I love the floral trend of prom dresses because it makes the dress more versatile for other occasions. I also really like the look of simple and elegant dresses too! Lastly, the trend of goddess looking dresses is stunning, especially on tanner skin. Overall, I think my favorite of these dresses is the white floral one, because it looks very bohemian and flowy and can definitely be worn to prom or to any fancy gathering!

I hope you enjoy this post and find inspiration for your prom dress!

Thanks for reading :)

Sparklly Beading A-line Sleeveless Long Red Chiffon Prom Dress

Hey everyone! It's been a busy school year for me so far. I'm a junior in high school and I've had to learn how to manage my time and eliminate stress that school, extracurriculars and other activities bring. I'm part of the International Baccalaureate program, and I am currently taking 8 IB classes. I'm also the leader of clubs; I am one of the officers of DECA and I am also the co-president of a human trafficking awareness club at my school. I am also a member of National Honor Society, IB Council, and an IB Leadership Group. I play recreational soccer and basketball with my friends, and I babysit and tutor kids to make money. I also like blogging obviously! My plate has been super full this year. A big change from my Sophomore year has been having 8 classes at a time instead of 4 or 5, that would change after one semester. 

Here are some of my tips for eliminating stress if you are in high school! 

First off, make a list of all the activities you have going on in your life and prioritize them. When prioritizing, think about what activities and aspects of your life are most important to you. If you have a lot of things going on in your life, than most likely cutting down will decrease stress. Figure out which things on your list aren't as important as others or are causing you this stress and cut back! I quit my job in September because I had too many things going on and not enough time for them all. I would leave school at 2:15, go to work at 4 and then come home as late as 10. Then I would start all my homework and studying. I also had certain days that I couldn't work because of clubs or sports. I decided to quit my job because it took up way too much time and wasn't as important to me as school and clubs. Lucky for me, I didn't need the money and I quit early enough that I my job never got too much in the way of my school work. Once I quit my job, a lot of time opened up for other things that I wanted to do.

Another tip I have for decreasing stress is to exercise. It's scientifically proven that your brain releases endorphins (think of it like happy hormones) while you exercise that make you feel calmer and happier. If you aren't a sporty kind of person, than try yoga. There are many different types of yoga, yoga that deals with more breathing exercises and yoga that is more focused on flexibility and strength. You also don't have to go to a studio to do yoga, you can just do it in your house and follow a video on YouTube. My favorite channel to watch for yoga is YogaWithAdrienne. 

This next tip goes along with exercising and it is to eat healthy food, drink plenty of water and spend time outside. Eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables can put you in a better mood than eating unhealthy foods like chocolate or fries. Healthy food will give you energy and will overall make you feel more positive. Also, drinking a lot of water can reduce stress. It clears your mind and can have a restorative effect. It helps you to think more clearly and gives you energy. Spending time outside, whether it's reading a book or taking a walk will also clear your mind and is better for your overall well-being. It can definitely help if you are feeling overwhelmed of anxious about school or anything else you have going on.

Something that I struggle with is turning off screens. Everyone can get wrapped up in their technology at times and it's important that we power off. Reading is a great way to get your mind off of things and feel less stressed. If you are feeling overwhelmed, checking out a book at your local library that interests you and reading it.

My last and most important tip is to take time for yourself. Relax and spend time doing things you enjoy. Maybe make your room nice and cozy and listen to music or create a peaceful playlist. I make my room feel cozier by turning on fairy twinkle lights and throwing a bunch of blankets on my bed. You can also get a fireplace app on your laptop that will set the screensaver to a fireplace. You can also change the settings to make it crackle and sound like a really fireplace. I also write in a journal to feel less stressed. I constantly juggle things around in my head so putting my thoughts to paper makes my head feel clearer.

Those are my tips and tricks on how to feel less overwhelmed and stressed about high school and life in general. I hope you found this post useful!

Thanks for reading!
Thea
xx

Outfit 5

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

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

-Gossip Girl (aka Thea)

I left school early on Wednesday and took my provisional license test! I passed thankfully and will be getting my plastic license mailed to me in a few days. I took my AP Human Geography exam today and after, my friends and I went to an outlet mall and went shopping. Then, I drove with another friend to Rico's Acai, which is a food truck downtown that sells fruit bowls. Here is a picture of the fruit bowls that my friend and I got! We both got the rainbow bowl, except my friend added nutella to hers. The fruit was super fresh and served as a very yummy snack ♡

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: All thoughts, opinions and photos are mine :)

Disclaimer: All thoughts, opinions and photos are mine :)

These are the Aldo Gweni Ballet Flats in the color Bone.They are super soft and comfortable, and there is pretty gold detailing on the heel of the shoe and on the tips on the bows. They were 70% off of the clearance price, and then an extra 20% off of that price. I only paid $13.18 for them, which is a steal! I got them in a size 6 1/2. 

I also got these shoes for my DECA competition too, so that if my feet are hurting, I can slip on these comfortable flats. They are still sophisticated, and I think I can get a lot of good wear out of them, since they are a neutral color.

