FOTD: Rediscovering Burberry Makeup

Last August I indulged at the Burberry beauty counter and bought myself a blush, eye shadow, lipstick and lip gloss.  The total purchase was over $150 - I don't regret the decision, but am still shocked at how much I paid for just 4 items.  Considering I spent so much money on these products, I think they're due for an updated FOTD!

Burberry products used:

• Blush:  Blossom No. 05
• Eye Shadow:  Khaki No. 08
• Lipstick:  Cameo Pink No. 03

Here's a reminder of last year's look:

Burberry FOTD: August 2010

Burberry FOTD: August 2010

Burberry FOTD: August 2010

My FOTD using the same products this year:
*NOTE - I went heavier on the eyeshadow making it more intense this time around...

Burberry FOTD: April 2011

Burberry FOTD: April 2011

I was quickly reminded of how amazing the Khaki eyeshadow is.  I remember I had to put my name on a waiting list to get it last year because it was sold out across North America!  Not surprising as it's a very unique shade that lies between an army green and a mossy taupe.  Today I paired it with a brown eye liner (because I ran out of black and am being lazy to buy a new one).  Also noteworthy is the lipstick - Cameo Pink is a beautiful shade for the Spring!

Burberry Beauty: Khaki eyeshadow

Burberry Beauty: Cameo Pink lipstick

I thought this was a great option for a neutral, daytime look for Spring.  It's office appropriate and provides a natural-looking glow to the face.  The Burberry Beauty line is a Sheer line in that it is made up of soft neutral shades that are perfect for everyday makeup. 

In the Toronto area, I know you can purchase the products at the Burberry counter in Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street (downtown Toronto).  I am not sure where else it is sold in the country.

The website appears to have an online shopping option, check it out here:  www.burberry.com

And just for fun I'll leave you with today's OOTD:

I love, love, love, red and navy blue together!  I bought the tank-top blouse on sale at Jacob - I believe it was originally $39.50 and I bought it with 30% off.  I had been eyeing it for months...I guess it pays to hold off!

Sooooo do you like the Burberry FOTD?  

Do you have any Burberry Beauty favs?

I have a lip gloss that I lost can't seem to find right now.  As soon as I get my hands on it again I'll show you what it looks like :)  I really wish I could afford to buy more from this line, but at a rate of $54 for a blush, I'm keeping my wallet away...for now.

30km Training: Week 3

Last week was just one of those weeks where I couldn't get my act together.  I was motivated and really wanted to get out there, but there some days where if I don't run in the morning before work, I don't run at all...apparently I had 5 of those last week.  I'm quite disappointed that I missed 3 runs, but at the same time I am trying not to be too hard on myself.  Life is busy - we have all kinds of things thrown at us from all different angles - if I have to miss a week of running to juggle everything else, then so be it.  So I ran 6km on Saturday and went out for a 10km jog with my sister on Sunday.  Unfortunately we didn't keep proper track of the time and distance so I don't have any stats to report.  Here's a summary of my sad, sad week:

Date              Distance     Time          Run Time      Pace
Tuesday         MISSED
Wednesday    MISSED
Thursday       MISSED
Saturday        5.7km         4:55pm        41m33s         7m18s/km
Sunday          10km               ?                     ?                   ?

This week will be better...definitely.

I also decided that I need new running shoes.  I don't feel like I have enough support and I've already trained for and run a half marathon on my current shoes - that's more than enough wear and tear.  Last summer I wrote a post on the importance of proper running shoes.  Check it out if you're into running and are looking for some advice on choosing shoes.  When I get my new kicks I'll let you know which ones and why.

Oh ya, I owe you a post on eating to run.  That's coming soon too :)

So what about you?  Are you meeting your fitness goals?

