Thursday, March 25, 2010

Autumn wedding

We headed down to the Mornington Peninsula on the weekend to attend a close friend's wedding. It was held in Mount Eliza, at the beautiful Morning Star Estate. The weather and venue were perfect - blue skies, rolling views of the ocean, never ending lush green gardens filled with roses as far as the eye could see.

This wedding kicked off the first of five weddings we have been invited to this year, so I saw it as a great opportunity to buy a new outift because although I have lots of formal dresses in my wardrobe, most or them are dark brown or black, and I thought a wedding in a rose garden deserves bright colour!

One of my best friends is a make up artist, and she kindly booked me in to the Napoleon Perdis shop she works in at Chadstone and one of her lovely co-workers made me up. It costs about $60 to get a full make up done in store, but the great thing is that you get to choose $60 worth of product to take home with you at the end. So you spend $60, get awesome Napoleon make up and a complete, high quality make over done.

The finished product (Ignore dodgy photoshopping of the garden behind me - I had to remove some wedding guests that were in the shot!)

You can't quite see it, but the make up artist did a semi-smoky eye using shades of champagne, pink and a dark bronze, with some black eyeliner used to smudge the colour in the corner of my eyes and along the eyeline. She also used a light bronzer on my cheeks instead of a pink tone blush because I wanted a more neutral bronze shade to blend with my olive skin colour. I also got some individual fake lashes put on the outer corners of my eyes to give them a little kick (side note: I may be addicted to false lashes - I bought a pack of them to experiement with at home for $15, which gave me about thirty of them). The lip gloss I used later on was a Face of Australia lip lacquer in a a dusty pinky brown tone (my go-to shade on most occasions).

I really recommend getting a proper make over done at least once a year for a special event. It makes you feel sassy and confident and you get to see what sort of new make up is out from different companies. The bonus of being able to choose products to take home with you is a really great way to stock up on special make up treats you wouldn't normally buy for yourself, and having good quality make up it definitely something every girl should aim for if possible. I know MAC also do the redeemable product thing, but I'm not sure who else does - can anyone recommend other places?

In case anyone is wondering, my hair was done by me, so it looked a little bedraggled by the end of the night! I have fairly long hair, so I washed and blow dryed with a big round brush that morning. When I got home from having my make up done, I used a medium sized curling wand (I haven't mastered the art of curling my hair with my GHD hair straightener just yet - thank goodness it comes with an instructional DVD) to curl my hair in small sections. I then gathered my hair into a low ponytail on the right side of my head and fastened it with a loose hair elastic. Then I used approximately 879856821 bobby pins to loosely fasten the sections of hair around and over the ponytail elastic to make it look like a low, messy bun. I left a couple of bits out on the right side of my head and pinned them back haphazardly to create a soft look around my face.

Now, let's talk fashion.


                                  
First of all, ignore the roundness at my belly, the wind blew in a particularly unflattering and suspicious looking direction! The dress was purchased last week at Kamikaze, an Australian clothing boutique that is Melbourne based. This dress was $160 and is also available in black. The cut is super flattering because the waistband sits just under the bust without being a complete empire line, potato sack dress. The skirt is lined and is cinched at the waist, but skims the hips without flaring too much. The satin didn't wrinkle at all and I felt comfortable and unconstricted all day and all evening.  You can move the bow around so that it fastens at the back over the zip, but I like the side option, it gives the look a little something extra. The earrings are diamanté cheapies from Diva, that I wore a couple of years ago as a bridesmaid and  my shoes are these ones from Chinese Laundry, but they were purchased at Myer about four years ago (I'm of the opinion that every girl needs a fantastic pair of black, gold and silver heels because they go with nearly everything and she will wear them again and again because they never go out of style).

Oh, and my sunglasses are fake Dolce and Gabbana, purchased from a street vendor in Mauritius on our honeymoon last year. The huge rhinestones totally make them look legit.

