This is my summer song...

I'm obsessed.  It's on repeat.  Driving, working, running, blogging - it's always playing in the background (although I run to a faster version of it).  So good.  If you don't like this song we can't be friends.  Sorry, but it's true.  No it's not.  But I love it.  The first video is the version I like the best, but the second video is the official music video - more fun to watch :)

Allure feat. Jes - "Show Me The Way" (tyDi remix):

Allure feat. Jes - "Show Me The Way" (Official Video):

I like Jes' hair in the music video.  And her outfits.  And her lashes.

So good.

BYE!

Review: L'Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara

A few months ago I attended a Toronto Beauty Blogger meetup hosted by Farah and Kavita.  I was lucky to walk away with 4 new L'Oreal mascaras to try out, one of them being the new Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara.

Have you had a chance to try it out?  

The L'Oreal Canada website explains that with this mascara, "the lashes soak up Hydra-Collagen, a complex used for its volume-creating properties, which instantly plumps up the lashes."  With a brush twice as large as a normal mascara brush is supposed to distribute the product optimally, coating each lash and preventing clumps. 

Here's what the mascara looks like with two light layers: 

So...I like the size of the brush.  It distributes the product well - just two light layers gives great coverage.  I also like the intensity of this mascara - it's super black which allows for a dramatic look.  The downside, however, is that contrary to what the website says, this mascara tends to clump my lashes together.  I need to squiggle the brush back and forth quite a bit to even out the spaces between lashes, which can be a hassle.  It's not bad enough that I wouldn't use this mascara again, however it wouldn't be my first choice at the drugstore.  It's a good mascara, but not overly impressive.

What do you think of it?

And just for fun, here was the rest of the face:

 

Remember the tank I bought from H&M a little while ago?  Here's how it is on: 

I paired it with this light gray cardigan from Jacob and black dress pants for a business-casual look.  I wore my white pumps from Nine West that day :)

Hope you are all enjoying the summer!

- Anjali
xoxoxo

Today I looked like this:

Today's post brings no value to you at all.  I really can't think of one good reason why you'd care...BUT here was my look today:

The dress pants are from Ricki's - they have tall fit that comes with a 36" inseam, which is perfect for my height (5'10") when I wear heels.  The tube top is from H&M - I think I bought it last summer...and the shrug is from Banana Republic - bought it in the US last summer.  I love the combo of greens with the bright blue :)

Today was the second day in a row that I straightened my hair - I'm starting to realize how long it's growing.  Because it is relatively thin (in comparison to most Indian girls' hair), it's hard for me to maintain a long length - the ends tend to get straggley (is that a word?) and I lose a lot of volume...BUT I am not ready to cut it just yet.  A few weeks ago I started a conditioning routine that seems to be bringing some life back into my it, so I'll be sharing that soon - I just want to give it a little more time.  You might have also noticed that my bangs have been pinned back lately - they are at an awkward stage of being too long to wear down and too short to style with the rest of my hair.  I want to grow them out for the rest of the summer to avoid sweaty-forehead syndrome.  You know, when it gets so hot in the summer that your forehead sweats a little and your bangs get ruined?  Ya, that's never a good look. 

Oh and one more thing - I CAN'T WALK after last night's training session.  I'm so embarrassed.  The workout was really not that hard, but my muscles were completely shocked after not having weight-trained for many months.  I wasn't able to run today, and I don't think tomorrow will be any better...I am disappointed with that, but keep telling myself no pain, no gain. 

And with that, I shall go.

TTFN!

- Anjali
xoxoxo

Did you know that I write another blog?

It's true!  If you're interested in more of a career-focused, Gen-Y blog, check out:

(http://www.genydontbite.blogspot.com/)



I must warn you, Gen Y: Don't Bite is in its infant stages so there are only a few posts right now, but I am planning to build it up over the rest of the year. 

If you get a chance, check it out, and if you like what you see do me a favour and "Follow" or comment...or both!  :)  Also, if you have any topics or suggestions for posts, I'd love to hear your feedback.

