D&G Eyewear: Goodbye four-eyes. Hello geek-chic!

If you don't know...

I got glasses!!!

...now you know ;) 

Eeeeeeek!!!  I've never worn glasses/contacts before!  I do a lot of computer work on any given day (day job + bloggin' + school work + tweeting + facebooking, etc.) and recently noticed my eyes feeling strained a lot faster than before.  Considering I had never had my eyes checked, I thought now would be a good time to do so.  Turns out, I have good and healthy eyes...with a minor case of astigmatism, which apparently is not uncommon!

As a result, I don't need glasses per se (i.e. if I don't wear them, nothing bad will happen), however the optometrist advised if I wanted sharper, clearer vision, glasses would help.  When I saw the difference wearing glasses would make, it was a no-brainer... I got the prescription and went glasses shopping right away!  

I was a little nervous at first, remembering childhood days when I thought wearing glasses would make me look like a big nerd.  But then I woke up and realized three things: 
1) No one thinks like that anymore. 
2) Even if they did, nerds are cool. 
3) Ummm hello! New fashion accessory! 
In my mind, glasses are associated with sophistication, class, and style...not the "four-eyes" and "goggle-face" remarks we heard as kids.  By the time I was ready to try a few pairs, I was more excited than nervous.

Those of you following the Rock That Look Facebook Page or my Instagram account (@anjali_handa) would have probably noticed my pic of options.  Thank you all for your feedback and opinions!!!

I put the question out:  Which pair would you choose?

The top contender was the bottom row, middle pair and closely behind was the top right.  I love you guys...those were the two pairs I ended up narrowing it down to.

It was a tough decision (took about 1/2 hour in the store - hair up, hair down, side angle, front angle, photos of myself, photos sent to my sister, view up close, view from afar), but in the end, I went with...

The top right :)

This is a new style from Dolce & Gabbana Eyewear.  I have to give credit to my Mom who instantly fell in love with these ones.  She encouraged me to be bold, fun, and different.  Considering these are not all-the-time-glasses, more for reading/computer work, I decided fun and different was the way to go.

I look like a nicer person in this photo:

Yayyyyy for glasses!!!!  I never thought I'd be so excited for them...but now I'm so stoked!  Wearing glasses totally changes the way you look and feel...and in these, I feel awesome :) 

Goodbye four-eyes.  Hello geek-chic!  

- Anjali
xoxoxo

Spring = Time to Shave. Make it easier with Schick Hydro Silk razor!

Ugh.  Spring.
Yes the days are longer, the weather is warmer, the birds are chirping, and all that jazz...
...but the way I see it, pantyhose come off, long sleeves disappear and maintenance season kicks in.  Legs must be smooth, arms must be waxed, underarms must be decent and feet must be pedicured at all times.  No hiding under pants and boots and sweaters...bare skin makes an appearance and we must be prepared...Isn't it lovely being a woman?

I'm not really as cynical as I sound.  I do like being well maintained, but sometimes I resent the process (the time and energy it takes and sometimes the pain we have to go through!).   What I can appreciate, however, are good products and tools that make being a female feel more enjoyable and painless. 

That said, I recently had a chance to try out the new Schick Hydro Silk Razor, and I have to say, I am pleasantly surprised with the quality and comfort of it.  To be honest, I haven't really paid much attention to my razor over the past 15 years.  I started off with a Gilette Sensor Excel and progressed to a Venus razor.  There hasn't been much movement from there.
 
Trying the Schick Hydro Silk Razor has changed the shaving experience for me.  It's the first time I've tried a blade with an extra serum or moisturizing strip - this one comes with a Water-Activated Moisturizing Serum  and FIVE Curve-Sensing blades.  Each blade is supposed to have a unique Skin Guard to prevent dryness and irritation.

Before trying this one, I thought all razors were created equal (hence the reason I never bothered to make a switch).  But after feeling just how soft, moisturizing and smoothing this razor is, I am compelled to toss my Venus in the trash.

This might be TMI, but for the past year or so, my underarms have been majorly irritated.  I've gone through so many deodorants trying to solve the problem, but recently realized it was dryness and irritation caused by shaving.  I've used the Hydro Silk Razor on my underarms twice now, and I feel a world of a difference.  The moisturizing strips do work - the dryness has virtually disappeared and the irritation has stopped.  That's enough of a result to convince me to make the switch.

While I still don't enjoy the process of shaving, at least now it is more comfortable and soothing.  Considering how often we have to shave (especially when Springtime arises), I am glad to have found a razor that works with me rather than against me.

