10 Dresses to Wear to your best friend's wedding

June 13, 2017

One of my best friends is getting married this Saturday! She's the first one of out my college friends to get married and we're all SO excited. She's marrying the sweetest guy and we all could not be happier for her! While I was shopping for a dress to wear, I quickly learned how hard it was to find one! I've been looking for months and months, and in my search I found the following dresses that I thought would great options for you petite ladies! I even ordered a few to try on for you guys (these were not so petite perfect but, probably better suited for my taller friends!)

ASOS - LOVED this one but, they did not have my size available.
Also, tried this one but it wouldn't go over the booty. Whoops! 
I ordered this one and wanted to love it but it was too big. I'd recommend sizing down!

I ordered this one, and honestly I felt like the Pinterest fail version of it. Haha! It would certainly fit a taller gal better. Check out my fail on IG!
ASOS

Xo,
Maia

Friday Fives: 5 Things I'd tell my 21 year old self

May 12, 2017

Leather Jacket: BlankNYC c/o Nordstrom (I'm wearing a size S), Shirt: old, Jeans: TopShop (I'm wearing a size 28P, which is a 6P), Belt: old, Heels: Steve Madden (Surprisingly comfy & my perfect nude heel), Sunnies: Ray-Ban

I was having an interesting conversation with a friend the other day, we're both in our mid-twenties, we began to think about our college years and how "wow, I can't believe it's been 5 years already" and wow, have been working in our industries 5+ years now and as we recalled our best and worst memories of the past few years I started to think if only I could have given my 21 year old self advice.

If I could give my 21 year old self advice this is what I would say:
  1. Do not deny your truth: If you're passionate about something then do it. Don't try to convince yourself of doing the job that will pay you more, or the job that seems prestigious, do the job you love.
  2. Don't focus so much on your love life: The guy you currently think you love, you'll never end up speaking to him again. Don't worry so much about dating, don't use tinder, literally don't bother with tinder! Trust me you're going to end up on a lot of bad dates hahaha and plus you're not even going to end up meeting your BF online!
  3. Have faith: The next few years are going to be EXTRA hard, the hardest imaginable but they will definitely make you stronger. There will be plenty of growing pains but have faith, trust that God will always lead you in the right direction.
  4. Love your family: be grateful that they are supportive; they will always be supportive and proud of you regardless of what you decide to do.
  5. Be yourself: stop comparing yourself to everyone else. You're petite, stop worrying about being tall. You're Latina, be proud of your culture. You're creative, embrace it. 
I'm not old but, I'm older and I'm not wise but, I'm wiser than I once was and that 21 year old self is going to face a lot of hard truths. The best part is that she's going to conquer and survive, she's going to come out so strong and so very confident.

What advice would you share with your younger self? Let me know!

Xo,
Maia



Loving my mama's skin

May 9, 2017

On Me: Dress: Abercrombie + Fitch, Heels: Steve Madden, (so comfortable!), J.Crew Hoops, Sunnies: Ray-Ban,
On Mom: Old, (similar), Jeans: Levi's, Wedges: Clarks, (similar)

I know weird title right? Why would I love my mama's skin? Today's a special day, today's my mama's birthday and I want to share a story. Let's rewind 16 years, I was 10 and I started to realize my body was changing. It was at that age I started to compare my body with other girls I knew. I was a fifth grader wondering why I wasn't taller, skinnier, more athletic, wondering why I wasn't wearing a training bra yet and why I didn't use deodorant. I was a kid but, not only did I start comparing how I looked to others, I wondered why my mom didn't look like the other moms. She was shorter, not as athletic or skinny. She was a hard-working educator that worked a full time job, proud of her stretch marks and her "football player" shoulders -- that's what she calls them. She focused on providing for us, loving us with all her might and always putting herself on the back burner. I wondered why she didn't look like Rebecca's mom or Laura's mom. Her lifestyle was different than Rebecca's mom and Laura's mom; her image wasn't everything to her, and she also wasn't a personal trainer like Rebecca's mom. The older I got I wondered why wouldn't my mom want to be like those moms, and then the older I got the more I realized there was more to her than her outside. I understood her priorities and what made her do what she did. It was us, it was my brother and I. She loved herself inside and out, she wasn't worried about her image, she'd worry about us, she'd laugh with us, she'd love us and it was I who had a problem with myself. The older I get the more I look like her; I have her "football player" shoulders, her small waist, her arms, her smile, her eyes, her infectious laugh. And I love it. I love her. I love her skin, because her skin is my skin. I love the skin I'm in.

