Category: LIFESTYLE

Enjoy an evening under the stars at the Moonlight Cinema with March tickets now on sale

Moonlight Cinema_Sydney Centennial Park

Don’t miss the last few weeks of Australia’s favourite outdoor cinema – Moonlight Cinema in stunning Centennial Parklands in Sydney and the Central Lawn at Melbourne Gardens. With the season wrapping up on 10 April in Sydney and 27 March in Melbourne, there are only a few weeks left to enjoy a night under the stars with your favourite….well….stars!   There’s something for everyone including Oscar Best Picture front runners Belfast and King Richard, to critic and crowd favourites like C’mon C’mon and House of Gucci. There’s also a special screening of God’s Own Country in Sydney celebrating the LGBTQI community, and much more – Moonlight Cinema’s March program is set to finish the season on a high. New to Moonlight Cinema’s March program, and up for a string of nominations including Best Picture are Belfast, starring 11-year-old Jude Hill and the inimitable Judy Dench, and Nightmare Alley, with Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett.  For those in Melbourne, The Worst Person in the World – the dark romantic comedy nominated for Best Original Screenplay – will screen in March.  Meanwhile, C’mon C’mon starring Joaquin Phoenix, and Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, took critics by surprise with their absence from the prestigious Oscar nominations, but won’t be forgotten at Moonlight Cinema.  Likewise, the twitter-verse lit up when Lady Gaga was snubbed for her starring role in House of Gucci. However, she won’t be left hanging, with the glamorous film returning to Moonlight Cinema in March after multiple sell-out sessions around the country. So grab your tickets, grab… Read More

Have fun while doing good this Mardi Gras: top wines, beers, seltzers raising money for Pride Foundation Australia

Pride drinks wine

Raising money for the Pride Foundation Australia, you can now officially drink for a cause. Landing on the shelves of BWS and Dan Murphy’s stores next week with all profits going to Pride Foundation Australia – just in time for Pride season. Where will the money go, you ask? The Foundation will use the funds to support LGBTQIA+ specific programs to provide help for those dealing with substance abuse. The Loud & Proud range offers six different drinks to choose from – a rosé, pinot grigio, grenache, brut cuvée, pale ale beer and watermelon flavoured seltzer and is available in selected Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores. Dan Murphy’s is also a major sponsor of Midsumma Melbourne and Albany Pride, while BWS has rolled out its popular BWYASSS signage to another 7 stores (10 stores across the country in total now have it) to show support and celebrate the diversity of the LGTBQ+ community. For a full spread of the drinks available, head to the BWS or Dan Murphy’s websites

The gayest roast you’ll eat this Mardi Gras

Roast gay lgbtiq drag queens

Believe it, or not; this isn’t a euphemism. This annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras we’ll celebrate it all with The Roast, subverting the traditional Sunday family meal, with an afternoon celebration of queer food, drink, comedy and theatre from The University of Sydney’s The Refectory with your chosen crew. Happening at the Refectory in Camperdown, the Roast include a four-course banquet curated by award-winning chef, Anna Polyviou, post-Mardi Gras cocktails from Absolut, and the talents of Sydney-based Mangarai First Nations queen Tyra Bankstown and QTBIPOC collective House of Silky. Meanwhile, music will be handled by Paul Mac and Johnny Seymour of Stereogamous,Timothy & The Heart Strings and hosted by Sharon Manhatten.  Limited tickets for the event on 76 March are available now via Humanitix. All ticket sales go to supporting ACON, Australia’s largest HIV and sexuality and gender diverse health organisation.

Sydney’s Night Noodle Markets are back!

Melbourne Night Noodle Markets Chinese dragon

In a brand new location and after having had a two year break, there’s great news for Sydney: the annual Night Noodle Markets are back with a vengeance. Depriving a city of noodley and Asian-inspired foodstuffs is – like so many other things – one of the side effects of the past year, but no more! From 22 – 27 March 2022 at Prince Alfred Park, right near Central Station, the Night Noodle Markets will being a spread of some of the city’s and country’s finest Asian food providores in an explosion of dragon-fuelled excitement and buzz made all the sweeter by the simple fact: it’s back. Each evening, the popular park will be transformed into a vibrant, open-air Asian street food festival, with live entertainment and hawker-style stalls and pop-ups serving up their most sumptuous dishes, drinks and bites. From steaming hot dumplings to melt-in-your-mouth bao and Insta-worthy desserts, Sydneysiders and visitors will have the chance to feast on an array of sizzling, sweet and spicy meals and morsels from an exciting mix of popular local, national and interstate eateries. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options will also be plentiful. For more info and to get your tickets, head to the Sydney Night Noodle Markets website

Fair Day kicks off the Mardi Gras Festival 2022 and it was glorious!

Fair Day Mardi Gras 2022

The biggest and most colourful event of the opening weekend of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2022, Fair Day, returned to Victoria Park today with a full day of entertainment and picnicking in the sun. Thousands of smiling faces gathered in the park to celebrate not only the beginning of Mardi Gras, but also the power and beauty of diversity. Check out the full Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2022 program here.

