Miss Fisher exhibition

So, I've mentioned before that I absolutely love Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and I was so excited when Bonita from Lavender & Twill suggested we go together to see the costume exhibition when she was in Sydney. Season three of the show was full of amazing pieces, and I loved seeing the pieces - so many of them I had swooned over on screen! That mermaid costume! The evening dresses! And that amazing red, white and black set in the final picture that would've been so risqué in 1920s Melbourne, I adore it.

One of the best things about seeing Bonita was planning our outfits together. We went for a purple and black theme, and I was pleased to pull out one of my favourite 40s dresses from the wardrobe. I love the floral detailing on the pockets and neckline! Bonus, the venue was just perfect for photos!

The exhibition is on in Sydney at Old Government House at Parramatta with ticketing information here. It is also coming to Brisbane, so check it out if you can!

Wearing....

1940s wiggle dress, 1940s velvet hat, 1940s velvet cuffed jacket, Jean Jean Vintage 1940s necklace, Holliepoint 1940s bag, Melissa flats

Those fangs: Smile Brilliant review

Teeth Whitening Cost

Can I tell you all a secret? I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I rarely smile with my teeth showing. There's two reasons for it:

1. Dreadful eye bags when I do. I need to learn not to squish my face up. 
2. I'm not hugely thrilled with my teeth. I can't decide if they've just not white naturally, or whether my tea drinking and medication from a young age has stained them FOREVER. 

For awhile I was using whitening toothpaste but it wasn't making a huge difference, and more to the point was full of microbeads. Yuck. So, I let it go and went back to using Lush Toothy Tabs. 

So when Smile Brilliant approached me and asked if I would trial their tooth whitening system I was prepared to give it a go. You know, in the name of giving you guys a heads up if it were good, and not just for my own vanity. Ok, there was also a bit of vanity in there too. 

So, how does it work? It's surprisingly simple. You know how you can visit your dentist and they could charge you an arm and a leg and possibly a kidney for custom trays and bleaching? This system is what your dentist does, at a fraction of the cost. It's the same product, just, without the dental bills essentially! 

Once your purchase, you will get a kit that looks like this - syringes of Teeth Whitening and De-Sensitizing gels, some blue trays for making the imprint and the jars of putty for the imprint. It's super easy. You mix the blue and the white paste together until there's no white putty left, and then press it into the trays before making an imprint of your top teeth and repeat then for the bottom. You then mail off the imprint to get your custom trays made. 

They arrive pretty quickly after that! Your imprint teeth are sent back too, and make for excellent Halloween decor. Your trays are flexible and you simply syringe in the gel to the front of the tray where it would sit against the front of your teeth and insert into your mouth. I started out with small periods to see how my teeth reacted. For awhile I didn't notice any sensitivity, but once I upped it to a few hours a day on a daily basis I did start to notice I had ONE tooth that was sensitive. There's always gotta be one rebel. I cut back to doing about an hour a day and that seemed to settle it.

These trays are clear and I took to wearing them at the office as that was the only time I could sit for a few hours without eating to have them in and while they made it a teensy bit harder to talk, no one noticed they were in unless I pointed them out. How handy is that?

Once you use up the supplies in your kit, it's easy to keep ordering replacement gels without doing the whole kit and kaboodle - and best bit yet, they ship to Australia. Easy peasy kids.

Before:

After:

So, overall, what do I think about this product? Well, the before and after speaks for itself. My teeth aren't movie star white, they've still got some yellowing, but they're noticeably whiter. I suspect that's just the way my teeth are after years of medications and caffeinated bevvies, but I will definitely keep using this product to top up the effect every few months.

Would I have bought this product without trying? Probably not. I'd grown a little weary of products that claimed to really whiten your teeth, so I am glad I tried this. 

 To take a closer look or order your own Smile Brilliant trays just click below. For more information on Smile Brilliant, visit their Reviews page or watch the video below.

This post was in collaboration with Smile Brilliant. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting collaboration posts on A Wild Tea Party. 

New in

I mentioned in my previous post how I'm clearing out, so this post might seem a bit contrary, but I'm actually adding pieces that really will fit with my slightly tweaked new wardrobe. As you can tell, I'm still nuts about leopard, and red and black are going strong. And I've added some extra bling into the mix thanks to gorgeous new earrings, and a brooch by Dorothy Bauer.

