You didn’t leave all your work until Sunday night did you? What!?! You did. That’s okay. No stress. You’ll get it all done. We’re so sure that you’ll get it all done that we’re giving you a few more excuses to procrastinate.

You’re welcome.

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Okay, so it’s confession time. I really love the History Channel, and most channels like it. Think Discovery, or National Geographic. During the summer, rather than doing something “normal” like going to the beach, or grilling, you could find me nestled under a blanket sitting on the sofa watching a documentary on who really discovered America. For hours, I’d be there, mouth agape and cup of lemonade in hand.

But come on, you can’t tell me that those channels aren’t cool. Think Shark Week, a week I know people mark on their calendars. These channels have something for everyone. You can watch a documentary on the history of marijuana, or the Salem Witch Trials, and then follow it up with a WWII special.

The only problem with the History channel and its counterparts is when it finally hits you: you learn more from one hour long documentary than you ever do going to class. One story alone is assembled better than any lecture you will ever attend, without the annoying graduate student who says “um” every other word or the keeper of the crypt who keeps nodding off mid-sentence.

I spend time in some of my classes contemplating over important issues like what a piece of toast would say if it could talk, but I can’t wait for a commercial to finally end when I’m watching a special on Discovery.

Bottom line: Professors could learn a lot from these channels. Read More »

For a long while (ahem, code for way too long) I dated a guy a little younger than me.  And by dated, I mean every Friday night, we would get together after an intense evening partying and make out like wild animals.

We were pretty serious about our business.  We would run off from parties, and cozy up in his car.  We would sneak into my apartment when the roommates weren’t home and make out on my dirty, toothpaste stained sink.  We would frolic through the side streets from parties, making out like bunny rabbits. We would rush up to the bathroom of any party and eat each others faces off. Anywhere we could go in “private,” we would go.

One morning, after a particularly awesome night with my fave younger man, I woke up pretty early to go to the bathroom.  My make out king was sleeping soundly, so I tried not to wake him as I crawled to my demise.  In the bathroom (which conjoined the only two bedrooms in our suite that we all shared), I was welcomed by a bodily fluid surprise.  The entire bathroom was completely painted in urine.   The walls, the ocean scene shower curtain, the toilet seat, the ceiling, the door, the towels, the everything. Covered in urine.

My eyes bugged out, and I stood frozen.  A girl absolutely could not make this happen with the constraint of having a va-jay-jay.  This was a complete man-made mess.  My angry roommate showed up on the other side of the bathroom and gave me a look I would imagine getting before my head was cut off.  Kevin showed up behind me and looked around the bathroom in embarrassment.  I looked up at him slowly and was face-to face with two hickeys the size of Texas.

My roommate snorted from the other end,

“You might want to get some concealer for those marks on your neck…oh and have fun cleaning this up.” Needless to say the romance fizzled after we spent 6 hours bleaching away the smell the his piss.

[You think that's bad? Check out our other cringe-worthy Morning After stories.]

So it’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and somehow you’re still noshing on leftovers (straight out of the fridge…late at night). The only question more prevalent right now than “what do you want for Christmas?” is “what am I gonna do with all this damn turkey?” Fortunately, CollegeCandy has your answer (don’t we always?) And that answer is: turkey soup!

The ingredient: Chicken Stock

There are two benefits to this soup, the first being that (more than likely), soup wasn’t one of the four billion side dishes you consumed last week, so it’ll be a change of pace for your taste buds. The second benefit is that the chicken stock used for the recipe is an immune booster that aids digestion and improves mineral absorption, all of which will be key to staying healthy for the end of the semester and that dreaded finals crunch.

The Recipe: modified from the Whatchagot Soup courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens (now college-student approved!) Read More »

The holiday season always gets us thinking about what we’re thankful for. There are so many things in my life to appreciate (my education, my family, the entire Bravo lineup), but being the makeup addict that I am, I am particularly thankful for a few key beauty products. These five things have really changed my life and I want to share them all with you. 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, Melanie is putting her health first and going to the gym....every day....without excuses. We watched her suffer through her first week, breeze through week 2, and work her way through major obstacles in week three. So how did it all turn out in the end?]

After dealing with the turmoil of a breakup, the impending holiday season, the bitter cold and the death of my beloved aunt, the only thing getting me through were my workouts. That’s right, while the rest of the world was going for pumpkin pie, I was skipping dessert and smashing up the elliptical. While everyone threw elbows at their local Target, I was throwing punches (Jillian Michaels style) on the treadmill.

All I can say is: I did it.

Yes, I slipped up last week. But you know what, I pulled through. Even through the holiday season when my plans inexplicably brought me to my relatives in Ohio, I was blessed with a 24 hour gym in my Cleveland hotel. And you know what? I felt amazing skipping the pie and busting my ass on the elliptical. Granted, it might not have been the most fun or indulging holiday, but I felt ten thousand times better skipping out on the alcohol fest of “Thanksgiving Eve” or the “drinking to make my relatives seem normal” tradition of Thanksgiving itself. I burnt off my aggression about my break up, my sadness about my lost aunt and the general grief that this season brings me.

