Tips on How to Eliminate Stress in High School

healthy
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

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 :)

My Favorite Bronzer, Contour + Highlighter Makeup Products (Review & Swatches) ♡

animal cruelty free

Hey guys! Today I am going to share with you my favorite bronzer, contour and highlighter makeup products, as you can see from the title of this blog post obviously. I love using bronzer during the summer to give my skin a nice healthy glow. I also love the contour and highlighting trend that's going around. I don't think of it as changing the shape of your face, but more as enhancing your natural face shape. 

You're probably wondering why there is a picture of foundations and eyeshadows when this is a post all about bronzer, contour and highlighter. Keep reading to learn more about how I use things like eyeshadows and foundations for bronzing, highlighting and contouring!

Shop this post



I picked up the Covergirl Nudes TruNaked Palette a few months ago during an Ulta shopping trip (read full review here). I think the eyeshadows in this palette are absolutely beautiful. They are extremely easy to blend and are super pigmented. I noticed that the shades not only work as eyeshadow, but also as highlighter!

There are a combination of matte and shimmery shades in this palette. I use the shades buff and champagne in this palette for highlighting. These shades are shimmery and give a beautiful glow to the skin. I use the shade mink sometimes for bronzing my face, but it could also be used as a highlight if you have a darker skin tone.

Buff and champagne are both cooler tone shades in my opinion and mink is a more warmer tone shade. I mostly use champagne for highlighter. I just like to dust it on the tops of my cheekbones with a small little eyeshadow brush. If you have any light colored eyeshadows, you can make always try using them as highlighters! That way you'll get more use out of them and won't have to carry around and buy more products than necessary.


I bought this contour palette from Marshalls a few weeks ago and fell in love with it. First of all, the packaging is just the best thing I've ever seen. It comes in a gold tin case and the words are in a matte black. I've looked on the Profusion website for this palette, but they don't seem to sell this particular one anymore. I did find a similar one on Ebay. I got this palette in the shade medium and it came with a small mini contour brush inside. 

This palette not only comes with shades for contouring, but also has powders for highlighting and bronzing as well- the perfect trifecta! The powders are very blendable and easy to work with. This palette really makes contouring and highlighting easier and faster!

I usually use the shade highlighter and vanilla for highlighting because they give the perfect glow. The shades nude and caramel are good for bronzing your face or for contouring. I usually use caramel for contouring my cheeks because it's just a hair darker than my skin color, so it looks very natural. When I want to make my contour more intense, I'll go in with the shade expresso very lightly. I definitely recommend this palette to basically anyone!!!



I recently picked up the sample size of the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer at Ulta. I also just did a review on this product that you can read here. One of the main reasons I love this bronzer is because of the smell. It smells just like chocolate, but it's not an overbearing scent. It's very subtle and sweet. 

The shade I have is medium/deep which is just a little bit darker than my skin tone. Since this is a matte bronzer, it's great for contouring and sculpting out your cheekbones. 

Here is a swatch of it on my arm. This is definitely a pricier bronzer and if you want to spend a lot of a nice, expensive bronzer than go for it! I think that there are many drugstore matte bronzers out there that will do just the trick- however bear in mind that they won't smell as good. 

Bobbi Brown Bronze Shimmer Brick

This is one of my all time favorite makeup products, because I think it is so versatile and can be used in many different ways. The Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks are handmade in Italy have 5 shades in them. 

You can use the shades in this compact as eyeshadow, highlighter or bronzer! I like to use an eyeshadow brush and sweep it into these shades individually as eyeshadow. When I use this compact as highlighter I like to run my brush through the top two shades and pat the brush on the tops of my cheekbones where natural light usually hits. When I want to bronze my face, I use the bottom 4 colors and apply them on my cheeks and around the high points of my face. 

Here are swatches of the colors in this palette, starting from the top color and working down to the bottom color. This is my go to compact when I want to look really glowy and bronzed up for the summer. 

