuscany
Apartment at Podere Cunina
There are 2 two bedroom apartments and 5 one bedroom apartments, each of which is just gorgeous.
Apartment at Podere Cunina, Tuscany
Podere Cunina is located 3 kms outside of Buonconvento, near Siena. An easy drive from either Rome or Florence it places you in the ideal location from which to drive around Tuscany and really experience the majesty of this amazing part of the world. After a long day of enjoying yourself it is just lovely to sit out on the patio area and have a prosecco as you watch the sun set over neighboring Montalcino(one of my favorite towns in all of Italy).
Wine lovers adore the region, as it is home to the Brunello, one of my all time favorite reds.
Prosecco time at Podere Cunina as the Tuscan Sun sets
Silvana is the ultimate host. She always has loads of ideas of great places to go see and experience. She always tells me about fabulous villages that the tour buses (thankfully) don't know about, is endlessly knowledgeable about where the best local markets are and when, which restaurants and cafe's you mustn't miss, and has the most wonderful stories about this spectacular slice of the world. Lovers of Frances Mayes' Under The Tuscan Sun, and her subsequent tomes about her life in Tuscany will love driving to Cortona, which is not too far away, and spending the day walking through every moment in her delicious Tuscan world. (I think at this point I probably know her books by heart) Summer is not the only time to enjoy Tuscany. Spring and autumn are beautiful, and this past year I was able to enjoy some pre-Christmas magic in Tuscany too. If staying on a glamorous little farm is a bit to rural for you, Silvana also rents out an apartment in beautiful San Gimignano, which is my Italian home, and which I can never go a single day without thinking about. Learn more about Podere Cunina or about vacation rental in Tuscany here:Agriturismo Podere Cunina
catching up with my dear friend Silvana on the steps of Podere Cunina as the sun sets over the beautiful Crete Senesi
I snuck this last photo from Silvana's facebook page. Can you imagine having your wedding at beautiful Podere Cunina?? What a dream...