Hope you enjoy it!!!

- Anjali

xoxoxo

Goals Can Change...Ya? My Fitness Update.

Up until now I've been making myself sound amazing by writing about my goal of running the 30km run on August 20th.  Although I haven't been hitting all of my scheduled runs over the past 10 weeks, I have been running on average 3 times per week, gaining speed and building endurance.  I've gotten up to 15km on my long runs and have cut my shorter run time down to 6min/km - which was definitely a smaller goal of mine. 

I guess I should tell you know that I've changed my goal.  It was a hard decision to make, especially since I was blogging and announcing to the world that I was going to run it...but it's a decision that I now think is best.  Don't worry, I'm still running, however the distance and goal time have changed.  Instead of running the 30km race doing 10&1 intervals (10min run, 1min walk), my new goal is:

To run a 15km race on August 20th,  

continuously (no stopping!!!), 

within 1hr40min.

Soooo, why the change?  I should have known before announcing my goal that training for a 30km race would be a very big time commitment...like huge.  I found myself dreading my Sunday long runs because they were getting close to 2hrs long and I knew they'd only get longer.  What's the point in setting what's supposed to be a fun fitness goal for yourself if you end up dreading and not enjoying it?

Rather than hating my life for the next 10 weeks, I decided that cutting the distance in half and aiming for a faster time would be a more manageable, but still challenging, goal.  Capeesh? (sp?)

Also, I want to focus on building a stronger, healthier, and more fit body.  That means I need to do more than just running...and that's why I've also started working with a personal trainer.  I had my first session today and am totally embarrassed at how weak I've become!  I haven't been weight training for at least 6 months and it's definitely taken a toll on my body.  We did such a basic full-body workout and my legs felt like Jell-O.  I thought that was weird, considering I've been running so much, but it turns out weight training is a whole different ballgame.  Running will keep my muscles active, but weight training is what's going to strengthen and tone them.  Ummmm....MORE WEIGHT TRAINING PLEASE!!!

Cutting down my running goal has allowed more time in my week for weight training - which I am really excited about.  I'd still LOVE to run a 30km race, but I don't think this is my year for it.  Perhaps finding myself a running buddy for next year will make the journey more enjoyable and motivating - any takers?  Right now, I can bring myself to do 15km on my own and will stick to that more reasonable goal. 

So there you have it.  That's my fitness update.  Oh, here are some pictures of my OOTD in case you missed me :) 

I know, it's not very exciting...but this is what I tend to dress like these days.  The skirt is from Ricki's, the animal print (but not really animal print) top and pink cardigan are both from Jacob.  This outfit is pretty much the exact same as this one (from March), except the top underneath the cardi is different...I'm really branching out here, huh? LOL

Anyway, that's my update!  Hope you are all enjoying yourselves!

- Anjali

xoxoxo

PS:  Lots of things have been going on in the past few weeks and they've been keeping me away from blogging.  I have so many new products to write about and looks to try and am REALLY hoping to get some good blogging time in soon.  Thank you all for your patience - I'll be back on the regular soooon!

In the meantime, you can always find me on Twitter :) 

Muuuuuuuah!  xoxoxoxo

Running Song: You Belong To Me - Bobina & Betsie Larkin

This is a song that I ran extra hard to today, and the (unofficial) music video makes me want to run more :)

I think this video was created by Bobina fans...but I like the girl running in it!

Today I ran my normal 6km route, but I ran it faster than ever before:  34min17sec.  That's 7min faster than when I first started running this season - woohoo!!!  

I changed my running goals...will tell you about it this week - Happy Sunday!!! 

Happy Sunday!

I'm going brunching...what are you doing????

I don't know if this is a "hi-five" or a "hi peeps!"...but it's some kind of greeting...

 Notice the nose ring is IN today ;)

We are girls with bangs.

