Pictures worth a thousand words

Yesterday I talked you through our very ‘cool’ (haha, see what I did there!) Winter engagement shoot in central Christchurch. Well, last night, while I was chatting to my ma, I got an email which resulted in this:

Guys – WE HAVE OUR PHOTOS!!! *FLAILS AROUND WILDLY*

Now, I knew from the get-go that our photographers were awesome, but I’m the kind of girl who just can’t stand looking at herself in photographs. There’s always something wrong in every photo I see. But when I opened up that webpage to see my photos, I was enamoured.

Seriously you guys – LOOK AT THIS.

(All photos copyright StudioSomething)

MIND = BLOWN.

I’m so glad we chose these guys to photograph our wedding!! I know they’ll do such a marvellous job. I can’t tell you how happy we are. And because I love you guys, I’m leaving you with my favourite image (which just highlights how incredibly silly my relationship with GP can be).

A Winter Engagement Shoot in a City Full of Hope

On a FABULOUSLY sunny day, at 11AM on Wednesday 24th July, GP and I headed out to New Regent St in central Christchurch to meet up with our photographers of the fabulous photography group StudioSomething. Prior to that we each had respective appointments to get all ‘done up’. GP had a professional hair trim and shave from the fabulous people at ManScape, and I had my nails done at Wonder Nails.

Observe:

SHINY! (Personal Image)

Yes guys, I’m eating a cookie. A choc-chip-macadamia cookie from Mrs Higgin’s Cookies. It was DIVINE. Also, can someone spot the rose in the apothecary jar. I got that for my 25th birthday from my awesome friends ❤

Can you also see how AWESOME the weather was!? We totally lucked out, especially when the weather was looking rather hairy previously.

Our photographers experienced the typical Cantabrian confusion of trying to get around Christchurch through the maze of road works currently choking up the streets. Luckily, GP knew the way and was able to direct them to New Regent St where we finally met up with Ellen, Phu and their ADORABLE 6-month old baby. After some cooing with Lewis and chatting about both the shoot and the city, we decided to grab a coffee. We ended up in ‘Shop Eight & Rekindle’, a café attached to a ‘pop-up’ art shop which recycles wood taken from the demolition work happening around the city.

There, we took the first photos of the day.

Now, for those of you who haven’t see StudioSomething’s work, they do ‘stop-motion’ videos. Which means they take multiple photos using a fast-shutter speed and capture photos that, when stitched together, look like a movie! This meant that, when they wanted to capture GP and I kissing, we had to do it slowly at times.

I may have been rather happy to continue kissing on my fiancé… (This girl has no shame loving on her fiancé!)

We also had to slowly stir our hot chocolates, which made me giggle a heck of a lot.

After our photographers had a bite to eat, we moved on to an Astro-Turf space-filler close by. Does anyone remember this photo?

Space-filler Astro-Turf project! (Personal Image)

Unfortunately, there were SO MANY PEOPLE when we got there with our photographers. In the shot above, there was barely a soul around, but with our photographers, people kept flooding in and out – kids, people with dogs, families. So our photographers were able to improvise and asked us to sit in the big couch in the centre (see that Astro-Turf on the right of the image above? That was a HUGE couch). While we sat there, relatively still, they captured the movement around us.

It was an AMAZING shot and I wish I could show you guys, but we haven’t gotten the pictures back yet.

From the Astro-Turf project, we moved to Cathedral Square. These shots were a lot more sombre (considering the damage done to the Christchurch Cathedral in the earthquakes), but we were also able to use the space around us and have some fun with it. By the time we were done with the Cathedral Square we moved on to the famous “Container Mall”, otherwise known as the RE:Start Mall.

The RE:Start Mall on a busy Sunday. (Personal Image)

That picture was taken during our tour with GP’s dad. During the e-session on Wednesday there was barely a soul! It was fabulous. We were able to get awesome pictures of us in the main square, among the colourful containers, and we even got some pictures of our disappearing Fritz’s Wiener lunches! (I recommend Fritz’s Wieners for those who like hot dogs).

At about 4:30PM, the sun started setting and our photographers got snap-happy with the lighting. We got a lot of kissy-photos during that time, and as I was saying – I was more than happy to kiss on my man!

By 5PM, we finished our shoot, giving us a whopping 6 hours with our photographers!

