Corinna B's World
makeup, beauty, fashion, travel

The Coveted List, July 2017

How is your July going? I hope you are enjoying a gorgeous summer. It’s boiling hot here in Phoenix but the monsoons are on their way, which will cool things down a little, and wash the dust off the trees.

Sometimes it feels weird to make coveted lists. I can’t handle it in January when we’ve just had the Christmas/Holiday Season gift giving fest – it just feels greedy. And when I get back from a long stay in Europe like the 6 weeks I just had over there on the Glam Italia Tours it also feels I shouldn’t be asking for or coveting one single thing. But here I am with my online shopping carts filling up with things I want. Sometimes I just like looking at them, sometimes I buy. Do you ever do that?

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Here are the things I am coveting this month.

Corinna B's World Coveted List July 2017

Sofft Mirabelle Sandal in black.

I’ve written about these sandals before (here). One of the European photographers I shoot with had them on at the beginning of May when I dropped by her studio. They looked so cool on her with her rolled up jeans, black t-shirt and messy blonde hair. She told me they were the most comfortable shoes she had ever worn, and said she could stand all day in them. So of course I immediately ordered myself  pair! I bought them in brown, and wore them almost every day for 6 weeks while I was in Paris and then Italy. They are so comfortable! I was averaging 25,000 steps per day and would have expected them to fall apart or lose their shape, but they were fantastic. So now I want them in black…

The Sofft Mirabelle is available online with free shipping at Sofft.com. They have free shipping too.

Read about the best shoes of summer here

Gucci Bamboo Eau De Parfum Limited Edition 

I sprayed this onto those paper testers in the airport and then threw them in my handbag. Every time I opened my bag while I was away that gorgeous fragrance wafted up at me. It is a classic floral with Bergamot and Sandalwood and Vanilla. Incredibly feminine, but with strength to it that speaks to confidence and elegance, Bamboo will forever remind me of an incredible few weeks in Italy! Gucci Bamboo Eau de Parfum Limitied Edition is available at Sephora

The Lovers and Friends Cabana Top

I love the bare shoulder look, but unfortunately if you have big boobs the ruffled off the shoulder tops can make you look huge. I about died when I saw photos of myself wearing an off the shoulder top that I had thought was fabulous. My shoulders looked great but the rest of me looked absolutely inflated! A top like this one however can look sleek, and keep you on trend. i love the bell sleeves too. I found the Cabana Top at Revolve.com

Ouidad Moisture Lock Leave In Conditioner 33.8 oz

My best friend while I was away was my Ouidad Moisture Lock Leave In Conditioner. I’m naturally curly, although I do blow my hair out and wear it straight most of the time. While I was in Italy I let it be curly much more than usual. I spent a week on the Italian Riviera, swimming every day, and I had multiple days swimming in Capri (you can check out the Glam Tours on my Instagram) I kept Moisture Lock in my hair while I was swimming just to protect it, and then put more in when I was done to stop it looking like straw. It kept my hair really soft and manageable.

I travel with travel sized bottles but I want the big one to keep at home. If you are a curly girl you will love this product! You can find it online at Ouidad.com

Into The Water by Paula Hawkins

I’ve been reading some great books this summer. At the moment I’m reading a Tana French novel called The Trespasser. Its really good! I picked it up at Shakespeare and Company in Paris. Once I’m done I really want to read the new Paula Hawkins book. I loved Girl On The Train so I’m sure I will love Into The Water too. Its available online at Amazon.com

Read about Shakespeare and Company here

The GoPro Hero 5 Black

Do you read Damsel In Dior? It’s one of my favorite blogs. Jacey posted a blog this week that was about  8 Tools In Her Blogger Kit (read here) and one of them was this GoPro HERO5 Black. I want one!! Jacey takes amazing under water shots and I always wondered how. It turns out she uses this camera. I would have loved to have had one in Belize when we were snorkeling, and it would have been perfect for the boat trips in Capri. This is the best GoPro on the market, it has a voice control option, has advanced video stabilization and is waterproof. The GoPro hero 5 Black is available here at Amazon.com

Sol De Janiero Brazilian Bum Bum Cream

I found this one on Sephora.com. I currently have the best tan of my life and I want to preserve it for as long as humanly possible. Which means I have to keep my skin super nourished and hydrated, and need an antioxidant rich, super enriched body balm. This Brazilian body cream is paraben and sulphate free, gives your skin a glow and apparently tightens it too. I’m all in!