Wet n Wild Color Icon Bronzer

I have this bronzer in the shade 739 Ticket to Brazil. I also did a review of this product here. This is a great drugstore bronzer that is extremely inexpensive. This isn't my favorite bronzer, but I like to use it when I want a more natural look that isn't quite as shimmery and glowy.

This bronzer looks pretty matte at first, but as you can see by the swatch below it is actually shimmery. I don't reach for this product very often, just because when I do decide to wear bronzer I like to go all out. This product is very pretty though and can also be used as eyeshadow.

Here's the swatch of the bronzer! It looks very gold and shimmery in this picture, however when applying it to the face it doesn't look this vibrant.

Elf Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder

I heard pretty good reviews about this contouring blush and bronzing powder duo online so I picked it up awhile back in the shade antigua. I did a review about it here. The packaging of this product reminds me of the Nars packaging, because they are both matte black. This product is very affordable and easy to use. I don't use the blush in this duo because it is way too pink for me and I'd probably end up looking like a clown. I used to use the bronzer a lot before I had other bronzers, but I don't find myself reaching for it quite as much now. 

As you can see, these powders are extremely pigmented- like crazy pigmented! Pigmented to the point where you have to be careful about how much you apply on your brush. They do blend easily though, which is great. The brown shade can be used for bronzing or contouring. It has the smallest amount of shimmer too it, but it's barely noticeable. This shade is a bit too dark for me so when I use it, I use a slight hand blend a lot to make it look more natural.

Wet n Wild MegaGlo Illuminating Powder

This product reminds me of the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick that I have, but way more affordable. One of the downsides of this product is that it cracks and breaks easily... as you can obviously see. It's the main reason why I never use this product anymore. The top twists off and powder always spills out everywhere... it can get pretty messy. I have this illuminating powder in the shade 348 starlight bronze.

Here's a swatch of these powders. They aren't quite as pigmented as the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick but they are still beautiful colors. I would swirl all these colors together to make a nice shimmery bronzer. You could also use this product as a highlighter if you focused on the tops of your cheekbones.

The Body Shop BB Cream + Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation

I have the shade 04 in the Body Shop BB Cream, which matches my skin perfectly in the Summer when I have a nice tan. However, during Fall/Winter/Spring my skin is much lighter so this BB cream doesn't match my skin anymore. It was annoying that I could only use this product when I was tan, but then I discovered strobing. It's basically contouring and highlighting with liquids. I apply this BB cream on the hollows of my cheeks where I would normally apply contour powder. I find that using liquid products will make the contour and highlight last longer! 

I have the Rimmel Lasting Finish foundation in the shade 203 True Beige. If you want to read my full review of this product than click here. This product is the exact opposite of the BB cream. It matches my skin great during Fall/Winter/Spring. It's too light during the Summer though, so this works great as a highlighter. It works differently than a powder highlighter does. Instead of adding a shimmery glow, it brightens and lifts your undereye area. 

Here is a swatch of the foundation and the BB cream. It's hard to see the BB cream because it matches my skin pretty well right now. I definitely recommend to use foundations that are too light or dark for you for strobing! That way you can get more use out of the product!

I hope you all enjoyed this post! What are you favorite bronzer, contour or highlighter products?

Thea ♡ 

Tips for Accessorizing: Stacking Bracelets ♡

accessories

 Long time no write! It's been a crazy few weeks with Spring Break, midterms and projects, but I am back with another post. Here are some tips for accessorizing with bracelets and stacking them! ♡




When I pair bracelets together, I pick 3 or 4 main colors to focus on. When picking my bracelets, I try to stick to these colors, so they will match and complement each other. The bracelets usually are other colors too, but I find that as long as most of my bracelets have one of the main colors then they will match. I also try to pick bracelets of the same style, such as the ones above that are cute and fun. I picked bracelets that were more casual with beads. My last tip is to pick bracelets of similar sizes to pair together. I find this tip extremely important, because when one bracelet is bigger than the others, it tends to slide over the smaller ones and get tangled up over them. You don't want to keep messing with them and fixing them the whole day!