If you haven't had a chance to try out this new razor, I encourage you to do so...

Oh wait.  How are you going to do that?

Ummmm...wanna try it for free?

Okay :)

 All you need is 1) to live in Canada, 2) to have a Facebook account 3) enter this giveaway:

This giveaway is now closed.

SCHICK HYDRO SILK GIVEAWAY

All you have to do is visit my Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/RockThatLook
"Like" my page.
Comment on the Schick Hydro Silk photo.

The first 25 people to both like the page and comment on the photo will receive a FREE razor!
Please note:  You must living Canada, and must be willing to provide me with your full name and mailing address.

In return, I just ask that after receiving your razor, you head over to the Schick Hydro Silk Canada Facebook Page and write a comment on what you think of it!  

You can also tweet with the hashtag #HydroSilkCanada to participate in the conversations around this product.

I have to thank Schick Canada for sponsoring this contest - happy shaving ladies!!!

- Anjali
xoxoxo

 Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for consideration only. The above post consists of my personal and honest opinions and thoughts on the product.

Nivea Haus Pop-Up Shop - I'm Going to look like an Old Witch

Were you aware that Nivea Haus had a pop-up shop in Toronto a few weeks ago?!

Nivea Haus is a spa in Hamburg that has all kinds of cool Nivea treatments, skincare and cosmetics that we don't get here in North America (of course).  A few weeks ago, Nivea Haus hosted a pop-up shop on Queen West in Toronto to introduce Canadians to some of their new North American product lines.

I have to admit, I haven't used a Nivea product since I was a child, but I decided to check it out with my buddies Jas an Daniel...

We started off with a Skin Analyzer that tests the pigmentation, elasticity, moisture and oil levels in your facial skin.  These were my results:

Apparently this makes my skin type Combination - my skin tends to be dry but I also have higher than "normal" oil levels.  Good to know.  It was perfect because they had stations set up for all skin types (Oily, Dry, Combination, Normal):

From there you could see what products would work best for your skin type.
This has nothing to do with my skin type, but I found two products that I absolutely want to try:

The first is the Q10 Cellulite Gel that is supposed to create the appearance of firmer skin.  I am not a big believer in these kinds of "transformative" products, but I've never tried a cellulite cream so I'm curious to check it out.  The second is the Refreshing Cleansing Wipes - I'm always interested in trying new facial wipes - great for the gym and awesome after a night of partying when you are way too tired to actually wash your face ;) As long as they can remove mascara, I am okay with them!

The fun part of this pop-up shop was the opportunity for a photo shoot - like a model.  They had a photographer on site, taking photos of people and creating a NIVEA branded lotion container.  Cute ;) 

Oh and the other fun part was this crazy software program that showed what you'd look like as an old person.  Apparently this will be me in 50 years:

And this is the fat me in 50 years:

Basically I am going to be an old scary witch.  Excellent.

The good news is that I am now inspired to check out some of the new Nivea products - I guess events like these work.  I got a whole bunch of samples that I'm looking forward to trying/reviewing...but now the Nivea section at Shoppers is going to stand out a little more.

After this event I was reminiscing with my roommate about the days when our Moms gave us Nivea for everything - hands, face, elbows, legs, feet...you name it, Nivea went on it.  I know many women swear by it and end up with the most smooth-looking flawless skin ever.  Why haven't I used Nivea in all these years?  Must. Try. Again. 

What about you?  When was the last time you used a Nivea product? 
I'm actually really curious to know...and what do you use it for?  

On another note...did you miss this event?  Is this something you'd want to go to?

Good news:
If you live in Montreal, there will be a similar pop-up shop starting March 21st, check out the Facebook Page for details. 

Other good news:
Unfortunately the pop-up shop in Toronto is over, BUT...if you live in this City and want to know about more events like these, I would encourage you to download the new iPhone App called Dingo.  I found out about this pop-up shop because Anita Clarke posted it...
and as I hear of fashion/beauty/lifestyle events going on in the City, I post them to Dingo as well.  If you don't have an iPhone, you can certainly check out the website.  Check it out, you might find yourself at some really cool events.

I hope I don't look like an evil witch when I'm 75.


Back soon.


- Anjali
xoxoxo

Easy-Peasy Nail Art with China Glaze Magnetix Nail Laquer

I love nail art.  So many times I want to go a salon to pay a pretty penny for a fun design, but then take a look at my wallet and decide against it.  So how do you stay on a budget but transform plain and ordinary nails like this:

...into fun and spunky nails like this?:

Easy.  I figured it out - get yourself some China Glaze Magnetix Nail Laquer.  I recently got two shades from the new magnetic collection:

Instant Chemistry (right), and You Move Me (left). I also got this handy dandy magnet:

I love that this magnet has three designs in one - I've seen other brands that make you buy each design separately, which can get costly and a little annoying. 