We enjoyed each and every single moment with them and were able to not only get fantastic photos but enjoy their company. They got a pretty good tour of the city centre as well, so I’d have to say it was a win-win! 😉

We can’t wait to get our photos back. I’ll definitely be sharing some of them on this blog!

Our Lucky Break.

In a previous post, I explained our initial ideas. We were desperate to have the wedding in Christchurch, and I won’t lie, disappointed that we couldn’t. Our Hunter Valley wedding, however, has worked out phenomenally, however, and we’re so very happy to be celebrating in such a significant place with our nearest and dearest.

However, our Christchurch story doesn’t end there.

You see, this year, Mr Big turned the big 3-0. He wanted a “low key” celebration, but I wasn’t having that. He had previously thrown me a dress-up-as-a-superhero-surprise-25^th which lead to pictures like this:

I didn’t have costume. Hulk sad. I was wearing a jumper with an Assassin’s Creed hood though!

(I would put more up… but I don’t want my friends to kill me.)

But I digress, Mr Big was turning the big 3-0 and I wanted him to celebrate in style!

And so, I forced prodded him to have it in Kiwiland. He finally caved agreed and we started planning our trip! At the same time, Mr Big and I were thinking of what to do for our engagement shoot with our wonderful photographers. We originally were thinking of going to Cockatoo Island for the e-session, a little island in Sydney harbour, and had originally intended on having it in August.

The industrial part of Cockatoo Island. There are also convict areas and underground tunnels that were used to shelter people from falling bombs during WWII! The tiny people in this photo are: Mama Bighorn, myself, Groom’s Homie Oddball, and Mr Big. I know… I’m short. / Image taken by MoH M&Ms during a trip out to the beautiful spot.

I shot an email to Ellen and we back-and-forthed for a little bit. The months between September to December would be busy for them (wedding season!) so that left June, July, and August. It’d be winter in Australia, but that would be fine for Mr Big and I. We love winter more than summer.

With that, we tried to narrow down a date. I remember mentioning in passing that we would be in New Zealand in July, and hence, August would be best for us. To my surprise, we got this reply back from Ellen:

We’re also heading to NZ in early July – when are you going and where? We fly into Christchurch I think on the 14th! Would you like to do the shoot there if we’re in the same place at the same time? Haha!

I can honestly say my hands were trembling with excitement.

I quickly called Mr Big to ask if we would be able to (and was met with voicemail; he was in a meeting at work) and then waited anxiously for his reply. I tried to be realistic about it, for example, we might not be in Chch (Christchurch) during the same time as them, Mr Big might not like the idea, etc. but then he called back.

He was as keen as I was. (Probably even more so!)

WOOT!

After back-and-forth emails with Ellen, we decided on an approximate date and time. We’d be meeting up with them in Christchurch at a particular spot, assigned during the week leading up to the date. We’d also grab their mobile numbers to communicate accordingly.

So it was settled.

We’d be having our engagement shoot in Christchurch, during the winter. What’s even better? We’d be having it the day before our third-year anniversary together! During the lead-up we scouted out areas and spent an entire day with De-Papa Big in doing so. He also gave us the ‘Quake Tour’, which he does every time we visit so that we can get an idea on how the city is progressing every visit.

We started off in Avonside, a red-zoned area that was particularly damaged in the 2011 February earthquake. The last time we drove through Avonside, Mr Big mentioned that he wouldn’t be surprised if zombies came shambling out of the houses. The whole neighbourhood is in relatively disrepair, with houses sagging down sadly or some even burnt (that’s what upset me the most).

We felt it disrespectful to take photos, especially engagement ones, in Avonside, so we vetoed that idea. Instead, we simply drove around to have a good look at the neighbourhood which, to my knowledge, will be turned into parklands. De-Papa Big mentioned that they may even keep some houses up in memoriam to the damaged houses and changed lives of the quakes.

With that sombre mood, we decided to move on to a more populated part of Chch. Enter, the Cathedral Square:

Mr Big and I posing for a photo in the Cathedral Square. This place used to be surrounded by tall buildings.

For those who don’t know, the Cathedral Square is named for the Christchurch Cathedral which sat in its centre. And for those who are curious as to what it looks like, this is what it used to look like:

The Christchurch Cathedral. / Image taken via Wikipedia.

