Sunny Days and Sundresses, and Tips to Not Overwhelm Yourself

Happy Monday!

I honestly can't believe its the end of July! This month was a whirlwind with moving, travel, winding down with experiments, rediscovering my motivation, lessening stress, and getting things done from my to-do list. And also, my moving-across-the-country-again is quickly approaching, and its a bit terrifying. I'm trying to soak up the sunny days and good weather before I head east to the winter.

On the weekends I have started wearing more and more of my sun dresses, of course with a floral print, to run errands, get brunch with friends, hang out at the beach, or even to go out at night. I really like white as it is a chill summer color, and the details of this dress are just so pretty! I really liked the details of this dress from SheIn, and it was so comfortable - this Floral Print Drawstring elastic Waist Cami Dress comes in just one size, and it fits perfectly! The drawstring detail in the back with two little pearls was also just darling! Also was a great price, definitely fits into my budget right now, and totally affordable for grad students or anyone on a budget.

10 Things I wish I knew before going to Grad School

Hi loves,

Well, the thesis defense has come and gone! I will recap the experience in another post coming soon! I did live stream it, although I never got around to announcing it on here, but if you follow me on social media, you should have seen the announcement! It was saved to my Facebook page, so you can replay and take a look! I refuse to watch it again...hahah!
These last couple of days post defense have been a lot of reflection and stressing out about the things I have to finish up before moving on to the next stage, which includes finishing some experiments with whatever time I have left at UCLA and moving two times.
I'm also showcasing an outfit I put together as a conference or social look - with a blouse and a skirt my aunt sent me from Cyprus! I decided to pair orange with a black, patterned top, but I would also just go with a solid black top!

I wanted to share some tips with you, 10 things I wish I knew before going to Grad School, as I feel like I have a lot of wisdom I can share, and help people with things I had to learn the hard way! I wrote a similar post on ways to take care of yourself in grad school, which you can also check out for some tips!

1. You are among the best of the best. 
Something I struggled with was not being the smartest in the room, and putting myself down for it. In order to even get to graduate school, you had to go thru an interview process, and were hand selected to join a few others in a cohort class for whatever department you are joining. You are among the best of the best. And it's ok to not be THE best. It's impossible. At times I felt stupid for not understanding topics as fast as my classmates, and just know that its ok. Everyone learns things differently and at different rates, with different methods. When I did study groups, others would catch the material fast and I would still not understand it. I studied better on my own.

Business Casual - The Interview Dinner Skirt from MakeMeChic

Happy Spring!
Today marks the first day of spring, and here in CA its been pretty nice these last few weeks, although we are expecting some spring showers this week!
I managed to get an second interview for a job next week, and have started writing my dissertation, so it has been a pretty crazy time lately, so I apologize for my lack of posts! I have also set a dissertation date (early June!), so the clock is ticking! I have a couple of outfit posts for this week, but not sure when I will have time to update again after!

Anyway, Today I bring you a business casual outfit to wear to an interview dinner or conference, featuring this High Waist Pleated Skirt from Makemechic.com!
I was very impressed with this skirt, and found it very flattering! It is high waisted and I was worried it wouldn't fit, but it zipped up perfectly! It has an A-line fit, and I am just so happy with the look! It is also only $20, which is a great deal for a quality piece, perfect for a grad student budget! I paired it with a wine floral top I got from Rue 21 at the mall, and some wine colored accessories to complete the look! I loved the pleats of the skirt and found it can be paired very nicely with various tops and colors; very versatile since it is black! I am all about capsule looks, and since I am going to be flying across the country, I want to not have to pack much but also bring pieces that I can mix and match - If I was to wear this skirt for the actual interview I could wear a silk blouse, and some other heels! I would totally wear this skirt and top combo to a conference networking event, poster session, or an interview dinner!

All you need is love - Valentines or "Gal-entines" outfit

Happy Valentines Day (soon!) loves!
I've been so crazy busy and overwhelmed these last few weeks, as I have been saying over and over again, and I haven't really been able to do a proper outfit post. What better event for an outfit than Valentines Day? I hadn't been able to go shopping lately because of finances and trying to save money, so I had to dig through my closet for something new that I haven't worn in a while! Life of a grad student - shopping in your own closet!
This is a body con dress that I got from Asos years ago, it must be from 2010? I think I saw another blogger wear it and it inspired me to buy it. I havent really worn it because of the open back and the body con style, it really hugs every curve, and since I felt like I gained some weight recently, I wasn't comfortable to wear it. But with my new fitness journey, I feel more comfortable in my body and I lost some weight, so I felt great in it. Of course, sometimes you can see a pooch, but I challenge YOU to wear a body con! haha!
I took these photos at the "Love Wall" in Culver City, and it was the perfect back drop for a Valentines post!
I love this dress, i particularly love the neckline with the crotched lace! For accessories I just wore my Nine West black heels, a black clutch/purse from Express that I got over Christmas, and my Boyajian Trend Gallery Yayoi Collection Tassel bracelet.