Thanks for reading ♡

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


How and Where to Shop for Inexpensive Shoes

cheap

Here is a list of some of my favorite online and in-store shoe stores, as well as how to shop for shoes, so you can get the best deals!


                                                                                 
Inexpensive Stores

-DSW (www.dsw.com)
-Nordstrom Rack (www.nordstromrack.com)
-GoJane (www.gojane.com)
-LuLus (www.lulus.com
-T.J. Maxx (www.tjmaxx.tjx.com)
-Forever21 (www.forever21.com
-6pm (www.6pm.com)
-Poshmark (www.poshmark.com)
-Mercari (www.mercari.com)
-H&M (www.hm.com)

Tips for Shoe Shopping

-If you know you want to buy shoes from a website, you can sign up for their emails, and that will usually either give you a discount code or free shipping.

-Use your phone as a calculator, and calculate all the discounts of your shoes and the total cost of them, while you are shopping.

-Look at the back of stores, where the clearance or sale section is.

-Refine the price filter on your shoe searches on websites, so your only looking at shoes that are in your budget.

-If you are in-store, make sure to try the shoes on, because no matter how inexpensive they are, if they don't fit, then you're really not saving any money.

-If you are online, make sure to read the reviews of the shoes you are buying to make sure you are ordering the right size and to see how the quality of the shoes are.

-Don't buy something just because it is inexpensive; Make sure you will actually wear the shoes.

-If you like a pair of really inexpensive shoes, then try looking for them on a website that sells new and old clothes and shoes, such as Poshmark or Mercari. You can usually find the shoes cheaper and in very good condition or even new! I have bought things off of this website before, and you can money off your purchase with my referral code! You can get $10 at Poshmark using the code BUWHM, and $2 at Mercari using the code QRNMHB!

-If you buy shoes during their off-season (ex: sandals in Winter) then you can usually find them on sale.

Thanks for reading! Click here to read my inexpensive shoe haul to see how I saved over $100! I hope this helped you!

Disclaimer: All thoughts, opinion and ideas are mine

Superbowl 50- Essentials & Tips for Throwing a Superbowl Party (Panthers & Broncos)

Carolina Panthers

Here are some really fun home decor things and food ideas if you are throwing a Superbowl 50 party in favor of the Panthers or the Broncos. I'm also going to give you some DIY ideas! Make sure to check out my Superbowl Outfit & Makeup Looks post too! Have a fun Superbowl Party!



Panthers Party


Broncos Party


-You can make football themed email invitations to invite your friends and family. I always use this website to make them, because it's free to use! http://evite.com

-To make pennant banners to hang up on your wall for free, just search on Google free printable Superbowl banners. Then you can print them out and hang them up on a piece of string. You can also cut out diamond shapes on a piece of construction paper that is the color of the team you are rooting for. Fold the diamond in half over string to make a pennant shape!

-I suggest buying a bunch of paper cups, napkins, utensils, balloons and other decorations from Party City, because they are super inexpensive and have a wide variety of things there for the Superbowl. http://partycity.com

-Instead of just having a regular bowl of chips, popcorn, or pretzels, you can make it more festive by buying M&M's and adding them in. If you are a Panthers fan, then you can mix in blue and brown M&M's, and if you're a Broncos fan, then you can mix in orange and blue M&M's.

-Instead or regular chocolate covered pretzels, you can add black and blue/orange and blue sprinkles. All you need to do is melt some white chocolate, pour it on the pretzels, pour the sprinkles on tops of the chocolate, and then wait for the chocolate to dry. Then once the chocolate is dry, you can shake off the excess sprinkles, and you are good to go!

Those are all my tips! Thanks so much for reading! I hope you have a great Superbowl Party :)


Disclaimer: All thoughts, opinions and photos are mine!