And this is what it looks like now:

The damage done to the Cathedral after both 2010 September earthquakes, several aftershocks, and the massive 2011 February earthquake. You can’t see it from here, but the spire is in rubble to the left of this picture. / Image via Chris Hewitt, A Kiwi at the Camera.

Whenever I look at pictures of the Cathedral, I still feel sad. I could go on about why, but I won’t bore you guys with the details. We decided we needed to move past the sombreness from both Avonside and the Square, so we decided to explore the ‘space-fillers’ surrounding the Square. We found this one:

Surf-Turf chairs! We look like two little kids, haha!

From there, we moved to New Regent St which is just.so.charming! Here’s a picture pre-e-session of my being a retard on New Regent St:

I know you’ve guys seen this picture before. It’s the best picture I have of New Regent St…

We decided to buy coffees and chat for a little before we moved on. Our next stop was the RE:start mall, also known as the “container mall”.

Mr Big and I – I’m still drinking my coffee. And yes, that sign does say “lingerie”, since we were right next to one!

It’s a shopping mall made completely made of shipping containers. It’s such a nice spot to rest, relax, and shop around. We even managed to buy a “ring box” (it’s not really a ring box, but we made it one!).

We also scoped out the cardboard Cathedral in front of Latimer Square, but felt it didn’t really capture what we wanted.

The cardboard Cathedral at Latimer Square, still under construction.

So with our location scouting done, we put a plan into action!

In the next post, I talk about a something that’s pretty important in e-session shoots. Clothing!

What do you guys think of these locations? Did anyone else get a ‘lucky break’ in your wedding plans?

(All photos personal unless otherwise stated.)

Non-Wedding Related: We Hike!

So on Saturday, GP, myself and GP’s Best Man and best friend (which I’ll call ‘Hunter’ for appropriate reasons) went up to Arthur’s Pass. For those of who don’t know, Arthur’s Pass is a little township in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. It’s a beautiful little place, surrounded by mountains and forest.

And also, Keas!!!

See that wee bird – he’s a Kea! Isn’t he beautiful!? ❤ / Personal Image

THEY’RE SO CUTE // Personal image

 

AHEM.

Sorry for the retarded picture of my face. And the Kea spam – I love those birds. They get SO close to you and they’re so cute! Anyway, we drove up to the Arthur’s Pass National Park and got ready for our trek up the Devil’s Punchbowl. The Department of Conservation describes the walk as follows:

Description of the Devil’s Punchbowl Track and Waterfall // Image taken from the NZ Department of Conservation website

 

Don’t worry guys – the trek isn’t as ominous as it sounds. It’s a basic trek  and the pathway has been fixed by the Department of Conservation to ensure that even the most inexperienced hiker can make it up to the viewing platform at the top to see the waterfall. Which, we did!

GP looking handsome, me looking retarded. I’m wearing GP’s mama’s coat, since we were convinced we’d get drenched (we did!) // Personal image

But we weren’t at the top. The photo above shows us at the outlook, where you can see the Devil’s Punchbowl in the distance. However, we weren’t at the base of the waterfall, where the supposed ‘Punchbowl’ was. According to GP, the waterfall was so-named because a big boulder had fallen underneath the waterfall. After years of erosion, the pounding waters of the falls had carved a HUGE crater into the boulder, shaping it like a – you guessed it – punchbowl!

After investigating the spot, Best Man Hunter saw a path that lead UP to the waterfall’s base. That meant going off track a little bit (read: the DOC didn’t lay down any manmade pathways going that way). But we were determined, and according to both GP and Hunter, it was perfectly safe.

Jumping over the barriers of the viewing platform, we made the journey further up, passing this sign on the way:

WE’RE REBELS! But seriously, there was no danger at all. // Personal image

After huffing and puffing up the side and scrambling up rocks, we made it to an area which was just flax plants. No more rocks to steady myself on. ‘Oh crap’, I thought, ‘I don’t think I can make it’. That one moment of hesitation made my resolve waver long enough for me to tell GP to go forward himself because I was sure I wouldn’t make it. He, being the awesome guy he is, understood and made it the rest of the way with Best Man Hunter to the base of the waterfall.

I remember sitting there for a few moments thinking, ‘why did I stop!? Am I crazy!? I’ve wanted to see this thing for ages’. I got up to go by myself, but realised GP wouldn’t be very happy if I did. So I stood there and waited ’til they returned.

“I want to try it,” I said.

