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!

Fall Style and Lab Fashion - Eclectic Eccentricity Amethyst Necklace and more

Happy Monday!
I can't believe it is almost the end of November and Thanksgiving is almost here! Time is flying by and I can't believe it is almost December! For thanksgiving I usually spend it with friends, as it is too expensive to fly home to my parents, especially as I am going to Boston for Christmas - so why not just wait for the Christmas holidays to see them! It is actually pretty warm again in LA - its been in the 80s all weekend - boo! I was loving the cooler weather!

I have been extra stressed and dealing with anxiety and headaches lately - I feel comfortable enough to tell you guys it has been a real struggle, but I am trying to find ways to combat the stress, such as starting a new yoga program and focusing on breathing and meditation. It is all about balance, and I really have to work on that!

Well, one of my ways to kick back and relax is to shop and put together outfits, and I love putting together outfits from my closet. I bought this H&M dress last year, but the color is still perfect for fall this season. I wore this outfit to lab by adding some black leggings underneath the boots - I have been rewearing these boots with various outfits, they are so versatile - you can wear them with jeans, with dresses, and so much more! I got these boots from Target last year as well. I am also wearing my Apple Watch Sport that I won from a facebook contest from a local news station - so cool! I also curled my hair and I loved how my new highlights pop and make my hair look so much lighter! I am wearing my IrresistibleMe Extensions from my last post, and they look so natural, giving me a darker ombre! I love it! Love my hair!

And to complete the look I wore this beautiful Barock on Gemstone Amethyst Necklace from Eclectic Eccentricity Jewellery, the same company that I got the DNA necklace I posted about a few weeks ago! You can check out the necklace HERE. EclecticEccentricity.com has such a great selection of science themed necklaces, they are perfect for the holidays and a perfect addition for a science fashionista! The necklace comes in different gemstones, but I was drawn to Amethyst as it is my birthstone and I love the color purple! hehe. and I loved the detail of the cold piece and the chain of the necklace - it was perfect! The stone is also substantial and heavy - it is a legit rock! So cool to have a cool piece to wear! Do check out their necklaces and jewellery selection! You are sure to find something cool for yourself or to give as a gift!

Fall Sunshine and new hair style - highlights and an ombre - Irresistible Me Extensions

Happy Monday!
The sun has been shining here in LA but it has gotten "cold," and I love crisp fall sunshine! Although I guess cold is relative because when I say cold I mean between 50-65F. Since there isn't much humidity here in LA, when the temperature drops and the wind picks up, it can get rather cold! I am definitely a California girl now, but the other day when it was 65 and everyone else was complaining about how cold it was, I was in short sleeves and was fine! haha!
Work has been no different, if anything I am more stressed, but I am looking forward to the holidays as I am going to take a week and a half off to go visit my parents in Boston! And the boy is coming with finally! :D
Well, anyway, to combat this cooler weather, I have been wearing lots of sweaters to work; sweaters are nice because in the morning it is cool and in the middle of the day if I am getting lunch on campus sometimes it reaches 70-75 degrees, and then at night time when I am leaving work (it gets dark at like 5 now, so anytime I leave work it is already cold and dark), it is so cold! I found this cute little sweater that I bought from Kaitlyn Clothing, a little boutique store near UCLA. I also just wore a simple white t-shirt with jeans from Zara and heeled boots that I have worn before on the blog! I forgot about these boots and I forgot about how much I love them!

I also got my hair highlighted and cut on halloween - it had been 2 years since I did anything with my hair! I hadn't even gotten my hair cut! It was super long (longer than my waist), and super thick - the pony tail I would make would feel so heavy! So after talking with Samira, my blogger friend from Stylemesamira.com, I went to her hair stylist and got my hair done! I fell in love with it, even though it is fall my hair is lighter and seems super fun! I got a few colors in my hair to have it all blend and look lighter! At the same time I received my hair extensions from IrresistibleMe.com, and decided to put them in. I had never tried hair extensions before and have always had my eye on them, wanting to try them to make my hair even longer and fuller. I never could qualify buying them when my hair was already long and thick, but it was a great opportunity to try them finally! I have always wanted to dye extensions a different color as well so I could change my hair look without damaging my own hair! I ordered them in the Silky Touch Chocolate Brown, 20 inches, and I received them the day before I cut/dyed my hair! My natural hair was the same exact shade as the extensions, which I was amazed at how well it matched! And my hair was just as long if not longer than the extensions, which shocked me and was when I realized, yes, I need to cut my hair!!! After getting my hair done I added the extensions into my hair (they were clip in), and I curled my hair as I normally would, and I LOVED how the look came out! Since my hair was now a little lighter, when I added the darker extensions it looked like a reverse ombre, where the ends were darker! But it wasn't too drastic as it matched with the rest of my hair! It looked and felt so natural, you couldn't tell that it wasn't my hair! They also added a lot of volume to my hair, which was great since I could have the volume but not feel the heavy weight of my hair always! Before I got it cut, my hair just felt so heavy, so it was a breath of fresh air when I could add them in and take them out at the end of the day!

