It's my Birthday! Celebratory Outfit!

Hello loves!
It is my birthday today! I am officially closer to 30 than 20 now :( Granted, I'm still young and no complaints here, but here I am sitting thinking about how much I've grown in the last 5-6 years! Not only have I changed coasts (West coast vs East coast), but I feel so much happier at this point in my life! For once I feel like I have things under control, both life-wise, school-wise, project/research-wise, and now blogging-wise! It's a good feeling to start off this next year, with many more changes and opportunities in the next year!

Vanity Fair Social Club in Hollywood - Pre-Oscars events

I recently had the chance to be a part of the Vanity Fair Social Club (#VFSC)  Pre-Oscars week events for Social Influencers at @WeWork in Hollywood! There were week long festivities including panels with various speakers, Q&As, free things, free makeup, nails and hair styling, happy hour drinks, food, networking and more! 

Being a busy graduate student, I was having a crazy week at the lab, but I managed to sneak out of work early on Friday afternoon and took the bus from UCLA to Hollywood just in time for a panel, drinks, some food, fun with some great ladies! I also made it on Saturday, the last day of the the VFSC events, and it was a blast!

I got to see my friends and some Blogger Babes, (blogger babes represent!) and I got to take some really cute and funny pictures at the #VFSC photo booth! We all loved that thing, it was very amusing! Took some funny photos with Heidi from The Ambitionista, Alma from Practically Fashion, and Chantal from Boyajian Trend Gallery!

Casual transitional outfit - Work to Going out - Earth tones!

Hello Loves! Happy almost Friday!

Today I bring to you an outfit that I frequently wear to work, as it is comfortable enough to wear to lab, and with just a change of shoes, I can easily wear this to go out after work without having to go home to change!

I LOVE earthy brown tones mixed with black. You would think they don't go well together, but in this outfit, I think they go very well! Accented with gold/black/brown/ivory accessories, I think it is a great outfit! 

I wore a black tanktop underneath this flowy blouse-type shirt that I can easily take in/have worn with a black skinny belt, and some plain black leggings. I got this blouse at a small local shop during my trip to Hawaii this past labor day. 

I have been itching to find an excuse to wear my leopard print heels, and this outfit was a perfect combination of colors for that! They were pretty comfortable to wear as well. 

I accessorized with some bangles that I have worn before in other outfits, a gold chunky necklace from Charlotte Russe, a Bisous white Mother of Pearl Ring from Boyajian Trend Gallery, a Yayoi Blanched Almond Bracelet also available from  Boyajian Trend Gallery, and a black clutch that doubles as a wallet from Franco Sarto. 

I also curled my hair quickly using my straightening iron, and did not add any hairspray -- and surprisingly my curls stayed for a while after taking these photos! I was shocked. Must be the humidity (or lack of ) in LA that made them last! Usually they fall out rather quickly!

As far as makeup, I went rather neutral, and just a nice pink lipgloss. I wanted to keep the focus on my outfit that I fell in love with! 

Makeup Monday - Makeup Brush Kit Review from Tmart.com

Hello loves!
Welcome to another week of my Makeup Monday series, this time for a review for a Makeup Brush Set I was gifted from Tmart.com. I have been looking around for a complete makeup brush set, especially now that I am a lot more serious about my makeup (for both eye makeup and foundation/face makeup). I had been looking on Sephora's website for an affordable makeup brush set but every set that had the brushes I wanted were super expensive! (I'm talking like $100+!) Can't really afford that right now, so I was delighted when Tmart contacted me to review this specific item!

Valentine's Day Outfit - Bring back body-con

Hello loves!
With Valentine's day in a few days, I thought to show you all what I'm wearing this Valentine's day! I have plans with the boyfriend for a quiet night in (which includes cooking dinner), but that doesn't mean I can't dress for the occasion!

I have recently been wearing flow-y dresses, but back in my early 20s I was a huge fan of the body-con dress! I have since gotten a little more conscious of my body when wearing a tight fitting dress, but I thought why not. After cleaning my room this weekend and finally putting away all my clothes, I rediscovered an old favorite, this black textured body-con style dress from TopShop, that I bought in London back in 2010! Since I went with a black dress, I decided to accessorize with some pops of color, red, gold, and white! I used a red bow clutch I bought last year from The Limited, a white drop statement necklace from Charlotte Russe, a pink/rose gold cocktail ring from the Ona Chan Collection from Boyajian Trend Gallery, and some black and gold bracelets. I also used a red lipstick from Rimmel London. which I have been itching to wear! For shoes, I decided to wear my red strappy heels, I don't remember where I got them from, but they were perfect for this outfit!

This outfit was the perfect combination of romantic and also a little sexy. Paired with big curls (which lasted for hours by the way, uncommon for my hair!), a smile, and a relaxing night, makes for the perfect Valentine's day!

Valentines Day Romantic Pinks - Vice3 Tutorial

Happy Monday loves! With Valentine's Day this weekend, I decided to create a romantic pink look to wear to dinner! I used the same pink shades from my Vice3 Palette that I have used to create a different look/tutorial, but this one is a lot more subtle and romantic! This palette is so versatile that you can create super dramatic looks or more subtle romantic looks! This is one of THE palettes to take with you when traveling since you can create any kind of look!

Semi-formal Presentation Outfit

I had to present my research in front of a seminar class on Monday, and I was rather nervous. I had to summarize my last four years of data into a 40 minute presentation in front of my peers and professors! Since it was just for a seminar class, I didn't have to get all dressed up, but I still wanted to look presentable and nice! This is what I wore, and used accessories to add some flair!

                  

Makeup Monday - Vice 3 Tutorial - Mermaid Green!

Happy Monday! Welcome to my Makeup Monday Series, an expansion of my Vice 3 Tutorial series! I want to start featuring Makeup tutorial looks every Monday! I have acquired so much makeup that I have bought that I want to start using it and making unique and classy looks you can wear to various occasions! 

I am still in awe of my Vice3 Palette by Urban Decay (and no, they did not give me anything to do all these tutorials and feature their palette, I am just in love), and I had been itching to use these green-blue shades! I wore it to work, which may have been a little much, but I think it turned out well! I was having an off morning so I just did my makeup to make myself feel better since I felt so glamorous! And it was an easy look to transition from work to night out for drinks with some friends and the boyfriend! Also, I guess you don't have to use the Vice3 palette, if you have similar shades you can also create this look! 

This look is super glam, and can be very versatile! Check out the tutorial below!