Happily, they agreed to retrace their path back to the base of the waterfall, this time with me in tow. And guys, I am so glad I decided to go.

It was BEAUTIFUL.

Now – the punchbowl of the Devil’s Punchbowl has either a) been eroded way over time, or b) been damaged in the earthquake and disappeared. So I didn’t get to see the punchbowl, but the waterfall – OH THE WATERFALL.

The sheer power of it is AMAZING. The sheer force of the wind it creates and the spray – just so, so beautiful! I wish I had taken a picture of it, but with all the water that was hitting us, any electronic devices would have been damaged. GP managed to get some pictures of us just a little bit away from the base, behind some rocks, to protect his phone.

At the base of the Devil’s Punchbowl // Personal image

So one thing I do recommend if you love hiking and love waterfalls – the Devil’s Punchbowl. It was spectacular and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

We made the trek down with no real problems, chatting mostly about the wedding and planning. We had lunch at the local diner, checked out the local real estate, and then drove back to Christchurch. We did stop at Lake Lyndon, but haven’t got any photos of it. The section we drove to was frozen though, so that was an AWESOME sight. Our next stop was Sheffield, where we got a pie, drank coffee, and chatted about the merits of clean food (and how sometimes even bigger businesses can get it wrong).

And then, we were in Christchurch again. The day was capped with a delicious dinner of “Fush ‘n’ Chups” with GP’s parental units (can’t go to New Zealand without having it!) followed by board games with Best Man Hunter.

An excellent day to be had and I’d definitely do it all over again!

Rain, Rain, Go Away… No Seriously, Rain, GO AWAY!

Guys, I’m freaking out!

The weather forecast is looking pretty hairy for GP and I on our engagement shoot.

Lookie here:

Weather forecast on Wednesday 24 July in Christchurch, New Zealand // Image taken from metservice.com

As you can see – it’s raining on Wednesday. “Showers. Light winds.” to be exact…

I LOVE the rain, but if it does rain on Wednesday, it means we have to find an alternative place to do our photoshoot! I don’t know if our photographers can photograph in the rain, and don’t want to push them into a situation they’re not comfortable with!

Before we checked out the weather forecast, we were fairly certain what we wanted out of our shoot. You see, on Sunday, we toured Christchurch with GP’s dad and were able to get a good feel of the place. The tour was originally to check out the progress of the city two years on from the February 22 quake, but an email from our photographers also turned the tour into a “where to go for an interesting photoshoot” day.

GP’s dad was an awesome tour guide, and took us through the residential red zone of Avonside. Last time we went through there, GP mentioned that he wouldn’t be surprised if zombies came shambling out of the dilapidated houses. It’s sort of sad to see, but the city is getting much better.

From there, we moved to the Cathedral Square, which has finally opened up, and were able to get a glimpse at the Christchurch cathedral. GP’s dad mentioned that it would probably be good to get some pictures of the cathedral, and we agreed. It is a quintessential part of Christchurch’s history, and therefore, GP’s history as well. As we continued to tour through the centre of the city, we formed a good plan for the shoot.

We would start the photoshoot in the Cathedral Square, in front of the Earthquake-ruined cathedral there – to pay remembrance to the Earthquake that shook GP’s city. From there, we wanted to move to another (happier) area – the space fillers surrounding the square. Like this:

GP and I on the Sunday, being big kids on the space-filler armchairs and couches set up next to the Cathedral Square // Personal Image

 

From there, we’d move to a street called New Regent St which is just. so. charming. (Side note: the Rendezvous Hotel is there, where we’ll be staying for GP’s 30th birthday 🙂 ). I (unfortunately) don’t have any pictures to show you guys since all we did there was buy coffees, chat and move on. We then wanted to move on to the RE:Start Mall, which is otherwise known as the “Container mall” – a shopping district made out of shipping containers (very cool and creative place).

A busker (‘The Mullet Man’) performing in the RE:Start Mall square. Can you see the shipping container café in the background? // Personal Image

There’s also the infamous “Cardboard Cathedral” in front of the Latimer Square. (Ironically enough, the Latimer Hotel was one such venue we were potentially thinking of having out wedding). But that’s not really ‘complete’ as such and GP isn’t too happy to be taking a picture with it!