Holiday Work to Party look - Part 2!

Hi guys!
I have had a relaxing time in Boston visiting my parents for the holiday and today I am flying back to LA. My boyfriend came along for a couple of days too which was great, and we had a good time going into the city and exploring!
Here's another holiday outfit I wore to a holiday party/out for drinks right after. I did wear this to lab also but without the leather boots, haha! but I loved playing with a light scarf and a moto faux leather jacket! My mom got me this blue lace top as well, that I don't remember where it is from, but you can find similar Here. I then wore my black Fabletics Leggings that I have literally been wearing every day since I have been home because they are so COMFY and WARM! I subscribed to fabletics a while ago to get a cheap outfit and I stayed subscribed but just make sure I skip the month every month, which can be annoying but I avoid getting charged 50$. I would cancel but I like seeing the monthly selections and the clothes are actually super comfortable and stylish! So I really don't mind it, even though some people have complained that it is a scam. Want to know a secret that I do tho? When I enter my credit card info I use Bank of America's shopsafe feature which gives me a limit to how much can charge on a generated number so even if i forget I wont get overcharged because it will get declined if I forget to skip the month! Shhh don't tell anyone I told you that! If you want to check out Fabletics you can see their selections Here!
I then rewore my black leather boots that I hadn't worn in a while but now started wearing them to more and more events. You can see Amazon's selection of boots Here, as I can't remember the brand!
The moto jacket I am wearing is from Express that I bought last year and I love how "bad-ass" it makes outfits look! The scarf I borrowed from a friend and it was perfect to cover up when it wasn't too cold (before I left LA it was rather warm during the day).

Day time / Work/Lab Look:

Holiday Outfit - From Work to Holiday Party

Hello!
It's been a crazy couple of weeks and I am finally back with some outfit posts that I have been working on! Last week was rather stressful and I was pulling some late nights in lab so I can finish everything up before I headed to the east coast for the holidays. It is rather nice to relax and shut my brain off from work, and not have to think about anything "complicated" other than what I am going to eat and do that day! It is really nice. My headaches have started to go away and I realized they are all caused by stress! I am also trying to catch up on my sleep, something I got very little of this past quarter and had never been able to catch up on!
This last week was full of various holiday parties after work, so I decided to wear some cute transitional outfits that were appropriate to wear to work and also could easily transition to a holiday party later in the evening!
I have been posting this latest outfit on Instagram, if you haven't caught my sneak peak, here is the outfit! I am obsessed with wearing red this holiday season! My mom sent me this red lace top that is perfect for the holiday season, that I believe is from Target (Shop similar here). I also paired it with these black leggings that are super comfortable, and they are actually my workout pants from Fabletics, but I have been wearing them to work and outings because they are so cute and simple! No one can tell they are workout pants! For work/lab, I wore my hair up in a pony tail so it would be out of my way and these black hidden heeled sneakers from Sketchers, that give a little length to my legs, and then before I left for the holiday party, I just let my hair down and changed into these knee-high leather heeled boots that I have had in my closet for about 3 years now -- I bought these from Ross/TJ Maxx (Search Similar Here) a while ago and never wore them! I have been doing "shopping" in my closet and finding pieces that I haven't worn in a long time, like these boots and also this really pretty red jacket from Forever 21! (Shop Similar Here). It is kind of nice to find these old/new pieces because I was starting to get really bored with my wardrobe and been itching to go shopping, even though I don't have money! Accessories I pulled together this gold bracelet from Charlotte Russe, a neutral tassel bracelet from the Yayoi Collection at Boyajian Trend Gallery, and some earrings also from Charlotte Russe.

Daytime/Work:

Happy December - Fall Tribal Print Dress

Happy December!
I can't believe it is almost the end of 2015! Time is really flying!

