Beauty | The Coconut Craze

Lately Pinterest has been bombarding me with what I call a "battle of the oils". From Argan & Moroccan to Macadamia, Almond and Coconut - they all provide a wealth of promising uses for health and beauty. I've incorporated coconut oil into my life in a variety of ways over the last 6 months so here I am to spread the hype and share my own uses for the this Jack-of-all-trades.

1) It's a Wicked Hair Moisturizer

I have an abnormal obsession with anything coconut scented so when I found out that the Bulk Barn sells this in it's 'oil' state, I was all over it. I've been giving my hair a little extra TLC lately because of how often I dye and heat it, and it's been proving extremely useful to me. In addition to L'OREAL's Mythic Oil (which I use almost daily prior to drying/straightening my hair), once a week I use coconut oil and massage it into the lower half of my hair (using only a bit near the roots) and wrap it up in a Turbie-Twist - leaving it in for several hours or over night. Your hair will need a good washing afterwards because of how saturated it becomes, which will easily leave your hair looking greasy. I've been using Marc Anthony Macadamia Oil shampoo & conditioner which is a nice compliment scent to coconut.

2) Work it Into Your Diet 

Not just a great hair treatment though, coconut oil has a lot of health benefits that you might not be aware of.  It's said to improve thyroid and blood-sugar control in addition to helping maintain weight by consuming roughly 2 tablespoons a day. I haven't experienced this next one myself, but sources say when consumed daily it will help improve sleep and circulation for those of you who are always cold. If you're like me and prefer the smell of coconut over the actual taste of it, a great way to consume it is in coffee/tea or warmed up and then blended into a smoothie. 

3) Cure Hangnails & Canker Sores

Canker sore? No problem. Dab a bit of coconut oil on it and cut down on the healing time immensely. I'm also prone to hang nails so rubbing a bit into my cuticle area has been quite successful at preventing them and keeping my hands moisturized at the same time. 

4) Use in Homemade Body Butters & Scrubs

One of my side hobbies is mixing random kitchen ingredients together and making my own version of body scrubs and butters. Coconut oil not only has the scent and consistency for my mini projects but also the moisturizing properties. If you've never seen coconut oil before, it's rather fascinating, starting off chunky and gel-like, it quickly warms (even just with the little heat that your hand can produce) and turns into a liquid.

Leave a comment below with your own coconut oil uses :)

- Lyssa 
Sources: www.doctoroz.com, www.huffingtonpost.ca

London Fashion Week: Dusty Rose & Sheer Fabrics

With the conclusion of London Fashion Week, there were a number of trends showcased for Spring / Summer 2014, from dusty rose hues to sheer fabrics and some interesting takes on the iconic little black dress. In any form of art and design, the artists work is an extension of their soul and we saw some amazing examples of this displayed by the designers at this years events. They get their inspiration from a variety of obscure and abstract places and to it all come to life is truly beautiful. There are simply too many notable trends to list them all but this a collection of a few of the ones I personally loved.

Dusty rose hues were a huge part of the catwalk which can be seen in collections from Zoe Jordan, Antipodium, Jean-Pierre Braganza and Burberry Prorsum, to name a few. 

Sheer fabrics had their fare share of attention on the runway as well and were done in a variety of ways from completely sheer tops, to more subtle accents such as sheer sleeves, leggings and skirts as shown above. This can be a tricky one to pull off but I thought the above designers were able to create styles that were ready-to-wear and not overly exposing.

Not one of the main trends but still one of my favourite looks were these elegant white dresses with cut-outs in some unexpected places. Of these three, I personally thought that OSMAN did a great job with showcasing a clean-cut look with geometrical lines.

Finally, no fashion week isn't complete without a unique spin on the iconic little black dress, originated by none other than Coco Chanel dating back to the 1920's. From elaborate designs to more conventional takes on the dress, we saw a huge variance amongst the designers but all expressing some unity in terms of sexiness and class.

- Lyssa

Photos: catwalking.com, londonfashionweek.co.uk

London Fashion Week | Day 1-3 SS14

London Fashion week is upon us and with it comes some gorgeous designs from the leading innovators in the fashion industry. Despite the rain and cold, days 1-3 have presented us with a palette of neutral and soft pink shades for the Spring / Summer 2014 collections, and quite a few of those from Zoe Jordan.

