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!

Blogging and Vlogging conference - FABDILab

This past Tuesday I was able to attend a Blogging/Vlogging Digital Influencer conference in Santa Monica, hosted by FAB Counsel! It was an amazing day of talks about how to improve your blog, networking with fellow fashion bloggers, and just overall a great experience! I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was on a rooftop of a building in Santa Monica that you could see the beach! And being in LA, the weather was perfect. Much nicer to spend it there than cooped up in lab!

Here are some pictures from the event! 

Feeling pretty at the event! 

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! 

Makeup palette galore - Maya Mia!

Happy Friday! TGIF! 

I've had a pretty stressful week at work, so glad it's the weekend! 

Recently I have been watching eye makeup tutorials on YouTube and I came across tutorials using this Maya Mia palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills. The looks were AMAZING! I did some searching and even went to sephora to try it out but they didn't have it in store, so after some thinking and more tutorials, I took the plunge and just ordered it online! Anyway, the looks that were created with it were amazing, AND it is rather "cheap" if I may say, at only $29.00 (compared to Urban Decay Naked palettes at $50+!). So I ordered it from Sephora and I finally received it in the post last night! Opened up this beautiful baby and can't wait to try it out! 

The shades are so beautiful and contain a mix of matte and shimmery shades that I can't wait to experiment with! A lot of other blogs have swatched these colors already so I'll leave it to them. 

I will start a makeup series of daily looks with this palette next week! Stay tuned! 

I have recently gotten into Anastasia Beverly Hills products, I purchased the Dip Brow pomade which is awesome to define your brows (again more on that later), and now they have started an entire line of eye shadow palettes based on make up artists from Instagram! This one is based off of Tanzanian makeup artist Maya Mia (and this palette is limited edition), but there are other palettes such as the Amrezy palette (can't find this to buy) and the Tamana palette. 

Casual Fall Fashion Easy Transition Work to Play

Recently, I have been working really long days (12 + hrs ) in lab, so  I have been wearing easy to transition clothes (such as a dress with leggings) and can easily wear out for drinks with friends or dinner. Here are some simple outfits, my main staples right now, dresses with leggings or long shirts with leggings and some flat boots!
What are your staples for this season?

- xo Andrea

Casual Fall Fashion Easy Transition Work to Play by andreah227