Full confession: I used to be a proud member of the Pumpkin Spice Tribe. Just pumpkin spice ALL the things, particularly the Starbucks lattes, which I drank by the venti boatful. Then after taking an assessment of my health and finances (and finding the results pretty dim) I pulled back considerably on my PSL obsession, to the point where I hardly ventured into a Starbucks at all. I’m now back on neutral territory with Fall’s most ubiquitous hot beverage, in part because I now treat them as precisely that – a much-enjoyed treat. And for that my waistline, wallet and teeth have all thanked me greatly (I always say this, but Pumpkin Spice Lattes really prompt the tooth-furries, no?)
So my love of pumpkin spice as a flavour may come and go, but it will always be a wonderful inspiration for nail art, particularly when you have two beautiful holographic polishes just THE precise shades of a delicious, late autumn PSL (KB Shimmer’s Rust No One, left, and Oh My Ganache, right.) Bonus points if you have a sweet little coffee cup charm with which to seal the deal (or the lid.)
But all is not totally lost on the edible pumpkin spice front. I’m still pretty powerless to resist its autumnal charms, so if something comes in a pumpkin spice flavour and it doesn’t sound totally disgusting, I’m probably going to try it (perhaps take that one with a grain of salt; I am, after all, one of maybe only seven people in the world who actually liked Trident’s espresso-flavoured gum.) And hey, look – here’s a few pumpkiny goodies now!
Starting in the top left-hand corner, we have Starbucks’ instant PSL pouches. I’m no great coffee snob, but this was just terrible. I tossed my nearly full cup after just a few sips. Watery – somehow, even when made with milk – and with a distinct burnt taste, this tasted nothing like a Pumpkin Spice Latte or even its non-union equivalent, the Punkin’ Spice Lah-tay. Seriously, if your obsession has reached the point that you need something like these instant pouches to get you through the bleak, latte-less hours of the wee, wee morning, you need help. I’m here for you.
To the right of the pumpkin poison we have pumpkin spice-enhanced 1% milk from Natrel. This ultra light, not-too-sweet creamer is actually pretty delicious, and a nice little pumpkin spice booster for coffee, smoothies, baking or just plain old drinking. Very nice.
Finally, along the bottom we have a half-enjoyed package of Voortman’s pumpkin spice wafer cookies. And the package is half-done because these? Are AWESOME. Lightly spiced pumpkin cream sandwiched between crispy, light-as-air vanilla wafers? Hell, YES. And did I mention that three cookies are just 150 calories? So a fairly reasonable little snack to satisfy that sweet pumpkin spice craving we all seem to succumb to at this time of year.
One more time for the nails because they’re kind of dope, this time in the shade.
Finger Candy 
I will occasionally treat myself to PSL or other flavoured lattes but I ask for them “half sweet”. My main pumpkin spice obsession are those muffins from Tim’s with the cream cheese filling! I only allow myself those once a week when they’re in season, max. I call them crack muffins. 😛
Nails are totally dope! Love how intense the KB Shimmer “Rust No One” is.
Wow, I haven’t had one of those muffins in forever, but they’re GOOD. I like the Tim’s ones so much more than the similar ones at Starbucks – they’re always kind of goopy? Enjoy your treat!
Looove your mani! I’m jumping on the fall nail art bandwagon right now too.
It’s so sad that the actual Starbucks instant version tastes nothing like their beloved drinks. I’d be all over that creamer and especially the wafers; yum!
Yeah, let’s do this nail art thing! It’s a pretty good time of year for it, especially once we get into Halloween – lots of fun to be had then. 🙂
PS is life for me, but Good for you for self control and limiting. Ive been saved by the fact I dont live close enough to a Starbucks to get too many. But I do love to try all things PS. I actually just wrote a blog post about what I have tried so far this year 😀
Cutest nails ever for fall. I love the subtle ombre you did with the holos. KBShimmer really is killing it. Thanks for the mini reviews on the instant lattes. I usually like the Starbucks instant coffee pretty well (sorry, guess I have issues) but I will resist the PSL instant temptation.
Thanks! KB Shimmer’s holos are pretty awesome – they always have that badass flare that runs up the middle of the bottle that unfortunately NEVER translates to photos.
Oh, and I’ve got no problems with Starbucks’ instant coffee – had more than a few pouches myself, it’s not bad. But the PSL ones are next level bad. Burnt, watery pumpkin? As in “Is that pumpkin? I have no idea.”