I have been struggling these last couple of months with work and school, and the stress just really got to me. I have mentioned stress in my previous posts, but I have figured out the headaches I was getting every day were from a combination of stress, not sleeping enough or resting enough, and actually I think it was a migraine that remained during the last couple of weeks, which sucks.
Thanksgiving break came and I had a 4 day long weekend where I didn't think about work at all, hung out with different groups of friends, and relaxed. It was a great way to reset and my headache is gone! My baseline stress level is down, and again, it could be that I actually had a chronic migraine but I'm going to assume relaxing during thanksgiving did the body good!

I also found out I wasted three months of my research because things didn't work/had some fatal flaws where the protein I was working with wasn't what I thought it was... so that was pretty discouraging as well.

My goals for December, as it is a short month (with all the holidays), is to not stress out! to be happy in the moment, and to just take every task and every thing one step at a time! What are your goals for this month and into the new year?

Well, anyway, onto the fashion. I wore this really cute Tribal Print Dress I bought from Target a few weeks ago (Dress Similar Here) - and it was only $20! I loved the skater style of the dress, as it was flattering on my figure, and I really liked the lace pieces up by the top of the dress! I accessorized with some simple bangles and a statement necklace from Charlotte Russe (Similar Here) and a pair of simple black heels that I have styled before from Nine West (See Black Heels Similar Here). Also, I'm sporting the Apple Watch that I won, I have mixed feelings about it but it is cool to have a smart watch nonetheless!

How to Style an Elegant Dress - LURAP Gown

Greetings!
The science gods are smiling at me and are bringing good research vibes to me, finally, after toiling and stressing about experiments not working all last month! So I am in a pretty good mood after a successful hump day :)
Today I bring you another outfit post on how I styled an elegant dress I received from LURAP.com - that stands for L-ove UR AP-pearance, which I think is pretty clever! It is a customizable outfit site, similarly to other sites I've come across and worked with, like eShakti. They have so many cute elegant and stylish dresses, and I was very pleased with the price range! I had a really hard time deciding what piece to review, because there were so many options! Since it is fall (although in LA it still feels like summer), I decided to go with a wine colored dress. I picked this "My All Time Fav Gown," (which you can check out HERE) that was originally displayed as a royal blue (which is gorgeous!!), but I already have a couple of blue dresses. I was really digging the high neck and sleeveless gathered bodice look of the dress, as it looks so flattering on the site. As you can see, the high neck has pleats that fall into a gathered waist bodice, and the rest of the dress just falls flowingly and beautiful! This dress and the gathered waist really accentuates my curves and I am in love!
Since I could customize the dress, I picked my size based on my measurements (they have a handy size guide), and I decided to not go with a floor length gown, but instead go for knee length style and gave them my height (5' 2") so they could more exactly tailor it to my height (which is awesome! YAY!). If you read my last post about maxi dresses for petite girls, you can tell I'm a little nervous to wear floor length dresses, at least elegant fancy dresses, so this dress length was just perfect! (Anyway, I don't think I would have anywhere fancy enough to wear a floor length gown, so the knee length is perfect to wear for a special occasion or a wedding!
The back of the dress zipped up all the way to the neck and can be hard to zip depending on the type of bra you are wearing. I was wearing a more padded Victoria's Secret Bra at first and realized it wouldn't zip up, but I switched to a normal type bra and it was completely fine! So as with all pieces of clothing, test them out with different types of bras! That's my one tip!

Lurap.com is a great site, and they have various deals like Buy two dresses get one free site wide, which is awesome! If you have a special event to go to definitely check out their dresses as you can get a great deal on a custom piece!

Green and Floral - don't let summer end!

Hello loves!

Hope your week is off to a great start!
I am still struggling with this tooth/head pain, hopefully it goes away soon! I am tired all the time, can't focus, have some headaches... but even in pain, I can pull off some cute outfits with a smile! I am particularly loving this floral green shift dress I bought while I was in Cyprus, and wore out to dinner the other night with my boyfriend, dad and brother! I fell in love with this print, and I have a similar blouse from the same brand, Oasis, and when I saw the dress in Debenham's, I had to get it! It is perfect since it is not so tight, a little looser so even though in some shots it isn't as flattering, I still like the way it looks! Paired with some nude heels to lengthen my legs, I think the outfit was a hit!

Summer of the Dress: The Blue Dress

Hello loves!

I am calling this summer the "Summer of the Dress," as you have noticed my last couple of posts have all been dresses (and they will keep coming!).

