Friday 10: Pies, Poison, a Podcast, and Passes

This week has flown by! I had my birthday on Tuesday and pretty much ate my way through it. Then on Wednesday, S and I went to a Toronto Maple Leafs game. I think it was my first game at the Air Canada Centre and we had a great time. The Leafs destroyed the Bruins. We paid approximately 1 zillion dollars for me to have a collectors cup full of Coke Zero. I drank it all. I don’t think I ever want to drink Coke Zero again. We stayed up way past my bedtime and I think I’m still paying the price. I am old now, what can I say?

So figured it was a good week for a link roundup! There’s some Ham, some Histoire, and some Travel. 

The Ham

#1  We received a huge pile of carrots in our CSA box this week. Melissa Joulwan’s recipe for Cumin Roasted Carrots came highly recommended to me. It seemed perfect for the season, so I’m giving it a try tonight. 

#2  On the less healthy side, Serious Eats’s list of 11 Must-Try Pies Across America seems like a good reason to go on a road-trip, right? Not to be biased, but I’d probably start in DC for the Baltimore Bomb which is described by Dangerously Delicious Pies as “loaded with Berger Cookies (a Baltimore specialty) that melt down and swirl into a sweet vanilla chess filling.” Sign me up!

#3  Italian master barista Ettore Diana gives coffee at McDonald’s and Starbucks a thumbs up. Take that coffee snobs!

The Histoire

#4  My favorite video and link of the week. Vince Speranza, a WWII vet, tells the story of returning to the French town of Bastogne 65 years later and finding out he’s a legend. It’s a must-see! You’ll probably want to check this out after you watch, too. 

#5  A look at the strange, fascinating history of poisonous Victorian clothing (link via Stuff You Missed in History Class). The exhibition that inspired the article, Fashion Victims: The Pleasures and Perils of Dress in the 19th Century, is on at Toronto’s Bata Shoe Museum until June 30th, 2016. 

The Travel

#6  I’m daydreaming of staying in the Ufogel (€120/night), a Tyrollean house and "spatial wonder." I can just imagine cozying up with hot drinks to watch the snow fall on that beautiful landscape after a long day of attempting to ski.

via Apartments for Sale Paris and Paris Perfect | Saint Aubin

#7  I’m also daydreaming of buying this fully-furnished Paris apartment. It’s located in the 7th arrondissement and has an Eiffel Tower view. I’m not sure if €915,000 (approximately $1.2 million) is a deal or not, but it seems like it after seeing what Toronto prices have been doing lately. 

#8  I have been looking into the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France a lot  lately and this lovely post about the seaside town of Collioure from Girl in Florence has only sparked my wanderlust more. 

#9  Are those museum passes worth the money? I generally skip them because we don’t hop from museum to museum fast enough. The New York Times takes a look at Amsterdam, Madrid, Florence and Paris to see what kind of bang for your buck you are actually getting. 

The Wildcard

#10 And, finally, I’ve been completely mesmerized by a podcast called Serial. This season (I say that in hopes that there will be more) is all about the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, a young high school student in Baltimore. If you are one of the few who has not heard of it, give it a listen.

That's it for this week! The flurries were flying as I wrote this. I think I'll go settle down with some tea, a book, and a down throw!

I hope you have a happy and warm weekend. 

Friday 10: What's in your makeup bag?

In my experience, the perfectly packed travel makeup bag doesn’t have lot of products in it. It’s full of long wearing basics that are easy to apply and can take you from day to night. 

Today’s Friday 10 is a peek into what I recommend traveling with and why. I’ll also share the products I’m currently using and loving. 

The Basics

The key is to choose one product in each category that is versatile, works with the other products, and, most importantly, is something you love to use. Why else would you lug it around with you if you didn’t love wearing it? 

They should also be long-wearing and be able to take you from day to night no matter what you’re wearing. If you can find multitasking products  (i.e. a lip stain that doubles as a blush), it gets bonus gold stars! The goal is to make things easy. 

My favorite tutorial for this kind of beautiful everyday look is from Lisa Eldridge, an incredible makeup artist, called The Ultimate All Occasion Makeup Look For Everyone (link). I recommend checking out Lisa’s other tutorials if you love makeup or are looking to learn new skills and looks!

