New Year’s Eve, many moons ago, I spent the end of the evening hugging the toilet at my parents’ house. I recall my mother saying, in that all-too-knowing tone, “See Blair, alcohol is poison.”

“Thanks, Mom. Blahhhhh!”

At that moment, while I agreed completely, I still felt like telling her to shut up. I needed her back there holding my hair, not scolding me for drinking “poison.”

Never would I have imagined – in my wildest dreams! – later reading articles boasting, “Alcohol is Good for You!”

But here we are in 2009 and it’s been proven that wine, and now beer and liquor, provide certain benefits to the body. Read More »

Looks like someone lip syncs worse than Brit Brit.

Congrats, Miss Venezuela!

You want Edward Cullen to watch you sleep?

Turn those boring shoes into killer heels.

Cameron Diaz and Keanu Reeves?!

When will people learn?

Every week I write a weekly top ten list (what up, Letterman?) about the hard hitting issues. The tough. The real deal. You know, like stupid celebrities and things that piss me off on Facebook. But this week I want to take things to another level.

For the past four weeks I have stopped drinking. Like, completely. I know – scary. Especially for a girl like me who loves to pair a drink with every time of the day. 9:30 AM? Bloody Mary. 11:45 AM? Margarita. 12:00 PM? Vodka Cran. 1:30 PM? Harpoon Summer Ale. 6:00 PM? Dirty Martini. Make that porn star dirty. You get the picture. I am definitely no lightweight.

But, several weeks ago after a rough night at an infamous Times Square watering home, which may or may not have involved shots of tequila…that I drank while dancing on the bar… I decided to slam on the brakes until my birthday (September 28th. Feel free to send presents), which totals over two months of stone cold sobriety.

This decision has sparked a lot of controversy, but I’ve remained strong and haven’t slipped up once. When I commit, I commit all the way. I still go out to the bar at least twice a week and, yes, still have a phenomenal time. This month has made me realize one very important thing that not many college students realize:

Sobriety is nice.
And here are a few (well, 10) of the things I love: Read More »

Every week, CC and John bring you some of the weirdest, funniest, saddest things he hears on his college campus. Join the Overheard revolution!Leave your own overheard convos in the comments or send ‘em over!

(Guy and a girl, talking at the grocery store.)

Guy: Did you put “gross sh*t and lipids” on the list?

Girl: Yeah, I figured we needed some.

(Girl, on the phone.)

Girl: Well, what am I supposed to say? “Sorry, dad, I filled the car with zinfandel and used it as a swimming pool?”

(Two guys, standing next to the radio at a party.)

Guy: Wait, isn’t Miley Cyrus that pedophile? Read More »

Why waste four years of an awesome social scene biting your fingernails over academic probation?  In between juggling friends, lecture notes, beer, exams, and boys, watch out for these GPA pitfalls:

1) The Internet: Essential to keeping up with friends from home (and that kid you haven’t seen since  pre-kindergarden), essential to keeping up with world news (gawker.com, anyone?), and very, very excellent at wasting your time (during class, during your chem final cramming session, at four am in the morning when you just have to broadcast your insomnia on Twitter…).  Leave your laptop in your dorm room when you attend lectures if you want to save your grades. If you must bring it to take notes, turn off the wireless.  And if you really don’t trust yourself, install a self-control application to help set a daily time limit on time-wasting websites.

2) Ass-crack of dawn classes. Try as you might to schedule classes around your personal body rhythms (the preferred way to avoid this), there comes a time in every girl’s college career when she realizes that the only available section of a mandatory course meets early in the morning.  Combat the potential damage to your batting average by buying a new alarm clock, an extra cup of coffee, rewarding yourself for waking up with five minutes on your favorite blog before you dash off to class, or finding a classmate on your hallway to share in your pain….and notes, if one of you ever oversleeps.

3) Ovulation. For all intents and purposes: that time of the month when you really need to get some.  Do not go out to a bar and accept drinks from a cute stranger/stick your tongue down his throat if it’s Tuesday night you know you should be working on the key slides for your history power-point presentation.  Save your grades, buy a vibrator. You’ll also cut out the make-up application time, the cab fare, the hangover, and the heartbreak. Read More »

[We go to bars. We meet cute boys. We make ill advised decisions. We move on.

Sure, that’s a bit of an oversimplification. It leaves out the emotional repercussions that I know all too well. But, so far as actions go, it’s a pretty accurate description of my pattern.]

We finally settled on a bar. Two girls, and a boy interested in one of them swigged Corona Lights. I sipped on a vodka and Diet Coke. Now, I wonder if my beverage of choice was more recognizable than my face. I lose weight. I gain weight. I change eye shadows and get tan. The vodka diet never changes.

I saw a guy across the bar and smiled at him. He smiled back. I smiled again, this time pleased that he had returned my expression of interest. He whispered to his friend, and began to approach. My heart skipped a beat.

“Hi. Are you Ava?” Read More »

I have a confession to make: I’m a little bit of a cupcake ho. How can you resist those cute, mini cakes? A portable slice of heaven? The perfect frosting to cake ratio? Recipes that make a dozen so you don’t have to stop after one?

How could you not fall truly, madly, deeply in love?

Unfortunately, being that I’ve been around the cupcake block a few times, I’ve become a bit of a cupcake snob and find myself snubbing the dry and uncreative store-bought variety.

Lucky for me (and you!), I found a simple and yummy cupcake recipe via Appoggiatura. Read More »

Post courtesy of StyleBakery.com. These ladies know their fashion, so check em out.

When you’re in a rush to get to school or work, looking perfect isn’t always your top priority. But halfway through the day, you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and wish you’d tamed those flyaways and put on a little lip gloss. Fortunately, we’ve found some amazing miniature beauty products that you can carry with you when you’re on the go – just stash them in your bag, locker or car! Read More »

If you’re an incoming college freshman relying on your parents to guide you through the biggest transition of your life, you are gonna be effed. What do parents know about college?

I’ll tell you: nothing.

Who should you turn to?
The guy working at Bed Bath and Beyond?
Some old dude who puts out a college survival guidebook?

Pshhhh. What do old people know?

How about us?
You’re already here, so you obviously love us (and how could you not?!). Now it’s time to trust us and the wisdom we can impart.

We know college, because we’re in it. Right now. We know what you need to pack (costumes! Trust us!), what you need to avoid (hooking up with a prof, fo realz) and what you need to do to survive that grueling first week of college classes.

You want to know what we know? Just visit our back-to-school guide. It’s chock full of all the information you will need to go from scared pre-frosh to sexy, confident and all-knowing Queen of your campus. Yeah, we got your back. Now get out there and show that new campus who’s boss!

Sometimes all those layers can get a little stuffy… especially during summer. But you don’t have to skip out on that draped and layered look when you’ve got a vest to hang on your shoulders. Add a hip piece that won’t keep you sweltering with a long vest that wraps your shoulders like a scarf.

Paired with summer staples like shorts and tank tops, it’s a cute and comfortable alternative to your fitted button-up vests, but the look of a sleeveless cardigan sweater makes this vest a more casual layer. Some drape over like a curtain, lending a richer and more delicate style. These accessories will prove even more valuable on a chilly night, as well as into the fall season when you actually will need something to shelter your shoulders.

Check out the long vests in this Stylehive slideshow and treat your trendy self to an edgy, layered look!