My August 2015 ipsy Glambag!

A few weeks ago I finally got my first ipsy glambag and I was super excited! I've been waiting for so long to be able to sit down and blog it and today is the day, so here are the products I got and the pictures I took of them :)

They come in super cute pink bubble wrap

First is a Luxe Doubler Eye & Lip Pencil in the color Wine. It looks more pink on my skin, just because I draw it on so lightly, but due to my beautifully acne-fied face, there will be a lack of pictures with my face in it on this post hahaha. The whole color scheme for this bag was pretty dark for my taste, but I don't really blame ipsy, seeing as it's the first bag and their bags sort of adjust depending on how much feedback I give. 

Anyway, I think this color is really fun but my family hates it on me, so I'll stick to wearing it while they're gone.

This is a teeny little sample of a noyah lipstick in the color Desert Rose. It's adorable and I love it!!!

Next I got a bottle of Marc Anthony Argan Oil, which I don't really know how or why to use, but I would love to figure out how. The directions say it is for styling, so I guess it's a healthy, organic way to style your hair! 

This tube is full of fresh lemony smelling Cleansing Milk by Juice Beauty. It sounds so wonderful and it really is! It's like a face washing lotion thingy and I am so excited to start using it! The inside of my nose shivers because of how clean it feels after smelling it. Not even kidding

The last product is brown nail polish by AILA in the hilarious color Mister Pookies. It cracked me up, especially after I tried it on. In the bottle it looks more grape soda, but it definitely is brown. I didn't super love the color but the bottle is too cute and minimalisticly adorable to throw it out.

I really loved getting this Glambag, and it's worth the $10 a month! Though it wan't my color palette, I was impressed with the product quality and the bag was especially cute. I also like it because it is expanding my makeup horizons without spending 30 bucks on a product I would never use. 

If you are into this kind of stuff, I would absolutely recommend it! ***Also, I forgot to add, ipsy isn't paying me to write this if you haven't already caught on to that. These are my own opinions and I'm being honest!**

Thank you so much ipsy, for being cheap and having great quality

&

Thanks to you for reading!

Have a great week,

Brenna, the girl without shame♥

Dear Students: Let's Chill

Hey y'all! Sorry I haven't posted for a bit, I just got back from an amazing but short trip to Savannah, Georgia to a regional conference for Youth For Christ. It was a great experience and before I start this post I really want to show you this picture I took from my hotel room window 

Anyway, today I'm thinking about going to school. Even though I've only been in high school for two days, I've already witnessed the effects that stress has on people. I'm writing to tell you beautiful people to take care of yourself.

via tumblr.com

Here are some tips to making school a little less stressful, your body a little more happy and our school year a lot more chill!

1. Make sure you are getting enough food, water and sleep. It's pretty much the basic way to start feeling better. Being tired and hungry at school is the worst.

*Eat a good breakfast that fills you up

*Bring a water bottle to school and USE IT

*Put your phone out of reach at night and sleep

2. Organize your work in a way that doesn't put too heavy a load on your shoulders all at once. 

*Take study breaks 

*Do your homework early and get it out of the way if you can

*Write your assignments and due dates down and check them off to make sure you finished

3. Have a creative outlet and a friend!

*Make sure you are doing things that you love, like reading, drawing, listening to/making music, playing a sport, making new friends. Have time in your week just for hobbies

*When you have problems, knowing someone is there for you all the time is such a stress reliever. Talk to someone and get a new angle on your situation. 

*Also do fun things with your friends! School doesn't last forever and it's a great time to make some memories. Just make sure you're in a good place school-wise

4. Find positive role models

*Don't hang out with the kind of people that continuously make your life suck, even if you think it makes you cool. It isn't worth it

* Having a mentor is super cool. They aren't perfect but they might be a little more experienced and kind of know what they are talking about

There is a lot of things that need to be balanced, and hard work and confidence are essential. If you need someone to talk to, feel send me an email and I'd love to listen and be there for you. 