30km Training: Week 2

How do you motivate yourself to run in this??? (minus the umbrella, add some hail...):

You don't.  You wait for it to calm down and sneak out when you think you can get an hour without heavy precipitation :)  I know.  That's the wrong (but very realistic) answer.  The weather in the Toronto area today was not the most ideal for outdoor running, so I didn't get out at my target 1pm time...instead I waited, and waited, debated running on the treadmill, then waited some more, before it finally began to clear up around 3pm.  That's when I layered on my running clothes and decided to battle Mother Nature with a 9km run.  Thankfully she was kind and it only slightly drizzled while I was out there.  I have to admit - today's was a rough run.  Facing a mainly uphill route against the force of a strong wind was hard on the legs and a little discouraging, but I managed to complete the run only 2 minutes slower than last week.  Here are my timings for this week:

Date              Distance     Time          Run Time      Pace
Tuesday         3.7km         6:23pm       23m36s          6m23s/km - YAY!!! 2m30s faster than last week!
Wednesday    MISSED
Thursday       5.7km         8:03pm       41m12s          7m15s/km
Sunday          9.09km       3:00pm        1h08m           7m33s/km

I missed out on a) morning runs and b) the Wednesday run because I was dealing with stuffy, congested head cold for most of the week.  I managed to get out there on Tuesday and had a great run, but struggled through Thursday's and today's.

I'm also finding that my legs are NOT used to his type of intense training anymore.  I remember feeling this way at the beginning of my half marathon training last year as well...within the first 15 minutes of running I experience weak ankles, stiff calves and something very close to shin splints.  It makes it very difficult to run with ease which I find slows me down immensely.  I persevered through the discomfort last year, but am seriously considering seeing a podiatrist this season to make sure I have the proper shoes, support, and running technique.  I already know my right ankle rolls in (pronates) quite a bit, so it will be beneficial to have my feet checked out.  Proper positioning of your feet and ankles is key in running - it impacts your knees and your hips and, if not handled properly, can cause long term damage and pain.  I want to be able to run for many more years...so the more I type the more I am convinced that I need to make the appointment ASAP.

I'm also finding myself to be more hungry throughout the days.  Well, obviously...when you run 3-4x per week with at least one long distance run your body needs the proper fuel to stay energized.  This is where I went wrong last year.  I trained for 4 months to run a half marathon and didn't lose more than 5lbs.  I was running to eat.  That means I would run 5km, 10km, 15km runs just to go home and eat fries, burgers, chips, cookies, ice cream and pop.  I offset all the calories I burned by eating them all back.  Although I wouldn't admit it at the time, I thought that as long as I was running I could eat whatever I wanted.  No wonder my body stayed pretty much the same.  This year I'm trying to take on a whole new mentality.  This year I want to eat to run.  This means eating like someone who is seriously training for a long distance race.  What does that look like and why is it important?

I'll get to that later this week :)

Stay tuned!!!

- Anjali
xoxoxo

PS:  This is a great running song...it got me through the home stretch of today's 9km run.  

"Breathe In Deep" Armin Van Buuren ft. Fiora

We call this my "cougar" shirt...

Well, technically speaking it's my "zebra" shirt...but it's definitely a cougar top.  I even saw a 40-something-year-old woman wearing the exact same shirt on the Caribbean cruise I went on last year.  Who cares?  I'm not afraid to rock it ;) 
BUT it would look 100x better with a long black or gray blazer...I still don't have me one of those.  Boo.

When a boy doesn't like your lipstick...

...what do you do?

I know the obvious answer:  Wear it anyway!!!  Who cares what boys think, right?  We should rock the makeup that makes us feel good and pretty and smart and confident.  But what happens when the boy is someone you really like and you want him to think you look pretty all the time?  If he doesn't like a lipstick shade, isn't he indirectly telling you he doesn't like the way you look with it on?  So basically, he doesn't like the way you look in that moment.  Soooo...why would you want to look like that again?

