As the year comes to a close, it’s time to find out just who made the biggest impression over the past 12 months in the world of celebrities. With her contributions to many charities, a hit album and an open voice about her own personal struggles, Celebuzz named Demi Lovato the 2011 Woman of the Year. But we here at CollegeCandy have a bone to pick with this. Is she really a “woman”? She’s 19 and seems to still be going through the transition phase that many of us college girls are going through. Do you ladies feel like “women” yet? Because I sure don’t.  In the words of Ms. Spears, Demi is “not a girl, not yet a woman.”

So I’ve compiled a list of some other women who have done a super job of being themselves this year and have left an imprint on all of our hearts. I now present to you 10 women who I think should be named the 2011 Woman of the Year. I hope my sarcasm is apparent, I laid it on pretty thick. Read More »

Avoid the gym this January!  Resolution makers will steal your favorite treadmill!

11 healthy holiday treats that help you stay slim!

Did you try one of the biggest diet trends in 2011? Find out here!

Don’t believe the hype! 10 healthy eating myths that we all fall for.

Is your resolution to drop a few lbs in the new year? Help yourself out and journal about it!

The surprising truth about how much is in a real serving size. Yikes!

Healthy holiday gift ideas for your health-nut relatives!

In a recent survey done by The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, “whatever” was voted as the most annoying word of 2011, followed by “like” and “y’know.”  I understand why these words irritate many adults, but I was surprised that there weren’t more words and phrases chosen that surpassed the irritation levels of “whatever.” Where is “OH EM GEE” or “LOL”? I wish that annoying phrases were also a part of this survey because I can think of a few dumb ones that I wouldn’t lost sleep over never hearing again in 2012.

“Whatever” is really the best we can do? No way. So I’ve compiled a list of words and phrases that are way more annoying than “whatever.” Enjoy! Read More »

Kim Jong Il, the longtime, ruthless dictator of North Korea, died from a heart attack on Saturday at the age of 69. Under Kim’s reign, hundreds of thousands of North Koreans died from a devastating famine and North Korea embarked on a dangerous nuclear journey. Kim didn’t want anyone to forget his country’s nuclear power, either. He used it to squeeze resources and aid from other nations and sent ‘practice’ missiles out over the ocean, hoping to build one strong enough to reach North America. North Korea will now enter an unstable period as Kim’s third son, Kim Jong Eun, transitions into power.

The Iraq War is over. Wait, really? You’d think there’d be more hub-bub surrounding the end of such a controversial, significant war (it’s a war, hello!) but, yes, there was a quiet ceremony on Thursday to mark its finish. After eight years, the American flag that flew over the U.S. troops’ headquarters in Baghdad was lowered indefinitely. Hopefully, the democratic government that has been set up will continue to grow stronger, but some are worried the negative influence of Iran will be too strong without American support. The Iraq War cost 4,483 American lives and about 110,000 Iraqi civilian lives. The total monetary price tag was a steep $800 billion.

Teenagers are smoking record amounts of weed. Yes, we have reached the pot-smoking levels of the 1960s, free-love era. According to a University of Michigan study, half of students surveyed had smoked by the time they graduated high school, and one in four had gotten high in the past month. Numbers on other tsk-tsk inducing behaviors are down, including smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and teen pregnancies. Could there be a correlation? Maybe we’re just so blazed out we can’t do anything else?

Pic o’ the Week:

Pete Souza/White House

The Obamas released a new family portrait just in time for the holidays. Some commentators takeaways? The president is aging fast. Well, what do you expect?

Is coffee good for you? Should you be eating gluten-free? And are your late-night snacks making you gain weight? Check out my interview with JJ Virgin, fitness and nutrition expert and co-star of TLC’s Freaky Eaters, for the answers to all your nutrition questions.

Lots of college students, myself included, depend on coffee to get us through the day. Is coffee good or bad for you?

Here’s the thing: coffee is actually good for you. However, it’s the amount that matters. For example, I’m having a Venti Half-Decaf Americano now, which is fine, but five of them would not be. I remember a day when I was just drinking lattes all day, and that was way too much. Coffee can actually keep stress hormones around, which helps with focus and concentration. But too much can make you anxious and wired, and actually burn out the adrenal gland. Coffee is also one of the richest sources of antioxidants around, which is another reason why I tell people it’s good for them.