Lastly, I just want to sing the praises of Kamikaze clothing boutique, where I have shopped on numerous occasions. I purchased this dress from the Clarendon St. store in South Melbourne, and it's always a nice environment to shop in. The sales assistants are welcoming, but not too pushy and they always give you their full attention when helping you out. Quite often they'll suggest accessories to go with whatever you're trying on, but they never force things onto you if you politely refuse them. The clothing there is always a classic cut and style, and the sizing is for real women (ie. not teeny tiny, ridiculous made in China styles where a size 12 is actually a triple XL or something stupid) because it's all Australian made, which I love. There are locations in South Melbourne, Elsternwick, Moonee Ponds and Williamstown. They have great styles all year round for everyday workwear and formal occasions. Check it out if you have time (the website doesn't show a lot of the collection, it's more of a highlight - stop into the shop and you will be pleasantly surprised at the variety of styles that are always available in blacks, browns, greys and gorgeous bright colours).

Oh, one thing about attending a garden wedding is that you're out in the sun for a while. If you are super pale like me, stop in at your local bargain shop and buy a cute Asian parasol to keep the sun off you while you enjoy the ceremony. It adds a quirky element to your ensemble and keeps you nice and cool. This one cost me six bucks.

                                
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Monday, March 22, 2010

An unintentional hiatus

Wow, after starting this blog for reals only a few months ago I suddenly had to take an unexpected hiatus for the past couple of weeks because here at Chez Boredom Abounds we were in the throes of a battle with a kidney stone. A KIDNEY STONE PEOPLE! I've never gone through childbirth, but I'm told that the pain is quite similar. So....at least I know what to expect in the future I suppose? It hit me as soon as the Oscars finished, so I haven't even been able to do my Oscars fashion round-up. Do you think it's too late for that?

Anyway, I will be back with some more updates soon. I just didn't have a lot to say while I lay on the couch/my bed/the hospital bed and mainlined water and cranberry juice like there was no tomorrow, while feeling like the right side of my torso was going to explode out of me because of a 2.5mm stone.

2.5 MILLIMETRES! I have a picture of it if anyone is interested. You may need a magnifying glass to see it properly. Pin It

Monday, March 8, 2010

82nd Academy Awards: Part 14

HANKS!

Wow, they don't muck around, they just straight out announe Best Picture without the hoo ha. THE HURT LOCKER FOR THE WIN - JAMES CAMERON MUST BE LIVID!

Ha, the actors at the back look soooo excited, how sweet. They're going to get so wasted at the Governor's Ball later on. Katherine looks like she wants to vomit and wet her pants. I hope neither happens, because her dress is too gorgeous for bodily fluids.

Seriously, how tall is she?? For someone pushing 60 she looks incredible.

Okay, and that wraps it up - Steve and Alec did a great job and we're out!

Until next time, peeps! Pin It

82nd Academy Awards: Part 13

Same format again with a montage of the Best Actresses and a bunch of people to introduce them. We start with Forest Whitaker, who looks like he's lost weight, paying tribute to Sandra Bullock.

What's that guy's name who was in Frost Nixon? I have no idea, but he's talking about Helen Mirren (who still looks fabulous!) and apparently he thinks she's a hottie as well.

Peter Sarsgaard introduces Carey Mulligan, who looks cute with a pixie cut. That little "Darling" tacked on to the end there was a bit patronising.

Wow, Oprah looks really great - that blue number is stunning. She's lost a lot of weight - the pressure's on when it's the Oscars, huh Oprah? She is introducing Gabby Sidibe, who is crying already.

Tucci's back, introducing Meryl Streep, who's totally going to win. I really think her white gown is lovely, so simple but elegant.

Sean Penn is here to announce the winner and he doesn't look too tanked yet - waiting until the end of te show to put him on was a risky move, Academy, but well done.

Best Actress goes to.......Sandra Bullock. COME ON PEOPLE. Gabby Sidibe kicked ass, but whatever. And Meryl Streep just got a total brush off from Bullock. BURN. Yes, Bullock, GABBY SHOULD HAVE WON. I will grudgingly admit that Bullock has great hair and her husband looks so emotional and happy for her BUT WHATEVER.

Wow, we're going straight into another award with Babs, who looks like she's tied a tablecloth around her neck and thrown a dinner jacket over it. WTF is that? Anyway, it's time for Best Director and I really hope Jimmy C. doesn't win. I feel a bit sorry for Tarantino, he hardly ever wins. Lee Daniels has awesome hair. Sometimes I wish I had an afro, it looks so awesome. Jason Reitman's bitchface is about to come out when he doesn't win - he really needs to work on that.

