Attack of the Pumpkin Spice Latte

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.

 

Pumpkin Spice Latte (31DC2016)

Water marbling was the order of the day for yesterday’s entry in the 31 Day Nail Art Challenge.  My approach when it comes to water marbling, bane of just about every nail artist’s existence, is to just…not!  I try to avoid it at all costs, save and except this one day in September, specifically for this challenge.  And when I do finally bite the bullet and muddle through, I try to choose a design that’s already a bit watery and diffuse, so that way when I inevitably screw up, it almost looks like I meant to do it on purpose.  Sneaky, sneaky, but I’ll take whatever advantage I can get over stupid old water marbling, it’s just such a pain in my arse!

The last two years of the 31 Day Nail Art Challenge I’ve done watery-looking water marbles full of shimmery, turquoise-on-turquoise bends and waves.  This year I thought I’d add a little something to that water in the form of a beverage that I bet a lot of people would say is just as important to their functioning as water, the ubiquitous pumpkin spice latte.  I used to worship at the altar of the PSL, but in recent years as I’ve found my palette edging more and more towards stronger, sharper and more bitter flavours, drinking a pumpkin spice latte leaves me feeling like I’ve just gargled with honey (and brushed my teeth with whipped cream; PSLs make my teeth feel SO furry!)

It’s not a pumpkin spice latte, but today I’m enjoying my coffee – black, sugar – in this fun Fall throwback, one of a set of matching Starbucks thermoses my husband and I bought the first year we were together.  Which would make this particular thermos nearly 14 years old.  Which means I’m drinking a hot beverage out of 14 year old plastic.  And here I was worrying about all the sugar in a PSL!  Right, so I’m most likely poisoning myself – dumping out my coffee now – but how cute is this glow-in-the-dark skeleton thermos? So cute!

And it’s even cuter – and better protected; some of these early Starbucks thermoses can get a bit warm to the touch – when it’s dressed in this adorable little handmade cozy my blogging friend Amanda of Thrifty Polished made for all of the participants in the Fall Fun Series.  So super cute and wonderfully thoughtful – thanks again, Amanda!