Butternut Squash Soup for the Student's Soul

Hey everyone! I haven't posted a recipe for quite some time now (because frankly I'm not the best role model when it comes to cooking)... That said, I came across this super easy recipe for butternut squash soup that even I couldn't mess up, so I thought it would be a shame not to share it!

Butternut squash soup is definitely one of my favorite fall food items (right next to pumpkin pie), and I look forward to having some every year. It's great to portion off and freeze, that way you can defrost and eat it whenever you're craving a hot meal. It's a really warm and comforting pick-me-up, especially when you're smack in the middle of midterms!

Ingredients:
- A butternut squash (cubed)
- Half a shallot (diced)
- A clove of garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp. of olive oil
- Water (3-4 cups)
- Half a beef bouillon cube (or chicken or veg)
- 1/4 tsp. of salt
- Crack of pepper
- Pinch of thyme
- Pinch of paprika (to your taste)

First you'll need to peel and cube the butternut squash, which is definitely the most strenuous/time-consuming part. Try doing it as-is, but if it's too difficult, cut the squash in half and pop it in the oven for a bit. This will soften it, making it easier to peel, and will also reduce cooking time afterwards.

When your squash is peeled and cubed, put it aside and move on to preparing the broth. Dice your shallot and mince your garlic, then add it into your pot with the olive oil. Wait until the shallot & garlic brown up a bit, and don't forget to stir. Meanwhile, grab 3 or 4 cups of water (depending on how thick or how liquidy you like it). Add half a bouillon cube to the water, as well as your salt and pepper. Add in the pinch of thyme as well. Fresh thyme is best but dried works too.

Once the garlic & shallot are ready, add the water mixture to the pot. Wait for the bouillon to dissolve, then add your squash. Let it simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes.

When the soup is ready, put it into a blender or use one of these fancy immersion blenders like I did haha. Once that's done, you can add paprika if you'd like. I think paprika enhances the flavor really well but if you're sensitive to spicy foods you can leave it out. Add more salt if you feel like it's necessary. If you find it too thick, you can add some more water as well.

That's it! Serve and add garnish with some extra paprika or thyme if you want. Overall this recipe is super easy and it's great for leftovers throughout the week. Enjoy :)

Models Own "Luis Lemon"

Hey everyone! I know this may not be the colour to expect when you think of "fall nails", but when I saw this on sale at NailPolishCanada, I just couldn't resist. I'm thinking of it as my fall nail polish palate cleanser.

"Luis Lemon" is a vibrant highlighter yellow color. It's a little sheer on its own, but a white base coat will really make it pop. The polish applies thick yet smooth, and is overall a pleasure to work with. I'm quite impressed with the quality considering most neon polishes tend to be streaky. I only needed one coat over the white to get the shade in the photo above.

This is my first Models Own nail polish and I'm excited to try out some more. "Luis Lemon" is a winner for me!

Fall Lip Love: Maybelline Super Stay 10 Stain Gloss in Ruby Induglence

Hey everyone! Last year I posted some of my fall/winter lip picks, but this year I have one product that's been better than all the rest. And it's from the drug store. Ladies, the Maybelline Super Stay 10 Stain Gloss in Ruby Indulgence is your only fall lip necessity.

The colour is this amazing, unmistakable crimson red that veers closer to berry than orange. The application is great. It has a blood cell applicator (I don't know if that's a correct term haha) that makes it easy to shape the cupid's bow. You can flip it over and fix up the edges with the sharp tip to get that perfect finish. It lasts quite long and only really needs to be reapplied after eating or something. Another part about this product that I love is the scent. It smells like Kool Aid or some other tangy juice. It's great!

I've had two opportunities as of yet to rock a darker fall lip and this product has been my choice both times. The shiny (but not sticky) finish makes it super easy to wear and reapply throughout the night.

Here's an example of me wearing it on a night out. Matches my top and red eyes perfectly ;) Hahaha.

Nail Polish Canada Wishlist #2

Ahhhhhhh I haven't posted in so long! Can you tell it's midterm season? Well, it's also holiday season for nail polishes and makeup companies... Which means new releases!!! Most of my favorite nail polish brands have already released Winter and Holiday collection so I thought I'd put together a new Nail Polish Canada Wishlist. I've done one of these once before (click here to see it), and as you know, Nail Polish Canada is the place to buy nail polish. They have every possible brand and helloooo free shipping.

First up is Color Club's "The Uptown"... I mean, do you see that gorgeous shimmer? Ugh, and that duochrome. It just looks so cool and all the reviews and swatches I've seen are great.

Next is Essie's "Sable Collar". It looks a little boring in the bottles but from the swatches I've seen, it has this really awesome metallic sheen on the nails. I don't have anything like it so it would be amazing to own.

Models Own "Hedonist" is the only polish featured in my last wish list that I still do not own. Need to get my hands on it ASAP before they get rid of it!

Next up is Essie's "Warm and Toasty Turtleneck". If you already have a light purple creme I wouldn't recommend this because it's probably similar to what you already own. BUT, I don't have any nail polish this color surprisingly, so I'm really eyeing it!

Generally I have mixed feelings about Butter London since they are pricey ($17) and their hit rate for me is 50% (I have two Butter Londons - love one, dislike the other), but "Giddy Kipper" is one I can't resist. All the swatches make it look so edgy and crisp and lovely.