So with all of that in mind, here are the 10 products I pack:

1. Foundation/Tinted Moisturizer
2. Concealer
3. Setting Powder
4. Contour
5. Blush
6. Eyeshadow primer
7. Eye palette 
8. Mascara
9. Lipstick
10. Setting Spray 

My Picks

Just for reference, my skin tends to be dry and sensitive. I’m also very fair with yellow/neutral undertones. So it’s taken some time to find products that work for me, but they might not be perfect for you. If you have read my Friday 10 Long Flight Essentials and 3-1-1/TSA Bag Essentials posts, some things might look a little familiar. 

via Sephora | Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer | $49 CAD

Foundation - Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Finland

This falls somewhere between a tinted moisturizer and foundation for me. I love how light it feels while still providing a decent amount of coverage. It also has SPF 30, which is a nice bonus. It’s a bit pricy but I don't think I’ll be persuaded to try anything else anytime soon. 

via L'Oreal | True Match Crayon Concealer | around $10 CAD 

Concealer - L’Oreal True Match Crayon Concealer in W1-2-3

I picked this up on a whim and ended up really liking it. I have yet to find a concealer I absolutely love, but this does the job well without feeling heavy and sinking into the fine lines around my eyes. It also lasts a lot longer than most concealers I’ve used in the past. 

via my makeup bag | Top Cat Finishing Powder | $16.25 USD

Setting Powder - Meow Cosmetics Top Cat Finishing Powder

A simple setting powder from Meow, an indie makeup company that specializes in mineral makeup. Top Cat works great as a finishing powder for me. It doesn’t set my sensitive skin off, and is cost effective, especially compared to some of the big names out there. Another more well-known option is the Nars HD Microfinish Powder ($39.00 CAD), but it can cause flashback in photos so I steer clear from it. 

I also like Meow's Equilibrium Powder ($13.95 USD) as a primer. It has a bit of lanolin in there, so it's soothing and help keeps dry skin happy while also mattifying it. Magic!

via Sephora | Nars Contour Blush | $46 CAD

Contour - Nars Contour Blush in Olympia

A Sephora makeup artist recommended this to me for my engagement photo makeup. It quickly became a staple. I used to steer clear from too much contouring and highlighting because it’s easy to get to heavy-handed, especially with anything shimmery. I love that this is subtle and matte. It helps give me some extra oomph for that natural “no makeup” makeup look. 

via Sephora | Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush | $31 CAD

Blush - Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Dollface

The only blush I use now. It’s long lasting, pigmented, and blends nicely. I’ve been using Dollface for a couple of years, but Tarte has a range of beautiful colors that suit a range of skintones. I might have to add a nice rose to my own collection soon. 

Another option is the Tarte Cheek Stain ($36 CAD). I’ve used this in the past and like it, too. It gets the multi-tasking gold star since you can use it on your lips. I just find that it tends to feel sticky and disappear quickly on me.

va Sephora | Urban Decay Primer Potion | $25 CAD

Eyeshadow Primer - Urban decay eyeshadow primer potion in eden

If you’re not using an eyeshadow primer, you need one. It helps prevent creasing and keeps your eye makeup looking beautiful all day. I love Urban Decay's Primer Potion and just recently tried it in Eden (listed as a tawny matte). I used to use the Original sheer version, but Eden does a better job of evening out my lids and creating a nice base for the shadow.

I've also heard lots of raves about Too Faced Shadow Insurance ($24 CAD).

via Sephora | Urban Decay Naked Basics | $34 CAD

eyeshadow palette - urban decay naked basics 

My new favourite palette. It's small, slim, and packed with everything I need. As the makeup artist at Sephora said, “this is your face, in a palette!” She also told me that there's a palette out there for everyone, it just takes a little time and testing. 

I love that the colors are neutral and matte, it makes it so easy to wear them on a daily basis. I even use one of the colors, Naked 2, for my brows. 

Another option is the Naked Basics 2 ($34 CAD), which looks darker and richer than the original. 

via CoverGirl | CoverGirl Clump Crusher | about $8 CAD

mascara - Cover girl clump crusher

I keep coming back to this mascara. It’s cheap and it does its job well—better than some of the high end brands I’ve tried. It gives my lashes volume, some length, and it never clumps! 

Sometimes I wear waterproof mascara for the plane ride, but I find the regular Clump Crusher is more than adequate. It's long lasting and doesn't flake off, but is still easy to remove.  

via Sephora | Sephora Cream Lip Stain | $16 CAD

lipstick - sephora Cream Lip Stain in #10 Everlasting burgundy 

Realistically, I would take Clinque’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey ($19 CAD) and the Sephora Cream Lip Stain. Black Honey is a perfect anytime lipstick for me because it’s moisturizing and buildable. It doesn’t last very long, though, so I have to reapply often.

The Sephora Cream Lip Stain, on the other hand lasts forever through just about anything. The Everlasting Burgundy color is gorgeous for fall and winter. I apply it lightly for the daytime and use a lip brush for a strong, bold evening look. It isn't drying on me, which is amazing for a lip stain.

