The Top 10 Highlights of My Summer | 2016

2016
Summer break is officially over for me, and today was the first day back to school. I am a junior in high school, and it feels like summer went by soo fast! I honestly wouldn't have remembered to wake up for school today if it wasn't for my trusty planner and my annoying alarm clock. Today I am going to be sharing with you a recap of my summer break. I was super busy this summer with working, but also found time for myself.

I worked at a resale clothing store this summer, and it was my first job- besides babysitting and house sitting. I've wanted a real job for a long time, because in the summer I'm always extremely bored and just sitting around the house all day when I have nothing to do. I really like being busy and having a purpose for my day. Working really got me out of my bed and pajamas. I'm still working as a sales associate at this store, and will try to balance school with my part time job. 

Another one of my favorite things this summer was volunteering at Camp Invention at an elementary school near my house. Camp Invention is a camp all about thinking and learning. I worked mostly with the 2nd-3rd graders and I absolutely loved it! The kids were so sweet and the counselors all got to think of fun activities and games for the kids. I volunteered as a camp counselor for a week and was sad when the camp ended. I hope I have time to volunteer next year with these kids!

I really enjoyed watching the movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople! If you are looking for something super funny to watch, then definitely go watch this! You will definitely have more than a few laughs.

This summer I have tried to blog more. I got to work with my first company at the beginning of the summer which was super cool! It was such a great experience! I have also tried to better my photography and editing skills!

Practicing yoga was another highlight of my summer break. I practice with my mom and her friend, who is a yoga instructor. I also watch videos on YouTube and practice by myself in my room. I like to watch Yoga with Adrienne, because she's really great at guiding you through the poses with her voice. I hate when I have to keep looking over at my screen to see what the instructor is doing. I took a yoga class at a studio near me as well, which I also found very rejuvenating and awakening. Stretching is so great for you, and I think that yoga is great not only for the body, but also for the mind.

Since I got my license in May, I got to drive by myself this summer. I got to hang out with a lot of my friends which was super fun. We went to the pool and went shopping a lot (there really isn't much else to do where I live).

A small highlight was reading the Mortal Instruments book series. I love these kinds of books that take you into a whole new world where the unimaginable is real!

I watched Grey's Anatomy this summer as well, which I would definitely classify as a highlight. I have watched all the seasons on Netflix, and I'm waiting for the next season to come out on Netflix. I'm watching the sister show called Private Practice, which is all about Addison Montgomery instead of Meredith Grey.

I also went to the beach for a week near the end of the summer. You can read more about my beach vacation here. My family and I stayed at Caswell Beach on Oak Island. It's super close to a bunch of other beaches in North Carolina. The beach trip was a super relaxing way to end my summer!

A week ago, I went to the Gay Pride Parade in Charlotte. I marched with the Moms Demand Action for Gun Safety Group. The parade was packed which was so awesome! There were a lot of other organizations supporting their causes and the parade lasted a few hours. There were some really cool floats, and I also saw my first drag queen!

Thanks for reading!

Thea :)

Cute Back to School Supplies to Keep You Motivated ♡

back to school
Back to school supplies

Hey guys! Back to school is just around the corner for me and may have probably already started for you! I go back August 29th, which is later than most people, but still seems too soon. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing all my friends again and being busy all the time. The only problem is that I can't stand waking up at 5:50 every morning! Even waking up this early, I still find myself rushing to eat breakfast and put on makeup. One of the most exciting things about going back to school for me is getting extremely cute school supplies! I don't know if I'm the only one, but shopping for new school supplies and organizing my backpack is like heaven for me. I remember one year for Christmas I got school supplies as one of my presents. 

Getting pretty school supplies always motivates me in the beginning of the school year to be organized and jump right back into the swing of things. I always color code my classes (matching blue folder and binder for math- that sorta thing). Try picking a color scheme for you school supplies or trying new patterns. I love getting pretty planners when I go back to school. It motivates me to write down important dates, homework and things I need to get done. When I have a cute planner, I also check more often to see what I need to do for the day. I'll do a whole other blog post all about my planner and how I stay organized in high school!

Do you have anything in particular that motivates you to go back to school?

Thanks for reading!

Thea♡



Summer Waterproof Makeup Routine for the Beach or Pool ♡

beach
Hey guys! I recently went to the beach a few weeks ago (click here to read about my beach trip). The makeup that I wore on my trip obviously needed to be waterproof, or else it would come off while I was in the ocean or swimming in the pool. Today I am going to be sharing with you my waterproof makeup routine that I do when I'm at the pool with friends or catching waves at the beach! I Sometimes I skip steps in this routine when I don't want to wear as much makeup.



