20 Conference Essentials: A packing list!

Hello everyone!

Today I bring to you a Conference Essentials packing list!

After attending and blogging for the recent conference in Boston, I decided to come up with a packing list to help you prepare for a conference or meeting, for whatever topic it may be, scientific, educational, blogging, etc.! 

I decided to check my bag, so I could fit all of this in a big bag, but you can always scale down for a carry on bag!

Transition Wear - Lab to Night out

I recently went out for dinner for DineLA week at this AMAZING sushi place called Sugarfish. It was sooo delicious, totally worth the price! I had a pretty busy day in lab so I knew I wouldn't have time to go home to change before the dinner reservation with friends, so I wore an outfit I knew I could easily transition from day to night!

Transition Wear - Lab to Night out by andreah227 featuring kate spade jewelry

Blue/Turquoise, White and Fringe - 2015 Style

I have recently been inspired for new 2015 fashion! A friend recently opened up her online shop (Check out my Facebook page for the link! and LIKE my page while you are there please!), and a lot of her pieces were very mediterranean/middle eastern in style and I fell in love! Here are some looks I put together, rather simple and featuring some loud jewelry to make a statement!

Blue/Turquoise, White and Fringe - 2015 Style by andreah227 featuring a bib statement necklace

Fun fitness Ideas

As a busy grad student, I don't always have the chance to go to the gym, especially here at UCLA where, now that the academic quarter has started, it is very busy and crowded.

When I'm done working a 12 hr day where I have just been running around all day, the last thing on my mind sometimes is working out (although I do feel guilty and wish I would just go to the gym), but dinner and sleep sound more appealing since I have to be up and about early the next day to continue my experiments. 

How to fit in working out?

Here is what I do (and I wear cute gym clothes to help me feel fabulous and stylish while working out, I have posted about these before):

I try to work out on the weekends. Since I hope that I wont be in lab on the weekend (unless needed), I tend to go to a fitness class on Saturday Mornings or, if I would like to sleep in (as is the case now), I will go for a run around the UCLA campus or go lift some weights (some type of upper body combination, either biceps and back, or shoulders and abs, or triceps and chest; I pick a combination that I feel like working out and go with it! I add about 20-30 min of cardio at the end.

On Sundays, I tend to work on legs (my fav day of workout), where I go in the early afternoon where it isn't as busy, and I can easily find a squat rack. I do weighted squats, wide squats, lunges, deadlifts, hamstring curls, and other various leg exercises. And then I get on the stairmaster and do that for 15 minutes. Man, is it a workout, you are sweating within 10 minutes and already feeling sore! 

If I decide I want to be outside, the boyfriend and I have recently started biking to Santa Monica by the beach - we rented bikes last week and it was so fun, that we decided we were going to buy our own bikes! I ended up buying a bike on Saturday and I am in love! Went and took it for a test drive yesterday, rode a total of 20 miles round trip from my apartment down to Santa Monica by the beach down to Manhattan beach and back to my apartment in West LA. It was awesome, fun, and I was able to be out in the sun. And its a hidden workout, since it works your legs and gives you a serious calorie burn!!! I am so sore this morning! 

Recent style haul and hair cut!

This weekend I spent most of my time at a conference at the UCLA campus. It was pretty fun, with a lot of science being shared! I wore this pink lace top I got from Express, with some black dress pants I bought at New York and Company (Got them in size petite! perfect length for me, short legs! hehe). This top was so pretty, I really like the lace detail on the back too! I covered it with a black sweater I got in England a couple of years ago.

Black Friday style haul!