Please make sure to get enough relaxation and make good choices. 

I want everyone to be healthy this school year, so share this post with a friend!

Love ♥Brenna, the girl without shame 

Best Trail Mix EVER

I, Brenna, love trail mix. I can eat it at night or in the day, for lunch or breakfast or elevensies. 

But one of my least favorite things is when I buy a bag and only like the m&ms and peanuts! That is wrong! So below I have made a list of things that should be in a trail mix. 

• banana chips
• almonds
• large sunflower seeds
• m&ms 
• cashews
• dried coconut chunks
• peanut butter & dark chocolate chips
• dried mango
• yogurt chips
• cheerios
• peanuts
• dried pumpkin seeds
• dried cherries/craisins (NOT RAISINS)
• goldfish
• pretzels

Via bloganataveres.com

Being able to balance crunchy, chewy, salty, sweet, sugary and protein-packed is an ART! So mix these carefully and maybe one day you can become a master mixer like myself. Also, be reckless in combining these finger foods and discover strangely creative flavor combinations. 

Most importantly, enjoy the trail you are traveling that accompanies your snack.

What is the most important ingredient in your trail mix?

How to Take a Compliment

I saw this teenager post on my Twitter feed the other day from @HuffPostTeen and I got really excited because this would make a great blog post! Obviously I googled 'how to respond to compliments' and I feel I have researched this subject thoroughly. Ok, not really, but I'm doing my best!

com·pli·ment

noun

ˈkämpləmənt/

1. 1.

   a polite expression of praise or admiration.

   "she paid me an enormous compliment"

   synonyms:

   flattering remark, tribute, accolade, commendation, bouquet, pat on the back; More

verb

ˈkämpləˌment/

1. 1.

   politely congratulate or praise (someone) for something.

   "he complimented Erica on her appearance"

Personally I get embarrassed when someone compliments me and I don't know what to say. I think a lot of kids these days have that problem too, and it all comes down to confidence. I have previously written a post called How to Be More Confident and you should probably read that too, if you are really serious about this.

Via happymonsters.tumbr.com

It really is pretty simple. You just have to have the courage/confidence to go through with these three "easy steps." 

1. SMILE
2. SAY THANK YOU
3. SINCERELY RETURN THE COMPLIMENT

Ok, the last one is really the hardest. But with a little practice, you'll be a pro! 

Here is my guide of how to return a compliment: If they compliment your appearance, make a nice comment about theirs! If they say something about your personality, say something about theirs! If they praise your actions, praise theirs right back!

But here is the important part. WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN SOMEONE COMMENDS YOU FOR SOMETHING.

Do not, I repeat, do not, deflect praise. It's not modest, it's a teensy bit rude, kind of like rejecting the person that gave it to you. For example, someone says to you "Wow, your writing piece was very impressive"

Yes: Thank you so much! I actually just finished reading your last post and it was amazing, especially the part blah blah blah 

No: Oh, no it was garbage, I suck at writing

A lot of people these days try to play down their work to be modest, but it makes the rest of us feel terrible. I know when I tell someone they did a good job, and they say they didn't even care about it, I feel like a talent-less wreck! Do you know what I mean? I tried really hard and they didn't, but they still did better!

This is especially a problem on social medias, because sometimes people post selfies to get praise, and then act like they are super ugly or something. It makes me a little upset! I just want to shake them by their shoulders and yell at them "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!!!!"

To fix my anger, I have decided to challenge myself by complimenting people way more than normal. Since I've been watching Parks and Recreation a lot, I have been catching on to Leslie Knope complimenting. 

If you want to do my challenge too, next time someone says something nice to you, be sincerely nice back to them. It shouldn't be that hard. You can do it!