The Best Shoes And Sandals For European Travel This Summer

One of the main questions people ask me about summer travel in Europe, especially in Italy, is what shoes to pack.

Ideally you don’t want to pack more than 3 pairs of shoes, just because who wants to drag the extra weight around? Packing space is premium, so fewer pairs make more sense.

European and Italian travel means lots of walking. Lots and lots of walking, (my Fit Bit Alta always tells me that on my first day in Rome I walk around 32,000 steps!)  so you want shoes that you can walk around in all day and night, and not be crippled with blisters, chafing, sore feet and ankles. The obvious choice is a good pair of sneakers but that doesn’t always meet our desire to look chic and stylish.

I have found (through trial and error) some sneakers and sandals that not only are super comfortable and good to walk around Europe in all day long, but also manage to look chic and stylish.

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For the past few years I have been wearing Italian Superga Cotu sneakers.

pink supergas

They come in fun, bright colors and look really cool with everything. This year I ordered them from Zappos.com in light pink. Previous years I have bought them in hot pink, royal blue, grey and black. I normally put an extra insole like a Timberland Pro or a Vionic but Zappos has tons to choose from.

Related Post: 9 Things You Need To Do Before You Travel To Europe This Summer

Last year I bought these fabulous Somers slip-ons from Sofft in gold.

 

sofft somers in blush

I have literally worn them almost everyday for months. the gold look killer with black pants and dresses (my work wardrobe), look totally dialed in with jeans and with anything white. They might just be the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever owned! In my real job (makeup artist) I can be standing for hours on end so its really important to have shoes that support your feet and by extension your lower back. The Sofft Somers look chic too. I’m ordering the Sofft Somers in blush for this summer. Like Zappos, Sofft gives you free shipping.

Related Post: How To Use The Trains System In Italy

Sandals can be tricky to shop for for travel that involves a lot of walking, because most of them aren’t designed for endless hours of walking. They typically don’t have sole support so your feet can get really sore, and often they chafe and blister your feet too. Here are some great options.

If you had told me 3 1/2 years ago that I would even own something called a Birkenstock I would have died laughing! But here I am, 2 pairs in (one white and one black) to the best summer sandal ever! One of my travelers on my Glam Italia tour pointed out 3 years ago that every chic tourist who had an outfit we were scoping was also wearing these Birkenstocks Gizehs.

birkenstock gizeh

I now own 2 pairs, one black and one white. you do need to break them in before you travel, but the sole forms to your foot and then gives the best support you can possibly imagine. For the past 3 years this has been my Italian sandal – all day long, all over Italy, this is the sandal I’ve been wearing. They come in lots of color choices too. I order them from Zappos.com

Born makes a similar sandal called the Orla. They also offer free shipping.

 

born orla white

 

One of my friends doesn’t like wearing flat shoes. She always looks glam when we travel together, always has heels on. Her secret is wearing shoes by Born. (Born are also known for their incredibly comfortable, super supportive shoes) One year we both trotted around Florence in  heeled sandals similar to these  Born Gayles , our derrieres having that wonderful lift that only a heel can give you, yet so comfortable we felt like we we wearing sneakers.

 

born gayle

This year with mules being so huge the Born Crato is a stylish yet wickedly comfortable option.

 

born crato

Related Post: How To Order Coffee In Italy

Last week I was working with this very chic European photographer, who as always looked amazing. She had on the latest cropped jeans, a black T, her blonde hair was all mussed up and fresh, and she had these Sofft Mirabelle sandals on in black. They looked fantastic! I was expecting them to be something she picked up in Paris, but she told me she bought them here, online at Sofft.com (they are also available on Zappos.com). She also said that she wears them all day long on shoots because they are so comfortable, even when she is shooting in a studio with a concrete floor. (That makes them perfect for walking around all day in Europe!)

 

sofft mirabelle

I don’t think this photo does them justice – they looked so good on! I don’t need any more black sandals, but I do need some neutral nude sandals so I’m ordering this pair pictured above.

 

Update: I actually did buy the nude shade of Sofft Mirabelle pictured above, and wore them all over Italy and Paris all summer. I lead back to back Glam Italia Tours with groups of women who wanted to walk a lot! My travelers had me averaging 25,000 steps per day, and I wore my Mirabelle’s all day, every day. They looked chic, were super comfortable, and didn’t fall to pieces after all that hard work! They dealt with rainy days and searingly hot days and stayed looking good. They were super comfortable from day one, I never had to “break them in”, and didn’t get even one blister. I will definitely buy these sandals again!