A Public Letter

I have noticed that I have been getting more page views lately. Thank y'all so much for the interest. I don't know if you just randomly find my page or if you are continually checking back for more posts. I also don't really know what is making you come to by blog. A lot of my views come from my blogilates-related posts and some from my fashion hauls and travel diaries. Let me know what you all want to hear I will make sure it gets done. Follow my blog (I'm sure there's some button for it) or bookmark the page. I have upped my posting to every few days so you know there will be something new when you look back. I don't make any money off of this blog. I do it for y'all and because I like writing what matters to me.
If you want to follow me on any social media networks
instagram: connietran13
twitter: conniethuytran

Again, thank you for your interest
xx

BODYPOP ACTIVE Draw the Line Leggings: Review

Being at college, it is very hard to stay fit. Between juggling classes, getting enough sleep, socializing and remembering to eat, fitness falls fast on the list of priorities.  Fitness is very important, and I try to remain active and find time to do some type of workout. I take yoga classes twice a week and I try and run whenever I can.  Working out helps relieve stress and you feel so much better after a hard workout (because endorphins and such). As a girl who likes fashion, cute workout clothes are a major motivator. So when Cassey Ho from blogilates came out with a new active wear line with watercolor printed leggings I knew I had to have them. I couldn’t get them when they first came out since I was moving addresses but once they restocked, I made sure to snag a pair for myself. So that’s my whole deal with that. Now let’s get to the review.

Ordered: October 26, 2014

Shipped: October 27, 2014

Received: October 29, 2014

Crazy right!?!? 72 hours from when I clicked buy on bodypopactive.com to me opening my mailbox and seeing the package. I don’t know if everyone got their package this quickly or if I was just lucky, but that is super fast.

Draw the Line Leggings Size: Small Price $75.00 + $5 shipping 

Clutch: Free

Postcard: Free

As you can see they still had clutches when I had placed my order. If you are making an order, check if the CLUTCH coupon code still works. I’m not sure what I’d use it for, maybe holding makeup brushes or something.

The package came in a bag that was the size of the clutch. Inside were three items and the paper that showed my order.

Now to the actual leggings.  First off, the print is gorgeous. I’ve never seen any print like them. I hope whomever Cassey got to paint that design gives us a follow up, maybe a nice sky blue print perhaps? The fabric is a polyester/spandex blend. I am not a textile expert, but I will say that the leggings have a silky, smooth feel. By comparison my Forever 21 workout leggings with side mesh panels have a t-shirt/regular leggings type material (in other words, not at all silky). The leggings are thin and feel like a second skin. The pockets and mesh are a nice touch too. My only gripe about these leggings is that they don’t exactly fit me. I am around a size 4 and I’ve always had big legs. The leggings were a little hard to put on and I had to pull them all the way up because they were getting scrunched up at certain places. I don’t think it’s the fault of the company. It is hard to estimate sizes on an exclusively online store. But I will take it as a positive and motivate myself to run more and do leg workouts to fit into my beautiful leggings.

Overall: Fast shipping, extra goodies, high quality material/stitching, a little tight

Rating: 4.5/5

If you want to buy a pair I will put a link here: http://www.bodypopactive.com/product/drawthelinelegging

Sidenote: I've been thinking of trying Ellie activewear? Any thoughts?

I'm going to Australia!

Get ready for new installment of Connie-travels-the-world-even-though-she-hates-flying. I originally started this blog to write travel diaries of my time in Europe (hence the name girlinafantasyland). And it's pretty hard to devote a blog to travel if you're a broke college student and not constantly traveling. But I am excited to share with you all who take the time to read my blog that I am going to Australia for 10 days.

I don't share too much about my family on this blog but I will say that most of my mom's side of the family lives in Australia (my mom is one of the few of her siblings who left to live in America). So I have three aunt's and their respective families living there that I haven't seen since I was 6.

I will be going to Adelaide for Christmas and Sydney for New Years. So be prepared for some daily posts in two months. And if anyone has suggestion for sights to see in Australia, let me know!

xx

Why I Don't Drink

Prude, boring, buzzkill, fun police....
Things that would perfectly describe me last night at a frat party. If there's two things that don't mix, it's me and frat parties. And yet, I found myself at one yesterday coaxed by my best friend (who will remain unnamed) of ten years. The aforementioned night occurred at a different university from m town (not that those type of parties don't happen at my university). So there I was standing in line at the open bar where my friend was getting me a "Swamp Frog" while I was discreetly spilling out the one I was already holding. We then proceeded to do jello shots. Or should I say, she did jello shots, and I quickly scooped it out and dropped it on the ground, swung my head back and then forward showing her the empty cup. At the end of the night, I had successfully fake-drank three cups of alcohol and a pair of jello shots with my best friend who had 5 very real cups of alcohol and was stumbling all the way home.

