July Sizzling Fashion - The Asymmetric Maxi Dress

These last couple of weeks have been such a whirlwind and so busy; these last three weeks (how is it three weeks into July... time is flying!) I moved apartments, did a lot of experiments, and traveled to New Orleans for a Beachbody fitness conference! It was a lot of fun, and it left me with a lot of inspiration. It was also SO humid and hot, which I wasn't used to - in Los Angeles we have a dry heat. 90 degree weather with 90% humidity was unbearable. I still had a good time nonetheless - and I will have a travel diary post coming up soon! With such heat, had to adjust my outfits to pieces that were flowy and breezy - and what better than some maxi dresses? I packed two, and I wore one because the rest of the time I was in workout gear, but I am really loving maxi dresses with floral print and asymmetric hems for summer!  The dress I wore was a floral/leaf print with an asymmetric hem, and it was so flattering! I did a search for other women's fashion stores online, as I wanted to change up my selection of items - among my usual websites, I came across Yoins.com - I thought their site name is really clever and cute - stands for Your Inspiration! How appropriate and relevant for my current mindset!

I came across a really pretty selection of floral print and really trendy women's stylish dresses, and I picked a few of these down below (clickable images to shop). They also have a wide selection of dresses and grad student affordable fashion sexy tops, skirts, bottoms, etc. Ive been having fun scrolling through their dresses section, and trying really hard to not spend a fortune! Yoins also have a selection of activewear, bags, accessories, and shoes! I always have to take a look at the fitness selection; I can never have enough sports bras or leggings!

Spring and Winter in LA - MakeMeChic

Hello!
Can't believe we are already halfway done with the month! Time is flying by!
The weather in LA has been rather up and down... we had some big storms, with much needed rain that helped our state come out of Extreme Drought, and then the sun popped out here and there for a beautiful clear day! This weekend it was rather nice, but still chilly.

Since I have been all covered up in lab and because of the cold weather, the first sign of clear weather I put on this really pretty Floral Print Scoop Neck A-line Dress from Make Me Chic. I adored the floral print, and I really loved that it was white with a blue pattern, it felt very classy and chic. The material was also really soft and comfortable, and I loved the sweetheart neckline, I feel like it is very flattering on my body type. It was also a sleeveless dress, which looked really pretty with the design of the dress - I really liked the shape of this dress! Hitting right above the knee, it was the perfect length for me, especially as a petite girl, and along with a pair of heels, made me look a lot taller! The dress also had an invisible zipper on the side, which made it easy to put on.

To keep warm when the sun went down and the temperature dropped, I wore a long black cardigan that you can easily wrap around yourself.

How to pick the perfect Maxi Dress for Petite Women - StyleWe

Happy Wednesday!

I'm back into my regular routine of lab work and working out/eating well and trying to find time to relax, but I just got back my paper reviews, so I have some work to do. I also have a committee meeting to discuss graduation/defense plans, and hopefully set a date... so I have a lot going on outside of the blog, and I'm trying to get my fitness business up and running... so you can say I am a bit stressed!

BUT, I have been doing some online window shopping (I can't really spend money right now, I am under a lot of financial stress with bills, if you saw my credit card bills you would be horrified!), and I have noticed certain trends that I like for going into Spring/Summer! 

I am particularly fond of maxi dresses, even though I am petite (I stand at only 5' 2"!). Most maxi dresses I have tried on before and have bought are way too long and I have to get altered, otherwise I am stepping all over the bottom of the dress. Even heels sometimes don't do the trick! 

A caveat - Maxi dresses/skirts are considered lab appropriate, as long as they cover the entire leg and are paired with shoes that cover the entire foot - I've worn maxis a couple of times to lab as they are more comfortable than pants, and when you have the right shoes, can be very stylish! A lot of times you can wear boots too, that's an easy and stylish fix!

Here are some tips I have come up with to help you pick out a maxi dress that is flattering, and some of the "trends" I am loving in terms of style of dress! I picked out these dresses from StyleWe's huge selection of Petite Maxi Dresses, so you can take a look at the variety of styles of maxis! 

