The holidays are my favorite time of the year because I feel like it gives us all an excuse to get all prettied up almost every day. There are just tons of holiday parties and gatherings, which I l-o-v-e getting dressed up for. But my favorite part of all? The hair! I mean, how often do we college girls have an opportunity to go all out on our hair?

That’s why I nearly died when I saw a billion gorgeous holiday up-dos in the magazines this month! I decided to walk you through two looks I saw in Cosmo’s December 2010 issue that every girl must try this season. One is a messy up-do and the other is a messy side ponytail.

Do you see a pattern?

Yup, messy is in. But it’s cute messy. Deliberate. Intentional. Not, “I just woke up and threw on this LRD.” How do you get it just right? Let me help.

[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, Megan is gonna go 4 weeks without eating out. Can she handle the heat of the kitchen??]

After raiding my cabinets this week, and realizing we had, like, no food, I decided I would have to go food shopping if I was going to survive this no restaurant month.  Being that I’m an impulse buyer, I also “attempted” to make a grocery list. And while I bought a majority of items off my list, I found myself coming home with lots of comfort foods: Easy Mac, ramen, spaghetti.

The comfort foods were a good start. They were super convenient, thus keeping me from eating out. Plus, they’re cheap and tasty. Yum.  However, after a couple nights of Easy Mac and ramen, I missed variety, not to mention things that aren’t noodles.  And that’s when I realized, it was time to start cooking something a little more challenging than turning on a microwave.

And I did it- I successfully made tacos!

Not only did I not have to extinguish any fires, but they were actually good!  While most people don’t look at tacos as a challenging meal to cook, it was a huge accomplishment for me.  It was also just the cooking confidence boost I needed.  And so, inspired, I hit the interwebs for even more culinary inspiration and got myself quite a stack of  delicious recipes.  And then I went shopping again (so much for saving money) and before I knew it, I was cooking up a storm. Read More »

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December is the month of holiday parties and family get-togethers. The people are cheerful, the cities are festive, and everyone is in a fabulous mood. But sometimes, sometimes, you just want to get away from all of that holiday cheer and see someone blow something up. And that’s why holiday movie releases exist. The perfect escape from reality, and the perfect excuse to sit in a dark room for hours and not talk to anyone. There’s something for everyone, and something to see with everyone.  Not sure what to see when? Check out our guide below.

See it With Your Younger Sibling/Cousin

1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treaders. Starring Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes.  The third adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s series takes Lucy, Edmund, and all the rest on a voyage where they encounter dragons, dwarfs, and warriors. Out December 10. Watch the trailer here.

2. Yogi Bear. Starring the voices of Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake. Everyone’s favorite picnic basket stealing bear and his sidekick Boo-Boo team up with Park Ranger Smith to save Jellystone Park from closing. Out December 17. Watch the trailer here.

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She works out 6 days a week. She avoids the dessert buffet in the cafeteria. Her favorite hobbies on Facebook include running, yoga and lunges (and do not include brownies, TV marathons or couch time). She has magazine subscriptions to Shape and Self and her bookshelf looks like one you’d see in Jillian Michaels’ home library.

And you have no freaking clue what to get her for the holidays. I mean, carrots are a bad gift idea, right? And you know she needs a new sports bra, but that would be weird…

Worry not, young lass. Here are 9 gifts that are sure to tickle your health freaky friend’s fancy. Read More »

As the holiday season is upon us and most of us bookworms have time to indulge in something non-school related, I decided to give into a guilty pleasure that has been collecting dust for the better part of a year. You don’t have to read this exact book, but I encourage you to delve into something non-fiction that is NOT what you’re studying in school! A well-rounded education means learning things outside of the classroom and sometimes on your own, people!

“Nicholas and Alexandra” is a whopping non-fiction history book, totaling 640 pages (including appendices, so it’s a bit shorter!). If you aren’t interested in history, Nicholas was the last Tsar of Russia. Okay, hopefully that triggered something in your subconscious. You’re thinking of Anastasia? The princess who is rumored to have survived the tragedy? Or perhaps Rasputin, the mystic who essentially dissolved the monarchy? And if this is all sounding Greek, let me back up a bit.