Here we go...Best Director: Katherine Bigelow! Woot! SUCK IT JAMES CAMERON. She looks amazing, so svelte and elegant. Satin is risky because it wrinkles, but her dress is beautiful. And a standing ovation as well! Wow, she looks about 8 feet tall.

Aw, poor Tarantino. Pin It

82nd Academy Awards: Part 12

We're back now with a montage of Best Actor nominees I think? Yeah, Michelle Pfieffer is talking about Jeff Bridges, so now we're about to see who wins Best Actor. It's totally going to be Bridges. He looks emotional.

Vera Farmiga looks lovely in  red. She's talking up Clooney, who finally looks more upbeat. Dreamy indeed.

Julianne Moore is looking nice, having done much better in the fashion stakes than her dismal black dress at the Globes. Firth looks nervous, but I really hope he wins.

Tim Robbins (WHAT HAPPENED WITH SUSAN SARANDON??) is talking about Morgan Freeman and their Shawshank experience and there is a nice little joke in there about Morgan calling him Ted.

Colin Firth still looks exactly the same as when he first appeared. Jeremy Renner seems like a nice guy.

Kate Winslet looks really nice, even if her dress is a little bit too simple in the bodice. Ok, here we go with Best Actor.....

Jeff Bridges totally won, no surprises there. And he gets a standing ovation which is nice. He looks and sounds absolutely jubilant. He speech is lovely. Wow, Scott Cooper looks about nineteen. Dude, Clooney looks pissed! Pin It

82nd Academy Awards: Part 11

The hosts are back to introduce Tarantino and some other dude I recognise from last year. They're introducing Best Foreign Film....The Oscar goes to The Secret in their Eyes. Is that the right title? Man, Tarantino has a huge chin. How did I never notice that before? Aw, the winner is getting flustered, how cute. "Please wrap up - how?"

Kathy Bates is on now to introduce Avatar. She kind of looks like she's trying to holding up her underwear with the way she's grasping her waist.

Wow, that was quick, an ad break already. They're getting into the business end of things, so why not space it out for another 40 minutes? Pin It

82nd Academy Awards: Part 10

Now Matt Damon is on introducing Best Documentary Feature. My dad was going to get something to eat, but when he heard Matt Damon was coming on he hurried back over to the couch to watch his fantasy BFF. I'd like to watch Food, Inc. but I think I would never eat meat again. And I love meat. Okay, now that Damon is gone Dad is getting some biscuits and pate. Mmm, pate.


And The Cove takes out the award. I hate seeing animals in distress, so I don't know much about this flick. That is ironic, considering I just admitted to loving meat.


Giant red Snuggies!! Now it's time for Best Film Editing, which The Hurt Locker wins. OH MY GOD  ELBOW LENGTH BLACK GLOVES. With a diamond ring over it, so Miss Piggy.


Keanu Reeves is looking scruffy with a beard. But he's introducing The Hurt Locker. How many more best picture nominees are there left? It feels like there have been about a million so far. And another ad break. Pin It

82nd Academy Awards: Part 9

J-Lo, who looks really beautiful, and Sam Worthington who had to put on his Intellectual Black Framed Glasses before he can read the teleprompter. Best Score now, with some dancers leaping about. Breakdancing and ballet? That's an odd combo - very So You Think You Can Dance. Transitioning to....people racing all over the stage and more SYTYCD stuff. A B-Boy is jerking around onstage and I really don't think this dancing matches the music. Ok, the Fantasic Mr. Fox music seems to suit the dance better now, but it's still strange. Ooh, the mid-air twists are cool though. A robot simulation for Up going back into ballet and breakdancing. The Avatar dancing is good - the music seems to suit the ballet and the breakdancing more than any of the other scores. Ah, what would breakdancing be without some dudes spinning on their heads?

A standing ovation for that, really? Come on people, they're no Baby and Johnny.

Sam took off his Intellectual Glasses during the dancing. He must be ready to party now that the reading bit is over. And Up takes the Oscar. J-Lo, Sam and the Oscar dude are standing way too close to the guy that won. Ooh, Ducky got himself a hot date that doesn't want to kill him. Well done.

