REVIEW: New Benefit Brow Collection- Gimme Brow

Disclaimer: I'm by no means a professional makeup artist. I'm not a beauty guru. I enjoy trying new products!

If you've been keeping up with the beauty world, you'd know that Benefit Cosmetics just released their new chrome- finished brow collection! There's so many more brow products now. And the packaging is adorable and so much more chic! As part of their marketing, I was lucky enough I get the revamped Gimme Brow in the shade 05-Deep. I was so excited to get this in the mail!

Grab your own today for $24!

DIY Hexagon Corkboards/Bulletin Boards

At last! It's been a long while since I last posted, which I apologize for. School keeps getting in the way. But I'm back with another DIY! I've been meaning to make these cork boards for a while now. I'm in love with stationery and office supplies, so when I saw hexagon-shaped corkboards at Target, I wanted to recreate them!

The materials are fairly easy to get a hold of if you just drop by Michael's. I got a roll of cork at Michael's for about $10 with a coupon and the rest I had at home. The hardest part of the project was probably drafting the hexagon and cutting out the cardboard.

Also, I want to try adding a difficulty-bar at the start of my posts, so you can get an overview of how hard the project might be! I try to keep crafts on the easier side, but you never know!

Difficulty Level:

Beauty Haul: Everyday Essentials from the Drugstore

Is it a dupe? I don't have to spend $30 on mascara? So recently, I went on a essential make-up shopping spree. I've always watched beauty videos and know all the new beauty products, but I've never actually went out to buy them myself. The theoretical make-up world has been with me for a while. Actually wearing make-up outside...well, that's new. My make-up collection is starting up and I thought some of the products I bought are good essentials. A bit of research had been done to see which of these products could be dupes for the higher end ones and which were just overall necessities. I have tried out all of these products, so I have some thoughts on them.

1. Maybelline Lash Sensational (Waterproof)-Very Black- x
2. Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy- 105 Bet on Love-x
3. Wet N Wild-Color-Icon Glitter Shadow-Spiked-x
4. Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge-x
5. Loreal La Palette Nude 1-x
6. Loreal Infallible Pro Matte Gloss in Nude Allude-x
7. e.l.f. Shadow Lock Eye Primer-x
8. e.l.f. Clear Makeup Mist & Set-x

DIY Prom Wrist Corsage + Boutonnière

Prom season is coming up soon! There are plenty of beautiful corsages to be ordered and made. This year, I thought I'd give corsage-making a try. I feel like I've looked through every tutorial, but most of them use real flowers and aren't wrist corsages.

In this tutorial, I'll be using artificial/fake flowers. If you want to use real flowers, there is an extra few steps to attach the flowers together with wire. Check out these tutorials if you're interested in using real flowers: eHow, Project Wedding, or Bridal Musings.

The first thing I'd consider is the color scheme of your corsage. I'd stick to about three or four colors, including a neutral color. For my corsage, I'm having pink as the "pop of color," while silver and cream are the accent colors. I added a little bit of green to give the corsage a more natural look to it.

The next thing to consider is the flowers you'll be using. Roses and orchids are popular choices. You could use hydrangeas, lilies, peonies, carnations, etc. Choose one type of flower to be the main attraction. Then, choose smaller flowers or flowers in a neutral color to fill in the space. This will make the corsage look fuller. The accent pieces and ribbon will make your corsage unique. You can use leaves from the flowers, baby's breath, lavender, ferns, or even succulents. The color of the ribbon is up to your color scheme; you can make it your main color or a neutral color.

With my corsage, I will have pink peonies with white roses and baby's breath. I want to add the leaves from the roses as well. The ribbon I will be using is a silver glitter one and a pink sheer one. I'd recommend finding wired ribbon so it can keep a better shape.

Let's get started!

5 Things to Do in 2016

As another year goes by, ever so quickly...again, we start making resolutions for the new year, which we all know works so well. With resolutions, it's so broad that it's almost impossible to complete without a plan. What I've learned is to make smaller goals that work up to bigger goals. The best way I've found to do that is to constantly be inspired and reminded of these goals. 

Last Minute Gift: Painted Cork Coasters

If you're like me, caught up with work, you still have some presents left to get. You might be needing a little extra something to add on to your gift, so here's a quick DIY idea!

Coasters are making their second appearance on my blog. I think they're really cute and are nice just to have on your desk or the coffee table. After scoring Pinterest for DIY gift ideas, I stumbled upon cork coasters and it was perfect! These coasters can be catered to the receiver's interests and the color scheme is up to you!

Autumn Aesthetics: DIY Autumnal Garland

First off, apologies for being on hiatus for so long; life gets in the way. But, I'm excited to be back with another DIY! I love fall and all things fall, so I was trying to think of ideas to decorate my room for the season. I had a spring-themed garland in my too, so it was only obvious to make one autumn-themed.

This garland would be perfect for the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving or it'd just be really nice for backdrops/decoration.