I’m always telling my Body Blog readers to eat breakfast! Am I right? Is breakfast really important? And how much should we be eating for breakfast?

The research is very clear on this. People who eat a substantial, balanced breakfast actually lose more weight and keep it off. For breakfast, you should eat 400 calories or more, and include clean, lean protein, healthy fat, and a high-fiber carbohydrate. If you don’t eat, your body eats itself. And unfortunately it’s not going to snack on your belly fat and butt, it’s going to snack on your muscles. I always tell people that breakfast really sets the metabolic tone for the day. Read More »

We all know that the perfect pair of pants is a must-have. A stylista’s closet is simply incomplete without them — bootylicious jeans, forgiving slacks, hold-in-your-chub leggings…all essential to seamlessly completing any look. But from time to time we at CC see some “oh-god-why” looks. And often those looks are made that much more atrocious due to a perfectly horrible pair of pants. Below are pants that should not make into anyone’s wardrobe… Read More »

Guess who has a man crush on RDJ!

Of course Angie looked gorge at 16

Uh oh, more Teen Mom trouble

Do you ever still think about your first love?

Bro, dude, or douche?

Why do sex articles always feature bare feet photos?

How to avoid the common holiday romance pitfalls

Get Leighton Meester’s color scheme

Very public displays of affection

I love giving presents. I love the face people make when opening up the specifically picked gift, hearing the sounds of the wrapping paper tearing. I love the hugs and thank yous, the ‘Oh my god! You totally shouldn’t have (but I’m secretly really really glad you did)’s.

However, I hate the process you need to take to get there. I guess you could say I hate being thrown into a crowd of about 5,376.5 people all on the same mission. It’s like survival of the fittest except the contestants are fatter and will kill you to get the prize.

So, to help every other last-minute shopper out there, here are ten gift ideas that are sure to warm the hearts of the loved ones in your life. Or at least make them wince with an unappreciative ”Yeah, totally love it.” Read More »

***CONTEST CLOSED: CONGRATS TO ALY ON WINNING!***

The holiday season is in full swing and that means that if you’re a good person you’ve spent all your money buying gifts for family, friends, and orphans. While you feel really warm and fuzzy inside for buying all those gifts, you also feel a little bit empty. Because, let’s be honest.  You just spent all your money on other people and you can’t even afford to buy yourself a tall  holiday drink at Starbucks now. You deserve an awesome gift in return for all your generosity and we’ve teamed up with HP to help you win a brand new laptop!

Before we jump to the exciting entry part of the post, a quick  word from our sponsors:

“The HP Vivienne Tam digital clutch was originally launched on the runway at Vivienne Tam’s Spring 2010 show at New York Fashion Week.  The notebook features an original butterfly design inspired by the classic Chinese love story “Butterfly Lovers” with beautiful butterflies on a champagne gold backdrop. This special edition notebook, valued at $599, iis no longer available for sale at HP but Vivienne Tam mice and similarly stylish HP Mini 210s are available on HPDirect.com starting at $299, making them a perfect holiday gift for frugal fashionistas. Check out the HP Mini 210s right here

Want to get this super awesome HP Vivenne Tam Butterfly Lovers Mini 210 netbook in your hands?

1. Tell us the best gift you’ve ever bought for someone else . That’s it. You’re automatically entered to win this amazing prize.  Oh, and make sure to use your real e-mail address so we can contact you if you win.

2. Contest closes at 11:59 PM on Dec. 22nd 2011

3. Please note this giveaway is only open to US and Canadian residents. For official rules and more legal mumbo-jumbo, click here.

Maybe it’s your final week of exams and you need a break from cramming for a minute (or twenty).  Or maybe you’re already home on break and you need an activity that’ll help you kill some time between laying on your bed and laying on the couch downstairs. If that’s the case, you need see these videos!

Ice skating is really difficult. I’m no Michelle Kwan but I try my best on the ice to stay on my feet. There are some people, though, who are just awful on their skates. My best friend is one of those people. I think it’s the reason I always suggest going ice-skating. I know it’ll be bursting with pee-your-pants humor for both of us (okay, just me).

Which is why I’m about to show you some of the funniest falls known to the ice skating rink. I suggest you move to the couch now, put your feet up and text all your besties to get ready for skating at 7.

Read More »