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!

Going Out/Conference Formal/Social outing Look - Recycling Pieces to make the most of your Wardrobe

Happy Monday!

Today I'm bringing you a new outfit post featuring recycled pieces that you might have seen on the blog before (Ie. in this holiday outfit post HERE). Since I've spent a lot of traveling lately, my bank account is crying right now... so I decided to recycle pieces to create a whole different look!
In this outfit, I wore the bright red lace top I featured  before, with a black bandage mini skirt from Topshop from a few years ago! The outfit was simple and I wore my favorite Nine West heels that I have worn at conferences and are comfy enough to wear for a few hours. This is an outfit you can wear to a conference social (I wouldn't wear this to give a talk, but for getting drinks after the conference is over, I think it's fine!).
The accessories make the outfit shine, and I am rewearing one of my favorite bracelets, the Tassel Bracelet from the Yayoi Collection from Boyajian Trend Gallery, and a rhinestone bracelet from H&M I believe (given to me by my friend Samira!).
I used my little black pocketbook that doubles as a wallet from Express. and I curled my hair using my flat iron. If you are paying attention to my social media, I did cut my hair recently, so this was taken before I cut my hair (and I'm missing my long hair! T_T), but I will have some tutorials soon about styling short hair for the lab!
The best thing about this outfit? I didn't spend a dime, and I created a somewhat different look/look for a different occasion.

Chevron Skirt and Crop Top - Zaful review!

Hello loves!

Happy Hump Day! Can't believe it is already Wednesday! Hope you all had a great long weekend (if you took Labor Day off!). I decided to take it off instead of going to work, because, well, why not! I was regretting it yesterday when I realized how much work I have to do and already is closer to the weekend than I would expect... But never regret something in the past because at some point it was exactly what you wanted ;) I seem to still feel under the weather, as I have been the past month, I think traveling has really gotten to me, and it's either stress or I'm actually sick, but I've been feeling tired and have headaches and toothaches rather frequently. I am going to try to get checked out soon.

I was able to hang out with a lot of friends this weekend, which was exactly what I needed! I was out and about all weekend, and I fell in love with this beautiful Zaful Wavy striped crop top and skirt set to go to dinner with a friend! I was a little hesitant to order it online without trying it, because even though I knew my measurements I was worried it would be too small on me, but it ended up being the perfect size! I received it in the mail just when I got back from Cyprus, and I was finally able to wear it and shoot it and let me tell you, in 3ish weeks, I must've lost an inch or so in my waist because when I wore it this weekend it zipped up so easily versus before! I've been trying to be active 4-5 times a week, and it has really made a difference!

I've been seeing so many people and bloggers wearing crop tops with skirts, and I really love the trend! It is super cute, but I always thought it wouldn't look too great on me, but after seeing the set on me, I am in love! It is super comfortable too, with the skirt being super flowy and flattering! I actually wore this skirt again the next day with just a black tank top tucked in and created a whole new look (wish I took some photos of the next outfit, oh well!). The crop top was also flattering. I was worried the "girls" would be too big, but the crop top had a cute little hidden zipper on the side, so it fit perfectly! I had a hard time picking an outfit on Zaful because everything was so cute, and when I first spotted this combo I fell in love, but being insecure of how it would look I kept scrolling, but kept coming back to this outfit! So glad I went with it!

And now the photos ... What do you think about this outfit? I paired it with some really cute wedges, which were the perfect summer touch that I bought from Charlottee Russe, and this really stunning coin necklace I bought while in Barcelona at a shop called Ale Hop. I love my pieces I bought while abroad! 

For the shoot, I found this really cute "Love" wall nearby and fell in "love"! haha! There are a lot of walls like this around LA, it's a rather cool spot to shoot at as a blogger!

Winter/Spring 2015 Outfit Recap and Reflections

Hello lovlies!
Happy Friday and first of the month!
Today I bring you a recap of my favorite outfits since the beginning of 2015, since this past Winter and Spring here in LA (if you believe that LA has seasons, which it does not, so you won't see a great variation), now that it is May and the temperatures are rising (today it was 93 degrees! eek! Good thing I am inside in air condition all day, although it would be nice to enjoy the weather at the beach!)
Ever since I invested in a nicer camera and lens, I have been able to bring you much better quality outfit of the day posts, and I am so in love with the process of blogging, photography, and posting about it. It has become something I look forward to doing, even at the end of an extremely tiring day in the lab. And the blogger community is amazing - I have met so many amazing people in the last few months ever since I started branching out and going to networking events, and I am happy to say that some have become my close friends. It is a great feeling!

April 2015: Twist and Turn Open Back Top by Dina Arrieta

     

See more on Original posts:  1st look and 2nd Look

Sunny days are back! Twist and Turn Open back top take 2!

Hello!
I have had such a busy weekend, with another on campus symposium where I presented my research again with a poster and then 12 hours of talks on Saturday! It was awesome but rather tiring! It's nice to be busy but I also enjoy having a few hours to relax. This past week it was very cloudy and gray, which is unusually for LA. But, alas, the sun is back!
Today I am sharing with you another look I created using the Twist and Turn Open Back top by Leaf and Crown that I posted about a few weeks ago! Check out the original post HERE! I wanted a more casual, chill look, so I went with a maxi skirt. Little secret - this is actually a dress that I just rolled the top part down to my waist so it would act as a skirt! I got this skirt/dress from when I went to Hawaii back in September from a local store.  I loved the mint green color contrast with the black pattern, particularly matched with the black top!  I also wore these sandals that I have worn before, that I also got from a local store in Waikiki.