DIY Brandy Melville-Inspired Jeanne Bralette for Under $5

The Brandy Melville Jeanne Bralette (find it here) has been all the rage at school. It looks so cute under tops and even as a crop top. I've seen a dupe at Forever 21 for $6 and I really wanted to try it out, since it was cheaper and almost identical. But, it was SOLD OUT! And I couldn't always make it to Brandy Melville.

I resorted to what I do best. Making things myself. Spending some time looking at the bralette online, I came to realize, it was like a camisole with two strings crisscrossed. So, I went to Forever 21 and purchased a basic black V-NECK cami for about $2. The v-neck is important because it's closest to the actual bralette.

I would say "about $2" in the title, but you might need to buy fabric glue or a needle and thread. I'll be using a sewing machine for this tutorial, along with a needle and thread.

Let's get started!

DIY Crystal Geode Printed Coasters

I've been seeing a lot of crystal/rock things on sale. Now, these things have literally been around for a long time, but I'm in love with them right now! The problem, for me, is always money. I'm the type of person who will find a way to make it myself, before resorting to buy it (except shoes!). Agate/geode slice coasters cost a lot of money, for good reason too.

I couldn't form a geode, naturally (obviously), so started looking for DIYs. And I found it! I was inspired by this tutorial by HelloMaphie, where she was so creative into creating faux PRINTED coasters with cardboard! Her method is so easy and clever, but I wanted to try out a different method.

I tried this DIY using clay as the base instead of cardboard. Let's get started and I'll explain my experiences along the way!

Review: Nike Flex Run 2015- Women's

Back in April, I needed new running shoes since my old Nikes were worn out. They were still wearable, but it'd been a while since I got athletic shoes. My previous one were also Nike Flex Runs, and I didn't stray far from that when I was browsing.

The 2015 pairs had just come out and as I was shopping on JCPenney, this pair caught my eye instantly for three reasons: 1) It was on sale for $60 (originally $80); 2) It was the newer Flex Runs and I loved my last pair; 3) The colors and design was perfect! I wanted running shoes that was good in the performance zone, as well as the fashion zone.

Back-To-School: 3 Easy Ways to Spice Up Your School Supplies

Don't we all dread going back to school? It's not the friends or the occasional events that I despise, but all the stress and expectations from the work. All part of life though, right?

One thing I love about going back to school is shopping for new clothes and school supplies. I love stationery, and cute stationery is even better! It makes me motivated to be organized and to take better notes. Everything tends to be neater and it's something to smile about amongst all pressure.

There are little things you can do to make your school supplies cuter! They mainly involve tape and stickers...but it's cute!

Recently, I was given the opportunity to visit San Francisco to go to the Craft Fair and do a bunch of awesome stuff. You can read about the "bunch of awesome stuff:" here!

Renegade Craft Fair is a weekend long event, where crafters can sell their handmade goods. I think it's a great chance to expand your business and gain new customers!

The Renegade Craft Fair was an amazing experience for me. Although, I wasn't there for most of it and I didn't get to explore every single booth and aspect, but it was fun!

The Craft Fair was held at the Herbst and Festival Pavilion, starting July 17 and ending on July 19. My cousins and I went on the 18th.

Throwback Travels: San Francisco Trip (Pier 39, Tartine Bakery, etc.)

Throwback Travels are a series of blog posts where I write about past or recent trips! I'll share pictures, and write about all the places I go!

The past weekend (July 17-19) I went up to San Francisco with my brother and cousins to go to the Renegade Craft Fair! Of course, we got a lot of other things done besides the Craft Fair. We had the chance to go to Pier 39, the SF Flower Mart, Golden Gate Park, etc.

Hello, Internet! | An Introductory Post

Hi! Hello! Greetings!

This...is my first blog post! Yay! *cue the confetti* 

After months of trying to think of a blog name and choosing the platform and customizing the blog, I'm so happy to finally start blogging. 

As this is my first post, it would be fitting to talk about the contents of this blog. Generally, I feel like this is leaning towards a lifestyle blog. But I don't really have a life, so...that'd be a problem. I'd love to blog about DIY projects (from home decor to clothes), cooking, maybe some beauty, maybe some hair and fashion. Even some of my adventures with lots and lots of pictures! Anything that comes up in my life that I'd like to make or share, it'll be here!

A Little Bit About me...

• My name is Trang. Trang Van. *007 music*

• I am born and raised in California.

• I've always loved crafting, making things myself. It also means that I never buy anything because I think I can make it, but then, I never get around to making it.

• Being able to travel would be amazing, but the internet awaits. When I do travel, I'll take about 200 pictures in 3 hours.

• As girly as I can get,  I'm also very, very, geeky. Doctor Who, Merlin, Sherlock are among my favorites. I'm slowly getting through more TV series. Very unhealthy, oh well! And Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter...I can go on for ages.

Alrighty, that's really about it for now. 

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«Until next time! x»