What’s up fabulous College Candy readers!? Summer is finally here and we couldn’t be happier! (Welllll if Bradley Cooper was also here, we would be a little bit happier). We’re celebrating the warm weather the only way we know how…with a PARTY. That’s right, CollegeCandy is throwing our first ever party in NYC on July 12 and we want YOU to come.

Why should you come?

Do $3 drink specials get you excited? How about fabulous goody bags for the first 30 guests? Perhaps insane raffle prizes get you giddy? Or maybe you just want to meet all your favorite writers in person? Whatever the reason…we don’t care. We’re just excited to have you! So leave your internship worries at home, grab your roommate/friend/boyfriend (basically anyone besides your mom) and join us for happy hour! RSVP right here.

If you’re one of the first 30 guests to arrive, you’re leaving with a killer goody bag! What’s in it? Only the coolest of the cool:

• A copy of the book The Little Black Book of Red Flags
• PowerSkin phone cases (only in 5 of the bags…so cross your fingers that you’re lucky)
• Didn’t get that case? No worries, the other 25 bags have these awesome Case-Mate Monsta iPhone covers
• Advanced Home Actives: Brazilian Peel Clear Kits
• Verbatim: Store ‘n’ Go® Clip-It USB Drive (also in only 5 bags)
• A bottle of metromint
• Vita Coco
• Chu Shu Silver Linings
• bliss Fabulous Face Lotion
• Redken Extreme CAT protein reconstructing treatment
• LifeStyles SKYN Condoms

Not blown away yet? How about these insane raffle prizes? We’ll be picking names out of a hat all night loonnng:

• A Shoedazzle gift basket that includes a pair of shoes, a bag, AND jewelry
• 3 (yep, 3) $10 giftcards to Blockheads
• 4 Chelsea Piers Gold Passports worth $60 each
• 5 (the numbers just get higher!) Havaianas from the Soul Collection. You win, you pick the style.
• a lifetherapy“flirt” gift basket that includes: Flirt Hydrating Body Oil, Flirt Everyday Handcreme, Flirt Pulse Point Oil, Flirt Ultra Rich Body Crème
• A MBeze gift basket that includes Cruizee Body Oil, a Koko Haze Body Spray, and a Twice Shy Perfume Roll
• 5 Grace Digital Audio Eco Extreme waterproof speakers

Check out the gallery for more details:

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So if you’re like me, part of the fun of being a girl is getting all beautified and purtied up. I mean, beyond the fun that is playing with makeup, what’s the point of putting together a cute outfit if your skin looks dry, your hair looks flat and you smell like a thrift store?

Obviously, my all-time favorite one-stop-shop for all my beauty needs is Sephora. That place has it all… not to mention you can pop in there while you’re shopping and freshen up with their variety of samples. (Confession: sometimes I’ll make Sephora my last stop so I can use all their expensive makeup to get ready for the night!) The sad fact is, beauty products are muy expensive-o and can quickly add up.

Good thing Sephora has a nice stock of too-good-to-be-true goodies for under $20. Let the beautification begin!

Nothing says winter like peppermint hot cocoa and marshmallows, and this Philosophy set helps ya carry that smell around all day. And considering Philosophy’s usual prices, this is quite a steal! Holiday Bonus: The boys’ll find your scent irresistible.

I bought this set a few weeks ago and it’s totally perfect for beauty on-the-go. It comes with a gorgeous palette of eye shadow colors, a blush and 4 choices of lip gloss.  For under $20, you really can’t go wrong.

If there’s one guy out there who knows hair, it is Frederick Fekkai. He’s got tons of products to get your hair lookin’ its best and this spray is by far the most fun. It adds a nice golden shimmer to your hair that’s perfect for holiday parties and New Year’s Eve. Healthy, shiny hair? Yes please.

Perfume rollerballs are a great way to carry around a fragrance for those long days when you need to re-apply. (Like after that 100 question exam that left you sweatin’.)  I love this Stella McCartney scent, but they have a whole lot of options to choose from if Stella isn’t your girl.

Everyday essentials by Bare Escentuals? That are 100% natural? That will make you look perfect without making you break out? I can’t think of anything more heavenly.