Love, Bree♥

p.s. you are a wonderful tropical fish and thank you for looking at my blog

Travel-Photo Journal

Before I show you some of my pictures from last week, I want to say happy birthday to two old friends of mine, Maiya and Kasumi and one of my favorite aunts ;) I love you guys, hopefully we can visit soon
Anyway, here are the rest of my pictures from New Jersey last week. Enjoy

Cape May NJ

Benjamin Franklin House, Philedelphia

Menagerie Coffee, Philedelphia

Street corner in Philly

Really cute/historic room

Room where Decleration of Independance was signed

#brennaonbroadway

Yesterday I went to New York City! And it was wonderful! Since I grew up in mostly small towns and only visit Seattle or downtown Louisville every once in a while, so going to a huge city like this was a completely new experience.

Manhattan is so old, beautiful (a little smelly) and completely filled with history and music. 

I'm a big Broadway person, and the TONY AWARDS were happening. I walked by Radio City Music Hall during the big rehearsal, I didn't see anyone, but I was REALLY REALLY CLOSE to Kristen Chenoweth. There was one lady in a very fancy nude, rhinestone and black dress that looked very serious about being in New York. I wonder who she was. :)

Across from Radio City Music Hall

 I also walked past the Belasco Theatre, where I mentally met Darren Criss, who is currently starring in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. He was in Glee and pretty much wrote (and starred in) Harry Potter the Musical. 

DARREN CRISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I also sang at Carnegie Hall and saw The Lion King on Broadway ;)

Singing at Carnegie Hall

Look closely

We also visited St. Patrick's Cathedral, and it was beautiful. They were actually having Puerto Rican mass, which was completely in Spanish. I'd never been to mass before, but it was pretty cool. The building, though, was something else. Huge stained glass windows, sculptures and detailed stone walls. I bet the whole experience for a Catholic visiting the city is amazing. 

Front of St. Patricks

Stained glass in St. Patricks

Ceiling Detail in St. Patrick. 

At the end of the day, I saw the One World Trade Center, which is quite a pretty building, and seeing how smooshed together the places are, I was able to picture the 9/11 attack, and that day must have been one of the most terrifying thing anyone has ever had to experience, and America will never forget that. 

One World Trade Center

I also saw Lady Liberty from across the river, but it was too far away to get a good picture, so you'll just have to imagine it. ;) This was an amazing experience and I am really hoping to visit again in the not too distant future, but no promises. 

I hope everyone is starting off summer with fun memories and lots of sleep! 

Have you ever been anywhere really special to you?

Love, 

Brenna

Blue Ice Cream//It's A Fine Fine Life!

It's another week of linking up with Allie at Reckless! It's a fine, fine life!

Last Friday, I went on a trip with the Beta Club at my school to King's Island in Ohio. I'd never been there before and I haven't gone on a big roller coaster before...
I'm scared of heights...and I don't trust the machinery. So that was fun! I rode a grand total of 4 rides.
Only one of those was a roller coaster. In "Planet Snoopy". The kids place. I liked it :) It wasn't ridiculously high, didn't look like a death trap, so I figured, why not? I rode it twice and each run lasted about 30 seconds so it wasn't too shabby.
I ate their famous blueberry ice cream, which didn't taste much like blueberries, but was still pretty good. I also experienced Dippin' Dots for the first time!
It was a fantastic day, and even though I didn't go on any real roller coasters, I have no regrets

Acting Help Wanted...pls

Hi it's me Brenna which you probably guessed and I really like performing arts!

Something you might not know about me is that I'm going on my 3rd year of school choir (with a different director each year) and this year's teacher has showed me the wonder of Broadway! So we went and saw Newsies and it was super inspiring! So now I'm taking a theater class in school and pretty soon I'm due to perform a monologue from Diary of Anne Frank. 

And perhaps audition for Aladdin Jr. at the local high school. I know acting isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you have any tips, please tell! 

 And while we're on the subject, let's talk about the best musicals out there! 

ANNIE

SOUND OF MUSIC

NEWSIES

HAIRSPRAY

QoTD: What are your favorites?

IF YOU'RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT CLAP YOUR HANDS

Sooo so sorry I haven't been able to blog anything in a while, but I just got so busy with trying to learn guitar and watching Bob's Burgers ( I know, I'm pathetic) that I haven't had much to talk about! 