This 5-piece dotting tool set is only $9.95 and really, it's only a matter of time I shell out for me. It's been sitting in my wish list for so long and I want to get into nail art more!

To my surprise, Nail Polish Canada now sells TheBalm products! So cool! The prices are exactly the same as anything you'll find in-store, and with NPC's rewards system and free shipping, it would be silly not to purchase the "Mary Lou-Manizer" there.

And finally, the creme de la creme: OPI's "Take Ten" Mini set. This set basically contains mini versions of the greatest OPI shades ever, including Pirouette My Whiste, Alpine Snow, Bubble Bath, Tickle My France-y, You Don't Know Jacques!, Cajun Shrimp, Big Apple Red, German-icure, Malaga Wine and Lincoln Park After Dark. And the best part: it's only $30! Hallelujah!

Voila! My second ever Nail Polish Canada Wishlist. Anything you've been after?

The Key to a Good YouTube Channel

It's no secret that I'm a YouTube junkie (see my "Favorite YouTube Channels" page). I'm subscribed to tons of different channels pertaining to a wide variety of topics: most are beauty-related, of course, but I'm also keen on good vlog channels, cooking channels and even gaming channels! I do spend a lot of free time browsing my sub box, so I feel like I know what a "good" channel consists of, and I believe the main ingredient is authenticity.

The best YouTubers are the ones that stay true to themselves and have distinct personalities. They have creative ideas and are unique in their tutorials, rants, how-tos etc. If I feel like I've seen the same content once before, there's no way I'm subscribing. I was talking to my friend Tania the other day, and she was like, "How many NuMe and Million Dollar Tan reviews have you seen?!" And I died of laughter because it's SO TRUE. I think a YouTuber that is aware of their place on the website should know their peers enough to realize what has/has not been done before. 

That said, a good YouTuber is aware of what works and what does not. Relatability is a huge factor! You can very clearly tell when a YouTuber hired extra personnel to help them create their content. Sometimes it pays off, but many times it doesn't. See Michelle Phan, for example. My opinion is that her over-produced videos work. She established herself as a talented YouTube lady very early on and she has a huge following, which gives her the right to hire sfx specialists and professional camera-people. Yet, she knows when to tone it down and make a simple but polished video. 

On the other hand, take a look at Strawburry17. Less than 500k subs and she has interns and hired editors. Problem is, her audience is not growing. The rigid structure she created for her channel is too strict; she uploads daily and has a different theme for each day of the week. Her channel lacks fluidity because she sometimes misses upload days (duh - she's only human), but it becomes really noticeable since her videos are all overproduced. But then, take a look at JoeyGraceffa... He's had the same amount of exposure, I'd argue, and recently hit 2 million subs. All he does is vlog! With a vlogging camera! His personality is what carries his channel. I wish Meghan (S17) would take note because she has a lot of potential.

The reason I'm writing this post is because I recently came across a channel called "I Love Makeup." and it kills me how unaware of the audience they are. This is a typical example of external companies realizing the power of YouTube, and it's also a great example of what not to do on YouTube. The channel advertises Bobbi Brown makeup products and is basically an attempt to make the brand more relatable, but ultimately fails. It just comes off as one big, ongoing TV commercial. Their series are so contrived that I actually cringe when I watch. 

They have a show called "Grace's Faces" where DailyGrace ambushes her friends' houses with a makeup artist and shows them how to put on makeup. They know they'll get the views, since Grace's 2 million+ subscribers will flock to new content she's part of, but to me it comes off as forced. Hannah Hart does not wear makeup, nor does she have an interest in it. Grace Helbig actively makes fun of beauty gurus on her channel. It doesn't mesh well for me. 

Perhaps the cringiest series on this channel is "Haute Wheels"... I had to refrain from gagging when I watched this one. First of all, "HAUTE" is pronounced "OAT" not "HOT", so the pun is lacking. Second of all, this series is like a MTV reality stint that is badly scripted, and just an overall joke. The concept is this: everyday girls get the chance to have their makeup done in the backseat of a car. Literally. That's it. They tried to give it a James Bond feel. They tried to make it badass. Seatbelts? Nope. Applying mascara in a moving vehicle? Great thing to teach the kids! What's the point? Proving that the makeup artist is sooo talented that she can apply it in a moving car? Sure - that's what I look for when I come to YouTube to find a makeup tutorial. (Can you detect my seething sarcasm?)

The point I'm trying to make is that a grade-A, made-for-television YouTube channel cannot appear out of thin air. It must be earned. YouTube thrives when the content is DIY in nature. High quality equipment and awesome editing skills are embraced, but only when executed creatively. Trying to mimic television won't work, and that's what makes YouTube special.

NOTD: L'Oreal "Now You See Me"

Hey everyone! Thought I would post this NOTD today to get myself psyched for the imminent L'Oreal sale that goes on in Montreal (which I'm crossing my fingers I get tickets to!). The reason I say this is because I picked this up at the last L'Oreal sale but never actually used it until recently. I guess I was waiting for the fall weather to kick in a little ;)

"Now You See Me" is this really beautiful wine red color that I think is great for fall. For reference, it's not quite as plum-brown as Essie's "Bahama Mama" (which I can't wait to put on, by the way). I used three coats in the above picture just to get it all smoothed out, but the consistency is good to work with, as are most L'Oreal nail polishes. Overall I'm really pleased I picked this up when I did because I foresee myself wearing it a couple more times throughout the season!