 The design process is easy:

1.  Paint your full nail with the polish.  I used You Move Me:

2. Immediately hold the magnet over the wet nail polish for 10-20 seconds.  You need to do this right away, as the polish dries fast and the magnet won't work after a quick 15 seconds of having the polish on.  And obviously the part of the magnet you hold over your nail should reflect the design you want...

PS: This was the HARDEST photo to take.

3.  Lift the magnet off, and voila!  Pretty nail art:

4.  Repeat the steps for each nail you want to design.

Some of you may know of my sad attempts at nail art in the past.  I have to say,

this was my easiest and cleanest attempt at nail art EVER.  

I've been wanting to funk-ify my nails for a while and this was the perfect solution!  Just a couple of things to keep in mind, however, should you choose to try it out:

1.  As mentioned before, this laquer dries really fast, so you must hold the magnet over the wet polish immediately, otherwise the design won't work.
2.  Take caution if you have unsteady hands - I slipped and let the magnet touch my wet nails multiple times and had to clean the magnet, wipe off my nails and start again <-- annoying. 

And, well, that's all I can think of :)

So where do you get this clean and easy nail art solution?  Check out NailPolishCanada - you can buy any of the 6 shades plus the magnet right off of the website!   
DEAL ALERT: They currently have a promotion - 6 bottles plus the magnet for $63CAD, otherwise the price is $10.50/bottle plus $10.50 for the magnet. 

I think this is super cool, super fast, and super fun.  It's also easy on the wallet :)

Have you tried the Magnetix collection out?  Let me know what you think!

- Anjali
xoxoxo

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for consideration only. The above post consists of my personal and honest opinions and thoughts on the product.

All you need is one stand-out piece.

Look at me with more OOTD posts for you! 
I tend to have what I'd call a plain style.  Plain in the sense that I don't go over-the-top with my patterns and prints and I don't typically go for extremely trendy pieces.  Instead I think a great outfit can be accomplished by combining the right simple pieces with one stand-out, and then adding complimentary accessories. 

For example, yesterday I was reminded of a beautiful silk blouse my Mom bought for me: 

The blouse itself had enough detail for me, so I surrounded it with fairly simple coordinating pieces - hence the black cardigan, black pants and black belt.  With the scarf, golden buttons (that you can't see) and vertical detailing along the front, the blouse made the outfit.  It's in situations like these were I feel accessories can really complete a look.  I threw in a cocktail ring and a chunky bracelet and felt I was good to go: 

 Sometimes it's the small details that can really make an outfit stand out - wouldn't you agree?  

What I am wearing:

Cardigan:  Jacob 

Blouse:  Calvin Klein at The Bay

Belt: Danier Leather

Ring:  Gifted to me by my boss - thanks CC!

Bracelet:  Amrita Singh, bought on sale via Peacock Parade 

 The same line of thinking was applied to today's outfit:

 

This is literally a cotton tank top, a high waisted skirt, tights and a cardigan.  Nothing special, all very plain.  Here, instead of great embellishments, the pop of colour alone on the tank was enough of a stand-out detail for me.  Again, to complete the look, I combined the outfit with a bold necklace and cocktail ring:

...and then I was ready for work :)

What I am wearing:

Cardigan:  Jacob

Tank:  Sirens

Skirt:  Ricki's

Tights:  Hue at The Bay

Necklace:  Forever 21, gifted to me

Ring:  I can't for the life of me remember where this is from...

Oh and I also wore these boots from Nine West:

It doesn't take a lot of effort or money to put together a great outfit.  My general rule is to keep it simple and basic but use at least one stand-out piece in the outfit - then polish it off with some great accessories. 

What's your style rule of thumb?

On another note: I'm finding it so much easier and convenient to take blog photos with my iPhone over a real camera.  Especially for outfits, events and products, it's so great to take the photos and be able to share them on the spot - Instagram has easily become one of my favourite iPhone apps!  [If you are interested in following, my username is anjali_handa]

That said, I'd like your feedback on whether you think I should continue to take non-makeup photos with the iPhone.  I get a clearer picture with my regular camera, but find iPhone photos are quite comparable.  Let me know what you think :)

Got some good stuff coming up for you so please stay tuned!!!

- Anjali
xoxoxo