What I Wore: Wedding Edition!

As I mentioned in my last post, a week or three ago I attended a wedding in Australia. My boyfriend and I flew over to Sydney to meet up with (or, in m boyfriends case, just plain meet) my family and take a rather leisurely road trip up north to the beautiful Kilcaire to watch my lovely cousin marry her partner of seven years. Delightful.

Given that Australia is several degrees warmer than New Zealand, as I packed my suitcase I was faced with a dilemma: in this trans-seasonal climate, what on earth do you wear to an Australian wedding? Will it be hot? Cold? Somewhat mild? Australia’s weather is unpredictable at the best of times and I didn’t want to be caught out!

Eventually, the answer I came to was to throw all caution to the wind and pretend it was already summer. A few glasses a champagne would surely warm me up anyway, right?

Here’s what I wore:

The dress is a Hi There number from Kiwi designer Karen Walker that, somewhat ironically, I managed to pick up at Myer in Sydney (the belt, which I love, was included with the dress). I paired this with a pair of nude wedges which you can’t see, which is maybe just as well because I picked them up at Number One Shoe Warehouse.

I kept my jewellery minimal by wearing that same Karen Walker bangle I always wear. One day I’ll be more creative but hey, if something works for you, why not stick to it?

I’m really pleased with my dress and its flouncy full skirt (there’s no tulle in the base, but it still somehow manages to be quite a full skirt). This is usually something I shy away from, as I tend to want to minimise, not maximise, my hips but the fabric and the belt really sold me on the look.

But never mind the dress: let’s focus a moment on two key things: my lipstick and my hair. Despite the fact that they should, for all intents and purposes, clash, they don’t. But how?!

Firstly, the lippie. My lipstick is none other than Rebel by MAC. I bought this on impulse at the Duty Free MAC stand at Auckland International Airport after seeing it on a friend with a very, very different skin tone to me and wondering whether it would suit me or not.  I have never, ever been so pleased with an unplanned purchase as I have been with this one.

This colour is definitely a purple, although it has throws of pink, which is probably why it doesn’t look as harsh on me as other dark purple shades tend to. Despite its creamy formula, it applies much like a matte shade and can be a little difficult to apply without a lip brush. It can also be a little drying, but the trade-off is that, once on, the colour lasts for hours on end. In fact, one application lasted several wines, a three course meal, and few more wines after dinner, too.

I’m so pleased with this colour, I’ve been wearing it everywhere. Whether it be work or to more formal occasions, Rebel has been accompanying me in my bag just in case I need to be a bit fancy.

(I failed to take any selfies on the day, so I’m cropped myself out of a family photo. Rude, I know.)

Which brings me to my next fashion statement: my new hair. Originally I had the red put in by a trained professional, but I’ve been keeping it vibrant by regularly freshening it up with Fudge Paintbox in Red Corvette.

Red Corvette is described as “a racy colour that could leave a mark” (and it does – on your pillowcases; your sheets and your pale clothes if you don’t apply it properly!). I’m a fan of it as it is a darker red but equally as vibrant as some of the more orange-y reds in the Paintbox range and I think that’s precisely why I could pull off such a dark lipstick shade with bright hair – the fact that Red Corvette seems to have magenta undertones, much like my lipstick.

I had such a great time in Sydney and I always enjoy getting dressed up for a special occasion. But I’m throwing this one out to the jury: what do you think of my look? Hit or miss? Discuss!

Analiese x