To-TEA-ly Bri

Being a Military Brat, I am used to traveling to new places and having to adjust to new people. But this move to Oxford, Mississippi was not easy for me. After 5 years of living in New Orleans, it had definitely become my home. All of my friends were there, my alma mater, everything. I was used to not visiting my family much in Nashville, but it was always a nice getaway when I did. And although I'm a lot closer to the people I care about, homesickness has definitely hit me hard. Recognizing the Signs Understanding how I was feeling was probably the hardest part of this transition. I have been to Nashville a few times now since I have moved to Oxford. And every time I came back for school, I missed home more and more. Ole Miss is VASTLY different than my close-knit HBCU, Xavier. There's not a lot of people that look like me in my field of study like there was at Xavier. Which is definitely the biggest thing I need to get adjusted to. Moving to a new place by myself was al

Battling homesickness has been a challenge for me! But one thing has not changed: my love of tea! Today I would like to feature a tea that makes me feel the most at home, no matter where I am! Tranquil Dreams Loose-Leaf Tea from Teavana Chamomile Tea More recently, I have been loving the Tranquil Dreams loose-leaf tea blend from Teavana. This is a tea made with Egyptian chamomile, lemongrass, hibiscus, orange petals, and mint. It is such a relaxing tea and is the perfect way to get a sip of home. I love to drink this hot with a teaspoon of local honey and some lemon juice. It is so refreshing.  This herbal tea blend is perfect for anytime of the day because it does not contain any caffein. The citrus is great to kick-start your metabolism in the morning and the chamomile soothes in the evening to help you get to sleep. I highly recommend this tea for anyone, especially those that are new to loose-leaf teas. Because it is an herbal blend, you won't burn the leaves and

Hey everyone! Life has been so crazy! Since my last post, I have moved from New Orleans to Oxford, Mississippi (which has been a HUGE adjustment in itself) and also started graduate school. I've had to deal with somewhat of a culture shock during my transition here, and a terrible bout of homesickness. Nonetheless, school eventually started and I had to kick everything into super high gear and get my life together. This post takes you through my experience during my first week of graduate school. My first "real" week of graduate school was actually the 2nd week of August. During that time, I took care of the boring things. I had to fill out paperwork for Human Resources, get parking passes, go through an obnoxiously long safety training for my laboratory, get transcripts, register for classes, all of that.  During that week I also took a series of preliminary exams which allowed my advisor to see where I was academically and place me in the appropriate classes. So I&#

Hello everyone! If you are following my Instagram page (@12bre45), then you probably saw that I recently announced that I would be attending the University of Mississippi this Fall. This is such an amazing opportunity for me and definitely did not come easily. So in this post, I wanted to take some time to explain the process I went through to finally be Ole Miss Bound . *Also, before reading this post, it would be helpful if you have already read my post Choosing Biochemistry . On to Plan B As I have mentioned before, I changed my major very late in the college game. But in doing so, I had discovered something that I was truly passionate about. Although I had finally taken all of these biochemistry classes and had a lot of research under my belt, I still did not feel prepared for graduate school. Graduate school applications are usually due sometime during the fall semester when you're applying for the next fall semester. This is when sooooo many things finally occur

Tazo Iced Passion Tea Passion tea has been my favorite tea this summer! Passion tea is a beautiful blend of hibiscus blossoms, passion fruit, lemongrass, orange peels, cinnamon, rose hips, and a hint of chamomile. Hard to imagine what these flavors would taste like? Imagine a refreshing herbal punch! Because this is an herbal tea blend, it is caffeine-free. So feel free to enjoy this drink all day and all night long! Recently, I have been making this tea at home using Tazo tea bags. Tazo makes them in Iced Pitcher sized bags, or regular cup sized bags. Because of my slight obsession with tea, I of course chose the pitcher sized bags. I have also been making mine with lemonade. To make this, I simply throw my tea bag into the bottom of the pitcher, add a bit of Country Time's Pink Lemonade Instant powder, than add my boiling water. No additional sweetener is needed (but you can add some if you need it). After I mix all the contents and the tea has steeped for at least 10 m

Life Update! :) I have been on a sort of hiatus from my blog for the last week and a half. While gone, I have been traveling, studying, spending time with friends and family, and getting my life together for my upcoming move. If you follow me on Instagram (@12bre45) you have probably seen some of the photos I snapped throughout my adventures.  The first major thing I did, was take a trip to Oxford, Mississippi! This is where I finally made my announcement about my acceptance to the Ole Miss Biochemistry Ph.D program! I am so excited to be starting here in the fall. There will be an entire post coming soon about my trip to Oxford and the process it took for me to be accepted into this program. Once settled into my new home, I will have a post about my entire moving experience. I also want to share with you all my thoughts on going to an HBCU for my undergraduate studies and then transitioning into a PWI for graduate school. This last post will also feature a very special comp