So here in America, the day after Thanksigiving is called Black Friday, where everyone goes shopping for awesome deals. Well, being a scientist, I had to go to work today to do some experiments, but I left relatively "early" for me, haha (6:30 pm is early for me!). So I walked around in Westwood to some stores and came home with goodies!
I stopped at Victoria's Secret and they were having an amazing sale! All of their perfumes (eau de parfum!!!) were on sale for 25$! I was able to buy these both -- Bombshell and Angel Dream, for 25 dollars each! They smell AMAZING. I bought Bombshell for my mom as a christmas gift, and Angel Dream for myself (couldn't help myself, the sale was too good...)
Bombshell is a blend of purple passionfruit, vanilla orchid, and shangri-la peony. It smells delicious and seductive.
Victoria's Secret Angel Dream is a blend of lace violet, iridescent currant and sheer sandalwood. It is breathtaking and lingers for a while! The bottle is cool too, it even has wings!
This sale is even going on online so check it out!
I also opened a Victoria's Secret Angels credit card so I got some 15 dollars off, so all in all I got these both for 35 dollars total! Such a great deal!

Recent outfits!

So I've been bored lately wearing the same things - t-shirt and jeans, hair in regular pony tail. I decided to wear clothes from my monstrous closet.
Here I wore this lace top I bought from Bershka when I was in Cyprus this summer, it is really pretty. I braided my hair and used a bow clip from American Apparel. I don't like braiding my hair because since I have layers, there are always pieces that stick out of the braid before getting to the bottom of the braid. So it looks nice when I first did it but by the end of the day my braid fell apart/was very messy.
Also, my eyes were bothering me so I put on my glasses that I never wear. My vision is pretty good, I got these glasses a year ago for far away, and haven't needed them, but they helped me out last week.

San Antonio Style

So on Wednesday I am heading to San Antonio Texas for a work trip/conference! I only have to go to the conference for one day and the rest of the time I can go to talks/sight see in San Antonio! Here is what I'm feeling as far as style! I am really into red/maroon with black! So I picked out a fancy outfit for going out, and also some more casual outfits and accessories! I think these are cute and I would wear these!!

San Antonio Style by andreah227 featuring a red lip stick

Random purchases!

Sorry I've been MIA this month! I am working on my Advancement to Candidacy Exam for my PhD program... It has been seriously one of the most stressful experiences ever! I'm super stressed all the time, so I haven't really had a chance to post anything. I have taken to working out as an outlet for my stress, which really helps! I bought some new workout gear from Gap.com, they have a really great line of clothes for fitness, called Gfit,which I love! and they are constantly having sales (I get emails daily about 25% off, 30% off, etc.) which I wish I could buy more things! I love their tanktops! (See below) and the workout capris! So comfortable! I really suggest buying them! I bought size small in all! :)
Since I haven't been doing much lab work, I don't have to put gloves on, so my nail polish won't get ruined! I painted my nails a hot pink color which glows in a blacklight (so cool!) and this pastel purple color that I received in my May Ipsy Glambag! I LOVE this color! and it hasn't chipped yet! I love it! I will post my review on my May Glambag once I have a chance!

Spring Fling

Spring Fling by andreah227 featuring butterfly sunglasses

New Jeans time!

So since I need to do laundry, all my usual jeans are in the laundry basket...I went fishing in my closet for another pair of jeans to wear. Lo and behold, I found a lighter wash jegging that I used to LOVE to wear. Why don't I wear these more often? I thought to myself.
Well, I found out the reason to that later in the day when I went to the bathroom and noticed I had 2 HUGE holes in between my thighs!
I have to admit,  before I started working out regularly and lost some weight in my lower half, my thighs used to rub against eachother all the time, and it sucked. A lot of my jeans developed holes from the material rubbing against itself. Granted, this still happens to me now with my newer jeans, but I think it is more because I wear them almost every day until I decide they are dirty. But enough is enough, I don't have any more jeans that I can wear because they all have holes and they are not the right cut (I like the jegging-skinny fit more than the boot cut or wide leg!)
So I went over to American Eagle and they had some sales on their jeans!
I bought the Jegging Ankle in Dark acid wash for $34.95, not bad at all! I just realized that it is "ankle" and working in the lab we are not allowed to show any skin on our legs... hmmm this may be a problem, but knowing how short I am and how short my legs are, even though I ordered the "short" size, they will probably be the perfect length (if not longer!)!
 