Long story short, Nicholas was the last Tsar and a Romanov. The Romanov’s ruled Russia for around 300 years when Nicholas took the throne. He was married to Alexandra, a princess of Hesse and Rhine. They had 5 children: daughters Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia, and then finally, a son, Alexis. Because of the Pauline Laws imposed in Russia, only a male could be heir to the throne. This made Alexis essentially the prized possession of not only his family, but all of Russia. If Nicholas and Alexandra had not produced a son, Russia could have fallen into the hands of many greedy countries who believed they had a rightful claim.

However, there was one problem: Alexis was a hemophiliac, meaning that his blood didn’t clot properly, along with a slew of other symptoms.

Nowadays, hemophilia isn’t as life-threatening as it was back in the beginning of the 20th century. Every time Alexis so much as tripped, it could mean death. Empress Alexandra was constantly worried about Alexis, but on one particular occasion that worry was somewhat settled. Alexis had an accident and was basically on the brink of death when Alexandra’s friend, Anna, suggested that she call in a man named Gregory Rasputin. Eventually, Rasputin had such an effect on Alexis that Alexandra believed him to be the only thing keeping her son alive. She truly believed him to be a direct conduit to God.

And that is the beginning of the end for the Romanovs. Read More »

[The following is a guest post from our gal pals at CollegeFashion.net. They're like the college Rachel Zoe (sans baby bump). Have you checked them out yet?!]

Have you ever read a fashion blog and thought to yourself, “wow, this girl has so many cute clothes–I always love her style! I wonder happened to that cardigan she wore last month…”? Well, with more and more writers turning to eBay, Etsy, or creating secondary “shop blogs” to sell their apparel extras, chances are that she sold it to a reader just like you!

With the rise of haul videos and fast fashion, it’s not uncommon for some of our favorite fashion bloggers to wear an item for a week or two, take a few pictures, and dispose of it — offering the piece up for sale at a considerable markdown.

How does it work?? Read More »

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This week was pretty eh. I mean, between finals, grad school applications, and the 25 feet of snow outside, we’ve all had a rough few days. Luckily we’ve been writing feverishly (what else are we supposed to do when we’re cooped up inside?) so you have plenty to read while you’re procrastinating that 10-page research paper. Here are some of the most entertaining:

Is it just us or do holidays other than Christmas just not get enough attention? But at CollegeCandy, we shed a light on some of our other favorite things about the holidays: like food. You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy these delish Hanukkah treats.

Speaking of the holidays, there’s one more coming our way and coming our way quick: New Years Eve. Soon we’ll be embarking on a new year, but first, there are a few things we’d like to leave behind.

I spent the better part of this week slathering Vaseline on my perpetually dry, flaking forehead. I probably should have just checked out this post, which divulges some awesome beauty secrets that withstand the cold weather.

One celeb who doesn’t need fashion or beauty tips is Emma Watson. Trying to cop her look without selling your organs? Check out our guide to copying the look on a college girl budget.

If you plan on having some fun over Winter Break, you’ll need some help navigating the world of watchful parents and frilly pink bedding. Our girls got you covered with a guide to getting it on in your childhood bedroom. Read More »

Ahhh the holidays! Time for cookies, ornaments, drinks, and songs!  And lots of love.  Tons of new couples are blossoming, but how many will really make it into the New Year?  Probably not many.  But that’s Hollywood!  There’s new couples, marriages, and a bunch of crazy as usual.

Big Plate of Assorted Holiday Cookies

1. Are Ryan Gosling and Blake Lively dating? It certainly looks like it! The two have been spotted several times over the past few months, but this week they were seen at an after-party for Ryan’s new movie Blue Valentine. Apparently they were quite snuggly.  Fun-fact: Blake was in Paris the day before! It must have been really important for her to be at the after-party.  This could be serious, or not since Blake recently split from ex Penn Badgley earlier this fall.  Watch out Blake, Ryan’s ours.

2. Nicole Richie and Joel Madden are finally getting hitched this weekend!  It’s about time.  These two have been dancing around the idea of marriage for years, but it’s finally happening.  It looks like the wedding will be at Lionel Richie’s house and tents have been put up throughout the week.  Congrats!

Read More »