Over the year-and- a-bit that I've been blogging, I've come across a few "my boyfriend doesn't like" comments and never thought much of them.  My ex-boyfriend never commented on my makeup which I guess (in hindsight) gave me the freedom to wear whatever I wanted.  Only recently have I experienced a guy being honest with how he feels about my choice of lipstick...well, with the exception of Kevin Spafford in gr. 7 who told me "black lipstick doesn't look good on you" - I was new at makeup and the goth look was really in.  It wasn't fully black, it was a very dark brown lipstick from Wet N' Wild - my first ever!  In gr. 7 I decided I was going to wear the lipstick anyway.  Kevin was a 12-year-old boy who knew nothing about beauty or fashion - I knew thought it looked great and wouldn't let his comments take that away from me.

Fast-forward 15 years and here I am with lipstick shades that I think look great on me (I've evolved from the gothic look - thank God!) but someone else, whose opinion I value, doesn't like.  So far I've chosen to wear the shades anyway, BUT I do catch myself hesitating before putting them on:  Will I see him today?  Maybe?  Okay, perhaps I'll wear something else.  As much as I stand behind women who do what makes them feel good I guess part of me will be that girl who wants the boy she likes to always think she's pretty.

So I'm curious about what you ladies do in this situation.  When a boy you like, you are dating, or you are married to doesn't like your makeup choice, do you say "eff it" and wear it anyway?  Do you only wear it when he's not around?  Or do you toss it to the trash as soon as you hear his feedback?   

How much influence does the boy in your life have on your look?

Drop me a line, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one :)

- Anjali

xoxoxo

FOTD: Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara & more!

I kind of love it when I run out of a product...it means I can dip into my huge storage container of makeup and finally try out one of the hundreds of items that are just waiting to be reviewed!  (Makeup addict?  I think so).  Lately I've been trying out Mary Kay's Ultimate Mascara:

 

I haven't experimented much with Mary Kay product so I was pleasantly surprised with the smooth formula - the mascara literally glides on with minimal clumping. I like the coverage and the volume it gives my lashes:

 

 

The downside:  I don't think the black is intense enough for me.  I like a really dark black to create dense and intense (haha I rhymed!) lashes.  While this mascara goes on nicely, it doesn't score much above average in my books.  Looking on the Mary Kay website, it seems the Ultimate Mascara retails at $21.  To be honest, I probably wouldn't pay that much for this product. 

HOWEVER, I must disclose that I've had this product sitting in my makeup storage since last year...so it's been a while.  I am not sure if that has an impact on the quality - I didn't find it to be too dry, but mayyybe if I had a fresher tube, I'd experience it differently. 

What do you think?  Have you tried this mascara?  

If so, did you like it?

Here's the rest of the face I put on today:

I have been obsessed with MAC's Overdyed blush so incorporated it into the look:

And I finally dabbled into my Dior Coutour Colour eyeshadow palette in 804 (I'll write about that later) to create a silvery/gray eye.  Now, I've run out of black eyeliner and unfortunately don't have a replacement so I used a brown liner instead.  Not my favourite pairing with a silver/gray shadow, but I guess I had no choice:

AND I've been struggling with styling my hair lately.  It curls really well in the morning, but by the end of the day it's flat and lifeless.  I am actually quite happy to report that today's curls stayed for the majority of the day.  I'm not sure why...I haven't done anything differently.  Perhaps it was the mini break I took form the curling iron...regardless, it turned out well :)

 And lastly, this is the outfit I chose for today:

Recognize the sweater?  It's the black version of the cardigan I bought from Ricki's a little while ago.   I'm telling you, a year ago I would have never thought of shopping at that store, but they've surprised me with some nice pieces here and there.  There is an online sale going on and I got the sweater for $19.99 (see it here) and the skirt for $19.75 (see it here).  Both items are still available on the website - check it out!

So that's my FOTD and OOTD. 

Conclusions:

• Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara is nice but I'm not sure it's worth the $21.  I may give a fresher tube another try.
• I still LOVE MAC's Overdyed blush 
• My hair is curling again!
• Shop at Ricki's if you want nice, relatively inexpensive clothing :)

Hope you are all doing well!

