Workouts 2011: Week 3 - Oooops!

Ooooops is right.  I let the chaos of life take over my week and found myself only working out once (today) and it was only a 20-minute Pilates work out.  Needless to say, I did not meet last week's goal of adding two weight training sessions to my cardio workouts.  But that's okay.  As my lovely friend Arianne mentioned, that just means I have to work extra hard this week - and that I'll do!

Week:  Jan 17th to 23rd

#5 SUN: Pilates - Windsor Pilates Ab Sculpting, 20min

The coming week is much lighter for me, so I'm going to give this goal-setting thing another shot.  This week I'm aiming for 2 cardio sessions and 2 weight-training sessions.  Wish me luck :)

Annnnd I just need to make a quick shout-out to one of my BFFs, Lindsay.  Her boyfriend proposed last night on the middle of a ski hill in Blue Mountain!  I wasn't there, but she painted the picture - they were alone on the hill, it was snowing, they had a view of Blue Mountain Village...he stopped halfway down the hill, reached into his boot (she thought he was adjusting it), pulled out the ring and asked her to marry him!!!!  The poor girl's knees were shaking all the way down the rest of the hill - beautiful :)

Congratulations Mike & Lindsay - I love you guys!!!!

xoxoxo

I hope you all have a wonderful week - let me know how your fitness goals are going!

Removing Glitter Nail Polish

We haven't been working together for long, but my (relatively) new boss already knows me pretty well - over the holidays she got me OPI's Bring on the Bling nail polish (from the Burlesque Holiday 2010 collection) and must have known that I'd love it :)  Ummmm I DID!

Photo courtesy of AllYouDesire - my hands are no where near as nice as these!!!

I had a lot of fun rockin' these party nails on New Years Eve - you can KINDA see them here, but not really:

 

The good:  these were the most fun nails I've rocked in a long time!!!

The bad:  glitter nail polish is close to impossible to remove.  But I knew that.

This is me getting frustrated with removing the nail polish

Because I knew I would be in for a battle with polish remover, I started chipping away at my nails to get a head start.  Ya...I don't recommend that method, it's messy and ultra ugly.  In an effort to minimize the irritation, I researched methods for removing glitter polish and came to two conclusions:

1. Use an Acetone polish remover
2. Be patient

For #1, I found this summary of Acetone removers (via Two Hearts Together):

Acetone is used as a solvent to dissolve other substances, such as paints, varnishes, lacquers, oils, waxes, resins, plastics, and glues! This type of Nail Polish remover usually takes off Nail Polish easier than a remover that does not contain Acetone (NonAcetone). Acetone Nail Polish remover is also useful for taking off artificial Nails and removing strong colors from the natural nail. Acetone is stronger and takes polish off more easily, but it dries out the Nails. Take in consideration direct skin contact can result in irritation and damage to your skin, so be careful when using this or any chemical.

PROS of Acetone:

• Great for removing the flowing from the natural and artificial nail:
• Glitter
• Resin or Glue
• Red or darker colored polish
• Nail Art
• Rhinestones or Jewels
• All oils of the nail to prep for polish application

CONS of Acetone:

• Drys out the natural nail
• Strips oils out of natural nail
• Dehydrates skin if come in contact

You can read more here.

For #2 (being patient), well, I hate it.  BUT it works.  Without using an Acetone remover, I found this to be helpful:

1. Soak a cotton pad in polish remover
2. Hold the cotton pad over your glittery nail for 30 seconds
3. Slowly wipe the nail polish off in an upward motion (away from the cuticle)
4. Most of the glitter should be removed, use the same cotton pad to gently wipe away any remnants

The Glitter Geek also recommended the foil method which was explained very well over at Pink Sith.   Click here to read more.  I personally don't have the patience for the foil method but I'm sure it works like a charm.

Luckily I found these resources halfway through chipping the glitter off with my own hands.  As usual, a little patience goes a long way.  Most of the polish came off after holding a cotton pad soaked in regular polish remover on my nails for approximately 20 seconds each.  Had I known all I had to do was give it more time, I would have avoided a glittery and ugly mess (from chipping the polish off). 

How do YOU remover glitter polish?  Do you have an innovative technique that we should all know about?  Please share :)

Workouts 2011: Week 2 - I wanna be a skinny bitch.

Ummmmm okay so this week was not much better...I only got my a$$ to the gym twice.  But I suppose that's better than nothing, right?  I have Arianne (Glitter Geek) to thank for motivating me to get my butt to the gym on Wednesday night - see our Twitter exchange below.

Week:  Jan 10th to Jan 16th

#3 WED: Cardio - Eliptical 35min, Treadmill 15min

@anjali_handa:  Exhausted people don't belong in the gym.  Right?

@TheGlitterGeek:  Bring a huge jug of water!  You'll feel amazing after :)

@anjali_handa:  Uggggh, you again.

