The big fall edit

A few of my favourite things from September to November.

To make up for the lack of September and October edits, I’m coming to you with a big fall edit with all the things I’ve loved in recent months. Okay, well it’s not that big but I’m picky about the things I love and share so here’s what actually made the cut.

This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara

This dark romantasy follows Sarai who’s on a quest for vengeance, looking to find the person who tried to kill her and ends up working alongside the person responsible. This book had political intrigue, morally grey characters, and a slow burn romance that had me absolutely feral.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

I didn’t know there was a Twilight-shaped hole in my heart until I listened to Bride by Ali Hazelwood. The author upends traditional notions about vampires and werewolves and makes the whole universe a lot more fun and dramatic (the FMC is a vampire named Misery—I love it). I enjoy Ali Hazelwood’s contemporary romance novels but I think I love her paranormal romance even more?? I’m currently devouring Mate, the companion novel to Bride.

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone

Another standout read! Lenny is dealing with the loss of her best friend and meets a grumpy stranger named Miles who helps her process her grief. Trigger warning for this one as it deals with a lot of heavy topics, which Cara Bastone does a beautiful job of handling with care.

It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard

This was one of my favourite debuts of the year. You get New York in the fall, a swoony chef, musical theatre and lots of references to Les Mis. In case you missed it, author Joss Richard’s shared her small joys with me in the last newsletter (see below).

Lancôme Lash Idôle Flutter Extension Lengthening Mascara

After going months without mascara, I finally added it back to my beauty routine. The mascara responsible for this recoupling was from Lancôme. I like a skinny mascara wand because it helps lift my barely-there lashes and fans them out.

La Rosée Cleansing Shower Oil

This shower oil is from La Rosée, a new-to-Canada French pharmacy brand. It’s a cheaper alternative to some of the more popular shower oils out there and IMO, just as good. The scent is so warm and cozy, and it’s both non-greasy and moisturizing.

Torriden Dive-In Low Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Serum

I love how much more readily available K-beauty brands are these days. I recently tried the viral serum from Torriden. The packaging is no-frills packaging and there’s no fancy sensorial experience, but it’s good at what matters, which is soothing and hydrating the skin.

Bubble Float On Soothing Facial Oil

I have a few facial oils that I really love and always go back to (namely from Biossance, Eminence and Darphin) so I was surprised to find a new one that I really liked. Bubble’s facial oil is more affordable than my usual go-tos and currently on sale if you’re in Canada. I like that you don’t need to use a lot so it lasts a while (and you don’t have to feel guilty if you do like to use a lot).

Tower28 Beauty GoGo Cooling Shimmer 8H Eyeshadow Stick

I’m a big fan of shimmery, easy-to-apply eyeshadows. This eyeshadow stick gives good shimmer without the messy fallout and you can apply it directly on your lids. The formula is especially great for sensitive skin featuring soothing (and cooling!) ingredients.

Maxton Hall season 2

The people at Amazon Prime knew they needed to fill the void that The Summer I Turned Pretty would leave behind and cleverly timed the end of the series to the new season 2 of Maxton Hall. Damian Hardung and Harriet Herbig-Matten still have that crackling chemistry on-screen.

Dancing with the Stars

I’ve never really watched the show but I am obsessed this season. I started watching because it had so contestants from other shows l like such as Danielle Fishel from Boy Meets World, Dylon Efron from Traitors, and Whitney Leavitt and Jen Affleck from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives among others. Plus, Robert Irwin is literal sunshine.

Freakier Friday

When I’ve reached peak stress, I can’t watch movies that are too serious and fall back on old favourites and reality TV. This sequel was the balm I needed. It was fun and nostalgic with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan resuming their old roles. Just as importantly, it had Manny Jacinto play Lindsay’s love interest as a hot British chef.

Adidas x Wales Bonner Samba MN leather sneakers

I thought I hit my quota for shiny sneakers earlier this year with the metallic pink ones I bought from Oninitsuka Tiger, but then I saw these Adidas x Wales Bonner sambas on sale. I love the hit of metallic silver tempered by the brown croc-embossed leather, which feels very fall.

Gap heavyweight easy baggy sweatpant jeans

This was a TikTok-influenced purchase because I’ve been looking for polished-looking sweatpants that pretend to be real pants. These sweatpant jeans are perfect for the weekend when you want something that looks like the real thing but is super comfy. The pants run large so I sized down.

Icône Ruffle and dot maxi skirt

Fall was basically polka dot season and I couldn’t resist buying this skirt. What caught my eye was the layered ruffle edging and the slit, which gave it a bit of an edge.

Miffy & Friends Crocheted Keychain

Never met Miffy merch I didn’t like. I picked up this Mondrian-inspired keychain at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art gift shop where I spent the same amount of time as I did browsing the exhibitions (just kidding, kind of).

Simons Solid Ruffle-trim Socks

I was looking for a pair of ruffled socks to wear with my Chelsea boots for the Laufey concert in Toronto last month and found these at Simons. I like that the ruffle trim is understated. I bought a black pair but it comes in several different colours.

• Create a ‘soft reset winter’ arc.

• Listening to this podcast episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler with Ina Garten.

• Just give me whatever Matilda Goad wants to buy for the holidays.

• Romance author B.K. Borison recommends her fave holiday romance novels in The New York Times.

• I’m personally a fan of loud sneakers.