Product Review: 3-pc Benefit Cosmetics "Easy was a Crime" Deluxe Sampler Set

beauty

I recently picked up this Benefit Cosmetics Deluxe Set from Sephora last week. I'm a member of their rewards program, and I got an email that they changed up their rewards. This product was listed under their 250 points rewards, so I went to Sephora to redeem it. When I got there, the product wasn't displayed at the cashier desk in the case under their rewards, but when I asked the cashier about it, they went in the back and got one. Usually the Sephora rewards get picked up super fast, so I would definitely recommend asking someone that works there if they still have a specific reward that you want, because it may just be hidden behind the desk. 


This is the Benefit Cosmetics "Easy was a Crime she was guilty" deluxe sampler set. It retails for $15 at Benefit Cosmetics. You can get this product as a free gift with any $40 Benefit Cosmetics purchase at Ulta, but you can't get it at Sephora anymore under the rewards boutique. You can also buy this set for $24 at Benefit Cosmetics, but the mascara is full sized and the eyeliner and the remover are both fun size minis. 

This set includes sample sizes of products in the They're Real! collection. It has the They're Real! mascara, They're Real! Remover, and They're Real! Push-Up Liner. 

They are all mini sizes, so it is a perfect set to get if you want to try out the products in this collection. The mascara is 3.0 g, the remover is 7.5 mL, and the eyeliner is .10 g. There is definitely more product in the mascara and remover, than there is in the eyeliner, but you can still get a few uses out of it to see if you like it.

 They're Real! Mascara


I really like this mascara! The mascara wand has plastic bristles for lengthening your eyelashes and picks up a lot of product with one pump. I had to wipe off the excess mascara around the tip of the wand, because a lot of product piles up there. It didn't add a lot of volume to my lashes, which is what I really like, but with one coat of mascara, it added A LOT of length! Usually when I put on mascara, I have to add a lot of coats to really lengthen my lashes, but this mascara works wonders! The domed tip of the mascara wand is supposed to fan out your corner lashes, and if you hold it vertically and stroke upward, it is supposed to curl and separate your lashes. I found that this mascara did separate my lashes, but didn't add volume. The mascara is very black and intense and has a more wet formula. Since it has a more wet formula, it takes a few minutes longer to dry and can get a little messy if you aren't careful enough. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone with short lashes that wants extra length without having to apply layers of coats. The full version of this product retails for about $24 at Benefit Cosmetics, and I think it's worth every penny! Pictures of me with this mascara are down below.

They're Real Push-Up Liner

  

I'm a huge fan of this gel eyeliner, because it's hard to use, and I don't really like the applicator. This is a matte gel black eyeliner, and it's also waterproof. The formula is very dark and matte, but I don't like the applicator, because it makes it difficult to apply the eyeliner. You take off the orange plastic part and squeeze the base of the tip, to push the gel liner to the tip. In the full size version of this liner, you twist the base to get the product to come out. When I used this product, little black chunks of eyeliner kept falling out and landing on my face, because it wouldn't apply smoothly to my eye. The plastic applicator moved around a lot and I couldn't get a straight line that was close to my eyelash line. The full version of this product retails for $24 at Benefit Cosmetics, and I won't be spending that much money on the full size of this product. I much rather prefer to use a pencil eyeliner or a gel eyeliner with an eyeliner brush to get a more accurate and defined line.

Pictures with Mascara & Eyeliner

Before-
After-








They're Real! Remover

This remover works pretty well, and got off all my eye makeup. It looks like a cream or lotion, but once you rub it over your eyes, it will get everything off. It didn't hurt my eyes or irritate them at all. This product worked really well, however I don't think it would be worth paying $18 for at Benefit Cosmetics for the full size version. I use coconut oil to take off my makeup, and I think it works just as well or even better than this remover.

Thanks for reading! I hope it helped you!

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