Are you planning on sending a romantic text or picture message this Valentine’s Day? According to a recent AT&T survey 36% of texters are. 40% of those people plan on sending 5 or more (hopefully they are sending to friends and don’t have 5 or more lovers). 48% of texters say getting a V-Day text is about the same as getting a V-Day card.

Looks like Valentine’s Day in the 21st century looks a lot different than it used to. Whereas candy and cards used to be the only way to go, now we can email, IM, video chat, or text the people we love. But even with all those new avenues of communication, what you say and how you say it are still very important.

Since so many people will be sending texts this V-Day, you are going to need 2 things to get by:

1. An understanding of appropriate textiquette.

2. A phone that makes sending and receiving texts a whole lot easier.

Well, lookie here; we got em both for ya.

CollegeCandy teamed up with AT&T again to give one lucky reader a brand new Samsung Propel. This phone is pretty sweet, if we must say so ourselves. It is small and handy, but slides open to reveal a full keyboard! No more T-9 mishaps for you! Read More »

You don’t have to have a Valentine to celebrate on February 14th. The holiday is all about love, be that the love for a family member, a friend, or chocolate lava cake. It is a day to stop, think, and really honor the things and people in our life that we love. Yes, it is mostly celebrated by disgustingly cute and happy and perfect couples, but the rest of us can get a little love too.

This week, in honor of the day of lovin’, we asked our writers what they are just loooovin’ right now.  Me? I’m head over heels for Chelsea Handler, Thai carry-out and 2 Buck Chuck.

Sigh.

Gemma – NYU: I am love love loving on all the awesome tights from American Apparel!! I am SO sick of bundling up all the time, and with them I get to wear my dresses in the cold, and I can’t get enough!  Also, still lovin on Obama. And not necessarily in that order.

Coco: I love the warm weather streak in the middle of winter.

K – GWU: I hate global warming, but I love wearing flip flops in the North East in February…and having a reason to get a pedicure prematurely.

Lauren – University of Michigan: Fiber 1 Toaster Pastries. They are like healthy Pop-Tarts!

Ashley Elizabeth – CU Boulder: Kissing in the rain. Read More »

Unfortunately, not the same happy ending we saw on the Hudson.

It’s an Idol party!

People wonder about Rihanna’s eye patch.

How about some special cupcakes to celebrate Friday the 13th?

10 tips for beauty on a budget.

Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant? Is she ever single?

Who will get the Olympics in 2016?

Making important changes on campus.

Bra-art for breast cancer.

If I were a bro.

Oh no. K-Fed is back in the recording studio. Maybe he should do a duet with Heidi? That has “Grammy” written all over it.

Girl selling virginity wants to help the world.

Designer duds – for fashionistas around the world, they are a must-have. But with the economy in the crapper and most of us on a college student or recent graduate budget, finding the cash flow for those lovely labels is a lot harder than drooling over them. However, it is possible to find designer apparel and accessories at very discounted prices without having to elbow some other fashionista in the aisle at TJ Maxx, Loehmann’s or Filene’s Basement.

Just hit the internet.

While the prices are oftentimes still much higher than those pieces you love grabbing at Target, Old Navy, Forever 21 or H&M, many of these items are much higher in quality and can be wardrobe staples for many years to come.

I am personally obsessed with designer denim, shoes and handbags. I don’t have the salary to allow me to buy whatever I want at their normal price and I don’t own a credit card (for good reason – it would’ve been maxed out ages ago), so I have to look for deals. Enter my saviors for retail therapy on a budget:

Overstock.com: This site is a gem! You may not always find exactly what you want, but you can find some great stuff here at even better prices. I got my bf 2 sweaters and a button down shirt that were each originally $75/piece, for $15 each! You can also find great home goods here for awesomely affordable prices.

Bluefly: While things here are oftentimes still pretty pricey, they do give a good percentage off, and I check here often because when they have sales, you can find phenomenal deals. Read More »

Even though I vowed to keep my vajayjay away from my good friend / potential lover, the holidays and spending four weeks cooped in my parents’ house with my Mom blasting Fleetwood Mac at ungodly hours left me few options. So, when the boy called and asked if he could host my vacation to the city (Oh Columbus, how I love thee!), I accepted. I packed a pair of black high heels, a toothbrush and a bottle of red wine and I was ready for my own little holiday fling.

There were a few things, however, I forgot to consider. For one, I’ve known this guy, like, forever. I know every girl he’s ever dated (and all the not-so-awesome deets about each breakup), his favorite foods at each of our fave places to eat, hell – I even know the names of the majority of his extended family. This means that he, too, knows almost as much about me. Although this does mean we get to skip the whole awkward (but sometimes exciting) getting-to-know-you stage, and jump right into the much more exciting getting-to-know-your-favorite-sex-position stage, this breadth of knowledge about each other did create it’s own awkward situations.

Basically, the filter that you normally have with new lovers when you’re trying to both impress them and butter them up was completely removed.

