After just a few weeks, this summer has proven to be one of the most memorable yet. I’m about to be a senior in college, I’m living in New York City, my job is actually paying me (I know, I can’t believe it either), and I get to write articles for sites I absolutely love. On top of it all, I’m living with my best friend from school.

Thing is, she is driving me kinda nuts.

Like any other college student, I have had the whole we’re-so-cramped-in-here-I’m-suffocating dorm experience. In fact, my current roommate at school is the same one I was randomly assigned freshman year. Our friendship went hand in hand with our compatibility as roomies (for one, we both appreciate a good dance sesh in our pajamas to such fine musical artists as Spice Girls and Hanson).

As for me and my summer roommate, friendship came first. I’m talking best friends, tell each other everything, can’t imagine how we survived before that fateful day we met three years ago friendship. But there are some things about a person that you don’t really learn until the two of you are sharing a poorly air-conditioned Manhattan studio apartment. Read More »

When it comes to beauty, if you’re gonna splurge you better make sure it’s worth it. Like these luxe eyeliners, for instance.  They are a step (or five) up from drugstore brands, but guarantee that elusive Wow! factor.  Or why not go for an all out luxury binge?  Chanel’s fall beauty collection is beyond amazing – just check out that nail polish!

For equally fabulous nails on a real-girl budget, look no further than Essie’s new line, inspired by Morticia Addams.  The creatively named colors- Bone Chilling White, Blood Curdling Red, and Midnight Tango- will make your friends green with envy.  Also, the ever-budget-friendly MAC has teamed up with Disney to create Venomous Villains, their newest assortment of gotta-have it makeup.  Starting at $12, these cute compacts are irresistible.

And when you’re ready to end your day in comfort, look no further than compact and foldable footwear that can fit in the tiniest of handbags.  Who says comfy can’t be glamorous?

[Everyone’s got a morning after story (though some are way more disturbing than others) and we wanna hear yours! Send it over to us and we’ll post it – anonymously, of course – right here!]

While you’re busy busting out A+’s and making new friends in college, it’s always really nice to go home for a weekend. And that is especially true during your freshman year when home friends routinely have elaborate parties where people drunkenly reunite.  It’s great really; chugging a few fuzzy navels with your best high school buddies, reminiscing about all of the TOTES COOL theme parties you’ve encountered on frat row so far, and all of the (Oh Em Gee) hot dudes you’ve met.

My particular high-school-post-first-month-of-college party came in late September my freshman year.  My entire high school class was there (literally all 170 of us), and we finally had enough over 21 contacts to scrounge up all of the alcohol we could ask for. We even had tents set up for drunken hook-ups sleeping.  Now, in order to follow the story, I have to set a prominent scene for you. The location of the party was any college kid’s dream: it was a giant hill in someone’s backyard that opened up to a serene lake with a small mud wrestling pit, a sauna, a hot tub and a huge dock.

It was heaven and everyone was so excited to be there with all of our friends that the drinking became excessive. Read More »

As we approach the end of July, the muggiest days of summer are upon us, which for many means it’s simply too hot to cook.  But before you reach for your pint of Ben and Jerry’s for a meal replacement (dairy has protein, right?), Intro to Cooking is here to remind you that there ARE oven-free recipes for a balanced meal. This week, I’ve got three favorites to tempt your taste buds (and keep those stove tops stone cold).

The Chocolate Cherry Bomb Shake

Created by Kristen of Kristen’s Raw, this vegan delight is PACKED with 35 grams of protein! Sayonara, steak; this shake takes the cake!

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 banana, chopped
1 cup frozen cherries
1/4 cup hemp protein powder
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
2 tablespoons raw chocolate powder
splash vanilla extract

Instructions
Simply add all ingredients to a blender and blend till smooth! Read More »

Some women have been blessed with the cooking, cleaning, and child-rearing skills any ’50s housewife would be jealous of. You know the type – they go to their friends’ houses bearing baked goods, they know how to get that tricky stain out of delicate material, they’re just all-around nurturers.

I, on the other hand, find myself lacking in every aspect of domestic maturity. I dread doing laundry, I get extra excited on the rare occasion that my pasta comes off the stovetop instead of out of the microwave, and I gotta be honest, kids kind of piss me off.

For a long time, I’ve embraced this about myself. I was convinced I could just get by on take-out and who really needs children anyway? But as I approach my senior year of college, it’s beginning to hit me just how close I am to living life in the real world. In a very short while, it’ll be frowned upon to live like I do – laundry piling up, cabinets stocked with Easy Mac, dishes (read: shot glasses) sitting in the sink.

If this is truly some sort of natural instinct in women, when will it kick in for me? And why hasn’t it already?

After a lot of thought, I think I know what’s holding me back. It’s not that I just suck at these household duties – I am so afraid of what it actually means to perform them: growing up. Read More »

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. This month we're following Christie on her quest to stop gossiping. The first few days were rough. The 2nd week was full of excuses. Let's see how she's holding up sans gossip now.]