Gerard Butler and Bradley Cooper now, two of the biggest man-ho's of the moment introducing Best Visual Effects. I need to pee again, so can we all just assume that Avatar wins? Ok, good.

Jason Bateman is on now and is introducing Up in the Air. Clooney still looks unimpressed, despite watching himself onscreen for at least a minute. Pin It

82nd Academy Awards: Part 8

So far these Oscars are kind of boring......

Okay, Steve is introducing Sandra Bullock now, who does look lovely in a metallic number, but I think the red lipstick is too much. Now Best Cinematography. Harry Potter? What? Seriously, that movie is so old.

Oh, and Avatar wins, quelle surprise.

Charlize looks really bored. Oh, here comes Demi Moore in a floaty number and some killer high heels. She's introducing the death tribute, which morbidly, I always enjoy. James Taylor is accompanying it by playing a Beatles classic. SWAZYE.

Aaaannnnnnd....commercial? Yes, commercial. Pin It

82nd Academy Awards: Part 7

A spoof of Paranormal Activity that is actually pretty funny. And now the Twilight peeps, Taylor Lautner and KStew, and they really need to turn the music down. A tribute to horror? Ok I guess?

Oh man, I am such a wimp. Was that Clooney? What horror film was he in?

Efron and Anna Kendrick now. Morgan Freeman narrating - I could listen to him speak forever. I love all that foley stuff being explained. And now Best Sound Editing....Another Avatar win?

No, The Hurt Locker! Suck on that James Cameron! Wow, long blond hair on a dude? So 90s.

And straight into Best Sound Mixing.Transformers got nominated? Didn't that come out, like 2 years ago?

Cool, The Hurt Locker wins again and long blond hair is back. Ooh, they sat Katherine Bigelow in front of James Cameron? Interesting.

Elizabeth Banks now and I really like her dress, the grey is stunning on her. The Sci-Tech awards now, and I'm guessing Avatar won nearly everything?

John Travolta is now introducing Inglorious Basterds. Is he wearing jeans? We can't tell, but I hope not. The Oscars is so not the place for jeans - the Grammys maybe, but not the Oscars. And now random shots of the audience before cutting to another commercial break. Pin It

82nd Academy Awards: Part 6

Sigorney Weaver is freaking 60 years old and she looks so fantastic. The red is gorgeous on her. She's introducing Best Art Direction - who thinks Avatar is going to win? Everyone? Ok then.


Yep, Avatar won. Snore. Get ready for a James Cameron love fest. And a random shot of Kathy Bates.


Best Costume Design now and a joke about Clothes Whores. Tom Ford and Sarah Jessica Parker now. I love SJP's hair, but the dress is kind of a potato sack. That set needs to stop moving behind them because it's making me dizzy.


The Young Victoria wins, no surprises there - a period piece always nabs it. The cut and style of Sandy Powell's dress is really lovely, but I'm not sold on the armfuls of bangles and the hat.


Now Charlize Theron with her boob grabbing dress, introducing Precious. And yet more commercials. Pin It

82nd Academy Awards: Part 5

Ah, I missed a few seconds due to a pee break!


Okay, we're back with Best Adapted Screenplay nominations being announced by Rachel McAdams and Jake Gyllenhal. Yay, Geoffrey Fletcher / Precious won!! Ooh, so emotional.


Was that Adrien Brody in the audience? He looked heavily made up, so maybe not.


Queen Latifah now, who I think looks incredible. Something about the Governor's Awards and the highlights of the night. Roger Corman was honored, Gordon Willis as well. Lauren Bacall next up - man she was beautiful - so sultry. And John Calley (honored, not beautiful).


Corman and Bacall are up next - Matt Damon and Sandra Bullock look kind of bored. Well, I guess Matt has nothing left to look forward to this evening now that he's lost his category.


Robin Williams looks like he's lost weight, and he looks a bit less hairy than usual. Best Supporting Actress now.....


Penelope Cruz is so beautiful - if I looked like her a lot of my problems would be solved I think. Why didn't I know Maggie Gyllenhal was nominated. Anna Kendrick is so adorable. Mo'Nique is totally going to win though.....


