October IPSY 2014

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Sarah

I was really questioning whether I should put up a review for this month’s IPSY. I haven’t tried all the products yet, and one of the products I won’t even be opening until later. However, there have been some stand-out products in this bag, so I thought I’d share what I’ve been loving about this month’s bag.

First of all I really REALLY liked the bag that came with this month’s IPSY. Not only is it one of my favourite colours, but it has a non-porous finish which means it will be really easy to wipe down if it gets dirty or spilt on.

Ayres Patagonia Body Butter: I’ve really been loving this body butter that I got. It has a light floral/herbal scent and absorbs into the skin really quickly. It doesn’t leave any greasy residue which is awesome. I also find it’s been keeping my skin moisturized even though it’s been dryer because of the cooler weather.

H2O+ Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment: I was a little skeptical about this treatment when I first saw it, but I’ve really enjoyed using it. When you open it there’s a blue gel inside, which really stunned me because I usually gels aren’t that moisturizing. I put this on at night before I went to bed, and when I woke up the next morning my skin was really soft. It also has a strange scent that I can’t really put my finger on what it is, but I think I’ve had a product that has smelled like this before.

Noyah Lipstick in Fall Deeply: I haven’t really tested out the lasting power of this lipstick. I tried it and it went on very smoothly, but it is quite a dark colour for my pale complexion. I would probably wear this on a fancy night out or in the evening, but it isn’t an everyday colour I would wear.

The product that I haven’t tried is the full-sized Revlon Bold Lacquer mascara. Since this is a drugstore product I didn’t really feel a draw to open it up and try it right away. I also won’t be opening it up any time in the near future because it is a full-size product and I have other mascaras open right now. I’d rather try it later without risking it drying out before I get to properly use it. I was also supposed to get some cleansing cloths with this bag, but they were missing so I’m talking with IPSY customer support to find out what happened.

Sorry this post was very late this week, I just wasn’t sure if I would review all the products or not. Next week’s post will be up on time this Sunday. Have a wonderful Halloween!!!

I ♥ Fall Tag

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Sarah

Since fall is officially here I thought it would be fun to do another Tag post. I’ve actually done this tag on video a few years ago, so it was fun to look back and see how my answers have changed now that I’ve gotten older. Lets jump right in!

1) Favourite Fall Lip Product?
I’ve recently been wearing the Maybelline elixir in the colour Caviar Couture. It’s a darker fall lip colour than I’m used to wearing, but it’s easy to apply and it starts off as a sheer wash of colour so you can build it up to the opacity you want.

2) Favourite Fall Nail Polish?
I’ve really been liking the darker red polishes for fall. My favourite by far is the China Glaze Adventure Red-y polish. It’s a darker red colour that is really opaque and doesn’t have any shimmer or glittery bits in it.

3) Favourite Starbucks Fall Drink?
I bet you all were thinking that I would answer Pumpkin Spice latte for this one, but unfortunately I can’t actually drink coffee so that has been striked from my list. This year my favourite fall drink is the Chai Frappuchinno.

4) Favourite Fall Candle?
The Bath & Body Works Leaves candle is one of my favourite candles for fall. It makes the whole room smell like you’re walking down a tree-lined path with the leaves changing colour.

5) Favourite Fall Scarf or Accessory?
I don’t really change my accessories in the fall. I also don’t wear scarves unless it gets really cold and starts snowing. If it was just my favourite scarf, I would have to pick my Ravenclaw scarf I got last year when the Harry Potter Exhibition came to the city. It’s really soft and I love the colours.

6) Haunted house, haunted hayride, or haunted corn maze?
If I had to choose from the list above I’d say none. I am not a fan of haunted anything. I had a really bad experience in a haunted house as a kid. Though I could probably deal with a haunted hayride a bit better since I wouldn’t have to walk through it myself. If they weren’t haunted, I would pick corn maze. I go to the Edmonton Corn Maze every year and it’s a blast!

7) Favourite candy to eat on Halloween?
I don’t really have a favourite specific Halloween candy, but I’ve been loving the Nestle candy that have halloween twists to their name. (eg. Coffin Crisp instead of Coffee Crisp)

8) What are you dressing up as for Halloween?
For actual Halloween I’m going to be dressing up as a Ravenclaw. I have to go to school that evening so I don’t tend to do elaborate costumes when I have to take the bus and sit in class. However, for my Halloween party I’m going all out. I can’t tell you what I’m going to be at the moment, but I will have a blog post on it in a few weeks.

9) What is your favourite thing about fall?
My favourite thing about fall is when the leaves start to change colour and it starts to cool down a little in the morning. It’s just so beautiful and it smells like fall.

Edmonton Corn Maze

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Sarah

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to the Edmonton Corn Maze with a group of friends. This has become a little tradition in our group. It’s just a nice and relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

The Edmonton Corn Maze is located just outside of Edmonton on a lovely little farm. The corn maze changes every year so you can go year-after year and never have the same experience twice. There are little problem sheets that you can pick up at the beginning of the maze to give you clues to which way you should go at the checkpoints. This year the corn maze was a giant santa, with $1 of the admission price going towards the Santa’s Anonymous charity. There is also a corn train, petting zoo, potato cannon, and air pillow to entertain the younger ones, and a haunted barn that opens around halloween for older kids and adults. If you have a chance, I would definitely suggest checking out the Edmonton Corn Maze this year.

*And a quick thanks to my sister who took the lovely picture for this week’s post.

No-fuss Homemade Mac & Cheese

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Sarah

I don’t know about you, but I am always in the mood for mac & cheese. When the days start getting cooler and school stress is getting to an all-time high it’s great to curl up with a comforting bowl of homemade mac & cheese. Usually I don’t have time to whip up a cheesy béchamel sauce, cook noodles, and bake the entire thing to get the wonderful topping. However the recipe I’m about to show you is easier than making mac & cheese from a box (and it tastes better too).

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For this recipe you’ll need:

1 cup cottage cheese 454g (1lb) sharp cheddar cheese (grated)

2 cups milk 1 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp black pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper Pinch of nutmeg

454g (16oz) of elbow pasta 1 tbsp. butter (for dotting at the end)

4-5 strips of bacon (optional)

Note: you can also add different meat if you don’t like bacon, or substitute it with veggies

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1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Now would be the time to grease the baking dish you’ll be using, but I sometimes forget to do this. I don’t find it sticks to my baking dish easily, so if you also forget it’s not the end of the world.

2) If you are using bacon, cook the strips in a skillet and set it aside until it’s easy to handle. Chop the bacon up into bite-size pieces. If you are using another kind of meat that isn’t cooked, now would be the time to cook it and chop it into bite-size pieces as well.

3) Set 1/4 of the gated cheddar cheese aside for later. In a blender, blend the cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and remaining 3/4 of the cheddar cheese together.

4) In a large bowl, stir the blended cheese mixture, bacon, and uncooked pasta together. If you are adding any veggies to the dish now would be the time to add them in as well.

5) Pour the pasta mixture into the baking dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

6) Remove the foil and stir the hot pasta. Sprinkle the top with the reserved cheddar cheese and dot with butter.

7) Bake uncovered for an additional 30 minutes until it’s golden brown and bubbly.

I hope you all like this recipe. It’s really customizable so you can make it as simple or as fancy as you’d like. Have a wonderful start of October!

According To Sarah

Never Stop Chasing

Monthly Archives: October 2014

October IPSY 2014

I ♥ Fall Tag

Edmonton Corn Maze

No-fuss Homemade Mac & Cheese