Bridesmaid Dress Shopping on a budget - Edressuk

Hello lovely people!
I can't believe how fast time is flying.
I have been super busy with lab trying to finish up my projects so I can defend my dissertation, but I had to redo a lot of experiments and I can't believe it's already November! This year flew by! I was hoping to be done by December but still have so much to do... but hopefully I will be done by this coming Spring quarter the latest!
In the Spring I have 2 different weddings coming up, friends getting married, and then in September my cousin is getting married in Cyprus also. So next year I have a total of 3 weddings to attend, one of which I will be a bridesmaid.
When I went home for another wedding this past September, we went dress shopping with my friend Angela, the bride, and we tried on various styles of dresses, various colors, and we decided on a palette of light purple/lilac colors and chiffon style dresses. It was a tough choice because there were a LOT of dresses to choose from, every girl had a different body type, whatever it was, you name it!
And then you look at the prices... As a grad student on a budget, I reallyyyyyy didn't want to (nor did I have the funds to) drop 200$ on a dress I will wear once at a wedding! When you are living on a grad student budget where your rent is 65% of your stipend, every single dollar matters!

Spring Inspiration - Coachella/Bridesmaid look ft Tobi Skater Dress

Spring is officially here - it is officially May, and I am astounded by how fast time is flying!
We are officially past the halfway point of the academic quarter, and I can't believe it is already May - graduation is next month and it's getting real!
Anyway, it was recently Coachella weekend, and I have always wanted to go a be a hippy child - all of the style inspiration I see from Coachella is so floaty and happy - I wanted to channel some looks this week to bring in Spring officially to the blog, so I am bringing you a 3 part series this week!
I wore this really pretty Tobi.com dress - the Not too busy Dress, found HERE. I really loved the blush pink shade of the dress, and I really adored the off the shoulder sleeves! It was too cute! At first when I saw the dress I was like oh wow way too short, but once I put it on, it was the perfect length!
I decided to pair the outfit with some simple gold sandals, and a floral headpiece I received as a gift from my boyfriend's aunt in Jordan (the country) and the look was complete! I really am in love with this look! It can also serve as a really cute bridesmaid/wedding party look - especially with the flower bouquet - no I am not engaged, but thought the bouquet would be a really cute addition!

Style Trends: Cheap dresses for a Fall Formal Event

Hello loves!
Happy Friday! I am sooo glad it is basically the weekend! This week seemed to drag by. I finally got back into the groove of things (it only took me a month! oops!) but I guess everyone needs time to relax and destress!
I really can't believe it is September! Fall is basically here (or so it seems, in LA it is still just hot), so I am excited for the new trends that I'm feeling -- I would love for the weather to cool down a bit so I can wear boots and sweaters, but I can still incorporate some pieces into my wardrobe!
In addition, there are lots of events going on in fall, including fall weddings or other formal events to attend, whether it be anniversary dinners, birthday dinners, baby showers, weddings, etc., and here are my picks!
I love maroon/purple/dark blue for fall - perfect shades for the day getting shorter (sigh! I don't like shorter days...), and the impending cold (we wish, in LA!). I really like these flattering darker formal dresses from Promtimes.co.uk, cut right above the knee! Perfect length, and they are all under $50! Super affordable even for a poor grad student on a budget!  I love the different cut necklines, from one shoulder to sweetheart strapless to regular straps, they all seem to be flattering! and can be worn for many different occasions! Accessorized with the perfect statement necklace (I'm feeling silver accent pieces this Fall) and the right heeled pumps (nude or black?), perfect outfit for a night out or wedding/event!

Summer Trends - Dresses galore!

Hello lovelies!
I've had a rather busy/stressful couple of weeks, so apologies on lack of regular posts! Busy with pushing forward a project as fast as I can before I leave the country for a conference, in addition to finding out I'm moving at the end of the month (thank you University housing for the last minute notification!), I've been a little bit of a mess with very little sleep!
In addition I have been itching to go shopping, I haven't had a chance to go to the mall/stores recently, but I have been online window shopping... every few months I decide to spend 100$ or so on some new pieces. I had been looking at new arrivals/dresses on Charlotte Russe, Forever 21, and my fashionista friends told me about Zara's summer sale on summer dresses! I was ecstatic, but I don't get paid until next month so dresses will have to wait (my online shopping cart is full and waiting! ;) ) I am tired of the clothes I have and I need some new pieces for outfits to shoot!