Delpozo Appliquéd patent-leather sandals via Net-A-Porter

Dorothy Bauer Poodle brooch via eBay

Cristian G Bianca heel via Zomp

50s leopard collar via eBay

50s waist cincher via eBay

Charlotte Olympia Miranda wedge via Net-A-Porter

Mamoru Jewellery one off earrings

Mid-century Los Ballesteros Taxco collar via Jean Jean Vintage

Charlotte Olympia Round Up heels via Net-A-Porter

Retrospec'd 50s pleated skirt in Empress White

I will be listing on eBay some stuff very soon and will give a heads up on IG - out out out it all goes! And the etsy shop with have some new pieces soon. We're getting there! 

Green with envy: Hawkeye Vintage

When the team at Hawkeye Vintage contacted me a few weeks ago about collaborating to promote their Melbourne A La Mode pop-up event I was all over the offer to borrow some of their amazing designer pieces and take pictures. It was kind of like being a kid again and getting to play in the dress up box, but instead it's the cool adult vintage dress up box. 

I'm totally in love with this vintage green silk YSL blouse - swoon! I think it's because it harks back to my undying love of all looks 'Morgana' inspired. I've got a few extra accessories to share over on Instagram this week from the goodies loaned to me - so keep an eye out cause they're really stunning!  

So if you like what you see, why not head over to the Facebook event page for all the details and join in on the fun next week? I just bet you'll pick up something absolutely amazing - after all between all those amazing brands there's something for everyone ;) Me, I have to stay enviously in Sydney without any amazing shopping time - boo hoo!

Hint, the amazing labels there will be: Hawkeye Vintage, T.SERAFINA, Lady Petrova, Dainty & Bold, Eternal Headonist, Anton Venoir Antiques and Micky In The Van. 

Love WTP x 

Wearing:

Image 1: Hawkeye Vintage YSL silk top, Von 50s pencil skirt, Paola d'Arcano heels, The Original Bad Girl x Frida Las Vegas earrings, vintage ring and bracelet. 

Image 2: Own bag, Hawkeye Vintage Gucci scarf
Pictures by Astin Kloeckner 

Busy Bee

I spent Sunday afternoon having a lovely leisurely look around the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. I haven't been there since childhood, but I was lured back by the Undressed: 350 years of Underwear, Recollect: Underwear, Recollect: Shoes and A Fine Possession exhibitions - talk about packing in a lot for a grand total of $15 entry! Some of these exhibitions are closing soon - so try to catch them before they are gone. I couldn't take photos in the Undressed Exhibition, but I did snap some of the underwear and shoes. Go check them out for yourself if you can, there's so many fabulous pieces - the shoes come from around the world and some date back to the 1500s!

I wore these comfortable 50s style capri pants from Von 50 and a 50s novelty bee sweater. How cute is the detailing on this? A queen bee, little rhinestones, even a honeycomb sort of textured fabric. It is the best and the cutest ever. The coat I got on eBay for a song. I'd been wanting one for ages and sometimes good things come to those that wait. Rather than buying the first one I found, which was plain black, I got this one after the holiday on eBay. It has gold flecks in it. So good!

Wearing...

Wild Fell Hall 50s bee top, Von 50 capri pants, Vintage 1950s swing jacket via eBay, NineWest AndHearts ballet flats, Jean Jean Vintage Edwardian bangle 

Behind the scenes

Sometimes, when you're a fashion-related kind of blogger, people think you live a beautiful, effortless life. HAHA! Let's just say at the moment I cringe every time I look at the floordrobe accumulating near my actual wardrobe because I got half way through sorting it and gave up, I have some epic chin acne going on, and a laptop that won't upload the default Word templates. Of course. 

Oh yeah, and then there's that whole working to get big time fake-o Mei Mei Fashion Blog removed, a total copy of my actual blog. If you are reading this there, close the page. Come see the real content at www.wildteaparty.blogspot.com. 

The funniest thing perhaps is how often people think I just 'whip a post up' in between brushing my teeth and applying my moisturiser. I don't. In fact, I gave two friends a nice little run down of how a typical post comes together.... 

6am: Roll out of bed, make tea.

6.15am: Stare at pre-planned outfit that took me an hour sometime that week to devise (because I pre-plan everything I wear). Decide I hate it and my body and everything. Sip tea. 