I know people are going to think I'm crazy for passing up free alcohol and partying away but honestly, I was not enjoying myself because I was not myself. I'm not the kind that just takes a shot and then grinds on the dance floor. That's not me. I'm not the girl that plays beer pong with a group of friends. That's not me. I'm not the girl that gets hit on and then proceeds to make out with any guy that gave her the time of day. That's not me.

So go ahead and call me a prude for following the law. Call me boring because I prefer to spend my nights watching Netflix or studying.  Judge me for not choosing to live my four years in college like you did. College is what you make of it. If you choose to experiment with alcohol and get embarrassingly drunk, you do you. But don't expect me to join you. That's just who I am.

That night was one that I would not want to revisit. That whole night, I was lying to myself. And I can't believe I was peer pressured by my best friend of all people. If you are ever in a position where people are pressuring you to drink, you can always say no. If they don't accept it, they're not your friends.  Be who you want to be.

xx

How To Save Over $100 on Swimwear Without Really Trying

If you haven’t realized yet, I am a major bargain shopper.  I rarely buy anything that is not on sale. You might as well call me Connie the Cost Efficient Shopper (because Connie the Bargain Hunter doesn’t sound as poetic).

I was window-shopping at my local mall one day and I wandered into JC Penney.  I was browsing around the sale sections since most of the clothes are above my price range. As I was looking through the racks a sign that said Clearance $2.97 caught my eye.  It seemed too good to be true so I looked at the price tags and sure enough there were $2.97 bikini pieces. Long story short I walked out of JC Penney with one bandeau top and a top and bottom swim set paying less than $10 for them.  So the shopping moral of this story is shop early (or late, it’s a matter of perspective) for swimwear in October and save a boatload of money.

ANA Bandeau Top $44.00 $2.97

This feels like a good quality bandeau. I couldn’t believe that this even retailed at $44. This came included with a removable strap in the same colorful print. I love the gap in the middle.

ANA Banded Hipster Bottoms $44.00 $2.97

Again, another $44 swim suit piece. It has the same colored lining. I love the crisscrossed detailing at each side.

Arizona Jeans Bandeau Top $28.00 $2.97

I love the pastel tribal print of this bandeau. My favorite part of this bandeau is the braided section in the back. It comes with a sewn in braided strap in the middle. It looks like it included a removable strap like in the ANA Bandeau Top but there wasn’t one in the empty plastic bag.

Retail Total $116.00

Sale Total $8.91

Total Discount $107.09 (92.3% off!!!)

Overall, I am very excited about this purchase.  I don’t have a lot of swimwear and the fact that I got these good quality pieces for $3 each.  I will be going to Australia in December where it will be summer so this sale came at the right time. Until next time!

Xx

GirlInAFantasyland

Charlotte Russe Haul/Review

Here’s the next installment of Connie shops too much online with her debit card. I’m in a current transition where I donate clothes I’ve had since high school and buy new clothes to fill the void.

Crochet & Chevron Print High-Low Dress $28.99  $11.60

I liked the mix of crochet and chevron, two popular trends. I wouldn’t say it is really crochet though. It’s just a textured white material. The thing I don’t like about this dress is that it is inadequately lined. The white part has a thin lining on the front and not the back, and even with it, I don’t think I would be able to wear anything but a nude-colored bra underneath because it would show through. The bottom part doesn’t have any type of lining under it either. It’s feels cheaply made and not something that should have been priced at $28.99. I did get it for 60% off so I won’t complain too much.

Neon Scarf Print Cold Shoulder Shift Dress $28.99  $11.60

This is one of my favorites purchases. I had nothing like this in my closet. It is one of three shift dresses from Charlotte Russe. I love the bright pink paisley pattern and the black piping on the top and the cold shoulders. This one does have a lining under it. My only gripe is that it is a little longer than I thought it would be.

