Music | New Zealand Native - Lorde

Ella Yelich-O'Connor is just 16 years old and already has over 20 Million views on her first chart topper "Royals" alone. That's not including her previous EP or other tracks from her album Pure Heroine. She considers herself a feminist and unconventional artist with lyrics like "I'm kind of over getting told to through my hands up in air, so there" and  "It's a new art form showing people how little we care".

This New Zealand native has often been compared to the likes of Lana Del Ray with her alternative take on pop music. Nearly every article written on her is covering her overthrow of Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" on Billboards Hot 100. Her lack of sultry attire on stage has lead to discussions assuming that she is against the aforementioned pop singer. But in a recent interview with Jian Ghomeshi for Q Blog she stated "People think I don't wear bras and undies in my videos because I think there's something wrong with it. I don't. I just personally don't feel super comfortable with it and I don't think it will help my music come across any different. But if I wanted to do than it would be my choice and it would be fine and I have absolutely no problem with anyone else doing it."

I'm really impressed with what I have seen and heard from Lorde to date. She's got me listening to "Tennis Court", "Team" and "Royals" on repeat and the lyrics are totally relate-able.

Here's hoping that the media doesn't change her too.

Check out my favourite tracks from Lorde below...

-Lyssa 

Photos & Videos: globalgrind.com, youtube.com

Healthy Living | Red Wine Salt & Vinegar Cucumbers

I've been meaning to post my motivation speech on healthy living to help evoke some inspiration within me and maybe inspire a few of you as well. I was really successful in leading a healthy lifestyle over the course of the 2012-2013 year but the last 6 months have proven really difficult for me. I could blame it on going back to school, work or my less than actually hectic schedule but the truth is I've become lazy. I used to run daily and if I wasn't out running I was at the gym and I really want to get back into that lifestyle again. Not only did it make me feel better about myself but it made my senses feel more awakened and cured my chronic migraine issues.

After I went grocery shopping tonight I picked up a bottle of red wine vinegar and a couple cucumbers in an effort to evoke some inspiration with me and maybe encourage a few of you as well. I have a palate that leans more towards bitter and salty foods so this was perfect for me. I used to have a friend in Elementary School whose mom would pack him cucumbers in a container doused with salt and vinegar. I always thought it was strange but that never stopped me from eating them. 

Here is my more adult version of Salt & Vinegar Cucumbers:

Step 1:  Grab a Cucumber

Step 2:  Grab some vinegar (I like the red wine kind but any will do) & add Sea Salt if desired

Step 3:  Eat them.

Hope you enjoy!

Have any other healthy recipes? Share them below :)
-Lyssa

T(wer)key & Pumpkin Pie

The Thanksgiving weekend is officially over here in Canada and I hope you all got to spend some quality time with your loved ones. You might be speculating as to where the intriguing title for this post came from. I'll let you know that the below events were only partially my idea and I should not be held entirely responsible for the actions presented in the imagery. I present you with the Munro ( & Scott) Family Thanksgiving Shenanigans.

The Munro & Scott Family

Left to Right: Kayla, Emma, Myself, Ashley

Twerk Time......

One of our local radio stations held a contest (so my sister said) that if you got a photo of your family 'twerking' on the dining table, you could be entered to win $500. Although $500 was not worth this humiliation this photo brings, I am never one to say no to a good laugh and this is a great story for the grandkids at the very least. We later found out that this had to be submitted as a video....oh well.

Ashley, Myself & Arnie (The Pug)

I'd love to know how your Thanksgiving was so let me know!

-Lyssa

Hollywood's Hidden Treasure - Scott Eastwood

Hollywood never ceases to amaze me with celebrity antics and shenanigans but I am eternally grateful to whoever discovered that Clint Eastwood's son was in existence in the acting world under a different name. Scott Eastwood (or Scott Reeves) has actually managed to temporarily divert our attention from Miley and her shameless 'twerking' to something that is not completely embarrassing to look look at.

Thank you Hollywood, thank you.

Fall Beauty & Decor

There are countless things I enjoy about fall but from the Pumpkin Spice diet to boots upon boots, nothing beats rosy cheeks and fall decor. I have a decently sized 1 Bedroom apartment but its far from fabulous - it was built around the same time electriciy was created I am guessing and it makes it really hard to be OKAY with how it looks sometimes. That being said I am always looking for ways to spice it up and improve the atmosphere. You can never go wrong with candles (unless your prone to burning things down) so I took it upon myself to purchase yet another candle warmer and this time - floating candle holders.

I wanted to make this a DIY project so I also purchased some fake flowers and glass vases from Michaels. I used a hot glue gun to keep the flowers inlace and then used bottle water to fill it. If you don't use some distilled or filtered water the calcium and crap buildup on the glass will ruin the entire thing.

Theres a barn just outside of town "Craft Works" that sells all sorts of antiques and hand made workings which is where I found these Super Scented Hazelnut candle bits and warmer and it smells delicious. As you can see I also threw in my new purse (which I thought looked great with the rest of my Fall attire and made for a nice backdrop) and a glass of wine just for effect.

Every time I post something about beauty I realize more and more that the majority of my favourites are L'OREAL products and not by intent. I wanted to find a darker shade than the red I had been wearing since 'Plum' is really in for Fall, so I found L'OREAL's Colour Riche Serum in 'Radiant Plum' (S202). 

If I'm really going all-out on my makeup, above I've shown the products I would normally use minus my blush. I recently purchased the Quo Beauty Blender because I'd heard some rave reviews about it. I can't say it's the greatest invention ever since I still get a better spread just using my finger, but it does work really nicely in and around the eye area and it's very soft. Below I've posted a rather poor quality selfie I took with my iPhone just to give you some idea of what I have been going with.

 Don't forget to 'Like' and let me know what your Fall Favourites are.

-Lyssa