Yup, Mo'Nique has it in the bag. Wow, standing ovation, well done people! Performance vs. politics, well said. She looks lovely in that blue.


Colin Firth now - so British. Introducing An Education. Pin It

82nd Academy Awards: Part 4

Oh Steve Martin, I love you.

Carey Mulligan and Zoe Saldana (whose dress I do not like - that split is dangerously high and what is up with those ruffles?). Best Animated Short Film now.....Interviews with directors who started in shorts is showing first. Ew, creepy CGI baby!

Logorama takes the Oscar and the producer looks unimpressed. Is he French? That could explain his expression. 6 years to make 16 minutes? Yikes!

And now Best Documentary Short.....Music By Prudence wins. What is up with the editing and cinematography - they're all over the place tonight. Who is that woman that just burst in there? Is she part of it? Okay, I think she's part of it, but that was weird and now they're being music-ed off the stage. The poor guy had his speech totally interupted.

And now Best Live Action Short Film - The New Tenants. Ugh, again with the bad cinematography.

Ben Stiller who is blue and totally freaky looking. Those little ears are kind of gross. Ah, Best Make Up, that makes sense. James Cameron took a while to warm up to that. Sylar from Heroes is being shown - I heard him say he had to shave his eyebrows for the entirety of filming Star Trek. That would have looked odd. And Star Trek acutally wins, I though The Young Victoria would get it. Is that guy crying? No, maybe not. He sounded sniffly.

Jeff Bridges now, introducing A Serious Man.  That looks like it could be good, but it is the Coen brothers, who I really do not enjoy (I know, what WRONG WITH ME?) Pin It

82nd Academy Awards: Part 3

RDJ and Tina Fey are up - RDJ is funny, that stoic tone suits him. I love his blue bow tie. Best Original Screenplay nominations.....

The Hurt Locker nabs the award, no surprises there. Tarantino looks pissed....although that may just be his normal face? Aw, nice speech again - the speeches have been short and to the point so far, which is good to see.

I totally did not hear tha announcer then - the orchestra is way to loud. Molly Ringwald and Matthew Broderick - Ringwald is a GIANT. John Hughes tribute time. How funny, we were just watching Trains, Planes and Automobiles the other night. Judd Nelson has huge nostrils. And here come some of the peeps from Hughes' movies. Judd looks TERRIBLE NOW. John Cryer's hair piece is really good, you can't even tell it's fake.

Samuel L. is so bad ass. And he's introducing Up as best picture nominee. I find that sweet. Pin It

82nd Academy Awards: Part 2

Cameron Diaz and Steve Carrell are up - I find them cute together. And now there's a little bit with the animated features. Ha! That dog from Up is so cute. Best Animated Feature film.....

Up, what a surprise/sarcasm.

I'm not sure about Cameron Diaz's dress - she doesn't normally wear flowy gowns. I think I'll come around to it though.

Wow, they love Plummer - they keep showing him. And the hosts are back talking about The Hangover. Ugh, that joke was lame. Miley Cyrus and Amanda Seyfried are up and it's obviously the year of the poufy, long train dress. Seyfired looks nice though, but someone needs to tell Miley to stand up straight because couture and slouching do not mix. And it now time for Best Original Song - Crazyheart is totally going to win this I think.....

Yeah, I was right - Crazyheart totally won. It does sound like a nice song though. And that speech was nice and subtle. I wish I could be the kind of person that could wear Ray Bans inside.

Chris Pine now, introducing District 9, which I don't know much about. Oh, okay, so it's about Aliens and stuff. Ew, what was that thing that jumped out at the guy? Yuck.

Again with the long cutaways to nothing. Just cut to the freaking commercial already. Pin It

82nd Academy Awards: Part 1

Here we go people!

Some kind of weird opeing thing is going on where we are supposed to bask in the awesomness that is the actors as they stand on the stage. It's a bit of a snooze. Meryl Streep looks amazing though.

Neil Patrick Harris, woo!! Ooh sparkly jacket. The music is a bit loud though, I can't quite hear the lyrics. Something about Botox and then Meryl Streep? Okay, seriously, the music is way to loud, I did not hear anything he just sang.