Face
I first start with the Andalou Naturals moisturizer in 1000 Roses. This moisturizer is great because it has SPF 18 in it, which will protect your face from the sun. Next up, I use the Laura Mercier primer in Mineral which will make sure that my face makeup will stay in place and apply smoother. It will also make your face makeup more long lasting! Instead of wearing foundation, I like to wear a BB cream or tinted moisturizer in the summer. I've been using the Body Shop BB Cream in 04 which is actually on sale right now! I use the darkest shade because I get extremely tan in the summer. This BB cream makes your skin look very glowy and dewy because it is so moisturizing. When I have acne or any dark spots I want to cover up, I will use my Maybelline FitMe concealer in the shade Deep. To apply this concealer as well as my BB cream, I use my Swissco blending sponge that I picked up in my Ulta mini haul post in May. This blending sponge is a great alternative for the Beauty Blender, because it is half the cost! To set everything, I use my Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder in Translucent. Lastly, I will pack the product on to this fluffy brush from Sonia Kashuk and concentrate it on my under-eyes to bake.

Eyes
While I am waiting for the powder to bake under my eyes, I do my eye makeup. I start with my ELF Smudge Pot in Cruisin' Chic and apply this to my eyelid with my finger. Since this is a cream product, it acts as a eyeshadow base/primer for my powder eyeshadows. It is also waterproof, so it won't come off in water. Sometimes I will just use this to act as my eyeshadow, or I will go in with my Covergirl TruNaked Nudes palette with the double sided eyeshadow brush from this kit. I use the shadow fawn as a transition shade, mink on the lid, buff in the inner corner, and cocoa on the outer v. Then I use the ELF cream eyeliner in black with the gel eyeliner brush from this brush set. I love this cream eyeliner because it is extremely easy to use, very black and doesn't come off! I will also use the brow pencil from this Essence kit as an eyeliner and tightline around my eyes. After this is done, I curl my eyelashes with this amazing eyelash curler from Revlon and swipe on a few coats of this Maybelline waterproof mascara.

Brows
I start my brows by brushing out the hairs with the brow comb from this Sonia Kashuk set. Then I use the brow brush from the Essence kit and fill in my brows with the shade cocoa from the Covergirl TruNaked Nudes palette. To make this powder stay on my brows, I apply this brow gel from Maybelline in the shade Translucent. This sets my brows and makes them stay in place even when I'm swimming!

Face (again)
Once I have finished my eyes and brows, I go back to my face. I use my powder brush from the Sonia Kashuk brush set again and dust away any excess loose setting powder. Then I will contour my face a little with this ProFusion contour palette. If you want to know more about how I contour and highlight, check out this post. I use the blush brush in the Sonia Kashuk brush set to give a less defined contour. If I want a more defined contour, I use the contour brush. I use my Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in the Bronze compact to highlight my face and bronze it up a little bit. I also use my blush brush for this. It gives a beautiful shimmer and glow to the face!

Lips
When my lips are chapped or rough, I like to use this ELF lip exfoliator on them. There are a bunch of great and nourishing oils in this exfoliator that leave your lips feeling smooth and moisturized! When I'm at the beach or pool, my lips get dried out so I like to finish this makeup look of by wear ing this chapstick to keep them hydrated. This chapstick also leaves a nice berry colored stain on my lips. 

Here's a picture of me at the beach!

And this one is of me and my friends at the pool together!

Thanks so much for reading! What are your favorite waterproof makeup products?

Thea ♡

Why You Should Shop Online + Useful Tips ♡

cheap

Ever since I was in middle school, I have always been a bargain hunter and a sales shopper. When I discovered shopping online it was like being introduced to a whole new world of commerce- all on screens! Shopping online is so great, because you can literally find anything you want online. If a product you really want isn't available at one store, you can easily find something similar at another store online in less than a minute. 

Another reason I love e-commerce is because it takes comparison shopping to a whole new level. Sometimes you can find the product on the store's website for cheaper, but you have to factor in shipping costs. Shopping the website will also give you more choices about your product though, like color. 

*TIP* Want free shipping? Pay for the product in store and they will order it online for you. They will give you free shipping since they didn't have the product in store and because the store is ordering the product for you. 

Another way to comparison shop is to compare different websites for the same product. If there is a specific product that is special to one store, than you can always find similar products online. If the product is made by a company that is sold at many different stores, than I suggest looking at the pricing at various stores online. Also check and see if the stores are having any special offers, such as giving away a free product along with your purchase. Some stores will also price match! You may pick a store because of the price, or because of a special service they offer when you make a purchase. You may also pick a store because of their return policy!