Every girl has their top make-up products that they just CAN NOT live without! These products are what I call Holy Grail Products! My Holy Grail Products along with a full review of each are listed below. Enjoy!! My Holy Grail Make-Up Products Anastasia Dip-Brow Pomade If there's a product that I don't leave my house without putting on, it is this one!! This pomade is perfect for filing in your eyebrows quickly and easily. A little goes a long way for this product. I apply this using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Angled Brush and Spooly double-sided brush. This makes taking this product to go very simple. Mac Pro-Longwear Waterproof Foundation I didn't like wearing foundation until I started wearing this one! This foundation is a light to medium coverage product and is quite buildable. I have combination skin (dry around my nose and mouth, and oily in my T-Zone) and this product works wonders in all areas of my face, providing moisture, and giving my ski

I get asked all the time: What was it like being an athlete while in college? For those of you that don't know, I ran both Cross Country and Track during my four years at Xavier University of Louisiana. Running in college taught me some of the most valuable lessons I could have learned throughout my entire college career. Even if you're not a student-athlete, the things that I learned are great tips to help make your college experience a success. My Experiences As A Student-Athlete I came to Xavier on a full academic scholarship with a partial athletic scholarship to run Cross Country. This meant that I was of course required to keep my grades up (above a 3.3) and also dedicate my time to competing for my school. Starting my freshman year, my schedule looked a lot like the following: 5:00 - 7:30 am - Morning Practice 8:00 - 3:00 Classes/ Lunch 4:30-7:00 - Strength Training or some other practice 7:00-8:00 - Dinner 9:00 - until - Homework/Study Throw quizz

As some of you may know, I am a total Lipstick Junkie ! I pretty much wear some sort of lipstick every single day. For me, my lipstick serves as a bold addition to my outfit. And the summer is the perfect time to play with bright or daring colors! Below are my Top 5 Lipsticks for Summer 2016 ! Top- Bottom: In The Spirit, Stone, Intoxica, Rebel, Heroine Heroine This lippie is a bright purple matte shade from Mac Cosmetics. This color is perfect for all occasions for a fun and sassy look. This color has a great formula that allows the product to glide on easily and stay put for the entire day. Rebel This color is the perfect deep berry for a more natural every day look. This is a Satin finish lipstick from Mac Cosmetics. It is easy to pair this with either neutral make-up looks or dramatic night-time looks. This shade looks great on a wide range of skin tones, giving more dimension to your natural lip color. Intoxica This fuchsia pink shade is a fun pop of color to ad

Tea Time Tea is my all time favorite drink! There are so many different flavors and types for all sorts of health and dietary needs. This section of my blog will showcase my favorite teas and why I enjoy them! Earl Grey Earl Grey Tea is a black tea with a slight citrus flavor. This tea is packed with caffeine (55-90 mg per cup) which makes it a great alternative for a morning coffee, while still allowing you to get a head-start on your daily water intake. This tea is named after Earl Charles Grey, who was the prime minister of England from 1830 to 1834. There are many stories that attempt to explain why Earl Charles Grey was given the honor of having a tea named after him, but none seem to agree with each other. Whatever the story behind the name, no one can deny the bold flavor this tea delivers. I enjoy this tea several different ways. The brand I use is Bigelow and is pictured below. Traditionally, tea is steeped in hot water. However, I especially like this tea steeped in

As a child, you are constantly asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I always knew I wanted to do something science-related, but I never imagined that I would be pursuing Biochemistry. In the movies, you always see eager college freshmen moving onto campus with their perfect major picked out, with their entire life planned out down to the age that they plan to retire. This picture-perfect scenario was the total opposite of how I came to college and discovered my true passion. I began my studies at Xavier University of Louisiana in the summer of 2012. This was directly following my graduation from high school in Tennessee. I had never even been to Louisiana a day in my life. I knew from my experiences in high school that I loved chemistry and I also very much enjoyed my biology classes. However, I didn't know that I could combine the two and get the best major ever created! I started at Xavier as a Chemistry and Math double major. I realized very quickly that

Hello! Welcome to To-TEA-ly Bri! My name is Bri and I am 21 years old. I am a recent graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana, completing my bachelors degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Biology. My journey through higher education has led me to a Ph.D. program at the University of Mississippi, where I plan to obtain my doctorate degree in Biochemistry. However, I am not ONLY a student! I am an avid tea drinker, fashion enthusiast and an adventure-seeker. I created this blog to serve as a space that displays all of my passions. I hope that you will take this journey through life with me as I record the steps I take toward my Ph.D., my favorite teas, and stories of my adventures.