6.30am: Run bath, sink into the bubbles. Scrub my body with sugar scrub. Get out. Put on outfit I hated half an hour ago. Decide I like it after all, once I switch the accessories. 

7am: Remember I left tea in bedroom. Reboil kettle and scoff Weetbix.

7.15am: Throw ALL the make up on my face.

7.45am: Try to do some hair style. 

8.15am: Decide I can’t. Start doing victory rolls and a bun.

8.45am: Remember I boiled the kettle and forgot to make more tea. Make tea.

9am: Gas myself with hairspray in between tea sips. Wonder if the hairspray is settling into my teacup and if inadvertently I am poisoning myself.

9.15am: Take selfie on phone. Realise it’s been three hours since I got up and I have only taken a selfie.

9.30am: Set up tripod. Dog tries to ram into it. Tell dog off. She runs away. Work out lighting and best location in my yard.

9.45am: Take a series of blown out shots despite best efforts because everything is damned green in my garden.

10am: Find good spot, take photos, all of which dog runs through and I can see her bum. Take dog inside.

10.15am: Repeat, without dog bum. Cloud cover has vanished, now a searing hot spot of squinty eyes.

10.30am: Trudge back inside with tripod. Get funny looks from house inhabitants.

11am: Arrive at local park, repeat process under the cover of pine trees. Get random dog walkers and families staring at me.

11.30am: Arrive home, realise all of the shots are blurry once they’re on the screen.

12am: Make lunch. Decide to try again around 4pm.

I hope you enjoy these dog-ran-through-shot out takes!

WTP x

I love...

All of these goodies, some of which I will be wearing VERY soon and others that have made it to my tree. Keep an eye out over the next week and a half, I've got a hair tute to come that's perfect for holiday parties, plus some cute festive outfits. Can't wait!

P.S. I've reopened my etsy shop for awhile with some lovely treats that need adopting. There will be more going in over the coming weeks, so be patient and keep an eye out. Right now, there's a gorgeous gold 50s star bag with its original box and some art deco necklaces

Clockwise from top left:

ASOS New Look Christmas bauble clutch, Murano glass bauble, Rimmel Kate Moss Matte lipstick in 111, Jonathan Adler owl ornament via Coco Republic, Dinosaur Designs Beetleshell bangle, Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy polish in 'Queen of Hearts', ASOS New Look large covered square buckle belt, 1940s celluloid hand brooch via ArtfulOldies, The Original Bad Girl black scarf

Melbourne Cup Day was yesterday

Has it really been another year? There's no Halloween pics of my outfit this year, which I feel quite bad about but couldn't be helped. I was in no fit state for a photo! Being the mega-klutz that I am, I slammed my face into the pavement outside the restaurant on my Halloween night out when I misjudged the step. It was as graceful as face planting can be, which is to say, not very. Though the staff member who was nursing my face as I laid where I fell waiting for the ambulance assured me that I was very modest in my 50s skirt and other girls have needed a blanket to hide their panties. Which, let's just say having to lay on the pavement waiting for the ambulance to come and getting asphalt imprint in my chest, and breathing in street dirt, and the bleeding and pain was made just barely more tolerable in the knowledge no one saw my underpants. And so now I have a black eye and a bruised cheek and a sling for my sore left arm but I took it off because I wasn't ruining yet another opportunity for photos (but I will let the sunnies hide the facial evidence). 

I'm wearing the beautiful dress from Elise Design S/S14 that Thu gifted me after I modeled for her at Elise Boutiques' 10th Anniversary party. The colours in this and the button detailing down the front is adorable, but what impresses me most is how lovely the fabric in this dress is. Not only is it lined, it's so nice against the skin and floated beautifully around my legs as I walked. Double fabric bonus: machine wash on delicate cycle! I could dedicate a sonnet to this dress for that alone. I resent that pile of dry cleaning in the corner of my bedroom. This dress will be available shortly, so please check out the website. And of course, you've seen this hat before, but I couldn't resist wearing it again with a simple bun. 

Also, please, spare a thought for the two beautiful animals who lost their lives at yesterday's race. Yes, I love traditions and hats, no, I don't approve of the misuse of animals for entertainment. 

Wearing...

Elise Design dress, RMK heels, Jessamity 50s hat, Mimco earrings, Miu Miu glasses