All about wellness, T2 tea has a range that’ll get you there

T2 tea wellness

Life’s super stressy at the best of times. Throw in a pandemic, international travel and the constant work-life balance we struggle to find and there’s no wonder there’s been a huge spike in calls for mental health and wellbeing programs to up their ante! But never fear; T2 is here with their batch of plant based brews that are here to support your mind and body, the growing wellness collection is designed for the next generation of health enthusiasts. With four blends, the Australian grown tea master is channeling your inner zen for you in the form of a teacup. The Quiet Mind, The Dreamer, The Belly Blend and The Glowgetter are those blends, sourced from ingredients around the country. The Quiet Mind has been developed to help you wind down after a long day and press pause on the world. Breathe in soothing peppermint, lemongrass, and eucalyptus while adaptogenic herbs ashwagandha andschisandra deflect stressors of all kinds. With a refreshingly citrusy flavour – if cool, calm and collectedhad a taste, this would be it. Say hello to serenity, The Dreamer is the next sleepy sister in this essential lineup, transporting you to theland of Nod as you drift off to sleep. This relaxing tea is an unmissable step in your bedtime ritual, evoking the comforts of crisp white sheets and the plushest of pillows. Trusted for centuries by herbalistsand naturopaths, this tasty blend is sprinkled with a little valerian, that goes a long way to send you offto sweet dreams. Following in its footsteps… Read More

Celebrate International Women’s Day in Sydney with this one-off event to #breakthebias

People audience conference

Those looking for an inspirational celebration of female empowerment this International Women’s Day should look no further than Legacy in the Park International Women’s Day. Hosted at the historic and picturesque ANZAC Memorial in Hyde Park Sydney on the 8th of March, you’ll mingle with some of Australia’s most inspiring women over complimentary beer, wine and champagne and canapes to celebrate the achievements of the incredible women within the Australian Defence Force and look to #breakthebias.  Sydney Legacy’s special event will also feature Defence Ambassador for the Australian Capital Territory, Brigadier Alison Creagh AM CSC (Ret’d), as the keynote speaker. Alison retired from the Australian Army in March 2015, following 30 years of dedicated service, and now focuses on supporting veterans, defence industry and promoting cybersecurity through a number of board positions. Alison will be sharing her incredible personal and professional stories as well as hosting a Q&A session.  Much of her work is similar to the wonderful work Sydney Legacy does to support families of Australian service women and men. Sydney Legacy was formed in 1926 and has for more than 90 years, ‘kept the promise’ to care for our veteran’s families. Offering support in the form of income support, school-aged education support, as well as a community for the families of our veterans. Proceeds from the Legacy in the Park International Women’s Day event will go towards funding this continued support. When: 8th March 2022, 4pm-6pm Dress code: Business casual Tickets are $45 (+booking fees) and are available via the Legacy website

You need to chill out – and here are 3 pro tips to get you there

Man doing yoga on a hill overlooking a town

As we enter the third year of the pandemic, it can be harder to find a moment for ourselves to practice mindfulness and navigate through what can be a challenging time for many.  We sat down with clinical psychologist and mindfulness expert, Emily Toner, to share her 3-step guide to quietening internal chatter.  Step 1 – Recognising a wandering mind  The first step to quieting internal chatter is actually just becoming aware of it in the first place. Research suggests that for up to half of our day, we’re not truly paying attention to our external surroundings, or listening to what’s going on internally (Killingsworth et al, 2008). That’s half our life we’re missing out on!  Becoming aware of this habit requires self-reflection. For me, if I’m feeling average but don’t really know the cause, I have to pause and ask myself, ‘what was I just thinking?’.  Oftentimes, when we feel discomfort it can be due to a judgemental thought we’ve recently inflicted on ourselves, or because we’ve been caught up in worry or rumination.  Step 2 – Being present in the moment  The second step in quietening internal chatter involves analysing the constructiveness of thoughts. After taking the time to pause and become mindful of our thoughts, we then have to ask ourselves, ‘are these thoughts helpful?’, ‘are they assisting me in having the day, or life that I want?’.  If our thoughts are inhibiting us from feeling our best, we have to unhook from them and return to the present moment. Grounding, meditative… Read More

Celebrate National Margarita Day with this Horseshoe Margarita recipe

Horseshoe margarita tequila cocktail

National Margarita Day is fast approaching – 22 February! – so whether you’re new to the tang of tequila, or as used to it as the agave worm, you need a quality recipe to celebrate with. And this, friends, is exactly that. First thing to remember is that there are endless ways to craft a margarita, so use this as a guide. Whether you prefer yours salty, slightly sweet, or a little spicy, the quality of the final product that’s poured into your glass depends on one thing: the tequila. Tequila Herradura Plata has notes of citrus, cooked agave, and vanilla — natural flavours with a smooth finish that pair nicely with your most creative margarita variations. Consider the Horseshoe Margarita your new go-to original margarita recipe. Ingredients  2 parts. Tequila Herradura Plata  1 part.  Freshly squeezed lime juice  1/2 part.  Agave nectar  Method In a classic cocktail shaker add all three ingredients over ice. Shake well until the ice is almost melted. Strain over fresh ice in a salt-rimmed glass tumbler. Garnish with a wedge of lime to taste. Drink hard and fast, don’t mess about.

Turns out aromatherapy’s still a thing – but you need the right gear

360 diffuser pink

After the last moment in history we all endured, there’d be no surprises if you’re a bit stressed, tense, anxious, generally in need of a chill. And before turning to the bottle, or staying the tried-and-true path of the yogis, why not try aromatherapy? Renowned around the Western world as being an aid in relaxation and decompression, aromatherapy harnesses the power of the olfactory to alleviate tension and promote feelings of peace, serenity and a worldly disconnection. In Essence knows this and their latest range of 360 Diffusers are all about making those dreams of a life without pressure a reality. Australian owned and designed, the portable and rechargeable diffusers can be placed in any room – ours lives next to the bath – when you’re in need of some full-on, scented zen. As the name would suggest, aromas are dispersed all around the touch-pad, ambient lit piece of tech, offering a complete room takeover of relaxation. And now the only question is, which scents will really do it for you? Find out more about the In Essence 260 Diffuser at the website.