Great entrance by the hosts, I love the hand holding as they trotted down the steps. Man I love Steve Martin. Ooh, careful, Alex might punch you if you don't introduce him properly, Steve.

Captain Von Trapp for the win! Er, do the writers know what spoiler alert means? That kind of fell flat with the audience.

Helen Mirren also looks fabulous.

Sme blah blah about the various actors in the audience. And now they're mocking Avatar and Sam Worthington did not look impressed. Clooney also looks really bored. Does everyone always have to clap whenever his name is mentioned?

Why is Diane Kruger there with Tarantino - where is Pacey??

I wish I had Sandra Bullock's hair. I'm not sure about her dress though.

Ugh, Efron, Lautner. Blarg. Although Efron's hair looks better now that he apparently washes it.

Penelope Cruz is the first presenter and her dress is stunning. Best Supportin Actor is the first award of the night.....

Look at Matt Damon's fake nose, that is HUGE! Woody Harrelson has come a long way since Cheers (according to my Dad). Captain Von Trapp looks pretty good - how old is he anyway? Stanley Tucci looks so creepy as that killer.

And no surprises, it went to Christophe Waltz for Inglorius Basterds. His speech was really nice I think. My dad is disappointed Matt Damon didn't win - he thinks Matt is a really nice guy. I think he wants to be BFFs with him.

Huh, Ryan Reynolds introducing The Blind Side, and they totally didn't cut to the commercial quickly enough, there was an awkward moment of watching the set change for too long. Pin It

Sunday, March 7, 2010

New accessories!

My wallet, it was dying. So I logged on to Brands Exclusive when they had an Olga Berg sale and snagged this bargain:

 
Originally priced at $89.95, it was reduced to just $29.99, and with only $10 postage, it was too good to miss. I refuse to pay full price for Olga Berg products that aren't real leather, and this wallet was pretty enough and cheap enough to justify the purchase.

And it was my birthday recently, and in an effort to de-clutter the surface of our dresser, I had been eyeing off jewelry boxes before Christmas at Ishka, and my lovely Husband made a mental note of this and presented me with this on the morning of my birthday two weeks ago:

It's so bright and colourful, and each compartment is actually a little pull out drawer long enough and deep enough to hold all manner of trinkets. Now I just have to get my bum into gear and put all my jewelry in it!
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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Heavy Rotation: Mumford & Sons

Late last year, I kept hearing a song on the radio and I just could not get enough of it. After a while, I finally found out who was singing it and promptly began scanning radio stations whenever I was in the car in the hopes that I would hear it again.

The song was Little Lion Man, by a British band called Mumford & Sons. The song wasn’t like anything I had heard on the radio for a long time (mostly because I listen to the commercial stations – I know, shame on me, Triple J is SO much cooler blah blah blah). It was a little bit rock, a little bit bluesy, a little bit folksy and a complete earworm that would be stuck in my head all day. Then, in January I started hearing this song, and I instantly recognized the singer’s voice. The song was called The Cave and I loved it. Suddenly I started seeing the music video for it at the gym every time I was on the treadmill, and I was totally hooked. Besides trying to figure out where the clip was filmed (some sources are saying it’s in Goa), I couldn’t get that melody out of my head. So, I did something I haven’t done in a really long time – I went into a shop and I purchased an ACTUAL CD. I know, who knew they even made those crazy compact discs anymore?

I’ll give you, people of the downloading generation, a moment to stop and take that information in.

Without further ado, may I introduce you to the album Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons.

There’s something about lead singer Marcus Mumford’s voice that is so appealing – it’s raw, honest and completely passionate, and coupled with the old-time sound they incorporate into their fast and funky or slow and soulful songs, their music is instantly unforgettable.


While my favourites are the aforementioned Little Lion Man and The Cave, I also love Winter Winds and Timshel is just achingly beautiful. The whole album is a great mix of modern folk and old-time ballads, and it’s on heavy rotation in my car at the moment (and will be for a while I suspect). I can’t recommend it highly enough – it’s the kind of music that makes your heart sing.


Plus, it has banjo. Who doesn’t love a freaking banjo??



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