- Anjali
xoxoxo

30km Training: Week 1

Last week I began training for the 30km race that I hope to run on August 20th.  I haven't registered for it yet - I want get back into the groove of running and build some confidence before I officially commit.  I have to say though, I was quite impressed with my determination to run.  I think it was the excitement of starting something new that got me up at 5am on Wednesday just to get in a quick run before heading to work.  If you know me, you know that mornings are NOT my cup of tea, so 5am was a big stretch for me.  But I did it nonetheless.  Here's the week-plan I followed:

Date              Distance     Time          Run Time      Pace
Tuesday         3.7km         6:45am       26m06s           7m04s/km
Wednesday    3.7km         5:30am       26m14s           7m29s/km
Friday             3.7km         7:00am       24m42s           6m42s/km
Saturday         9.0km         2:45pm       1h06m30s       7m20s/km

I am really not happy with my times (although by Friday I had already seen improvement by shaving 1m30s off my time!).  But I have to remind myself that I haven't ran like this since last summer so it's going to take time to build up speed and endurance.  The key for my training will be shorter, faster runs during the week with a longer, slower run on the weekends.  I start at 9km and build myself up to 30km by the end of the 20 weeks.  I do my long runs in LSD (long, slow, distance) format - for me that means intervals of 10 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking - that's the only way I'll make such long distances!

Another key is to have wicked tunes to run to.  I've never understood how people could workout to hip hop, or slow songs.  For me, it's gotta have a fast beat and energizing or uplifting vocals...dance, house and trance are all on my running playlist.  Here are a few favourites for the week:

"Lifted" - Tritional ft. Cristina Soto (Mat Zo Remix)

"Can't Fight This Feeling" - Junior Caldera & Sophie Ellis Bextor

 "Please Don't Go" - Dobenbeck ft. Joanna:

 

I really hope I can stick to running in the mornings.  I'm fortunate to have a fairly flexible work schedule that allows me to get in around 9:30am, so as long as I can get my butt out the door by 6:30am I should have enough time to run, get ready, and commute into work.  I had a great run today.  I ended up working from home due to a headache which subsided by late afternoon.  So I went out around 6:30pm and ended up shaving 2m30s off my 3.7km run!  I'll update you on the remaining runs at the end of the week.  Here's my plan:

Date              Distance     Time          Run Time      Pace
Tuesday         3.7km         6:30pm       23m36s          6m23s/km
Wednesday    4.0km
Thursday       6.0km
Sunday          9.0km

Wish me luck :)

What about you?  What kind of workouts have you been doing?  Is anyone else running or training for a race?

Beauty Inspiration: Sophie Ellis Bextor

 

Sophie Ellis Bextor.  I love this woman.  Not only does she have an incredible voice, but she's also drop-dead gorgeous.  I finally came across the music video for "Can't Fight This Feeling" (Junior Caldera ft. Sophie) and I am absolutely in love with makeup on Ms. Sophie...and the video is super cute too (it's also a good running tune!).  Check it out: 

Any guesses as to what lipstick she's wearing?  

Considering she accompanies Kate Moss as a Face of Rimmel London, I'm assuming the makeup is from that brand.  In the video see a bright pink and a coral but I am not sure if they are the same shade just in different lighting.  I'm sure I have products that are identical in colour, but I really want to buy know what she's wearing!!!!

 

Let me know if you have an idea about the lippy :)  In the meantime, here are some of my favourite shots of Sophie... 

 

She's beautiful. *sigh*

- Anjali
xoxoxo

Ummm What Happened to Working Out???

Remember when I was all gung-ho about publishing my workout status?  What happened to that Anjali?  Ya, good question.  A week went by...then two weeks...and now it's been a good two months since I've posted anything about working out.  That's because I've been really lame and haven't been putting much time into the gym or running.  And then I didn't want to admit to little or no workouts so I just avoided blogging about it, hoping no one would notice.  Ooooops!

Well I can tell you that over the past two months I've probably averaged 1.5 workouts per week.  I know, that's weak...I could blame it on work, or school (as most of you know I'm back in class)...but I'll leave the excuses aside (even though things have been crazy) and blame it on my lame-ass self.