Crochet & Chiffon Flounce Shift Dress $26.99  $9.49

This is one of the clearance dresses that I bought. Again, another fusion of two current trends: crochet and chiffon.  Coral is also a trendy color. The only bad thing is that it has a v-neck back which shows a little of my bra underneath.

Strappy Floral Print Cold Shoulder Shift Dress $28.99  $11.49

Another shift dress! I liked the straps on this dress. The print looked a little different than it did on the site but I actually like it a lot more in person.  It’s a more subtle print. Overall, I like this dress.

Lightweight Striped Scarf $9.99  $3.99

I absolutely love scarves. I was overdue for a new scarf and I didn’t have a striped one. I liked the color on this one and it was only $4.

Coral Metallic Bandeau $16.99  $1.99

I really only bought this because I was just under the amount needed to qualify for free shipping. I was also drawn to the fact that it was only $2. It has since been removed from the online store, which is expected when you discount a swimsuit bandeau to $2.

Retail Total $140.94

Sale Total $50.16

Total Discount $90.78 (64.4% off!!!)

So that was my Charlotte Russe Haul/Review. Overall, I am satisfied with my purchase. My bargain hunter tip with Charlotte Russe and online shopping overall is to monitor sales (Charlotte Russe ALWAYS has some type of sale) and decide which one is best to pounce on. I made my purchase during a 60% off dresses sale. Two dresses had qualified for 60% off and the other two were already on sale. My order was shipped a day after I placed my order. Shipping took only four days; two days sooner than expected. Everything was individually packaged with the price tags on them. Five stars for Charlotte Russe.

Xx

GirlInAFantasyland

Forever 21 Haul/Review

Being away at college to me is synonymous with guilt-free online shopping. Maybe it's the distance away from my family that makes it easier to buy stuff online and get it in the mail so far away that they never know it happens.
That being said, I still have some cash on my UK card when I was abroad and seeing as I can't use it here without charges, it goes to feed my online shopping addiction.
The dangers of online shopping are that sometimes expectations fail to meet reality. I'm not super high maintenance so I can usually work around any mishaps I may come across.
Without further ado, let me give some feedback on the 6 (7, I'll explain down below) items I bought online at Forever 21.
Scottish Terrier Sweatshirt $15.80

A basic sweater at Forever 21. They have the same type in Boston Terrier, Horses, whatever suits your fancy. I bought a size M because I like my sweaters baggier. The design is cute and the sleeves go to my palms. I wish it was long enough for me to wear it with leggings without judgement but alas, it is not. The material is pretty thin, like a light cardigan. It won't do a lot of good on it's own during average winter day. Pair with a pop up collar and a skater skirt for a nice transitional season outfit.

Low Impact - Reversible Chevron Sports Bra $12.80

I loved the concept of a reversible sports bra. It's like 2 in 1 even though people's would even see it. This did not come with removable pads as they had listed nor did it have a sleeve sewn in to put ones in. First issue so far with this shipment. But what puzzles me more is what kind of sports bra doesn't come with padding? It's still a cute design and I pair it with a tank top that also has a sports bra without padding sewn into it. So I guess two wrongs make a right?

Power Mesh-Paneled Leggings $12.80

I tried to find them online again, but they have been taken off. Just picture black leggings with a mesh stripe down each side. Anyways, this is the one I was most excited for. I ordered a small because I consistently fit the small size. But with these leggings, I struggled to comfortably fit them. They were so skin tight I thought they would rip down the middle in yoga class. But I guess that will be my motivation to work out.

Low Impact - Cami Sports Bra $7.80

I bought this in purple. It's great. Nothing to really say about this.

Basic Cuffed Denim Shorts $7.80

If there's one thing Forever 21 is good at, it's offering affordable demin.  Sure, it's not the most high quality but for $8, I'm content. 

Crepe Woven Shorts $12.80

I wanted black shorts like this. However I will say after putting it on, the inseam is very low which makes it pretty easy to see what's underneath if you're not too careful. I don't really like the way they fit on me. This one is kind of a miss for me. 

Pleated Woven Top??

This would have been the 7th item but it did not come in the mail. This was one of their weekly deal items. I guess they ran out and couldn't give me one. Thankfully I wasn't charged for it so I won't pursue it more. However this did dampen my online shopping experience. But I have had favorable past experience with F21 so I will keep shopping here. Overall, I was happy with my purchase.

xx