American Eagle Jegging Acid Wash jeans (left), and Jegging Bright Light - Super stretch (right).

Obsessed with Victoria's Secret!!!

Ahhhh I've been obsessing over the victoria's secret website!
I am itching to buy a new swim suit (even tho I have a few!), and I also want to buy more work out clothes from them!!!
First, the swim suit is this, but in a different color, although I do like this color, its really pretty. I also really like the bottom, as it seems to be very flattering and sit low on the hips. I really like the detail on the top, and it does come with straps so you don't have to wear it strapless -- I hate wearing strapless swim suits! but that doesn't stop me from having the bandeau style! :)

Happy March!

Happy March everyone!!
Wow, the month of February has come and gone and we are now in March! Time is flying by!
It was beautiful in LA this weekend, it was in the 80s so on Saturday, some friends and I went to the beach to surf, chill and relax by the water!
I wore my Fringe bikini top by L*Space, I just love it! It is the original fringe bikini, before a lot of other brands started copying it and selling it for less than 1/4 the price!! This top was 71 dollars! And worth every penny. But when I see cheaper brands selling the same or similar style for not even 20 bucks, I feel cheated. Anyway, here is my suit, paired with a black bottom from Victoria's Secret!

February styles!

Aloha readers!
I went to Forever 21 today in Santa Monica and I bought a few goodies. Firstly, I bought this neon yellow work out shirt that I thought was really cute. I'm so into the bright workout gear, I need to invest in more brightly colored things for working out! Second, I bought this cheetah print top with mesh sleeves -- I thought it was really cute! And lastly I also bought this lacey crotchet top! I'm going to wear it underneath some brightly colored tank tops I received from Abercrombie! Super cute!

Happy Monday!

Goodmorning all!
It's a very chilly morning here in LA... Brrrr
And I'm from Boston so for me to say its cold says something!
I got an email saying my first Ipsy glam bag should be arriving today! I'm so excited! I will write a review of the items I receive!!
Here is a picture of the cute scarf I'm wearing today. It's reversible, the other side has flowers!
Also, the next pic is a pair of heels that I am just in love with right now!! They are identical to Jeffrey Campbell's night walk... But more affordable. I was just admiring them at this little boutique near UCLA. Ahhh shoes...
Anyway, I'll post more later, just checking in while I have some time on the bus to work!
A xxx

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!!
Hope everyone had a fabulous night!
I ended up going to this bar downtown that I went last year... my friend and I swore we wouldn't go there this year, but lo and behold, that is where we ended up again. But it was fun, the music was good. This is what I wore!
I curled my hair using my straightener that I bought (the PYT styling tool -- seriously best investment ever!) It took me some time because I sectioned it off and did small pieces, but I know that as I get better at using it it will take less and less time!  I think my hair came out fabulous! I love it! I intertwined pieces to get the layered look and it all was in one huge curl, i loved it! ALSO, may I note that I DID NOT USE ANY HAIRSPRAY!!!!!! And my hair stayed like this all night!!! My hair is usually so hard to curl and keep in a curl! I woke up this morning and my hair was still curly too! This styling tool is amazing, I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants an easy way to curl their hair!
As far as my makeup, I used my Dior show Blackout mascara -- my eyelashes looked fake! My mom was convinced I put false lashes on, but they were all mine! I wish I took a picture of my eyelashes!
I also used a goldish eyeshadow from Maybelline and created a smokey eye look with the MAC Smutty Green eyeshadow I blogged about previously! It came out really great! Topped my lids with liquid liner and voila!

Holiday Party outfits!

Holiday Party outfits! by andreah227 featuring a black gold necklace

Happy holidays!