With summer around the corner though, I'm super motivated to start running again.  So motivated that I decided to train for A Midsummer Night's Run happening on August 20th.  It's a...*brace yourself*...THIRTY KILOMETER run.  Why would I do something so ridiculous and crazy you ask?  That's another good question.  I figured I've ran two half marathons, and while my last one was a little on the brutal side, I really think I have it in me to take it a step further...AND there aren't any other big runs until September and I kind of want to accomplish something big before the end of the summer. 

I spent the weekend putting together a 20-week running program which started today.  If you've been reading my blog for the past year, you would know that I wrote a few posts about training for a half marathon last year.  So here's my question to you:

Would you like to read about my 30km-run training? 

If so, what kind of things would you like me to write about?  I've been thinking about:

a) Weekly running schedule

b) Nutrition tips for runners

c) How I motivate myself

d) Music I run to

Let me know if you're interested in any (or all) of those, or any other topics.  I have to admit, writing about the half marathon training really motivated me last year.  The support I got from all of you guys was simply amazing...so I'm kinda hoping you say you want me to continue writing about running :)

On that note, I'm going to go ahead and tell you that I began my training with a 3.7km run this morning.  It was slow and steady and felt amazing to finish before going to work.  

I kicked it up a notch when this song came on, I think it will make a regular appearance on my running playlist:

I felt super energized and ready for the day :)  What better reason to pull out my trusty NARS Schiap lipstick?!?!?!  I still think this is one of the sexiest lipsticks on the planet:

And this is the outfit I decided on before heading to work for the day:

So that's it.  PLEASE let me know if you want to read my ramblings on running and what specifically you're interested in (if anything at all).  Can't wait to hear from you!

- Anjali
xoxoxo

FOTD: MAC Overdyed Blush + Cargo Hands of Hope (revisited)

I was in the mall on Saturday and walked by the MAC counter to see what I could buy for a quick peek.  I had seen the Genius Collection before (Beauty Crazed wrote a great summary of it here) but never gave it a second look.  With a fresh hair-do (dyed it black and re-cut the bangs) I was in the mood to add more spunk to my look - so of course I was drawn to the Overdyed blush.  Have you seen this baby? 

I really didn't think the fuchsia pink would be suitable for my skin tone, but the girl at the counter convinced me to try it on.  So I did.  And I loved it.  And I bought it.  And wore it that night.  And here's the look:

Not bad, right?  Mind you, this is a very light application.  The blush can be as vibrant and bold as you'd like it to be...but I thought I'd keep it toned down given the bright eyes I went with.  Basically, I love this blush.  It's a nice change from the more natural-looking shades I wear on a daily basis.  If you're looking to brighten up your face and if you are NOT afraid of colour, I think you should at least try it on.  You'll love the pop of colour it adds and won't be able to stop looking at yourself :)  Hurry up though - this is a limited edition shade!

The eye shadow I chose for the night was inspired by the MAC girl who made me buy introduced me to the blush.  She had a gorgeous grey-blue-shimmer going on so I thought I'd replicate it using my Cargo Hands of Hope palette (from Holiday Collection 2009). 

To create the eyes I used the aqua shade (bottom left corner of the palette) all over the lid and blended the steel gray shade (bottom right corner of the palette) in the outer corner and creases of the eye.  To add an extra pop of colour, I used the aqua shade to line the bottom lid as well:

The lipstick is one of my favourite nude shades from Aveda - Sheer Ivory Nut.  I got it as a gift at one of my first MAC Warehouse sales.  I really didn't think I'd make use of it, but very quickly found myself turning to it as a go-to nude shade.  

 

This was a fun look for a Saturday night.  I went out for a girls night with my sister and a BFF - it had been a while since we'd been out together so I had fun getting dolled up!  

What do YOU think of the look?  Have you tried any of MAC's Genius Collection?  Any favourite items?

Drop me a line gorgeouses!  

- Anjali

xoxoxo