things i’m loving

IN FOOD & DRINK

Baked Hummus Pasta
I’ve hyperlinked the original Pinterest post, but like any pasta dish, anything and everything can be added to make it your own. I truthfully thought that the concept of baking hummus was so genius — way more genius than the TikTok feta pasta trend that was going on for a while. The hummus takes on this neutral nuttiness flavour and becomes a super creamy texture (almost similar to a dairy product honestly). I loved it so much… I made my own version here.

Noah Martin’s Country Store Turkey Pepperoni

Despite my deep love for charcuterie-style boards, I am not a huge fan of sliced deli meat because I prefer a drier meat product…and these pepperettes really do the trick when I’m craving that flavour. Not too salty, satisfies my craving, and frankly the perfect size to snack on during the day. I find that although I love spending time cooking meals, sometimes I am very snack-dependent and so I have been trying to navigate around the mostly healthy snacks vs. the indulgent kind. Definitely will have to try the hot and spicy flavour of this brand!

Venus Rosé – Nomad at Hinterbrook Winery
Niagara-on-the-Lake

One of the highlights of this summer was travelling to NOTL with my girlfriends to enjoy one of Ontario’s wine regions together. Now I have been to NOTL a few times already with my family but shockingly, never during warm weather season. I’ve only experienced the icewine festival and a progressive dinner event called ‘Taste of Niagara’ , and both times have been during the chilly month of February (usually a family day affair!). After going during the regular season, it will be that much harder to convince me to go any other time, that’s for sure!

The views were stunning, the atmosphere was lively and enjoyable, and this time I got to experience a few smaller wineries that I ended up loving
–particularly Nomad at Hinterbrook Winery.

Not only was the property itself beautiful, but they offered such a unique array of wines for us to try and I absolutely could not pass up the chance to buy directly from the winery when offered. Their Venus Rosé stole my heart, with subtle notes of strawberry and a delightful hue from the Cabernet Franc grapes that they use. Already dreaming of when my next trip will be…

IN THE KITCHEN

Moleskin Recipe Journal

Friends who support friends who still rely on written recipes are the best kind of friends!!! A wonderful friend of mine gifted this amazing recipe journal to me for my birthday this year and it is so aesthetically pleasing to write down all of my most used recipes in one place. It’s not just lined paper either — there’s placements for oven temperatures, prep time, extra chef notes, etc. It sits on my bookshelf with pride and it also relieves the stress of having to scroll through my phone’s camera roll to find a handwritten recipe that I usually keep in a virtual photo album. Sure, lots of people rely on the online version of things, but for someone who loves the simplicity of pen to paper, I can’t wait to see this book full of all my best and most loved recipes.

Harvest Gathering Scented Candle

Lighting candles that smell of apples, fall air, and cozy cinnamon is a mood right now for me everytime I’m in the kitchen. For a while, I was using a lot of soy-wax candles because the scent was light, the burning time is much longer, and yes, it is sooo much better for breathing quality. But at the same time, when I want my kitchen to start smelling like autumn?? I’m sorry, Bath and Body Works seasonal fall scents are my choice. I’m hoping it will last me through until Thanksgiving!

IN BEAUTY

Age Perfect Radiant Serum Foundation by L’oreal Paris

I was just saying to a friend that I truly surprised myself when I let go of my forever tried-and-true foundation of Nars Sheer Glow foundation and replaced it with this one right here. I exclusively wear this now — it’s perfect for the heat (with added SPF), it doesn’t dry out my skin like most foundations do (it’s ultra glowy and natural looking) and lastly it actually wears so well despite the whole mask life we’ve adopted these past few years. While trying to help someone find a dupe for the It Cosmetics CC cream, this was a recommendation and although I have actually never used the cult-favourite CC cream, this is just a lovely product. Other +’s: it comes in a squeezy tube with a nozzle — super convenient! & it also doesn’t break me out because of the added SPF in the formula — a hugeeeee selling point.

Hollywood Flawless Filter by Charlotte Tilbury

I had been on the lookout for a liquid highlighter since the start of summer and unfortunately couldn’t find anything that sold me. Until I received one of those free samples from my Sephora order for this guy right here and wowowo, the intentional shine on my face was exactly what I was looking for. Slightly tinted and very lightweight in formula, this product adds that natural glow to your skin without showing up as sparkly or glittery which was a theme I was noticing in a lot of liquid highlight formulas. I also love that it can be applied either before or after your makeup base and that it still peaks through without being a striking lightning bolt on your cheekbone. I couldn’t bear to spend the dollars on the full size, but the mini size is doing exactly the trick, and now I know I at least like the product!! Thank god for mini sizes haha.

Smashbox Always On Cream Shadow

Can you tell a theme going on with my picks? CREAM BASES. The humid summer made me rethink what I was putting on my face — anything powdery and it would look like it was sitting on my skin instead of simply showcasing my skin. I had heard about these cream shadows when they first launched and didn’t really understand the hype. The colours seemed too intimidating for whatever reason, even though they have many neutrals to work with. It wasn’t until I was able to go physically see the colours in person that I was sold — the Rose shade is STUNNING. It has the perfect undertone of brown in it, plus it stays on all.day. and doesn’t wipe off like most cream shadows because it is matte! Plus, I feel like this tube is going to last me forever because the tiniest amount goes such a long way. Smashbox is undeniably one of the best brands for long-lasting products and this one definitely did not disappoint.

IN WELLNESS

Sage Peppermint Halo Headache Remedy

Still using this roller-ball remedy on the days where the stress-induced tension headaches like to make an appearance (it’s been a fun summer!!!!). It has saved me more than I care to admit, but I love that I have not had to repurchase this yet since a few swipes of this on the temples is all you need.

Sleepy Body Lotion by Lush

I used this for the first time a few years ago when I was having the roughest of times falling asleep at night. I realized what wasn’t helping was that I just seemed awake alllll the time, even though I knew my body was exhausted. So the second that I started using this cream right before bed, those essential lavender oils did the trick. Instantly asleep. I brought it back into my life for nostalgia purposes and let’s just say, I have been sleeping pretty damn great ever since. Why stop a good thing?

IN ENTERTAINMENT/MISC

Ru Paul’s Drag Race All Stars – S6

The lipsyncs this season have been OUTRAGEOUS and pure drag excellency. I feel like this season made me appreciate the art of drag just thaaaat much more because of what an incredible job the queens did. I also love love love when they bring back contestants from the very early seasons of the show because it truly is a transformation period for them in their careers, but also reminds the viewers of how incredibly talented all of those queens STILL. ARE.

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

A quick read for me, but maybe that was just because I was so into this book. From the cover art, I wasn’t really expecting it to get deep into some adventure and for the most part, I’ve thoroughly been enjoying so many different books that cover the history of women agents during the war. Although the ending was slightly predictable in the last few chapters leading up to it, I still really enjoyed the author’s take on capturing emotions and internal thoughts of characters. Might look into more from this author.