While online shopping, I decided to pop over to eShakti.com, and came across eShakti's new summer dresses, and if you remember back in December I had a collaboration with them where I reviewed one of their dresses, and I remember how cool it was to customize my dress. Well, here are some of my favorite upcoming summer trends, with picks from their website - and then a coupon code at the end! There are some really cool pieces that are totally lab appropriate, and the code will give you $35 off (There's a lot of stuff on sale too, so take off 35$ and you are getting an amazing deal!)

I really think this is cool - same dress, different neckline, sleeves and length!

Road Trip to Vegas, Pit stop fashion

Hello lovelies!

Today I bring you fashion from my recent road trip to Vegas for my birthday! The road trip from LA is a good 4 hour drive, if you don't stop at all...but being cramped into a car for 4 hours can sometimes be unbearable, so we had to stop a little more than half way in the middle of the desert, in Baker, CA. At this pitstop we got some snacks and drinks at the local gas station, and there was some interesting scenery. I busted out my camera and had my friend snap some photos of my outfit. 

New Year's Eve Glam

What to wear this New Year's Eve??

Whether you are going to a chic bar or club or just keeping it low-key at a friend's party or even just at home,  it's always a nice excuse to dress up!

Summery Dress

Hey everyone!
I have been meaning to post this outfit since I got it last month but never got around to it since my laptop died!! Here is what I wore to work at the lab today! It was a beautiful day out, and I walked to lab (with flats of course, not the heels pictured) and then I put on long black leggings and sneakers when I got to work. When I went for lunch I just slipped off the leggings and put on my flats again :) pretty versatile outfit I may say :) what do you think? I'm in love with this pattern! its so vibrant and beautiful!

Kayaking at the Marina!

This afternoon, it was beautiful and I went kayaking in Marina del Rey with the boyfriend. I took my new camera out for a spin afterwards and I got some awesome shots! I am wearing a tube dress I got from another vendor at UCLA Bruin Plaza for $20, there's no brand. Perfect summer dress and cover up for the beach! I am wearing my Victoria's Secret swim suit from last year/season. 

What are you doing to enjoy the nice weather this weekend??

Spring/Summer '14 Trend Round up - Guest blog post!

My good friend Lucinda Bounsall from farfetch.com wanted to write a small post about the newest trends to come in spring and summer 2014! I have already predicted some of these (refer to my crops and skirts post!) so this is right in line with PhDfashionista!

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From florals to sportswear and everything in between, we take a look at the best trends to come…

It happens year after year, without fail. For some reason there is something that makes us completely forget that as soon as January 1^st roles around it is not immediately blazing summer. We forget that there are three or four solid months of pretty rubbish weather.

So, if like us you’re getting a little bored of the dreary rain soaked weather and want something to help get you through then why not take a look forward to some of the beautiful summery trends that we’ll be able to sink our teeth into once the sun decides to reappear.

All the fun of fashion week is nothing more than a hazy memory now, awash with print and colour. There was so much to see; and so many beautiful and innovative designs that we couldn’t possibly go through all of them. We’ve decided instead to pick out our top five trends from the SS14 catwalk shows and take you through how you might be able to work them into your everyday repertoire. No Need to thank us!

Night out on the town - Vegas Style!

via Instagram http://instagram.com/p/iA514Rxvdd/ December 16, 2013 at 11:19PM

This was my outfit for clubbing at Marquee Nightclub in Las Vegas!

What I'm wearing:
Top: H&M lace bralet
Skirt: Topshop black high waisted skirt
Necklace: H&M
Bracelets: Tie Rack - London

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!

Weekend styles!

