[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. Last month Tiffany spent a month at Outward Bound and challenged her physical limits. This month, Ashley's going to try to stop hating on her body so much. Can she do it!? Could you?]

After week one of this challenge there’s only one thing I know for sure, this is definitely a learning process. I spent the entire first week getting to know just how bad my bad habit is. Not only did I learn about how much this bad habit consumes me (yes, it consumes me, YIKES!), I got to see all the different ways in which it manifests. I realized that in order to change my mindset I’d have to first do a few important things:

1. Take a long hard look in the mirror and pick out all of the things I like about my body- Being the hater I am, I imagined not having much to say, but I did it and I had a fair amount to share with myself. Actually doing it felt silly and embarrassing (I had that ”What I like about you” song playing over and over in my head) even though there was no one around, but it felt good in the end. I am happy to say, “I like what I’m working with.”

2. Get my boo on my side- Although my boyfriend is already my biggest fan who loves and supports me no matter what, I needed to fill him in on the situation. After giving him the 411 on my bad habit and letting him in on my challenge, he said he’d help call me out on my negative behavior. I know this may sound risky to have someone else help correct me when I’m drinking haterade, but I think it can only help. I trust him to be honest and helpful and to not give me a break- sometimes tough love is what we need.

3. Pamper my body and make it feel good- Yes, I did this. I gave myself a nice, long, and hot bath and it felt GREAT! Every body needs a little lovin’.

Completing those three tasks had me more motivated than ever before (okay, more motivated than last week). Now that week two has come and gone, I can truly say I have taken significant steps in the right direction. This week I… Read More »

Fashion must haves for fall

How to pull off thigh-high socks without looking crazy

Spectacular fake eyelashes that are perfect for Halloween

Would you wear a Varsity jacket

The biggest beauty trends for Fall 2011

How high is too high….for your heels?

A love song for Frye boots

Zara launches online shopping for the US (finally!)

A review on the new Fresh Sugar Passion Lip Tint

Dressing for Girls Night Out

The best new foundation that feels weightless

Restyle your wardrobe, without spending a dime

Best online retailers for back-to-school

We’re obsessed…with Nars new Night Series

Lying to other people…psh, that’s easy (hehe). But lying to ourselves–that’s when life gets a little bit difficult. Face it, life is full of moments when we have to do things we don’t really want to do. But these things are all a means to an end, and so we spruce up the truth to ease the pain.

1. Losing my v-card was awesome. Oh really? So was the first time I broke my arm.

2. If I eat these cookies now, I’ll just skip lunch. But I’m hungry for lunch…so I’ll just skip dinner. Okay, I’ll only have one slice of pizza instead of two for dinner. Or…skip dessert?

3. Running is fun. Running is fun. Running is so, so terrible. Running is fun.

4. I totally study better after a few drinks. I mean, I’m way more enthusiastic about the subject after I hit up a few bars. Wait, when is the test again? What subject? Read More »

I may be spoiled, but I’m a bit bummed that I didn’t travel this summer. It’s been 2 years since I’ve been overseas (I know, boo hoo, poor me) and I’m aching for an 8 hour plane ride. Again, I’ve been lucky in my travels, but can’t even stand to look at my friends’ pictures of their European vacations. Seriously, the green-eyed monster has got me bad. So, I’m turning to literature. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is set in Scotland (both in the 20th and 18th centuries!) and since Scotland is one of my favorite places on Earth, I decided it may soothe my travel envy.

Outlander is the story of Claire Beauchamp Randall, a military nurse who is vacationing with her husband in the Scottish Highlands in 1945. Claire sets out on her own one day and finds herself transported back in time to 1743. I know, it sounds strange, but stay with me! Claire immediately encounters Jonathon Randall, her husband’s ancestor, who turns out to be the opposite of the hero Claire and hubby thought. His nickname is “Black Jack” and he is as terrifying as he sounds. Claire is semi-rescued by another clan and finds herself taking care of Jamie Fraser, an injured soldier. Claire’s nursing experience comes in handy and she finds herself living with the clan, tending to their wounds and developing a romance with Jamie. Read More »

[This post comes hot off the Internet presses from our friends at CollegeFashion!]

