Allan Border Medal wrap up

Sporting awards ceremonies are always interesting times for fashionistas.  The WAGs seem disgruntled that the focus is on the men, so it's usually a boob bonanza and dress splits till Thursday.  I personally think that cricket is a little more refined than football, and had high hopes for some gorgeous gowns.

As much as I *liked* a lot of the dresses worn by the ladies, there wasn't anything that totally wowed me.  And normally this would make me sad - but it IS about the men on this one night, so I actually think it's a great thing.  Most stayed classy and understated.... most.

Enter Hayley Bracken.

Oh dear lord, who thought this was a good idea??  It just screams 'look-at-me-pageant-queen'.  Which is quite ironic, since she apparently plans to wear this 'self-designed' (uh oh) gown at the Miss World Australia AND the Miss Globe Australia pageants.  WHY would you debut such a memorable dress BEFORE the pageants??  And WHY wear the same memorable dress to TWO??  Clearly she's also trialling the bigger-than-Texas hair and OTT cheesy grin.

Have some style, girl.  You're meant to be supporting your successful husband, not putting your own goodies out on display.  I will go on record to say that I DO NOT like this sort of upstaging AT ALL.

One of my most hated upstagers from last year's event was Jessica Bratich, who wore a gown that *oops* revealed her underwear.  She of course claimed that it wasn't meant to happen... but yet she wore coloured underwear... if you want to hide your underwear you wear nude colours, don't you??  Anyway, look at what 12 months and an engagement ring can do:

Ahh... that's better.  Although not great - the dense sparkles make it look like her boobs look tiny and out of proportion.  I think if that panel was slightly larger, or maybe the crystals weren't quite so dense it would have been more flattering.  But in general a massive leap forward.  Loving the hair clip as well - such a wearable look, and an easy way to dress up hair for a special night out.

Other notable mentions for me include:

What's a cricket event without Lara Bingle?  Love the white Michelle Jank dress, but it's the straight from the runway Chanel fake tattoos that really set the outfit on fire.  She's also showing off some sexy skin, yet remaining classy and demure.  Nice work.  A simple bronze smoky eye and golden cheeks set the dress off nicely (too dark and it would have bordered on vampy), and a simple bun pulls focus to the face and keeps the look understated.  Hayley Bracken - take note.

Lee Furlong, I just love you.  This subscribes to the Lara Bingle 'understated class' theory of dressing, and I think it works just as well.  Keeping the neckline high but with a plunging back gives the audience an unexpected treat, and the messy low bun highlights this feature.  Makeup is classy and sophisticated.  High fives all round.

Rhianna Ponting is one I normally don't look at, but this silhouette at the back is just divine.  The angles just make it geometrically sexy.  I imagine there will be some brides copying this look - after all, when you're walking down an aisle everyone's looking at your rear view.  Why not make it spectacular!

Now it wasn't all black and white - here are my favourites:

Amy Hussey was a bright spark in this great turquoise dress and sparkly chandelier earrings and clutch.  Katrina Quaine is a face I'm not familiar with, but her soft rainbow dress will make me look for her again.  The side pony is great, but the eyeshadow seems to be a little too frosty for my tastes - but I'll forgive her for that.

All in all, it was a great night, with a lot of the ladies hitting the mark.  Hopefully they are starting to realise that an awards ceremony is not their chance to get noticed by Zoo Magazine.

Did you have any favourites?

BC  xx

Golden Globes Wrap Up - Hair and Makeup

Well I feel really slack and a bit late on the bandwagon - I should have had this up moments after the ceremony, apparently! But working full time doesn't give you a lot of luxurious time to be doing this kind of stuff. I wish it did!!

Anyway, onto the Golden Globes hair and makeup. In general - eh. It's all been done before. Nothing revolutionary, which was also reflective of the dresses. I read one columnist who complained about the lack of drama and scandal when it came to the GGs this year - and as the week wears on and I look at gallery upon gallery, I tend to agree.

But the best news about that is that most of the looks are both wearable and easily copied by DIY-ers. I expect to start getting requests for some of these looks when the formal season start rolling around.

Makeup:

* Smokey eyes - geez, what a surprise. They're a feature at every red carpet event, but it's all about doing them right for your eye shape. And balancing with the rest of your makeup is key. I thought Sandra did this well, and especially avoiding the black-eye look. A light eyeshadow in the inner corner and mobile lid keeps the eye looking fresh and open.


* Red lips - again, another staple, but again - hot. Keep your eyes low-key and make it all about your lips.


* Natural look - sometimes this can look underdressed at big events, but with all the soft tones in the clothes it was a perfect choice. As much as I didn't love Drew's outfit, her makeup was gorgeous. Sometimes a hint of colour is all you need.



Hair:
* Fallen-out hair - ugh, this is one of my biggest gripes. And apparently everyone loves it except me. People who look like they've either curled their hair but it's all fallen out, or they just haven't brushed their hair after getting out of bed. It can work on certain occasions, but for pete's sake, not on a red carpet!!


* Waves - Rose Byrne did this well, except I would have liked a little more serum over the ends to stop it getting a little frizzy. Classic and classy.


* Slick ponytail - now this wasn't a great feature, but after Heather Graham did it I expect to see it more often. The type of hairdo you can easily do yourself and look fabulous. Just make sure your face can take the attention (mine can't - high forehead and round cheeks mean I look like a fat, balding child).


* Headbands - clearly January Jones got on this bandwagon (see Red Lips above), but my favourite was Carey Milligan. Oh-so-cute - makes me (almost) want to chop my hair off! Formal trend alert again!! Never say you can't do anything with a short crop - this was gorgeous.


And the award for BC's Favourite All-Round Look goes to.....

Lea Michelle from Glee!!
Uh, I just sighed when I saw this whole getup. Age appropriate (can you tell I'm big on that??), timeless and just beautiful. Yet her updo saved the whole look from being dowdy - if I was going to a formal, that's the hair I would want. It looked like some kind of fishplait that was tucked underneath, but it was just loose and 'undone' enough to avoid being too contrived. Congratulations for not going to your first GGs and feeling the need to go overboard. Every new actress on Neighbours and Home & Away this year should take note.


Anyway, that's my thoughts! What did you think??
BC xx