I decided I needed to sit down and write something for you anyway.

Here is a collection of some great songs! They aren't really for any purpose other than they make me happy. 

•  How He Loves is a Christian song about how much God loves us, and I really enjoy the rhythm and flow and the description of His perfect grace

• Budapest by George Ezra it's a love song and if this guy didn't have such a deep voice, I wouldn't love it as much as I do. But it is very sweet

• Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran another cute love song. I've never listened to Sheeran before but it's a great song!

• A Whole New World by ALADDIN AND JASMINE aggh I just can't stand how much I like Disney. It's a bit dangerous

• True to Your Heart by Stevie Wonder The singer's confidence in this song comes across as cockiness to me but it's just so catchy and dance able I can't help it

• Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson I really admire the message in this one, plus it's Jackson, so who can't like it! 

• Let Me Fly arranged by Rollo Dilworth is a song we're doing in choir for competition next month. It's about wanting to go to heaven like Elijah did in the chariot. I love the jazz/soul swing!

• King of New York from NEWSIES!!!!!!!! That beautiful musical that I saw last year. Oh man. This is my favorite song out of all of them. 

• So This is Love by Cinderella and that Prince Charming of hers~when they realize they've found true love. It cheers me up about 500000000% percent

• How to Save a Life by the Fray It really hits home to me, because I've talked to lots of friends about this and I don't want them hurt

• Rolling in the Deep by Adele I'm not really sure why I like this. I think this goes in the same bin as George Ezra, I just love her voice!

• Lean on Me by Bill Withers Just brings back so many memories of my old choir in Washington
• When I was Your Man by Bruno Mars regret/break up song very sweet, again, choir memories! Miss you Ms. Flemister!

• Hey there Delilah by Plain White T's? I don't know who originally sang it, but it's this guy singing to his girl, and it's kind of the perspective of they are so foolishly in love and they don't know it because they love each other so much. Plus long distance relationship.

• Tomorrow from Annie I really really love musicals...Annie is one of my favorites :D

• Bird and the Worm by Owl City This is literally the adorablest love song I have ever heard in my whole life. 

Ok I am a music lover and I could keep going for hours, so perhaps a part 2 is in your midst! 

QotD: How would you explain your taste in music? Comment below!!!

Have a great rest of your week, lovely readers, and thanks for sticking around!

#reunitation

I'm home! The Olsons safely flew here to Washington yesterday :D

Last night my little sisters went to friend's houses, I went to Julia's and LC3 youth group!

I miss Lakewood/Parkland/Tacoma so much and I just got here! 

To be honest, it felt like I had never left, or I went back in time. Like I just got home from school or something. It's great here.  I find it kind of scary how much growing up somewhere can change your perspective on other places. This place hasn't changed at all, and it's very comforting to me.

Tell the World I'm Coming Home!

Tomorrow morning I catch a 6:50 AM flight back to Washington State with my family and I CAN'T WAIT! I have spent way too much time apart from some of the most important people in my life and I cannot stand not seeing them any longer! 

From church to school to home, so many people have influenced me and made me into the Brenna that moved to Kentucky six months ago, and I am uber excited to show them who I am now. I LOVE YOU PEOPLES

On the other hand though, leaving my friends even for just a week will be pretty hard too, but I see them almost every day ;) I love how they have supported me and been here for me and put up with all my complaining about moving and being a missionary kid, and how I just kept talking and talking about going home. You guys, I'm so sorry, and thank you. 

I'm including some T-Town SWAG so you see a little bit of my home town just in case you've never been there. 

Be on the lookout for new posts of pictures I'll be taking when I get home, and otherwise documenting my trip. :)

IF YOU ARE MY FRIEND IN WASHINGTON I WILL BE HERE ON WEDNESDAY

AND

HERE ON FRIDAY AT 2:30ish

QotD: Have you ever flown anywhere cool? How did you feel when you got back home?