I fell completely IN LOVE with this Blue Dress I got from eShakti! I ordered it at the same time I ordered the Chambray dress from last week, and it is one of my favorite dresses! It looked rather cute on the website, and I didn't expect it to be this flattering! It is the perfect "poofiness," that makes my waist look small and my legs look long! 

Again, I am reusing pieces I packed with me, in my attempts to "pack light," so I am wearing the same Nine West heels I wore to the conference, and the same gold statement necklace and bangles!  This time I am using my Aldo Purse that I bought a few years ago. I was in love with how the whole outfit came together, perfect for lunch or dinner or even going out for some drinks! It is the perfect summery dress!

Conference Fashion Transition to going out - Chambray dress and accessories part 2

Hello loves!
This is part 2 of the conference fashion post from Tuesday - but now I bring you an easy way to transition this same outfit into an easy going out/drinks/dinner/nightlife post by just changing some accessories!
Trying to pack light, I packed a lot of different accessories, and planned some outfits that I could transition easily by switching accessories, so I could get the most out of my expeditions out into the city without having to go back to the hotel to change! The statement necklace easily fits in my purse and I can carry my blazer! This is my look for the conference happy hour before heading out for dinner and drinks!
By just a simple removal of the blazer and switching the statement necklace, I feel like it looks like a different outfit! The same chambray dress from eShakti and heels from Nine West, and the same fringe purse! I am thinking of wearing my hair up though, since I wear my hair down a lot, and it is hot!

The original business outfit:

Barcelona Conference Fashion - Chambray dress, fringe and a Blazer

Hello from Barcelona loves!

Today I bring you an outfit I am wearing to the conference here in Barcelona! It's been a long day of traveling from LA, and after settling in the hotel room, I decided to check out the convention center, check in to the conference, and sit in for some talks before heading out and seeing some sights and getting dinner!

Since it will be 90 degrees F (~32 degrees C) all week here, I decided to mostly wear dresses to the conference! In order to make the dresses look more professional, I am pairing them with a blazer and some heels! 

I have to present at the poster competition tomorrow, so I will be wearing something similar! I am excited to present my research internationally and get great ideas about my research and other research going on in the community! 

I have been eyeing the chambray trend for a while now, and I finally bought a chambray dress from eShakti. I previously posted about new trends at eShakti and this is one of the dresses I fell in love with!  It is long enough to be sophisticated while providing a flattering look with a sweetheart neckline! I added the plain black blazer  (Steve Harvey Collection) on top to wear inside the convention center, since it is too hot outside to be wearing long sleeves, but sitting in talks all day inside will become a little chilly with the AC! I also wore this fringed black purse I got from Ross - Brand "Perfect Image" (store similar to TJ Maxx), I can't remember the brand, but it was $12 and I have been eyeing this kind of purse for months now (as if you couldn't tell from my posts!). I tried to pack lightly so I brought a few pieces I could match with different outfits, so you will be seeing similar pieces adapted to different things! I have a tendency to over pack, but I was determined to pack smart this time! (I had to pack for both a 4-day conference and vacation!)

Geometric Prints and Summer in LA!

Hello loves,
Summer has officially arrived in LA (along with the official June gloom weather), but there are days in between where the sun is shining and it hits 90 degrees! Amazing beach weather, but alas, being a grad student, I am stuck in the lab while I see facebook posts about friends being poolside or at the beach! It's ok, there are some nice weather days on the weekends where I am trying to not be at work and enjoying a nice dose of Vitamin D (with some sun protection of course!)
Here is an outfit I wore out with some friends to enjoy the day! I wore this cute geometric print romper from Kaitlyn Clothing, a small boutique here in LA near UCLA, and I haven't worn it out yet, until now. And I am showing my LEGS! something that is rare nowadays because of how much I wear pants and leggings in the lab! I am a little insecure about my legs, but pairing this romper with these chunky heels, I think the look pulls together well! When I first bought the romper I didn't think it was the most flattering thing but I think it looks ok!
What do you think?

Statement Dress to Impress - Spring has sprung!

Spring has sprung, and tomorrow marks the first day of spring (for all of you who aren't in SoCal, for us here in LA, its been summer since the weekend!)! 

On Saturday I headed to a fashion event in Beverly Hills with Samira, a fashion blogger from Stylemesamira.com! Post coming up to recap the event next week! It was a rather hot day (90 degrees F!), and so I busted out my favorite black dress shorts that I have had for years, I believe since I was 16! 