@TheGlitterGeek:  Fine don't go.  I'll be a skinny bitch on my own ;)

@anjali_handa:  Noooo.  I wanna be a skinny bitch too.  Fine I'll go.

@TheGlitterGeek:  Good girl.

@MakeupJunkeiJDT:  Get skinny for me too.

I love my Twitter friends :)

I forgot to take a pic after the gym today, but I did go:

#4 SUN: Cardio - Treadmill 40min, Stepper 15min, Abs 20min 

So I've only been to the gym 4x this month.  That's weak.  My goal for the coming week is to get two weight training workouts in with the cardio.  Wish me luck!!!

What exercise did YOU do this week?

Hit me up.

Workouts 2011: Week 1

Just for fun (and maybe motivation) I'm tracking my workouts for 2011.  Let's see how many I can get through.  I was lame this week and only worked out twice...

Week: Jan 3rd to Jan 9th

#1 (MON): Cardio - Eliptical 35min, Treadmill 10min

#2 (SAT): MMA Inspired Circuit training 1hr

Next week will be better.

LET'S MOTIVATE EACH OTHER!!!!
How many workouts did YOU do this week?

Remember:  You can follow my (mostly) daily photos on Dailybooth

Vasanti Kenya Lipstick & NO eyeliner - Yikes!

Do you ever have a day when a bright lipstick is all you need?  I had one of those last week.  I finally got to try out Vasanti's Kenya lipstick, which I have been eyeing for a while, and decided to go bare on the eyes (with the exception of a layer of mascara).  I'm not sure why, as it's very rare that I leave the house without the comfort of my black liner, but I really felt the lips were enough.  I guess it's time to practice what I preach.

Vasanti's website describes Kenya as a "rich plum mauve" - and that it is.  It's similar to Denmark, but with a more plum/purple tone.  See for yourself:

Here's how I wore it - no eye liner or eye shadow *gasp!* 

AND my hair was in an updo *double gasp!*

 

 Face:

Vasanti Liquid Cover Up in V4

Vasanti Facebase in V4

Mac blush in Feeling

Eyes:

Vasanti Long Lash mascara

Lips:

Vasanti lipstick in Kenya

Just like every other Vasanti lipstick I rave about, this one is ultra creamy, extremely hydrating and full of pigment.  According to the website, this lipstick also contains Palmitoyl Oligopeptide which apparently helps to "increase lip volume, reduce the appearance of fines lines and smooths the lips surface."  You can see a list of ingredients here.  This is a new fav for the winter season!

Now, for the rest of my look, I wore my first ever online clothing purchase - a black rouched dress from Ricki's (a store I very rarely shop in).  I am always skeptical of sizing and quality online but once I saw this I had to buy.  Why?  Well, when I was shopping for a birthday outfit, I came across a gorgeous Nicole Miller dress.  It was knee-length with rouching along the sides and just fit every curve perfectly.  It was classy, elegant, and could've been worn for SO many different occassions...BUT it was close to $300.  Now I am a strong believe in investing in good clothing, and I know $300 is not suuuper expensive, but it's a little more than I can afford to spend right now, so I reluctantly put it down, saving the image in my head.  A few days later, I came across an email from Ricki's advertising a dress sale...out of curiosity I clicked on the link and it was almost too good to be true.  A version of the dress I was oogling over just days before was on sale for $69.  Now of course the quality and fit would be no match with the dress I tried on, but I thought I'd take my chances and try it out the cheaper version.  As it turns out, the Ricki's dress is a GREAT substitute for the original, AND I got it for 1/4 of the price.  Sweet!  Here it is (paired with a shrug I bought at Le Chateau): 

That bright blue bag is my gym bag - pretend it's not there.  I'm so happy I found the dress and didn't have to pay $300 to get it.  Don't you love a good deal?  I also wore a new ring that my manager gave me for Christmas:

And with a pair of black boots (from Aldo), my outfit was complete:

And that's that.  A new bright lippy worn with almost no eye makeup, a dress I dreamed of and bought in a less expensive version, a new right, black boots...and this post is done.

Have a great week darlings!

Put Yourself Out There - Just Do It.

Hi Beauties,

I wanted to share an excerpt from an article I read on The Huffington Post website.  The article is called 5 New Years Resolutions for the Post-Dating World by Jessica Massa (@jessmassa).  While the focus is on dating, this portion resonated with me as I really think this mentality can (and should be) applied across all areas of life - don't you think?

Let no connection go unexplored.

I promise. I know. Love hurts. Blow-offs suck. Mixed signals can drive the sanest person crazy. It's hard to put yourself out there, again and again, when romance rarely seems to work out.

But you know what? Too bad. 2011 is the year to do it anyway!

When you're 167 years old, looking back at your life, let this be remembered as the year that you took some chances. Not the year that you played it safe, and avoided pain and heartbreak, and kept yourself guarded, and anxiously waited for the other shoe to drop. But the year that you truly lived, and explored each and every romantic connection that you came across.