This week had both its highs and its lows. This past Saturday I decided at midnight to pack up and leave the next morning at 8 am for a 6 hour road trip to visit not only my boyfriend but my best friend, who lives in the same town as his co-op. I haven’t seen my boyfriend in six weeks, and I haven’t seen my best friend from college in about two months so I was looking forward to really catching up on all the things I had missed.

There was only one problem: I can’t gossip.

Too bad that slipped my mind as soon as my best friend asked about certain things I had vaguely mentioned on Facebook or in texts, promising to tell her about later. And I got so excited about being with her that I told her all about the drama in my life…and all the people involved in it… before I remembered my monthly challenge. Then I felt really, really guilty. The next day I kept things positive, and tried to catch myself before saying anything remotely close to gossip. For the most part, I succeeded – well, except for one time – and I’m really proud that I could stop gossiping with my best friend, especially one I haven’t seen in two months.

Best friends are the hardest not to gossip with, and so are boyfriends. For the most part they are the ones I usually vent to or tell the juiciest gossip I know. Face to face with them, I wanted to fall into that comfort zone, but I realized this week that without gossip there is so much more you can talk about. Read More »

An English house cat has taken to breaking into neighbor’s homes and stealing children’s underwear.  Michelle Duggar better keep that cat out of her hamper if she wants to hang onto her Mother of the Year Award.  Yeah, apparently some people think having nineteen kids is something to which we should all aspire. (I, however, can’t help but think about what her lady parts look like now….) Just make sure your hubby wants to stick around and change all those diapers.  Scientists released a new test that can predict the success rate of your relationship.

Also, the recent collapse of a dam in China may have fast-tracked the creation of a Water World inspired resort.  Might be cool, but it makes me think of the scene in Kevin Costner’s movie (of the same name) where he drinks his own pee.  Over at German Fashion Week bald, bearded models were the most compelling trend.  One artist was inspired to try the look herself, saying the facial hair actually enhanced her sense of femininity.

Thoughts?

The days are long gone when Miley Cyrus swung her abnormally thick blond tresses all over her bedazzled bright jackets in Disney’s, Hannah Montana. I can almost hear her nasally, trumpeting laugh in the background as my (always loyal to every showing of the sitcom) lil’ sis watched it mid-afternoon, hooting and hollering in between bites of Gushers.

Miley’s innocent conversations with guitar strumming Billy Rae Cyrus are long shadowed by a dark chasm of tight bodices and bird feathers we know as Miley Cyrus now. It’s momentarily saddening – she was so innocent and sweet – until you realize that Miley was destined to enter Britney-ville sooner or later.  That juicy, sweet southern accent and Disney-infested resume was too much to pass up.

Regardless, her sudden hankering to flounder in a sea of sluttiness hasn’t taken me over the edge quite yet.  Amongst the only 22-year-old to admit it, I love listening to her (Ke$ha-esque sounding) new CD while pre-gaming and I won’t change the channel after snorting out my intestines in disgust at her abundance of ripped clothing. (Honestly, what’s with all the tears, girlfriend?)

Like everybody else does.

Seriously.  I have not seen so much distaste for any human being since people encountered the individual that told them the Tooth Fairy was their daddy.  Has anybody else noticed how much crude, angry mob-style hatred people feel deep inside their souls for this girl?? Read More »

A few years ago while visiting my cousin in Toronto, she gave me this book and said that I absolutely had had had to read it. Of course, it got tossed onto my overstuffed bookshelf and forgotten about for a long time. Recently, I decided to clean up my bookshelf, came across this little gem and decided to finally give in to my cousin’s advice.

“The Curious Incident” (as I’m now referring to it because the name is gigantic) is a story about Christopher John Francis Boone, a boy who is a genius, but has autism. He doesn’t understand the concept of human emotions, but enjoys animals, in particular his neighbor’s dog, Wellington. When he finds Wellington dead by a pitchfork, Christopher is blamed and because he cannot feel emotions, it seems likely that based on his reaction, he is indeed the killer. However, Christopher swears up and down that he is not guilty and vows to become Sherlock Holmes and find the real murderer. Eventually, through his adventures and detective work, Christopher confronts the real tragedy in his life: his parents’ crumbling marriage.

The absolute best part of this book is Christopher and his unique voice. I have no idea how Haddon wrote an entire book as a severely autistic child. He had to completely block-out any emotion he felt and write with only logic. As a writer myself, I don’t know how he avoided that and totally applaud him! The writing is just so different and quirky and definitely steals the show. Also, as a psychology student, I found the insight into the autistic mind so great too. I forgot that grown man had written this book and really believed that Christopher was talking to me! Read More »

The following post is courtesy of our gal pals over at CollegeFashion.net. Check them out for all your fashion and beauty needs!

Everyone has (or should have) a basic white button-down shirt. This item is the ultimate chameleon piece–it can be worn with almost anything in your closet, from dress pants to jeans to any kind of skirt.

Although there are dozens of ways to wear a white button-down shirt, many people (me, especially!) get stuck in the habit of wearing it in conventional ways–tucked in to a pencil skirt or trousers, or untucked with a pair or jeans. This week’s Fashion Challenge encourages you to take your trusty white button down and wear it in a completely new way! Are you ready to take on this week’s challenge?? Read More »