Xo,
Maia



Friday Fives: My top 5 products you must buy from the Sephora VIB sale

April 21, 2017

Happy Friday, everyone! As many of you know one of the best sales of the year is happening right now through April 24th! Sephora is having their biannual VIB sale and if you're a beauty insider, all items are 10% with code BISPRING. If you are a VIB insider or VIB rouge you all get 15% off your purchase with codes VIBSPRING and ROUGESPRING. Check out my 5 must haves from the sale below:

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk - This is a serious must have! I have tried multiple dry shampoos like I mean literally all of them to combat my oily scalp but this one is the only one that has worked. My friend Sam recommended it to me awhile back and I've been obsessed ever since. If you're like me and you curl your hair a lot but are too lazy to wash it or want to keep it lasting longer I would totally recommend this product. I have pretty thin hair so my hair tends to get oily pretty quickly but this stuff is a total lifesaver. I have a bottle at home, a bottle at my boyfriend's place and a travel size in my desk at work. That's how much I love this stuff. 

Rosebud Perfume Co. Minted Rose Lip Balm - Guys, this is my HG lip calm,. Seriously, this stuff is amazing. While I'm not a huge fan of rose scented things, I really love how this balm conditions my lips. For the longest time I was a fan of the Dior Creme de Rose Smoothing Plumping Lip Balm, which is great too, but this one I actually like better and did I mention it's only $7?!

Kate Somerville Dry Skin Saver - If you follow me on Instagram and check out my Instastories I love to talk about my skincare issues. I've blogged about skincare and the products that I've used over the years because 1) I used to have tons of allergies and they always affected my skin and 2) Well, I'm getting older and my skin is changing SO MUCH. Like, I didn't realize how quickly my skin's texture would change. So, anyway, I often post about my issues, what products I'm using, asking for help to remedy my various of skin problems, well I'd say about 2 months ago I started to get random dry red spots on my face and when I say I mean super random. I had a spot on my left eyelid, one below my right eye and one by my chin and literally that was it. It was so red, it looked like I had been hit with something or if I had a really bad allergic reaction. Neither of those things happened and there was no explanation as to why my skin was reacting this way. I started to do tons or research or oils and lotions to help me resolve this and after trying various products, I tried a sample of this lotion and OMG IT SAVED MY SKIN. This is no exaggeration and this is why I have to shout it from the rooftops because this literally saved my skin. It's not a think cream or anything and a little goes a long way but within 24 hours my skin was transformed. I was shocked. By 48 hours, my skin looked brand new and all the redness was gone. Seriously, amazing stuff. I recommend it to everyone!

Smashbox Always on Matte Liquid Lipstick in Stepping Out - I have a bazillion nude lippies. Let's be real, nude lipsticks are my favorite. They are easy, they are beautiful and make your makeup look effortless. While I'm not a huge fan of liquid lipsticks, this is one that I truly love. The color payoff is amazing, the color is gorgeous and it's not super drying. I usually put balm underneath but with this one, you don't even have too. 

Sephora Collection Contour Blush Palette - How gorgeous is this palette?! I have probably too many blushes but this palette looks absolutely stunning and perfect for spring and summer. I cannot wait to wear this once I have a bit more of a tan!

Happy Shopping and I hope you all have an amazing weekend! 

