[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, reader Lauren is going on chocolate detox. Her first week was challenging. And so was the next. Thank god she’s almost done!

So the end is near for this challenge and chocolate goodies are ready to be eaten! (Nom nom nom.) As I am nearing the finish line on this challenge, I am constantly and increasingly questioning why I started it in the first place. I guess it seemed like a great idea in the beginning, but it certainly has caused more aggravation than I think it is worth.

Truth be told, I definitely cheated over the course of the last week…. several times. And quite honestly, I didn’t even really care. I wanted chocolate, my body craved it, and I don’t care what I told myself at the end of February, I was going to eat it. I thought maybe I’d feel a little guilty for “failing,” but I didn’t. My goal for this month was to learn a few things and despite the (gooey, melty, delicious) speed bumps along the way, I did!

Eating chocolate and other sweet treats is not bad per-say, but eating a ton of it is no good. My metabolism won’t always work this way. I can hope that I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want and only exercise occasionally and still stay stick thin, but the chances of that actually happening aren’t good. One day I will have to watch what I eat and I might as well start now. Read More »

Street style round-up

Stripper heel or designer shoe? A fun game!

How to pick the best lip color for your skin tone

Loving this look for less sandal!

15 high-waisted spring shorts for under $50

Why we’re loving ponte knit

Check out Macy’s cute new line of dresses

Get a cool ring for only a little moola

Springtime calls for pale neutrals!

How to get sexy wavy hair

An awesome product to put on before your self-tanner

I spent way too much time in high school watching and rewatching Sex and the City. Unlike everything else on TV these women seemed so real, so fun, and so open to dropping major dough on brunch. Being young and impressionable, I assumed the fabulous foursome was living the life I’d live one day. Little did I know, freelance writers don’t own 50 pairs of Jimmy Choos and most women don’t have sexy men lining up outside their posh New York City pads.

Yeah, naive mind. totally. blown.

But now that the show is back on TV and I’m watching reruns daily, I realize that while Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda’s sex lives weren’t totally realistic, they can teach us a few important things about sex. So even though I  cringe at awkward love scenes on television and even though I made fun of the disaster that was the sequel, I’ve realized I can actually take a few tips from our four favorite girls on “Sex and the City.” Read More »

Lauren Oliver popped onto the YA author scene last year out of the blue. Her debut novel, Before I Fall (which may or may not get reviewed as a Saturday Read someday), was a smash hit and she quickly started work on her second novel, Delirium. Before I Fall was typical YA fiction, but Delirium is a dystopian novel, set ahead in the future when one of our most treasured possessions is forbidden: love.

Okay, I know that was dramatic but hopefully that intrigues you even more! Delirium tells the story of Lena Haloway, a 17-year-old girl living in the Portland, Oregon of the future. Scientists have now discovered the cause of all sadness, war, chaos, etc: love. To stop the madness in the world and maintain order, every citizen must have a procedure to be “cured” when they turn 18. Prior to this birthday, they are evaluated and matched with potential spouses, because once they can no longer feel love, they won’t want to marry someone anyways. At this evaluation, you are also given your career path, whether it be college or workplace. The government decides your entire future for you, and most teenagers, like Lena, look forward to this. She has been raised by her aunt and uncle, according to the trinity of God, Science and Order and knows that being cured is the only way to be truly happy. Or is it?

A group of people believe that the cure is wrong and retreated to the woods on the outskirts of Portland, known as the Wilds. There, the Invalids (as they are called) live. None of the citizens of Portland are really concerned with the Invalids, until strange things begin to happen…

During Lena’s evaluation, she begins to crumble and gives the evaluators the answers that they don’t want to hear (for example, her favorite color is gray). Just when she can feel her future slipping away, a herd of cattle charge into the examination room and everyone scatters. Lena runs for cover, but notices a young man in the observation deck, appearing to enjoy the show. And just when Lena thinks it can’t get any weirder, he winks at her. A cured man winking at a girl? Unheard of. This event sets into motion a series that will lead Lena to make a difficult choice and confront a possibility she never dreamed of: maybe she won’t get the procedure. Maybe she will fall in love and become an Invalid.