Take a look at the look below! I fell in love!

November Fall Trends Style Guide

Hi loves!
Life has been rather hectic for me with work, leaving me little to no time to myself. I need to figure out how to better balance work and life, as I need to make time for myself, whether it is blogging, working out, or sleeping! Trying to do too much with not enough time always ends up feeling overwhelming.
Every night I browse a couple of my favorite blogs to relax, and scrolling through the fashion hashtags on instagram, I have gained some style inspiration for this November/fall! I am itching to go shopping now!
Here are some Fall November Trends that I am loving right now!

1. Braids - After attending StyleCon OC this past weekend, it was all about the braids! They had braid bars all over the event so you could get your hair done! I got a crown braid which went around the entire top of my head (photo peak on instagram, outfit post to come Thursday/Friday!). And since I am bored with just wearing my hair down to work, I have started trying to do a front pleated braid, which helps my highlights stand out and it keeps the hair out of my face! I want to do a youtube tutorial on this, if I ever find the time to record!

2. Tulle/Full Skirts  - I saw a few bloggers wearing Tulle skirts, and I fell in Love!  I saw my sweet blogger friend Jeannie from Msjeannieandhercloset.com wearing a Tulle skirt in her latest post and it solidified for me the style - it is so chic especially paired with some boots! A full tulle skirt matched with a plain blouse is just the perfect outfit! I am going to buy a tulle skirt soon to style on the blog!

November Trends Report

Recap of Life: #FABDILab Blogger event, Halloween, my take on social media, and giveaway winner!

Hi loves!
Sorry for lack of posts this week! I am working for more posts for you guys for next week but it has been a rather stressful and busy two weeks, and only will be as busy this weekend!
Juggling 12 hr days at work where I am on my feet all day doing experiments is exhausting, and I have all the intentions to work on blog posts and outfit posts but I end up passing out on the couch from 10 pm! I think I will be graduating in this next year (hoping to walk at graduation, defend by summer!), so I can see the end of the tunnel which is great (so exciting to finally be done with this journey) but terrifying at the same time because I still have so much to accomplish in my projects!!

Two weekends ago I attended #FabDILab, a blogger conference that I attended last year and met some good blogger friends! So it was nice to go back again this year more experienced in the blogging world and I felt like I could take away so much more! The day started off with a networking breakfast followed by back to back talks - focusing on social media, branding yourself, how to work with companies, and much more! It was cool hearing of these things from others who do this full time! I definitely took home some tips that I hope I can share with you! If you follow me on twitter (@phd_fashionista), I was tweeting some good quotes from various speakers throughout the day! It was rather interesting to hear some statistics - what particularly stood out to me was that 81% of Consumers trust info and advice from bloggers! So Influencer marketing really works! I know I love to see a certain piece styled with an outfit rather than just seeing an ad for a piece by itself - so it makes sense! Another tip was, No's are not the end, they are a part of the process. Which really resonates for me, on more levels than just blogging, but in life. Sometimes you get down when you get rejection after rejection, but to be honest, it might mean you are saving yourself for something even more epic and a bigger opportunity!

I struggled with that today, as I applied to be a part of this social program that sends you samples to review, and I was instantly rejected. And it was because my instagram following was not up to par - apparently you need a minimum of 1000 followers. Number of followers is misleading because nowadays it's so easy to buy followers! I was a little upset but then it really made me realize why I started blogging - not for the free things or the glitz and glamor, but because I seriously enjoy writing and creating - I absolutely love creating outfit posts and styling them, doing my makeup and taking great photos to showcase my outfits - and then I enjoy writing the posts even more! It really helped put things in perspective - I didn't start blogging to become instagram famous, I started blogging because I love blogging, fashion, and this outlet! It was kind of funny because I had this epiphany along the same time as another Instagram star Essena O'neill posted about quitting social media - whether or not it was a publicity stunt or she genuinely was sick of the ridiculousness - I agree - and it's so upsetting to realize how much I have started obsessing over instagram and number of followers. And having photos to post - must be perfectly posed, must take so many shots of the same thing until it's perfect - she is completely right!

Well, anyway, if you have read down to hear, I really appreciate you reading my ranting and ramblings. I really had a great time at FabDILab, learned a lot, and also got some free goodies in a goodie bag (see photo below), that I will be reviewing in some posts coming up soon!

Keep scrolling to read about my Halloween and the announcement of the Giveaway winner!