*TIP* Try googling your product and clicking on the shopping tab. You can find a bunch of different websites that sell the product you're looking for!

*TIP* Come across a sketchy website, or a website that you've never heard of? Search for reviews of the website online. You'll come across various blog posts, videos, etc. about the website which will help you determine the credibility of it. Never just rely on one source. Read multiple reviews of this site!

*TIP* Search for your product on Amazon! I love going on Amazon, because you can usually find things there for so much cheaper than the normal price! I literally go to Amazon to compare prices on anything and everything.

*TIP* Want something shipped to you fast and free? Join Amazon Prime! My family and I use it and absolutely love it. It is so efficient and quick, and you can also get special deals on your purchases.

Think about if you want this product new or used. Obviously some things you would definitely not want used, like underwear. But books on the other hand don't have to be new. If you think you might want this product used to save money, look at websites like Ebay, Amazon, Mercari and Poshmark. These websites sell new as well as used things.

*TIP* Look at the product's or the seller's reviews and pictures. If a seller has bad reviews, than I suggest not buying from them. Pictures are also very useful to look at, because you can see if the product is true to the description. You should also look at answered questions to read more about customers' concerns about the product. You should also ask your own question so that you can get an answer from either the seller or customers who have bought this product.

*TIP* Before buying an item, look at the section of the site where there are related items, or things that other customers have bought.

*TIP* Like listings on websites with used products to receive updates about discounts and comments on the listing. If not many people have liked the listing than comment with a lower offer. Usually the seller will lower their price a little bit!

*TIP* Use websites like Ebates to get cash back when you shop online! There are also a bunch of different other websites that offer you points that you can redeem for money when you buy items through their site. I'll leave some referral codes listed down below so you guys can save money!

REFERRAL CODES
Ebates // http://bit.ly/2bpV7v1
Poshmark (Get $5 off your 1st purchase with this invite code) // BUWHM
Mercari (Get $2 with this invite code) // QRNMHB
Shopkick (Get $2 with this invite code) // https://app.shopkick.com/r/1YMciV
Dote (Get free shipping on your 1st order + $5 with this code) // COYP

Hope you guys found this useful :)

5 Makeup Products I'd Recommend To A Friend! ♡

beauty
Hey Guys! My name's Alex! Today i'm doing a guest blog post on Thea's blog. Can I first just say a huge thank you to Thea for giving me this opportunity, i'm thrilled to be writing this post! So if you don't know about me, my blog is iBeauty and Thea will be writing a post on there.

1. Revolution- Ultra Contour Palette


This is probably my favourite palette I own! It's quite a new addition to my makeup collection and i'm so happy I bought it. This is the only product I've been using for contour for the past two weeks. It's so easy to blend, the tones in the powders are beautiful and the highlighters are amazing!

2. Tanya Burr- Perfect Brows Palette

I use this everyday for my brows! Sometimes I even use it as eyeshadow. It's so easy to blend and the colours are beautifully pigmented. This is also kind of like a staple palette because the colours are so useful! 

Revolution- Pro Fix Oil Control

You can get this product "Normal" instead of Oil Control so anyone can get one. I have definitely noticed a difference in my finished makeup and it stays on my face all day! I definitely recommend this for people who struggle with oil.

Collection- Lasting Perfection Concealer

This is also a new addition to my makeup collection and i'm already in love! I have it in "Fair" as i'm very pale, it is the lightest shade. I have very oily skin and I would recommend this for people with all skin types as I've heard great things from people with dry or normal skin.

This is supposedly a very good dupe for the Benefit Hoola Bronzer so that's always a bonus! It's an amazing colour for me personally and i'm very pale so i'd recommend it to pale  people too, however it might be good for darker skin tones too. It's a little hard to blend but when it's blended fully it is beautiful!

Thank you for reading guys and I hope you check out my blog!

Love,
Alex


Week In My Life: Beach Vacation at Oak Island ♡

beach
Hey everyone! I just got back from the beach with my family on Sunday and wanted to share some of the fun things we did! I stayed at Caswell Beach on Oak Island for a week (from July 31-August 7).   My aunt stayed with my mom, sister and I from Sunday to Wednesday and then my dad came and joined us on Thursday. We rented a condo with a great beach view and access. Oak Island is an old fashioned little beach town on the coast of North Carolina. It's also close to a bunch of other beaches like Bald Head Island, Holden Beach, Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle and Myrtle Beach. It's also about a 15 minute drive away from Southport, which is a great town for shopping and eating. 