So why not both?

via Skindinavia | The Makeup Finishing Spray - Bridal | $29 USD

Setting Spray - Skindinavia Bridal 

A couple of years ago I might have scoffed at a makeup setting spray, but I decided to order one recently for our engagement photos. It was love at first spray! This stuff works. It does as it promises: “helps keep makeup looking flawless and photo-ready [. . .] Absorbs quickly and lasts for up to 16 hours.” It’s worth having for those days you need your makeup to last as long as possible, which happens a lot when you’re traveling. 

You might be tempted to get Urban Decay’s All Nighter Long-Lasting Setting Spray ($36 CAD), but it’s manufactured by Skindinavia. After a lot of research, I found that most people preferred Skindinavia’s Bridal version to All Nighter. It’s the same price and, when I ordered, I got free shipping and travel sizes of their Primer Spray and Makeup Finishing Spray. 

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So there you have it. My recommendations for a 10 item makeup bag. Let me know if you agree or disagree with my choices. Or leave me some of your own favourite product recommendations in the comments!

Hope you have a happy weekend!

Friday 10: Howell Family Pumpkin Farm

It's no secret that I love Halloween. The smell of the fallen leaves and the way they crunch underfoot. The crisp, cool air. Apple cider. A visit to the pumpkin patch, where I'd be chased by turkeys while trying to pick the perfect pumpkin. Carving jack-o-lanterns and taking in as many spooky stories as I could stand. Dressing in costume and getting buckets of candy. It always felt like there really was magic in the air during this time of year.

I'm still very much a kid-at-heart when it comes to Halloween. Luckily S is too, and we try to keep the tradition alive by going to a pumpkin patch and carving a pumpkin or two every year. The farm we chose last year was a bit of a bust. It was expensive and a little too kid-oriented. On top of that, the weather was cold and rainy, so we grabbed a couple of little pumpkins and went home.

This year, S did some serious research and found Howell Family Pumpkin Farm in the Niagara region. We went last Sunday and had a blast. I was going to do this post on Monday, but I figured it was a perfect for a Friday 10. Here are some of my favourite pics. 

We did, in fact, want pumpkins, so I knew it was going to be a good day when we saw this sign on the way in. 

Bowling with pumpkins and pumpkin-gator spectators. 

Inspiration for carving. I would love to see everything lit up at night. 

Looks like they've been there a long time. I'd hate to see what that guy is going to charge for labor. (I'll see myself out. . .)

We ended up with two tiny pie pumpkins, but they had so many different varieties and sizes, including beautiful mottled Mexican and blue pumpkins. I think the tall, skinny one would be fun to carve. 

Pumpkins in Black.

My favourite photo of the day. Does it get more idyllically fall than this? 

They had a goat walk made of ramps that led to different levels. You could feed the goats using a pully system--you can see the red pully to the right--that brought a small cup up to one of the levels and dumped the food out.  I tried to feed this guy, but he was too busy hamming it up for the cameras. 

We did a corn maze! It was a first for the both of us. I tried the old "keep your left hand on the wall" trick, but either screwed up or debunked it. We still got out pretty quickly, though.

I had to end with this photo. It speaks for itself.

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Practical Information

location 

2878 Holland Road

Fonthill, Ontario

 

Parking

There's plenty of free parking in a field near the farm. From there it's just a quick walk down a pretty tree-lined street to the farm. 

Hours

Generally, the hours are:

• Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 10 am - 5 pm (with some limits on attractions, bbq, and live shows)
• Tuesday: 10 am - 9 pm (attractions, live shows, and bbq available after 5 pm only)
• Friday - Saturday: 10 am to 10 pm
• Sunday: 11 am to 7 pm
• Halloween: 10 am - 3 pm (limited attractions, bbq, and live shows)

I recommend visiting their website before you go for updated information about the hours and attractions that will be available each day until Halloween. 

Pricing

It's free to enter the market area where you can get some food and buy pumpkins or other produce. If you want to see the attractions, however, there's an admission fee of $6.95 for ages 3 and up plus the cost of attraction tickets. The corn maze, for example, was 3 tickets each. Tickets are $1.47 each or $1.11 each when you purchase 20+. More information here about how much each attraction costs. 

Food and Drink

There's a BBQ and market with lots of fun food like pumpkin sausage, pumpkin donuts, fudge, apple cider, coffee, funnel cake, candy apples, etc. We didn't stop to eat anything since the line was long and the prices for a sausage seemed a bit high (around $5). But it was very tempting and everyone seemed to be happy with their treats. 

Attractions

From wagon rides to corn mazes to a spook barn, there's a little something for adults and kids of all ages. Check out all of the fun things to do here.

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That's it for this week! Hope you have a happy weekend. . .maybe including carving some pumpkins! Let me know if you have a favourite Halloween tradition, pumpkin patch, or place to visit.