The top detail in the back again I love, and it perfectly hides my bra straps in the back! Super easy to wear and style! You can find/shop for this top on the Leaf and Crown Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/leafandcrown), and it comes in a variety of colors! I particularly loved the black top but I also loved the top in purple or red!

Experimental Bio 2015 Conference Day 2 - Fashion and Recap of events!

Hell everyone!

Welcome to my Day 2 recap of the Experimental Biology 2015 conference!
Today I decided to go for a little more dressy, I recently bought this dressy midi skirt, a la Kim Kardashian (or so it reminded me of her), so I wanted to wear it out. This morning I changed outfits maybe 5 times before I decided on this combination.
I bought this dress skirt last minute at Ross, by Eci New York. It was the perfect size and super flattering. It wasn't tight or too fitted, I could easily move in it as it was made with stretchy fabric. I also wore a coral blouse top with a jeweled neckline I bought at Charlotte Russe. It was perfect because I didn't have to wear a necklace or jewelry after!
Since this is Boston in March, I had to make sure I wore a cover up. I originally was going to walk out of my hotel room without a jacket since it was super sunny outside, but then I realized this wasn't LA. And boy, was I right. IT. WAS. SO. COLD.
Since I grew up in Massachusetts, I didn't think the cold would be such a big deal. But it was, when I wanted to wear something cute like this outfit. The leather jacket that I love (from Express) was definitely not warm enough, because I was FROZEN wearing it. Do not be fooled, I look happy in these photos but I was freezing! Tomorrow I will be better prepared, with a more warm jacket and pants most likely!

Mini pleats and leather deets!

Hello loves! 

As you may know from my previous post, I was in Vegas for the weekend to celebrate my birthday! I tend to post on Mondays and Thursdays, but this outfit made me too excited to wait an extra day to post! :D 

We stayed at Treasure Island, which was cool, and we explored the Strip, ate a lot of great food, shopped, and had some nice drinks to celebrate!

It was rather chilly in Vegas, which is weird because I have only been to Vegas when it was SUPER hot in the summer... but I had packed appropriately and brought a jacket and some booties! 

Friday night we went out to dinner for my birthday at BurGR in Planet Hollywood and it was AMAZING. SO. MUCH. YUMMY. FOOD.

The next day, we walked around the Venetian (shown here), which is one of my favorite hotels. It is so beautiful and picturesque, lots of cool places to take photos!

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!

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!

White skirt?! Oh my!

Today I am leaving work at a reasonable time (5 pm, which is rather early for me even though I was at work at 8am) to attend a fashion/blogger event in downtown LA! Figuring I wouldn't have much time to get home and change before having to leave, I adapted my outfit to be work appropriate! I recently bought this textured white bouncy skirt that I have been trying to wear, that I matched with a black tank top, black leggings, and my favorite pair of black boots! Not pictured here, but I am wearing a black and gold necklace! Pretty cute outfit if I may say, and easy to transition for work and events!
The boots are comfortable enough to wear while running around in lab (really, I'm not making this up!), and the leggings just complete the look!

It's also a little risky wearing a white skirt, since I tend to spill things on myself, but I managed to walk to work with my coffee in hand and not drip any on my white skirt (for once)! 

Skirt and Leggings! Happy Monday!

Happy Monday!

Today I rolled out of bed, super sleepy and not wanting to go to work after a nice relaxing weekend! What to wear, what to wear? I had a package for this skirt/legging combo I recently bought, so I decided it was the perfect thing to wear, since I wasn't really feeling pants today (lol). I love wearing leggings because they're so comfortable, but I always need to find a long shirt to wear over because some of mine are see through. These skirt/leggings are perfect, from Bottom's Up! that I found and ordered on Groupon! Such a good deal! Paired with a bright pink top from American Eagle and some heels from Nine West, such a cute outfit! Of course I wouldn't wear these heels in the lab, but I switched into some cute flats and I biked to work in this outfit! Cute, stylish and versatile!

I also painted my nails a few days ago. I tend to not paint my nails recently because they chip so fast with how often I switch gloves at work. I would LOVE to get a gel manicure at the nail salon, which I have gotten in the past, but it gets expensive at $25+ here in LA. I was at CVS the other day, and I came across this Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Nailpolish! It's basically a gel polish with no light needed! You just paint your nails with two coats of the base (I have two colors so far, Piggy and Dig Fig, my fav is Piggy, so bright!), and then let them air dry. And once they are dry, just add a layer of the Top coat, and let natural light do its business! I love the look, it matches my outfit, and it has withstood lots of hand washing and glove changing! Perfect for someone working in a lab or another job where gloves are common and a lot of hand washing! Regular nailpolish doesn't even last a day for me without getting a chip, and this has already lasted 3 days! The brand promises 14 days no chip, but I don't believe that for my kind of job. It would probably last 14 days if I didn't have to change gloves so frequently!

Motel Rocks Skirt! Casual Weekend Outfit

Hey everyone!
Here is Part II of my Motel outfits from my recent purchase! Here is my styling of the Motel Antonia High Waisted Skirt in Huge Paisley Navy! I am in love with this skirt, and the print is amazing! It is perfect for a casual summer day out in Los Angeles! I also curled my hair with my PYT Iron, it is so handy!

Going gaga!!

OMG best long weekend ever. and by long weekend I mean I still went in to work on Monday, even though here in the US it is considered a holiday. On Saturday I spent it with the boy, going for a swim in the pool and hot tub, and then heading to the beach in Santa Monica (see sunset below!). Sunday I went for a hike near Malibu, check out my cool "quad stretch" pic at the top of the overlook! It was an amazing view, after a 7 mile hike! We went to the Los Leones trail!