The drive from Charlotte to Oak Island was about 4 hours. We stopped along the highway at a produce stand that was selling delicious peach ice cream. 


While walking along the beach, we saw many turtle nesting spots. We noticed that at this spot there were a bunch of cracked and opened eggs, some with yolk inside. The people from turtle rescue told us that many of the turtles had already gone to sea and that a dog must have come at night and eaten the rest. A majority of them did find there way to the ocean which was great news!

Typical hair at the beach was either a messy bun or a ponytail. I hate when my hair gets all sticky and gross from the humidity so I like to keep it up and out of my face. I'm wearing a blue sports bra from Lululemon and a grey tank top from Champion.

We went to the Provision Company at Southport which had great seafood! If you are ever near Southport then you have to go to this restaurant. Don't be scared off if there's a really long line of people waiting, because they turn the tables over extremely fast. 

I got a new bikini top at Evita Swimwear Boutique! It's a white crochet halter top and I love it. It was only $15! The blue bikini bottoms went with a matching top but I thought it looked really cute with this new top too. 

Here's a picture of me in the bikini out on the balcony of the condo we were staying at. You can see the beautiful ocean view in the background! I was scared that this top wouldn't hold up in the water but it did! It withstood the rough waves like a champ.




This was the beautiful view from the Fish House restaurant that we ate dinner at. 



We kayaked around marshes and the intracoastal waterway. We also kayaked near Holden Beach which was really fun and great exercise. There were also other people paddle boarding around us and sailing around.

We ate lunch one day at the Flying Fish Cafe and we had a great view of the beach and the pier. The food was excellent and it was so nice to see everyone having fun out on the beach.


Here are all the bikinis I wore while I was at the beach. I bought the top left floral bikini top from a brand called Yamamay in Italy while shopping in Positano. The white bottoms, blue floral bikini top, light blue bikini set (top & bottoms) and pink striped bikini set (top & bottoms) are all from Target. I got the crochet bikini top from Evita's and the blue bikini bottoms from a brand called Cupsay. 

My trip to Oak Island was a nice, relaxing little getaway before heading back to school on August 29th :( I had a great time and thought the island was very charming and sweet! 

Thanks for reading!

Thea ♡

2 Gossip Girl Inspired Outfits From Serena & Blair (Back to School Edition) ♡

accessories
*This blog does not own this picture. It was taken from Pinterest!

Hey elites! It's Thea here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite. Someone so kindly sent me this picture of S & B (otherwise known as Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf) getting ready for school. As you can see in this picture, they are looking seriously unhappy about this new school year coming up... they'll be more annoyed when they see that I've leaked more of their secrets out in the open for you all! It's going to one hell of a school year for these too. Will they spend their days having study sessions with Dan and Chuck, or will they instead be up all night dancing on table tops and getting in more drama? We'll just have to see...

You can read my last posts here if you want more fashion secrets from these two:
Lunch Date outfits: click here
Shopping outfits: click here

Here are a few more secrets on how to steal their back to school outfits on a budget you can afford!  This will definitely help if your school dress code is as strict as these girls'. Keep reading to learn how you can steal their style! Sorry S and B, more secrets are out in the open. 

Serena's Outfit

serena school outfit
Shirt (on sale!) / skirt / heels (on sale!) / vest / bracelet (on sale!) / neck tie / purse

Serena's back to school look is cute and casual like usual. She wears her school uniform very laid back and fun, by tying her neck tie low around her neck and wearing a vest over her shirt. She makes her school look more feminine by wearing a mini plaid skirt and nude heels. If you don't own nude heels then I highly recommend buying them- they will make anything more dressed up! Serena wears a fun snakeskin print handbag too that really makes her outfit look unique and different- everyone at her school is going to be wearing snakeskin this year now that Serena has started this trend! 

Blair's Outfit

blair school outfit
Blouse (on sale!) / skirt (on sale!) / heels / neck tie / scarf / bracelet / headband / purse

Blair is back at it again with a chic and sophisticated look- this time for back to school. She adds a parisian chic flair by tying a silk neck scarf around her neck over her neck tie. She keeps it classy with a pearl bracelet and then wears fun shoes to spice it up a bit. She also wears an oxblood colored handbag, which she can carry all her school assignments (or not) in. 

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this Gossip Girl inspired post :)

And who am I? That's another secret I'll never tell. You know you love me. XOXO. 

-Gossip Girl (aka Thea)

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