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Headphones at the Ready: Halsey ~ Badlands

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I have just realized how long it has been since I last did a ‘Headphones at the Ready’ post, so today I thought I’d introduce you to a great new artist I discovered a couple of weeks ago: Ashley Nicolette Frangipane (aka. Halsey), a 20-year-old singer-songwriter from New Jersey.

I was online, replying to comments and checking out new followers’ blogs, when I bumped into a post featuring the video for ‘Ghost’ – a ‘Room 93‘ EP song and one of the first singles to come out of ‘Badlands‘, Halsey’s first proper album (I’d love to link back to said blog post but can’t, since I failed to make a note of the URL at the time). Long story short, I clicked on the video, was immediately drawn in and opened up YouTube to check her out some more.

Turns out ‘Badlands’ is pretty amazing. Officially classified as electro-pop, her music is ethereal and gritty, all at the same time. She kind of reminds me of Glasgow- based Chvrches (another amazing band, by the way) or Lorde – with a bit of Lana Del Rey added to the mix. I know I’m probably not doing a great job of describing it – but if you have a listen, you’ll know what I mean…

Music aside, I also find Halsey’s candid and bohemian attitude appealing – and her perseverance inspiring. Check this interview out, if you fancy knowing more. And while you’re reading, you might wanna listen to this (hope it ignites the same little fire in your head, as it did in mine):

Definitely one of my top 10 music finds for 2015 – and highly recommended!

[Images & video © HALSEY]

Joanna Ladowska’s Mixed Media Art

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It’s no secret that art is a big love of mine. I’m at my happiest when I’ve just discovered a new and exciting artist – and only wish I could be as talented as some of the ones I’ve discovered along the way.

One of my artist crushes (and envies) at the moment is Joanna Ladowska, a UK-based mixed media artist. I was first wooed by her talent a few years ago, when I accidentally bumped into one of her more ‘classic’ pieces: an absolutely stunning, pencil on canvas, depiction of Audrey Hepburn.

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I immediately started following her on Facebook, not yet realising how versatile an artist she was. In the months and years that followed, I discovered exactly how much more of her work amazed me… And it was all different things, like:

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imageThen, for the whole of last month, she did this thing were she posted one notepad sketch for everyday on her Facebook page and… boy did she blow me away. I actually think these sketches may be my favorites so far. Have a look at a few (plus a bonus video of her drawing one) and see what you think:

You can check out more of Joanna’s extraordinary work on: Facebook , Tumblr & DeviantArt

[Images & video © Joanna Ladowska]

Eat! | No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

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Despite not exactly being a domestic goddess, I have always loved trying out recipes and experimenting in the kitchen. Especially when it comes to discovering new and exciting veggie and/or dessert recipes, I simply can’t resist – and I got several Pinterest boards brimming with linked ideas to prove it!

Unfortunately, living in someone else’s home instead of your own comes with quite a few challenges – one of them being you suddenly find yourself feeling apprehensive when it comes to occupying/ messing up the kitchen just to try something new (which, by the way, may or may not end up how you hoped it would). As a result, I have lately been forced to keep experimenting to a minimum and (when I do try something new) focus on choosing things that require as little time and induce as little mess as possible…

Enter Ella of Home Cooking Adventure and her scrumptious sounding ‘No Bake Chocolate Peanut Bars’, a video for which I bumped into on Facebook of all places. If I have to be honest, most anything chocolate-y would have had me aching to grab a spatula, but it was the straight-forwardness and ‘no bake’ angle of this particular recipe that made it imperative for me to try it.

According to the ingredients list all I needed were digestive biscuits, peanut butter, butter and a bar of dark (55%-70% cocoa) chocolate. Suffices to say I went grocery shopping, buckled up and made these the very next day, while my folks were running errands downtown.  I probably spent about 40′ putting everything together (had a bit of a mishap with the base mix, which is why it all took me more than the expected 20′) and had the kitchen back in tip-top shape by the time everyone got home.

I personally consider the experiment a success (both taste & appearance wise), so I’ll embed the recipe video below and urge you to try it out for yourselves – especially if you have a sweet tooth and love chocolate or peanut butter.

Just one last note, that may or may be of use, before I leave you to it: wait for your melted butter to cool down a bit before adding it to your digestive crumbs mix and if your base mixture does not hold together and looks too liquid compared to the one in the video, don’t panic. Just pour it into the pan and place in your fridge or freezer for a couple of minutes. The butter will harden and keep the whole thing together, so you can proceed with the rest of the preparation.

[Video via Home Cooking Adventure]

Pick Your Five: Balmain x H&M

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The Balmain x H&M collection has finally hit shelves in Greece and, to be honest, it is not exactly everything I had been hoping for (*insert collective fashionista gasp here*). That probably has to do with the fact that I’m more of a plain Jane when it comes to my wardrobe – so all the feathers and sequins and embroidery just isn’t rocking my boat.

That said, there is a few select pieces I would have definitely grabbed, provided I was inclined to spend a sizable chunk of money (which, at the moment, is truly not in huge supply) and travel to Athens to stoically squeeze myself in line at the one H&M store that carries the collection.

Here’s my coveted top 5:

The Dressy Dress


A girl can never have too many little black dresses and, in classic Balmain fashion, this totally knocks it out of the park (no unnecessary frills included).

The Casual Dress


Cause there is nothing like a bold everyday piece to instantly lift your mood and make those dreary winter days just that tad brighter…

The ‘Jeans & a T-shirt’ Upgrade

Inserting a little glamour to casual outfits has been known to work wonders. This would be perfect for those laid back, ‘jeans & a t-shirt’ kinda days.

 
The Accessories Edit

And finally, since accessories can admittedly make or break any outfit, I just couldn’t resist these amazing statement booties and stunning little bag.

How about you guys? What are your thoughts with regards to this latest H&M collab? Will you be purchasing  (or have you already got your hands on) any of the pieces – and, if so, which will/ did make the cut?

‘Levels Of Life’ by Julian Barnes ~ A Review

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I cannot, in all honesty, say I am much of a Julian Barnes’ fan. In fact, the only other book by him I’ve ever bought (‘A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters’ 2009) is still gathering dust somewhere along my bookshelves – unfinished and unloved. There was something about this, though (the title? the book blurb? the front cover?) that grabbed my attention and made me decide to give it a try. I wasn’t disappointed…

In its mere 128 pages Barnes explores love and loss by combining three seemingly unrelated genres – historical non-fiction, historical romance and personal memoir. The book is broken down in three parts (Sin of Height- On the Level- Loss of Depth) with the first two feeling a bit disjointed and irrelevant, but ultimately serving as metaphors for life’s diverse highs and lows thus ‘setting the stage’ for Part III: a sad and raw account of grief, over the death of a loved one. In spare but masterful prose, Barnes offers up a testament to the love of his life – effectively warming and breaking readers’ hearts all at the same time.

I feel like ‘Levels of Life’ is one of those books you can never fully do justice to in an ‘amateur’ review. So I’ll stop here and simply recommend you pick up a copy and form a personal opinion. As far as I’m concerned this is one powerful, unforgettable read that’s sure to stay with me for quite some time (and will undoubtedly be picked up again – in future).

Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Vintage (3 April 2014)
ISBN-10: 0099584530
ISBN-13: 978-0099584537

Buy in English here
Buy in Greek here

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