In between all of life's work and responsibility and sickness and struggle, this love stuff is supposed to be fun! The clichés may be be clichéd, but they're true. Life is short. Connection is rare. Regrets are the worst. Love is an adventure worth having. So live as if you believe all this.

Make it a resolution to never get stuck reminiscing about "what if..." or "if only I'd..." or "who knows what might've happened, had I..." Don't be ruled by fear or nerves or caution. Instead, get out there and throw yourself into the human experience, full throttle, with all its highs and lows and excitements and hurts. Create the love life that you want, whatever it takes.

And remember - what better year to start all that than 2011?
- Jessica Massa, The Huffington Post  (read the full article here)

What do you say ladies?  Shall we put ourselves out there for 2011? 

That's me saying "YAAAAAAAA" really intensely. 

I think so ;)

PS: Thanks to Jas Banwait for sharing this article on Twitter.  That's where I got it from!

Reflections on 2010

And just like that 2010 is over.  

What a year.  I'm very tempted to say "THANK GOD!" and "What a crappy year" and "I couldn't wait for it to end"....which are all statements I have been making for the past few weeks.  BUT upon reflection, I realize that I wouldn't be the person I am today if I didn't experience the hardships of the past year.  I believe very strongly in the saying What doesn't kill you makes you stronger...and stronger I am.  And stronger YOU are too, aren't ya?

For those who don't know me personally, I went through a pretty hard break up starting in May 2010.  I won't go into the details, but let's just say that I thought I'd be engaged by now...and on my way to a happy life with an amazing man.  Well, I guess life doesn't always work out the way we expect it to.  Perhaps this happened for a reason.  After all, the breakup put a hard STOP on many projects I was working on and made me take a step back.  I realized I was running myself to the ground trying to manage a full-time job, part-time school, the makeup business, the blog, a volunteer group, a social life AND a relationship.  There were so many things going on I couldn't give my full attention to any one of them and in the end my relationship suffered.

***********************************************************************************

But I'm not writing this to throw a pity party.  Instead, I want to focus on the positives, and the strength I gained by going through such an experience.  First off, rather than eating my emotions away (which is very typical of me) I used the hurt and frustrations of being dumped to fuel my fire as I trained for and completed my 2nd half marathon.  This was a major accomplishment for me as I never thought I'd be able to do such a thing on my own.  But I did, and it felt amazing :)

I also distracted myself with learning more about makeup artistry and maintaining this blog - that focus landed me a feature in Anokhi Magazine.   My first print press as a blogger and makeup artist!!!  Woohoo!!!
 
Being single also gave me some much needed time catch up with friends.  Old and new, all of them really came through for me.  Whether they were family members, school friends, old roommates, colleagues, or even my fellow beauty bloggers, they were there for me when they didn't even know it, and as a result I've realized just how amazing and beautiful the people in my life are.  That's a very special thing, trust me. 

While I had these great accomplishments and realizations, by the end of October I was still feeling a tad lousy about the breakup.  I have to believe that there was a higher power working in my favour when I found out that my idol in the beauty industry was coming to Toronto.  I am so happy with the fact that I got to meet Kandee Johnson.  Live.  In person.  We hugged.  It was amazing.  She came in when I needed to hear her most and touched my life in a way that I will never forget.  I feel so fortunate to have had a chance to meet her.

From that point on, I've felt a deeper connection with myself.  You may have noticed that I took a bit of a break from blogging and really took the time to get to know ME again.  Somehow I had lost myself in the chaos that was the past few years...but I finally feel like Anjali again...and let me tell you, it feels amazing :)

Soooo....while I did go through a major heartbreak in 2010, I refuse to look back on the year with frustration, resentment, or anger.  Instead, I am choosing to reflect on the amazing experiences I had, the strength and confidence I gained from them, and the amazing people who all helped make it happen.

With all that said, I have one particular group of people to recognize for the success of my 2010...you know who?  my readers.  My beautiful, precious readers.  Words cannot describe the gratitude I have for your constant support and encouragement in 2010.  While I showed my happiest faces in my blog pics, there were days when I was really hurting inside.  You have no idea how much of an impact your sweet and kind comments can have.  YOU had the power to turn my crappy days into great ones, my lazy sit-on-the-couch days into 14km runs, and low self-esteem days into "I can rock anything I want" days!  Nothing beats having an awesome group of people cheering you on - you really helped me get through one of the toughest situations I've ever had to face in my life.  So thank you for being such amazing, wonderful and kind readers.  YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!  
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season.  I hope it was full of family, friends, happiness, love and peace.  I also hope that you can look back on 2010 and see the beautiful things that came out of it - let's scrap the negativity and be thankful for what we have today.

Here's to an impactful 2010, and the amazing 2011 that's ahead of us - let's kick its A$$!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Love, 

Anjali 

xoxoxo