Obviously there are more designers than what I have showcased here, but these are some of my personal favourites from the first few days. I’m really drawn towards the House of Holland and DAKS collections, I find they both have incorporated solids, prints and textures in a way that’s not just stylish – but functional. DAKS featured a mixture of straight clean cuts with a more fitted style and on the opposite end of the spectrum, loose fits and light flowing materials which made for a fabulous combination.

Also following in the direction of loose fit and light materials was Preen by Thornton Bregazzi. I didn’t post anything from the collection, but I absolutely love this lineup of dresses. The soft colours and light-weight materials made for an effortless style that still screams class and is perfect for hot summer nights.

For more LFW highlights click here.

Stay tuned for more from London Fashion Week!

- Alyssa-

Photos: catwalking.com, londonfashionweek.co.uk

Instagram Summer Recap

Follow me on Instagram @alyssajanemunro

As the end of Summer draws near I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share some of my favourite memories from the past few months. 

I had the pleasure of seeing the Weber Brothers play twice (once at a wedding) and they were fantastic! I've never seen a live band at wedding before but it was so much better than just having a DJ, they got everyone dancing no matter what age plus they were really down to earth and friendly.

Near the end of September some coworkers and I played in a "baseball tournament" and I use that term very loosely because I don't think 8:30AM drinking, serious lack of adherence to rules and playing through a torrential downpour/thunderstorm actually counts as playing Baseball but it was great fun regardless. 

From family reunions, weddings, bar nights and baseball tournaments to Hanlan's Point and my acceptance to University, this summer has held a lot of great memories for me and moving into fall I expect to have just as much fun and hopefully embark on some new Travels.

- Lyssa

Collection 2000 | Lasting Colour Gel Eyeliner

I bought this eyeliner pot when I was visiting in the U.K and I've been using it ever since I got back (sometime around May). That is pretty good when you factor in the small size of the pot, which I photographed on a magazine just for comparison. There are obviously going to be pro's and con's to every product but I'm still trying to decide if I like this one or not. Lately my eyes have been feeling dry, tired and sensitive (Insert Visine Commercial Here), but I feel like it might be a result of my eye makeup (coupled with my apparent lack of ambition to remove it before bed). However, this eyeliner has staying power to say the least and even with a good eye makeup remover - it took some elbow grease to get off.

I've always purchased black or grey eyeliners so going for the brown pot was a little out of my element at first. I didn't think that there would be a huge difference between black and brown in terms of makeup, but I definitely noticed it and the change was nice as it seemed to have a softer ambiance around my lids. 

Here are some of the Pros:

• Easy and seamless application (I did find adding a drop of water to the brush helped it spread)
• Long lasting
• Quick drying
• A lot of bang for your buck (I think I spend 4 pounds on this if my memory serves me correctly, which would be roughly $6-$7 CDN)

And now for the Cons:

• Well weighted, which made it feel heavy
• Difficult to remove
• Can end up looking chunky if you don't apply water to the brush

This isn't all that bad as far as gel eyeliners go, but I'm a pencil kind of gal and always have been, so my opinion is slightly biased. I could take or leave this product and I may speak for myself but considering the amount of money us woman spend on makeup - I want a product to have that WOW factor to get my buy-in. But for those of you who do enjoy gel eyeliners, give it a try because the application is one of the best I've experienced. 

-Lyss

Nude & Seafoam Nails

Maybelline Color Show - #320 Green With Envy

Sally Hansen Insta-DRi -  #07 Quick Sand

Sephora by O.P.I - Wild About Shimmer

Seafoam has been one of this seasons hottest trending colours and it just seems to be popping up all over Pinterest and Instagram. I've taken a huge liking to it purchasing nail polish, shoes, accessories and clothing in similar shades. It's bright, vibrant and can really add chicness to a look - and I love it combined with nude colours.

I'm constantly experimenting with different styles on my nails as much as I dread actually doing them. It's a tedious and daunting experiencing at times but completely worth it when you find a look that works for you. In this case I decided to combine a couple of colours I had lying around that would pull together really nicely with a pop of colour. 

Maybelline's Color Show seemed to last the longest and had the best viscosity for application. Not only that, but it didn't seem to accumulate tiny air bubbles that others seem to get so easily, no matter how old or new they are. I've had this Maybelline bottle for about three months now and it's still going strong.

Second to that I really love the Wild About Shimmer from O.P.I's Sephora line-up. It's a great top coat on a nude or light shade to give it a bit of glimmer. The sheer Champagne tint keeps it translucent enough to not taint the undercoat too much and, it too provided an easy application with minimal drying time.

Talk soon,

Lyssa