This month challenge has truly inspired me in many ways. Although it seemed like an arduous task at first, I really feel that I gave 100% of myself into this and I want to keep going. From this day on, I want to continue my high-energy motivation for the gym. Albeit, now that I’m not documenting every moment in time of this journey, I will take some time off once a week to rest. I’m allotting 5-6 days at the gym for Gym-cember (doesn’t have as catchy of a ring to it, does it?) and going to keep pushing myself. I do know that 7 days is too much for my body to handle at this point and I deserve a day off instead of just feeling crushing guilt when I skip. Read More »

Every Tuesday night – rain or snow, hell or hangover – I grab my things and walk over to my best friend’s house. Immediately upon arrival, I grab the ice cream sundae she’s expertly prepared and curl up under my favorite blanket on her couch. She hits play on her DVR and our (four years running!) Biggest Loser date night begins.
OK, so the ice cream sundae is a little counterintuitive, but it’s tradition. And we use low fat ice cream. And try as we might, we just can’t get enough.

Just like we can’t get enough of this show. It’s got all the makings of a great reality show (the characters, the challenges, the dramatic music, the alliances) paired with the happy ending of a Disney movie (and sexy bodies of a GQ shoot). And who can ignore all those tear jerking moments or the always-exciting Makeover Week?
The Biggest Loser to us is what football is to our guy friends.

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Friends are important. They’re there for you, no matter what. They’re there to make you laugh. They’re there to let you cry. They’re there for nights out and nights in and cram sessions and outfit emergencies. They let you rant about boys and books and bars and beer.  You can talk for hours and text all night long. And they will never complain. They make your life a little bit easier, and a lot more entertaining.

And its only right that we return the favor, treat them equally awesome in all areas of friendship. But even with the best of intentions, it’s easy to get sidetracked. Life is busy and staying touch is hard. And scheduling time in for her panic attacks as well as your own can get kind of tricky.

Maybe CollegeCandy can make that a little easier?
Here are five easy ways to be a good friend.

1. Make time to chat. Like I said, life is busy. And whether you and your bestie live down the hall or across the country staying in touch is never easy. But if you don’t know what’s going on in her life how will you know when to start in on rules 2-5. Skype or Facebook message. Text or e-mail. Take a coffee break or do dinner. But make time to chat. She’ll appreciate that you care enough to care about her life.

2. Listen before you speak. It’s important to give advice (see rule number 3) but before you do that you need to know what’s going on. Okay fine, so maybe you know that the guy she’s crying over is so not worth her tears. But she obviously doesn’t think so. Find out why. Don’t speak over her and don’t give your opinion before she’s given hers. Know the situation, understand where she’s coming from, and then… Read More »

Firstly, Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers! My Thanksgiving happened over a month ago, but I still want to wish you all the best! And I hope that you scored some deals at your phenomenal Black Friday sales.

And now, onto the book!

“Clockwork Angel” by Cassandra Clare is the first in her new trilogy, titled “The Infernal Devices.” However, the setting and paranormal world that she incorporates into this novel is actually from her first trilogy “The Mortal Instruments.” I’ve never read any of her work before, but apparently fans will recognize family names from the original books in this new one and also some characters. However, the best part is that you don’t need to read “The Mortal Instruments” before you read “Clockwork Angel”; they are complimentary series, but not about the same stories. With these novels, Clare has created an entire world, referred to as the Downworld, in which demons, vampires and the like all exist. The Downworld is common between the two trilogies and is essentially what ties them together.

The book starts out in1878, with our main character, Tessa Gray, a 16-year old American girl who has traveled by ship to London, England in search of her brother. He was working in London and invited her to come live with him. However, when she arrives she is kidnapped by two women who call themselves the Dark Sisters who are associated with the mysterious Pandemonium Club. They trap her in their home and teach her that she herself is a Downworlder with a very curious ability - she can change into another person. They make her practice this skill in preparation for her marriage to a man who is only referred to as the Magister. Just before the wedding, Will Herondale, a Shadowhunter, rescues Tessa and takes her to the London Institute, where he lives with other Shadowhunters. Using Tessa’s ability, they begin to investigate both her brother’s disappearance and a strange series of murders related to the Pandemonium Club.

Yeah, that’s a lot to take in, but it grips you right from the beginning. Clare wasted no time getting right to the action of this novel and with 478 pages, it’s a whole lot of action. As complicated as the short synposis may seem, with all the new terms, an understanding of the Downworld comes quite quickly to the reader and really enhances the experience. The mystery is completely riveting and I really found this one hard to put down! I also really liked the historical aspect. Even though it was seldom referred to, I just really enjoyed reading a book about a bunch of Victorian paranormal-fighters! Read More »

I have an obsession with all things lips: lip buffer, lip gloss, lipstick, lip balm, Ms. Lippy…  This obsession has resulted in me trying just about any kind of product I can get my hands (or should I say my lips) on.

After spending money on a lot of products that don’t live up to their promise, I can attest that the following four are definitely some of the best products on the market. If you know what’s good for you (and your kisser), get thee to the mall and stock up on these ASAP:

Lip Buffer: C.O. Bigelow’s Soothing Lip Buffer,  made with aloe extract and coco butter, will make your lips perfectly soft and smooth. If you apply the lip buffer onto your lips and take a warm wash cloth and rub the buffer in, you will not only exfoliate your lips, but you will rub in its relaxing peppermint extract. For $4.99 you can pick up a tube that will last you months and months. Although you can buy C.O. Bigelow products through their website, Bath & Body Works also carries them.

Lip Gloss: Nothing gets better than Yves Saint Laurent’s Golden Shimmering Gloss. This YSL lip gloss stays on for hours, and it actually protects the lips with natural oils instead of drying them out like most glosses do. Each tube of lip gloss has real 24-carat-gold flecks (baller!), which cause extra shine and luster on your lips. Although this lip gloss is expensive – $30 a tube – the quality and 31 different shades make it 100% worth every last cent.  Read More »