Just because I feel like it (and I want to marry Tiesto):

I'm weightless but made of feelings

I'm dreamless but made for dreaming

Even if I don't play my dress

I'm heavy, sleepless

Heavy sleepless

You shake my undertone

You move, I shift my all

All all all

Under my hair the rain can't follow us

Cause we are safe there

We are girls with bangs

X3

Madness is how we react

When sadness is how we get stuck

Even if we play in dirtiness

We are weakless, we are weakless

CONTEST ALERT: Win 2 Tickets to IIFA on June 25th with TwoMangoes.com!

In case you haven't heard, one of the most prestigious Bollywood film award shows is coming to Toronto!  On June 25th, the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) celebrations will make their debut in North America with the IIFA Awards and IIFA weekend.  All of Bollywood's top stars will be in town in an effort to promote Indian Cinema globally. 

If you're into Bollywood, you must read on!!!  South-Asian dating website, TwoMangoes.com, is hosting a contest of a lifetime - YOU can win TWO tickets to IIFA: 

It's so simple.  All you have to do is:

1.  Go to this website:  http://iifa.twomangoes.com/
2.  Like TwoMangoes on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/twomangoes
3.  Post the contest to your Facebook wall (instructions on the first link above)

I really shouldn't be posting this because I've entered and I will just be lowering my chances of winning...BUT I'm a nice girl and decided to share - what can I say?

Go enter the contest now.  Good luck!!!

- Anjali
xoxoxo

Are you a Beauty Bully?

I've been active on Twitter for upwards of two years now and have seen many, many interesting tweets.  I use Twitter to get news updates, celebrity gossip, beauty tips, and even updates on my friends (yes, I do care what you ate for lunch and will gladly tweet about mine too!).  Lately though, and when I say "lately" I mean in the last 10 months, I've been noticing a new type of update on my timeline that I don't quite appreciate.  This is what I refer to as a Beauty Bully Tweet, and it really makes me shake my head.

What is a Beauty Bully tweet? 
We've all seen one...it's the tweet that states a beauty or fashion no-no, like "Women over 55 shouldn't wear neon pink lipstick" with a link to a twitpic of an older lady wearing pink lipstick sitting on a bus, minding her own business.  Then other tweeters retweet with their comments like "OMG I can't believe that old hag thinks she looks good"...and an entire Twitter conversation about this woman has begun. 

If it's not an old lady who's wearing the wrong lipstick it's a young girl whose skirt is too short, a bigger women who's pants are too tight for her, or a mid-30's woman who really needs to dye her hair.  Regardless of who the target is, and what beauty or fashion crime he or she has committed, this Tweeter feels the need to 1) judge the person, 2) take a photo of them, and 3) publicly post the photo and the criticize person without them knowing.

This, to me, is a form of bullying and is absolutely unacceptable for so many reasons.  Firstly, the fact that the Tweeter is judging a person's beauty/fashion in that way is just mean.  If someone is wearing a pair of pants that just don't fit right, who cares?  Let them be.  If it's not visually appealing, turn your head and stop looking.  Secondly, what gives the Tweeter the right to take a picture of a stranger and post it on the Internet without his/her consent?  Even worse, the innocent stranger is being made fun of without even knowing.  How is this is any way, shape or form an acceptable way for adults to behave?

Imagine being that person.  You are minding your own business, waiting for the bus so you can get to work while someone you don't even know is taking your photo and making fun of you on an Internet forum.  Imagine if that person somehow came across the tweet - can you imagine how embarrassed and humiliated they'd feel??? 

What's even more upsetting is that the Tweeter would probably never say anything to the stranger in person because he or she would never have the balls (excuse my language) to go up them and tell them their hair is just wretched.  If you wouldn't say it in person, why is it okay to say it on Twitter? 

I'm quite shocked at the number of Beauty Bully Tweets I have come across over the past year.  If you are a person who engages in this type of behaviour, I urge you to stop.  It's just plain mean.  We all know of the psychological damage that bullying can do to children and our hearts break when we hear repeated news stories of children committing suicide simply because they are being made fun of.  Well guess what?  Just because you are an adult and just because the person doesn't know you are doing it, it doesn't make it okay. 

Let's grow up and be human beings again - STOP with the Beauty Bullying!