I really wanted to wear my new Midnight Waters Necklace from the Yayoi Collection at Boyajian Trend Gallery, so I tried to come up with an outfit that it would be the centerpiece! I love figuring out outfits to go with statement jewelry pieces, and this was a great opportunity since it was a nice day out! I wore a plain white tank top from Forever21 that I got for $2! and a gray mini vest that I have had for some years, probably since high school as well!

I wanted to wear heels to the event but I knew I would be standing/walking around so I wanted to be comfortable. I wore these heeled sandals that were super comfortable that I bought in Hawaii, from a local store in Waikiki called Island Fever.

I then quickly curled the ends of my hair, which came out nice and took me only 10 minutes! I was amazed at how fast I have become at curling my hair. It also helps that I hadn't washed my hair in a couple of days -- this makes for easier to curl hair! I wore it half up so I could get some of the attention on the necklace!

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! 

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!

Anniversary outfit - Special occasion casual dress!

It has been raining the last couple of days here in LA (finally!), but last week was really nice. I had my anniversary with the boyfriend and we had a casual date night out with dinner and a movie, it was quite nice! Here is what I wore, a really cute, comfy sundress that I bought in Hawaii! I fell in love with the high-lo look of this dress, and how flow-y it is! The color is one of my favorites, and I used black accent pieces that I have blogged about before (the purse, the sandals).
I have been meaning to post about this outfit all week but have been swamped with work!

What do you think of this look? What would you wear to a casual date?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I have a lot to be thankful for on this day, looking back at my past year! It's been a great ride and I thank you if you have been following or even reading my blog! I talked with my mom on the phone (in Boston) and they got a heavy snow storm, and she was telling me how they had to clean up all the snow. And I was bundled up in my bed in LA with the expected high to be 84 today... haha! Since it is so nice out, this special occasion calls for a cute skirt and some heeled sandals! I love the pale pink color of the skirt from Charlotte Russe paired with black highlight pieces! Simple black tank top was $1.90 from Forever 21! Can you believe it?

I recently bought the purse by Franco Sarto form Marshall's for only $20! I was looking for a small black crossover body purse since my favorite one had the strap snap, and this was perfect! It's small, fashionable, and it has a built in wallet so I can put all my cards and cash! My iPhone 6 fits perfectly as well! Only downside is I can't fit a lot into it.

These are some of my favorite photos. Let me know what you think of this outfit!

Magical Red Carpet

A friend invited me to go to "The Magic Castle" last week in Hollywood, an exclusive members only club, where magic happens! Legit magic, there are tons of magic shows going on throughout the night, set in a 1900s style castle with restored bars and rooms. It is not only a place for magic shows, but there are several bars, it is a dinner restaurant, and a place to hang out. Several celebrities go there to hang out, and we even saw a few people there. No cameras are allowed inside the actual castle, but we took some pictures at the red carpet they had set up outside! It was pretty fun. A couple of glasses of wine, some good company, and awesome magic shows, it was a rather magical night! 

It was also a Monday night, so I had to leave lab early (6 pm, sadly that's early for me...haha!), get dressed up, and have a good night with friends. It was a change from the usual routine, and it made me feel better about working - I have a social life, not just work-work-work all the time!

There is a strict dress code; men must wear suit and tie, and women must dress fancy! 

So I busted out this dress that I bought from Asos.com 3 years ago - it was the perfect bodycon dress, I am in love with the color and it had enough sparkle! I particularly love the neckline, with a little peek-a-boo skin showing! 

Oh and be sure to show some love and "like" my new facebook page! 

Www.facebook.com/phdfashionista

Greek Festival fashions

This past weekend I attended the Greek Festival at the Greek Church in Koreatown/Downtown LA! In past years I have volunteered to help out but this year I was quite busy so I just headed there to enjoy the festival and food. I headed there with some friends and got a Gyro pita and a frappe! (pictured below) I also bought some yummy greek pastries that I devoured throughout the week! It was great, although I did get a little homesick! It was also rather hot in LA that day, so I wore a coral sun dress from H&M. Did I say I got it on sale for $5?!?!?! Such a steal! And it is easily converted to lab wear by adding some black leggings and boots! Can't wait to wear it to the lab! An easy outfit to go from day to night -- lab with leggings and boots to night with legging removal and heels/sandals!