Every college girl has been there – after a late-night library session and only a few hours sleep, you wake up late with only a few minutes to throw something on and book it to class. With barely enough time to get dressed, not enough time for a shower, and bed head on top of that, what’s a stylish girl to do? Go to class with bad hair? Never!

Bookmark this page, because College Fashion has your solution. Here are seven fabulous and easy ways to do your hair when you’re pressed for time. Your hair will look hot, and no one will ever know you slept in!

Click here to read the rest!

I’m sure Tyra Banks has sweet dreams every night. She’s got tons of money, goes to Harvard (kind of) and she’s about to release a book, called Modelland, which is sure to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. So how could she ever have a bad night’s sleep?

Well we’ve decided to make a list of what Tyra’s worst nightmares would be if she had them, and the nightmares of a retired Victoria’s Secret model are TYRA-FYING.

1. Forgetting how to “Smize”

Tyra basically invented smizing (that’s smile with your eyes for those of you not up-to-date on Tyra lingo). She probably smized right out of the womb because she didn’t have real teeth yet. If she went to a photo shoot and forgot how to smize, her empire would crumble.

2. Getting Fat Again

We all remember those pictures of Tyra in a bathing suit that wasn’t very flattering. She was getting criticized left and right for being too plump, and then she told everyone to “Kiss my fat ass!” on her talk show. It would have been empowering, except she lost the weight soon after and was back to looking like model Tyra.

3. Reuniting with America’s Next Top Model Losers

This nightmare is actually a reality. Next week, a new season of ANTM premieres, and the model hopefuls are all losers from previous seasons.  This means we will get to see more of Bre “you stole my granola bars” Scullark and Isis “the transgender one” King.

Photos of the hottest CW guys, you’re very welcome

Is it bad that we actually like the worst songs of the 90s

Foods that pay tribute to the penis

Chris Pine just cannot look bad

Angry Birds Theme Park?!!??  Bring it to the US please!!

Hollywood really really likes sex addiction

Is Joe Jonas trying to get back with T-Swift?!

Beyonce’s new House of Dereon ads are pretty hot

Is this guy Lady Gaga’s new ‘bad romance’?!

I try not to draw inspiration for these columns from movies, as they are not reality, but sometimes a movie comes along and gets me thinking. Last night, I dug up an old favorite, Some Kind of Wonderful, and settled into my couch. As I re-watched the classic, I found myself disgruntled with a particular quote despite having seen it several times before.

The infamous Amanda Jones so famously said, “I’d rather be with someone else for the wrong reasons than alone for the right.”

Lesson #39 – So you’re alone, so what?

Of course, ironically Amanda Jones ends up alone but I think that we’re fooling ourselves if we don’t believe there are girls in the world who don’t subscribe to the belief that anything is better than being alone. When did being single become a stepping stone between boyfriends? When did we all lose ourselves in the dating rat race and forget that we can stand alone as individuals? Read More »

Cramps suck. There’s no other way to put it. It just sucks. You can’t move, you can’t do anything productive, and you can’t focus on anything except the crushing pain coming from your abdomen…and maybe your relentless craving for pretzels and frosting. Thankfully, though, there are some cheap and easy at-home remedies you can use to make those 4-7 days less excruciating. Read More »

Being a college girl on a budget, my favourite patterns are ones that never truly go out of style. Stripes, plaid and polka dots are a few of the staple patterns that can be found almost every season. These patterns are something that you can’t really ever call a trend, because they will always appear in some shape or form each season. Lucky for people like myself with an eternal love for polka dots, designer heavy weights such as Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney had us seeing spots for their F/W 2011 collections. Yes ma’am, the polka dot is big (but not literally) this season.

What I love about polka dots, is that they have a playful, feminine, flirty vibe to them. That and they are one of the easiest prints to wear (and mix and match!) The size of the spots vary as do the colour combinations, meaning there are spots out there for everyone. Though polka dots are still a pattern, it is quite subtle for those gals just dipping their toes into the world of patterns. Read More »