Alas, if it rains heavily, we may not be able to do the shoot outdoors. And we’re both RACKING our brains on where to go for an indoors shoot. As you can see, our Sunday tour was absolutely GORGEOUS! The sun was out, and it was a nice, cool day. I’m just hoping the forecast is wrong…

We could potentially travel out of town to do the shoot, which may be an idea if the weather decides it hates us in Christchurch. I don’t know any places to go though, so GP will have to take charge.

Does anyone else have ideas for an indoor shoot!?

Wedding High Five!

Hey guys!

I know this post is a day early, but I thought I’d just mention an AWESOME idea which I found on a website called Offbeat Bride. On their “Steal this Idea” segment, they mention that one should “High five your guests in your send-off like you won the game”. I saw that and INSTANTLY thought that would be a way better idea and so much more US than rose petal confetti cannons or a sparkler exit (which we’re not allowed to do anyway…).

I suggested the idea to GP and he’s SO there. We think it’s an awesome example of US as a couple. We’re constantly high-fiving each other and everyone else. The first thing we do when either of us has succeeded in something (be it in my academic work or GP’s job) we high-five each other. The same applies to others (for example, my little sister and junior bridesmaid got a good mark in her exams, she gets a high-five; my older sister and maid-of-honour got a job, she gets a high-five, etc.).

The send-off will have to happen indoors. Guests will have to line up, similar to the “archway” where guests form an arch with their arms. Instead of holding hands above and running underneath them (which will be extremely difficult for my 6’0″ husband-to-be), they’ll put their arm up, palm facing towards us. We then run through them, high-fiving each and every one of our guests!

So all of our guests (who survive to the end of the night) will be getting high fives (and possibly even hugs) from us before we leave! ❤

Also, I got this message from my baby sister/Junior bridesmaid last night which had me giddy:

Guess who received a package? Pardon the dodgy image quality… Also, my sister is awesome.

YAY!! INTERNET HIGH FIVES!

 

Winter is coming!

Well… is here.

(Side note: No, I do not watch Game of Thrones. I can’t get past the first episode…)

And with Winter comes Winter-clothing!

Which brings me to the question: what do you wear to an engagement shoot in the Winter? I grew up in Australia where ‘winter’ meant chilly nights and warm mornings. Winter fashion isn’t really big in my family (think thick socks and flipflops… I cringe!), so when I try to dress relatively attractively in the Winter, I’m met with the disapproving look of ‘why are you not dressed warmly!?’. I love my family, but I want to look good and be warm!

New Zealand is a completely different ballgame! Winter fashion is an art of the right layers and the right pieces of clothing. A warm, colourful scarf paired with a nice blazer or winter coat; thick leggings paired with a nice tunic and a cute belt to cinch the waist; knee-high boots, skinny jeans, and a cute fleece top – these are the things I see in Kiwi-land that make Winter-dressing so much more attractive.

So, I’ve been trying to think of ways to dress for the engagement shoot, so I don’t end up looking this guy:

It’s the Michellin Man! / Image via Running With Scissors

This is the route I don’t want to take. I’m a rather big girl (but getting smaller, thankfully!), so layers upon layers upon, etc. would make me look two-to-ten times bigger than I already am! So, no, I am not going to layer too excessively!

And so, with a plan of action in mind, I turned to Polyvore and made this board:

NZ winter engagement session by Miss Big

I own a lot of those clothes (or semblances of them) and decided they would be perfect for the shoot. It’s warm, it’s classy, it’s fashionable, and most of all, I won’t look like the Michellin Man! Mr Big has winter-dressing down to an art, and when you guys see the pictures, you’ll see how classy my boy is (even with a zombie on his chest).

(I would show you what we finally wore, but I’m going to be mean and not even give you guys a smidgen of a sneak peak! [insert evil laughter])

What do you guys think about my choices?

LANDED!

Hello guys!

We officially landed in Kiwi-land on Saturday (13 July) and got settled in at GP’s parent’s house. We’ll be here until the 29 July, where I’ll try to update as much as I can. The weather here is WEIRD guys!

Okay… no, that’s a lie. I guess it’s NORMAL compared to Sydney weather. We landed on a BEAUTIFUL sunny day and then the rain started! There’s more hail here than in Sydney (granted, if there were more hail in Sydney, Sydneysiders would never drive…) and it can get pretty cold. This hasn’t stopped GP and I doing regular walks, although yesterday we cut the walk short ’cause it was pouring down with rain and one of my socks was soaked!