So, with help from my good friend/holiday hookup and other boyfriends past, I present to you my list of the top five things you never want to hear from your (new) lover. Read More »

I decided that this V-day, I’m going to try something new. Well, two new things, actually.

1. I’m going to spend it single.

2. I’m going to ENJOY it.

I’m going to spend my day imagining how absolutely fantastic and amazing it will be when I finally do find someone to love. Or at least someone I can stand for more than two consecutive months.

So, in keeping with this, I decided to make a playlist with all my favorite love songs (however offbeat and/or cheesy they may be). I’m not gonna spend my Thursday-before-V-Day getting wasted and depressed about all the lovey-dovey bullsh*t I’m going to have to put up with from my friends and their boyfriends the whole weekend. Nope, not me.

Instead, I’m going to sip red wine with my other single lady friends and attempt to manifest my perfect man…who will hopefully come strutting into my life sometime between tonight and Saturday morning.

Enjoy all the sappy goodness here!

So, the world is awash in a sea of red and pink. There are hearts, roses, and tiny angels with bow & arrows everywhere. Sigh. Love.

If you’re like me then this time of year can be pretty lame. And SAD (that would be Singles Awareness Day). So instead of pining over the great romantic love that you’re not having, do what I’m doing and practice some self love. Spoil yourself!

Here’s my techie grab bag:

Something I Can Use: Although not exciting, if I give myself a gift, I want it to be something I can use. A day at the spa (or, more accurately on my budget, a spa-in-a-box) would be nice, but a new umbrella would be better. It’s cute and shiny. And blocks the rain. And it will make it oh-so-much easier for that perfect man to see me on that gray and dreary day.

Something That Sparkles: I like jewelry. And I’m a geek. Did you know there was a whole section of Etsy dedicated to the combination of those two things? That’s right, geek jewelry. I can’t actually decide what I want because it’s all so full of win. And since it’s Etsy it’s pretty much proven to be unique. Read More »

In this week’s In Touch magazine, a “friend” of John Mayer explains that the reason he is often so distant and, well, douchey, with his girlfriends is because he had his heart stomped on at 16. He was madly in love, something went wrong, and he promised never to have his heart broken again.

Awwww.

I bet that made you melt, right? I mean, it’s adorable and endearing that heartthrob John Mayer had his widdle heart bwoken! And it finally explains everything from Jessica Simpson to Jennifer Aniston and all those girls in between! It all makes sense. You are totes on Team Mayer now, aren’t ya?

Well not me. Read More »

[There are some women out there that we just can't get out of our minds. No, we aren't switching teams - yet - but we do have some serious crushes on some pretty fierce females. These ladies are all special in their own right and we aren't ashamed to tell the world we love them.]

I’m not afraid to admit I’ve always had a crush on Jennifer Aniston. I can remember back in the day when Friends still ruled TV, I watched an interview with Jen and gal pal Courteney Cox Arquette and immediately found myself crushing. Over the years, my crush has lasted, long after the show ended.

I’m still not over that.

Aniston’s a Style Icon and always look good (even practically naked!). And, hello, she’s freaking 40. Even though she may not be the most adventurous when it comes to fashion, she dresses well for her body, and always looks classy. Plus, this girl knows how to rock a suit!

As well as being super gorgeous, she’s also really down to earth, funny, and has a contagious laugh. If you’ve ever seen her interviewed, it’s hard not to love the girl.

We all know Jennifer for her role as Rachel on Friends, and for “The Rachel,” the popular hairstyle of the 90s, but that was only the start to her uber successful career. The woman is seriously versatile. She’s played a loveable wife and mom in Marley & Me, an angry woman in The Break-Up, and got pretty serious for her role in Derailed. And let’s not forget her most recent role in the movie to avoid this Valentine’s Day — He’s Just Not That Into You. Read More »

Students spend so much time visiting colleges across the nation trying to find the place that best fits them. Even after the decision is made, the deposit is paid, and the room is festooned with posters after moving in at the beginning of freshman year, a mistake can still be made.

I made a mistake with where I chose to attend college. I take full accountability in admitting that I should not be where I am today, but here I am in my pink palace of a dorm room, hoping that some cosmic force stronger than my own folly has kept me here. Although my series usually focuses on the negative experiences at my university, in hopes to help others from making the same mistake as me (which actually doesn’t mean anyone should change their mind about coming to Hollins, it means anything that has happened to me here can happen at any college across the globe), I have decided in lieu of Valentine’s Day, I would share what I love about my college experience in the last two and a half years.

Academics: This is what college is all about, and in my opinion, it is learning what you want to learn (which is something I have experienced here more than not). When looking at other colleges across the nation to transfer to, I couldn’t find courses that enthralled me the way the course catalogue on my shelf does. Just like any college, I have taken a few dud classes (some have been general requirements, but that is expected), but for the most part, I have nothing to say besides exceptional reviews of all my classes. And what more can I ask for since I am here to get my degree? Anyone who is looking to transfer from their college seriously needs to consider the transition of academic life from school to school, because, at the end of the day, you are here (and you are paying mucho bucks!) to discover what is out there in the word of academia. Read More »