Read More »

It’s that taxing in-between time of the semester again – spring break is over, papers and projects are coming due, and finals are looming ahead. It’s clear that college students are stressed right now, and with that stress comes the need for relaxation. And what better way to unwind than by pampering yourself and indulging in some me-time?

Of course, as college students, we can’t all afford to shell out for a trip to a high-end spa. So how do you get all the benefits of a spa treatment without the hefty cost? Easy. Raid your kitchen!

CollegeFashion‘s got three great do-it-yourself beauty treatments that are easy (and fairly cheap) to whip together in your dorm room or apartment! Click here to get your pamper on!

The health benefits of being in love

7 things you can do solo

Lady Gaga unleashes her country side

Black Swan drama: this woman says Natalie Portman is a liar

Dolly Parton explains how she lost Dolly Parton look-a-like contest

Vote for the IT bag and be eligible to win one

I’m addicted to post secrets

Really Olsens?!!?

Renewing my phone plan last month lead my mom to take advantage of a BOGO deal on touch screen phones and she’s been sending text abbrevs and emoticons ever since. It’s exhausting. But apparently she and the Oxford English Dictionary have one thing in common: they’re finally catching on to the abbreviations and slang that us cool kids have been typing out for years.

Yes, it’s official, peeps. 2011 is leaving its mark (or blemish) on history with the addition of a few choice words to the good ole’ dictionary. Among the words to made the cut: “OMG,” “muffin top” and “LOL.” What a legacy we’re leaving behind for our children.

I can only imagine what those definitions are going to look like: Read More »

Even though it’s spring, it seems like no one gave Mother Nature the memo. Rather than sporting my favorite spring sandals and cuffed capris, I’ve been running around in my dirty Uggs and down-to-the-ground coat. But instead of praying for the sun to warm me, I’m going to take matters into my own hands and go see Limitless this weekend. Why?  Because nothing gets you feeling all hot (and bothered) quite like watching Bradley Cooper run around on the big screen for two hours.

B. Coop still not enough to wipe away your winter blues? How about an 8 GB iPod Touch? Hope that works for you because we’re so excited for this movie that we’re giving one away! Read More »

Lesson 16: Don’t Romanticize What You Had In The Past

Whether it’s possible to get over past love has been the hot topic of many of my weekly “girl date” lunches for the last few years. We promise to our girlfriends, to our mothers, and even to ourselves that we’re over the guy that we used to spend our days consumed with — and then one particularly lonely night we can’t help but romanticize what our past relationships were like and in turn, we never really get over them. You suddenly forget his tendency to forget important things in your like, ahem like your birthday, and instead you reminisce over the time you went mini-golfing and spontaneously made out under the windmill.

While it’s great to remember the good times, you have to realize there’s a fine line between reminiscing and getting stuck in an ex-boyfriend rut.

Read More »

Earlier this week we asked our beautiful readers to enter to win a Bags of Love personalized makeup bag by telling us their #1 beauty essential. And it seems that everyone could really use a new makeup bag because we had over 135 entries! Dayummmm.

Unfortunately, we can only choose one winner, but we didn’t want everyone else to walk away with nothing. (It’s called Jewish Guilt. It’s a blessing and a curse.) So, we decided to scour through all the entries and see what beauty products the CollegeCandy readers hold near and dear to their hearts. Many of the entries were all over the place (and lots featured lip balm – whatcha doin’ that’s got your lips all chapped, hmmm?), but we did notice 5 items that a LOT of you ladies loved. And in our book, that means they must be awesome.

So here they are:
The best beauty products tested and approved by the women of CollegeCandy!

P.S. Congrats to Emily Thompson! She’s taking home the personalized makeup bag from Bags of Love! She also happens to L-O-V-E Laura Mercier Creme Silk Foundation. You know, in case you’re wondering.