I’m only hoping we get nice weather when we meet with our photographers!

I can’t text or anything either, ’cause Telecom NZ doesn’t seem to like my iPhone. We’ll try to rectify this in the coming days and hopefully I’m connected to the world again! I like tagging myself at certain places!

As for wedding-stuff, I’m looking forward to putting up the pictures of our first completed DIY project – the Xbox Achievement sign!

YAY!

For now, I’m going to get back to doing thesis work! (Yeah – GP and I still have to work while we’re here – blargh)

Parka – Check, Coat – Check, Scarves – Check, Birthday present?

Hey guys!

Two more days ’til we fly, and I’m excited! And also, stressed.

Why is it so hard to pack for winter!?

I think I’m just worried we won’t fit everything, but I’m pretty sure my doubts are unwarranted and unfounded. This here is a list of things I’m bringing over to Kiwi-land. It’s not complete, ’cause I’m not sure what GP wants to bring over, but most of these are for a colder climate than Sydney. Right now it’s about 9 degrees there, compared to the local weather of 16 degrees here. So yeah… I’ll be freezing my badonk off. We’ll also be hitting the snows as well as the Hot Springs in Hanmer Springs, where GP has informed me that it will be SNOWING. I’m UBER excited!

Yee, real snow! ❤

Here’s a breakdown of what I’ve sorted so far:

• 1 x winter Parka
• 1 x windbreaker (GP’s – my parka should do this job fine)
• 2 x coats for ei (one for e-session and casual wear, and one for more formal-type wear)
• 1 x coat for GP (for e-session and casual wear)
• 3 x scarves for ei (packed 2, wearing the other)
• 2 x snow gloves (1xGP, 1xei)
• 4 x gloves (1xGP, 3xei)
• 2 x board shorts (1xGP, 1xei)
• 2 x one-piece swimsuits
• 1 x sarong
• Assorted tights, thick socks, underwear and thermal wear!

I’ve also packed GP’s birthday present in the suitcase. I know he reads this blog, but he doesn’t know what the birthday present is, so I’m safe in the knowledge that he won’t find it!

Hahaha! MINE IS AN EVIL LAUGH!

MINE IS AN EVIL LAUGH!!

Anyway!

I know this was a totally unrelated post to the wedding, but I really am eager to be going to NZ. I love going there and it’ll be my first Winter in Kiwiland. Which will be documented by our photographers! (Did I mention that our photographers are awesome?) Can’t wait to see all of my Kiwi friends too! 😀

Kiwi lady-readers, UNITE!

(Alternative Title: I’m flying on a jetplaaaaaaaaaane –)

In three days! EEE!! ❤ ❤ ❤

GP and I are headed to the land of the Kiwis (AKA New Zealand)!

We’ll be staying there for three weeks, where we’ll also be celebrating GP’s 30th birthday and our 3rd year dating anniversary. I’ll try to keep up with my weekly blogging while I’m over there. 🙂 We’ll be hanging out with friends, enjoying the company of GP’s family, and just chillaxing. We’ll still be working while over there (I do research and he does computer-related stuff – we can carry our work with us), but it means we can enjoy each other’s company. We haven’t really been able to just do that in a while, so I’m excited!

In two weeks or so, we’ll also be having our engagement shoot! YAY! We’ve already got our clothes chosen and I think we’re gonna look like sexy bitches!

Unfortunately, now I gotta figure out how to do my nails, hair and makeup while I’m over there. My nails are black and the polish is chipping (read: they look FUGLY) and my hair is currently highlighted with a vibrant red dye. I’m hoping the VIBRANCY will dim a little, but I’m ok with vibrant. As for my skin, it’s JUST clearing from having an oil meltdown.

In most situations, I’d just get my momma to do my hair and makeup since I FAIL at being a girl. But since we’ll be in NZ, I’ll have to consider either asking GP’s momma if she’ll be ok to help out OR *LE GASP* do it myself! Or maybe you Kiwi girls wanna help?

Seriously guys, me + makeup = train wreck. I also have no idea how to use a curling iron or blow dry properly.

(There’s also, you know… salons, but I’m cheap…).

As for nails, I’m thinking of just getting a manicure the day before or something… They’re like… $NZ20… so like… $AU15…. or something?

Any of my Kiwi readers able to help out with this dilemma?