These are the Franco Sarto Gustar Flat Sandal in the color Coral Le. I know it's definitely too cold to be wearing sandals anytime soon, but these were on a pretty good discount as well. They were 50% off the clearance price and then an extra 20% off on that price. I paid $19.98 for them, and I got them in a size 6 1/2.

I love the color of these, and I already have a pair of Franco Sarto sandals in a regular leather and silver color (click this link to see them). Franco Sarto sandals are extremely comfortable and well made. They are my favorite brand of leather sandals, and they are very cute!

Disclaimer: All thoughts, opinions and photos are mine!

Makeup

I would keep your makeup for exams pretty casual and lightweight, because you don't want to be focused or worried about anything other than your exams. I recommend wearing a BB cream or tinted moisturizer, which will give you lightweight coverage but won't feel heavy like if you were wearing foundation. You can put concealer over any spots that you may want to give more coverage too. Putting concealer in big triangles under your eyes and blending will also brighten up your face and eliminate the appearance of dark circles under your eyes from all that studying. You should add a powder over your concealer and BB cream/tinted moisturizer, so it will stay in place throughout the whole day. I recommend the Laura Mercier Translucent Powder or the E.L.F. Cosmetics Tone Correcting Powder. Also, tightlining your lower waterline with a white eyeliner will brighten your eyes and make you look more awake. I don't recommend going too heavy on your eye makeup however, because you might want to put your head down on your desk and go to sleep after you finish your test, and your eye makeup would smudge. Make sure to put on some mascara, which will open your eyes, and some chapstick or lipgloss and you will be good to go! (Click here to check out my favorite makeup products of 2015!).

Outfit
Being comfortable is really important when taking tests, because I find if I am distracted or uncomfortable, I won't pay attention to little things or do as well on a test. Make sure the clothes you pick fit you right and feel good, because you don't want to keep fidgeting with your clothes. I like wearing leggings and a baggy shirt or jeans and a sweater. Also make sure to bring a sweatshirt with you, because sometimes the classrooms can be really cold in the morning. It all comes down to whatever you feel comfortable in though, because if you feel confident in what you are wearing, then it will make you more motivated.

Hair
I recommend putting your hair up if you have longer hair, because you don't want it to get in the way. I usually put my hair in a loose pony tail, but you can also do a half up, half down or just bobby pin the front strands of your hair back. I also wear my hair in a loose bun when I'm taking tests, because sometimes my hair will get caught in the bolts of the chair and will rip out...which is extremely painful!

Tips
1. Use released exams- I like to go online and find released final exams from the year before, so that I can practice taking the test. This will help you know what you need to study, and what the state or whoever makes your test thinks is important that you should know. Sometimes, the questions on the released exams are extremely similar to the questions on the exam you will take.

2. Break up your study sessions- Count up how many units or topics you have learned over the course of your class, and each day you study, you should study a new topic. If you try to study the night before, you will try to cram too many things in your brain, which will make you extremely stressed!

3. Go over notes- This seems pretty obvious, but read over the notes you have taken for the class. This will refresh your memory of the important things you learned. If you thought it was important enough to take notes on, then you should read it! Also, do a few problems from quizzes you have done or worksheets you have completed earlier in the year.

4. Get a good night's sleep- Don't study late into the night right before your exam! It's way better to get a good nights sleep and be well rested. Do things that will help relax you like reading a book and lighting a candle.

5. Eat healthy- Make sure to eat a good filling breakfast, so you aren't hungry during the exam. Also, make sure to bring water to your exam if you can, because water will clear your mind and help you be more focused. Also chew a piece of gum during the exam, because studies have shown if you chew a piece of gum while you're studying and then chew the same flavor while taking your test, it will help you remember things from when you were studying.

Thanks so much for reading :)

The night before a school day, I always do a few little preparations for school the next morning, that way I can sleep in a bit more and won't have to worry about doing those things in the morning. I always pick out my outfit the night before, because if I don't, I end up rampaging my closet while trying on different outfits to wear for 20 minutes and then end up wearing the outfit I tried on originally. I always check the weather on my phone for the next day and plan my outfit accordingly. Then I lay all my clothes and accessories out next to my bed, so that when I wake up in the morning I know exactly what I'm wearing and can change in less than 1 minute.

Setting multiple alarms in 5 minute increments will wake you up slower so that you can ease in to waking up. I set my alarms to 5:40, 5:45, 5:50, 5:55 and 6:00 A.M. This insures that I won't sleep through any alarms and that I will actually wake up at my desired time, 6:00. Also, on an iPhone you can write a message to yourself when your alarm goes off. That way, you can encourage yourself to wake up, or write things like "wake up or else your makeup will look terrible".

Once I am on my 2nd or 3rd alarm, I will always pick up my phone from my bedside table and turn off all the alarms. The brightness of my phone screen in contrast to the darkness of my room makes my phone look extra bright. I check some of my texts, email or social media for 2-3 minutes and the brightness of the screen makes my eyes feel less sleepy and more awake. Beware not to spend too much time on your phone though, because you don't want to be wrapped up in your phone and waste all your time!

Tip #5: Splash your face with cold water

Tip #6: Drink cold water after waking up

Tip #7: Get in a routine

These are all my tips on getting ready fast for school! Please comment below and subscribe to my email list to get emailed when I make a new post :)