Happy Holidays everyone! My second post in December, but it has been a super stressful month at work and school! Now I have a break and can finally relax for the holidays!
I have some new purchases and I am in love!
First off, I bought these Jordan skinny jeans from MotelRocks in the Black and white foil print! I am always scared to order pants from online because they usually don't fit. But I took a chance and these are perfect! they are high waisted, skinny fit, and they are so comfortable! They are in the MotelRocks Xmas sale! So such a good deal and I was able to get more off using my credit from promoting and my code for 20% off! :D I've been meaning to order the Jordan Jeans and now I finally have them! In the sale I also ordered the Kimberley Bodycon Lace Dress in Turquoise and Black! It is beautiful! and has a sweetheart blue neckline that is covered in lace, which is so pretty! It is bodycon so it is a snug fit and its so comfortable and pretty!  If you fancy checking out the sale, head over to motelrocks.com and check it out!! If you are daring, feel free to try using my code "Andreah227" to see if you can get anything extra off!! 
I have also bought some amazing heels from Bakers! They were having a store closing sale at the mall yesterday and I fell in love with these! They are fuchsia pink and have gold spikes! I wore them out last night and they were soooo pretty! I matched them with dark jeggings and a black top. They are about 6 inches and have a platform, so I am easily about 5'9" wearing them! It is great! haha!
I also bought these Betsey Johnson cat eye sun glasses in tortoise shell! They were on sale and they go with my face shape perfectly! I realized the cat eye style goes well with my face shape! I have some Armani Exchange Sunglasses in the same style and they are my favorite! I have been looking for the perfect shape for my face for a while!
As far as make up, I bought some pink lipstick from Maybelline that matches my lip color, so I can use it as a chapstick/gloss and not have to worry about it looking like I have too much color on. This way I can wear it to work as well! I bought the "Born with it" Pink color, and I love it. It is moisturizing and keeps my lips nice and soft! Recommend it!
I also went to Sephora and bought new Mascara. I have been using the Dior Show mascara in black, and it is amazing. My eyelashes look like they are fake! I have gotten lots of complements on them, asking if they are real! So I definitely recommend it! I decided to try the Dior Blackout mascara. I bought it but have yet to try it out! I talked to the sales rep and she said that it is much better than Dior Show, and it greatly enhances your lashes! I am so excited to try it!! Will let you know how it is in a review later!
Sephora gave me a free "birthday" gift, but my birthday isn't until February! I got this Sugar Kisses mini lip duo, I will also let you know how they are!
I am so excited about all of my purchases! Can't wait to wear them all out! 
I am finally home in Boston for the holidays, and can I say, it is FREEZING out! I have become a true California girl, in that I thought 50 degrees was cold!
Well, anyway, I will post another update after christmas to talk about any new gifts I get! and hopefully figure out a New Years Eve outfit!!
Have a great holiday season everyone! 
xox

Motel Rocks Jordan Skinny Jeans in Black Foil Print

New fashion finds! Black Friday buys

Hello! Hope everyone has been keeping busy, I know I have with school work now that the holidays are around!! I have 2 weeks before I head off to Boston to spend the holidays with my family for winter break! But here are some fashion finds I bought in LA this past "Black Friday." I didn't go out in the middle of the night, I went shopping at noon the next day to small boutiques and stores around Westwood Village. 

First off, I found this really adorable spike bracelet (haha, adorable + spikes...) with some sparkle to it, I fell in love. I bought this from Urban Outfitters. Next I found this cute sweater to wear, it has some sparkle to it, and the back was cute as it was a little open. I also bought this strapless pink shiny pleplum top, seen here. It has some boning so it stays up (love it, really need that since all strapless tops never stay up for me, problems having bigger boobs...lol). Perfect for going out these holidays, paired with a fitted black miniskirt or even long dark jeans would be nice!! These are both from this store called Kaitlyn in Westwood. I really like their clothes, so cute!

 Studded sparkle bracelet from Urban Outfitters!

Motel fashions

Hi lovelies. I finally have some blogger worthy pics of my outfits. This post features Motel Rocks (again!)

I finally received my MotelRocks goody bag! I got a free Tshirt, free tote bag, some cards to hand out, and more! 

A Preview of my shirt! Ah!