Xo,
Maia

The perfect spring dress

April 18, 2017

Dress: BP. c/o Nordstrom; Trench: Banana Republic; (similar here) Shoes: Banana Republic (similar here and here); Necklace: Bauble Bar; Bracelet: Chloe + Isabel

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Easter and for those of you celebrating Passover this week - Happy Paesach! I hope everyone has been having an enjoyable spring so far. We've been lucky enough to have some wonderful weather here in NYC and it is getting me so excited for the weather to come in a few weeks. I wanted to share with you this lovely spring that immediately caught my eye when I saw it on the Nordstrom website. If you're a big online shopper like me, it's no surprise to buy a bunch of things online only to end up returning them because of they weren't what you expected. I must say I was delighted when this dress came out better than I expected. Sometimes I find shopping at Nordstrom to be troublesome because not all of their pieces come in petite but sometimes I'm lucky and I can fit fine in a xs/s. This was one of those rare cases where a regular size Small fit just fine. This lovely blush off the shoulder dress is so easy and breezy and is perfect for Easter or just for a fun spring occasion. I'm loving it so much, I think I might we're it to my friend's bridal shower in a couple of weeks! Yay for wedding season! Complete sidenote, I think it's so weird to have reached the age where your friends are getting engaged and getting married. Honestly where did the time go? I feel like I was just in college the other day! 


Anyway, I hope you are all loving the weather today as much as I am!



Xo,

Maia


My favorite souvenirs

March 23, 2017

Top: Ann Taylor (similar & similar), Jeans: Express - 40% off now!, Belt: old, Boots: old, Bag: gifted from India

I love traveling. I mean who doesn't? When I was little every time we traveled somewhere my mom would collect either a magnet or a Christmas tree ornament from the new place we had visited. I tried to continue her tradition but in a different way. My new tradition is to get an accessory from a new place, a new favorite souvenir. I have a few requirements; I prefer it to be smaller, colorful and something that represents the culture as much as possible. I like to have a little taste of that country and culture with me here in NYC. This clutch is exactly that. Colorful, culturally rich and the perfect size. My sweet friend Jasmine gifted me this amazing handbag from her family's native home. India! I've always been in love with the bright and vibrant color and styles of Indian clothing and accessories and was absolutely in love when she gave it to me! I found it to be the greatest accessory to this all black look. 

On my off days, I tend to wear tons of black which is ironic because I find color so visually stimulating and love it so much. My boyfriend can't understand and always prefers to see me in colorful pieces. He says I always look happier wearing color LOL 

Anyway...these are my new favorite black ripped jeans and can I just share my insane excitement that Express now has petites! I ordered 2 pairs of jeans from their petite collection and they fit like a dream. I get so excited when stores expand their lines to include petite sizes. Each new expansion feels like a victory for a shorty like me! Does anyone else feel the same way?


 Hope you're enjoying this lovely Thursday!

Xo, 
Maia 


Makeup by Autumn Marie 

My favorite leather jacket + Midi Dress

March 6, 2017

Jacket: BlankNYC c/o Nordstrom - now on sale!, Dress: Ann Taylor - on final sale!, Boots: Old, Backbag: Old, Watch: Olivia Burton c/o Nordstrom

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I had a really relaxing weekend. I've realized I'm officially getting older when I prefer a night in with tea and face masks instead of going out to the bar for a drink. Friday after work I met up with my friend Steph and we grabbed dinner and drinks at The Liberty on 35th Street. We both agreed we couldn't be grandmas and we'd continue the night bar hopping in Bushwick. Somehow we ended up at a Sephora after dinner and as soon as we headed back to the Bushwick we looked at each other and said let's just have a girls night in. Ready with our face masks freshly purchased from Sephora, we got into comfy pjs, masks on, tea and hot chocolate hand and watched episodes of Broad City and was in bed by 11:30pm.

Just call me Grandma Maia.

Anyway, the weather lately has been all over the place and my allergies are not appreciating it. The other day it was in the 60's and now it's like 25 degrees out! While I cross my fingers for warmer weather in NYC I wanted to share my favorite style dress even though it's breaking petite fashion rules ;) Often petites are recommended to wear shorter dress, even empire waist to appear taller. I like to break fashion rules from time to time and this time is surely one of them. This petite size midi dress from Ann Taylor hits me exactly where it's supposed to and I'm obsessed with it. Today I paired it with my favorite faux leather jacket from BLANKNYC and some chunky boots for an edgier look. There's something about a midi dress that makes me feel I'll say it, sexy, yes, who would have thought that a dress that rests below my knees would make me feel sexy but I'd say it's a mixture of sophisticated, well fitting and stylish that just makes me feel good.

Xo,
Maia

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