Ok so this weekend I went to an Above & Beyond show at the Greek Theater in LA and it was a totally acoustic show! As in, they played their amazing songs live with real instruments! It was amazing and the venue was gorgeous! I had never been to the Greek theater before!
I tried to recreate my bright neon green and blue makeup that I wore to the Above & Beyond show I went to last year in May! I think I did a good job and it came out great! Lasted the entire night!
I wore this cute white lace dress I bought from Target! By Xhiliration, I added the black belt and some leggings because it would be cold! I also wore this Larimar ring I bought while in San Antonio! It complemented my nail color! Twas fun. Although the show was pretty short (over by 11pm), it mustve been difficult since they were playing everything live!
How was your weekend?!
 xoxo A

Wedding fashion

So this past weekend I went to a wedding in San Diego. I had originally had been planning on wearing that black dress I bought from Guess a few months ago that I had blogged about (a short black dress). But then I realized black is really boring to wear, especially to a wedding.  The wedding I went to was a fusion of American and Hindu traditions, and it was a lot of fun! Before leaving for San Diego, I ransacked my closet looking for something to wear. I originally was going to wear a blue high low dress but it fit too tight for a wedding and it was too short in the front. I tried a high low skirt with a Motel Rocks body suit. Again, too revealing. I ended up wearing this blue skater dress from Forever21 with mesh top. I paired it with some black heels and I wore my hair in a side pony tail since it was a hot day. I originally was going to wear my hair down and straight, but I have been itching to curl it. My boyfriend was on his way to pick me up and I had only curled half of my hair! I was rushing and I used my PYT straightener to curl the rest of my hair! Took a total of about 20 minutes to curl! After curling my entire head of hair, I pulled it up and to the side, and I intertwined the curls to make it into a single long curl. I think it turned out great!

Summer holidays in Cyprus!

So for the last 3 weeks I have been on holidays in Cyprus visiting family and friends!! Reason for my lack of updates this month! I have been able to wear a lot of new clothes and shoes that I haven't been able to because of work! (YES no lab coat and gloves and goggles!) Here is a small snapshot of my many outfits and hairstyles!

Here I got my hair done at DryBar in Brentwood (still in LA) the day of my 20 hour trip. I fell in LOVE with my hair! I felt so fabulous at the airport, and It was the start of my vacation so I decided to pamper myself. At only 35$ for a styling, it was great! I walked in a few minutes early to my appointment, they made me coffee, washed my hair, blow dried it, and then curled! All in about 45 minutes! It was great! Sadly my hair didn't last my entire trip, but it was very understandable seeing as I was sitting on a plane for 10 hrs and was dead tired by the end of it. Nevermind the fact that when I finally got off the plane in Cyprus I had walked in to the land of humidity. My hair still had some curl in it though, and right after my cousin picked me up at the airport we went out in Limassol!

Style haul! In memory of Talia!

So this post is in memory of CoverGirl Talia Castellano. I don't know if you have heard of this girl, but she was probably the most inspirational little girl I have ever read about. At only 13, she was fighting two types of cancer. She was able to fulfill her dreams of becoming a make up artist and had her own successful youtube channel and also appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show and was an honorary CoverGirl! She has accomplished so much and has been so strong, I don't know how she did it for so long. She passed yesterday, and it made me so sad to see her fight finally end. She looked at the bright side of everything, no matter how grim the situation seemed, and "just kept swimming." Rest in peace beautiful angel! I aspire to be as strong as you!

Taliajoy18

Dress and shoes!

Hi everyone.
I've been super busy with work and moving! I finally have moved in and settled into my new apartment, but I have been out and about buying things! Mostly furniture and decorations, but I bought some new shoes that I think are super cute.
Two of my friends have very similar shoes that they bought from Zappos, Sam Edelman booties that are 130 dollars. These I found at this little boutique in Westwood called Kaitlyn Clothing (Kaitlynclothing.com) for 25 dollars! I tried them on and fell in love! They are comfy and cute with skinny jeans!

Romantic Valentines

Romantic Valentines Entry for MotelRocks! by andreah227 featuring christian louboutin shoes