If you’re a big Diet Coke/coffee drinker, these Go Smile Touch Up sticks are for you. You just pop one open and it will freshen your breath (because coffee breath is rank) and prevent stains from forming on those pearly whites (because yellow teeth are ranker…)

Bliss creams are. the. best. OMG. I can’t say it enough. This stuff rocks. It smells good, it absorbs quickly, it keeps your hands soft and it’s small enough to fit in your bag.

And for those days when you’re surrounded by snow, stuck in the library and all you can think about is a tropical vacation, try this lovely scent. It’ll take you to Hawaii…for under $20.

One more thing: If you aren’t already a member, be sure to sign up for the Sephora Insider Pass. It’s a free club that gives you points with every purchase and sends you awesome perks (like free $15 gift cards, birthday gifts and more). Yay, Sephora!

I’m pretty sure he was referring to things like school work and job interviews, but I took that advice to heart….with beauty supplies.

Thanks to my dad I never leave the house without my big bag of beauty essentials. You never know what could happen on your way to class – blisters from your shoes, a sudden monsoon, laughing so hard you cry off all your mascara – so it’s best to bring along a few things to save you from a makeup meltdown. I’ll share with you all of my must-brings that have gotten me through all of my beauty emergencies and then you can customize your portable beauty bag to hold whatever you like (yeah, stacks on deck, Patron on ice…).

It happens when we least expect it; we will be scouring the bar for another nameless drunkard to take back to our dilapidated rooms, when, Bam! We find someone we may actually like.

So, we take them back to our dilapidated room (stopping them at the door so we can tidy up a bit) and the rest is a magical history. The numbers are exchanged in the morning, and we can’t wait to call in order to see him/her again. Next thing you know, this one-night-stand turns into one-big-relationship and your days as a late-night-slut are over.

Suddenly, you are wandering aimlessly through campus thinking about that cute thing he/she said, or getting all hot and bothered during class imagining the things you could do to him/her with a pair of handcuffs and some chocolate sauce. You can’t eat/sleep/study/change your socks without yearning to be doing it with that special someone.

It’s called the Honeymoon Period, my friends, and it is one of the best times in any relationship. The exact time frame ranges from relationship to relationship, but, from what I’ve seen, it averages from about six and a half minutes to six and a half weeks. This is a time of pure bliss – one where neither of you can do anything wrong.

Feel like drinking till you puke…all over his/her bed? Totally fine, in fact it’s cute.

Want to call her fat? Go ahead! It’s just you being a good, honest person.

I wouldn’t be surprised if taking someone else home from the bar during the Honeymoon Period was given the OK on the grounds that you were “practicing for me!” Just watch out though; you never know when this state of affairs may end and even leaving your clothes on the floor is enough to start World War III.

An even better perk of the Honeymoon Period, however, is the I-Can’t-Keep-My-Hands-Off-Of-You effect. It’s incredible; no matter how much you touch your mate, you just can’t get enough. You find yourself dragging them into public bathrooms/alleys/the stacks at the library. It turns into a game of, “Where haven’t we been naked yet?” A game you just can’t stop playing; a game where you both end up winning in the end, again and again. You can’t study because it reminds you of the time you made out while holding that very book. You can’t take the bus to class because it reminds you of…well, that’s personal. But you get my point.

Many college students have trouble finding the redeeming aspects of a serious relationship in college. These students ask themselves (and anyone who will listen) why anyone would ever want to be tied down to one person, lose their freedom, lose their independence, lose their money on chick flicks and cheesy flowers. These people have yet to experience the Honeymoon. It’s like a drug, and once they try it random hookups will never look the same again.

My name is Lauren and I am addicted to the Honeymoon.

A beauty regimen? Who needs one? Surely not my ‘messy bunned, bare faced, sweat-pant clad’ self who rolls out of bed, grabs a cup of Joe and is out to class in less than five minutes. Which- might I add-used to be sooo not me. Believe it or not pre-college and even during the summer months in between, I -gasp!- actually enjoy the getting ready process. I like the makeup, the lotions– the whole shebang. But post welcome week all my grooming habits are thrown out the window and the ‘me’ my mother would frown upon (ie- not very conducive to meeting the future Mr. ‘me’) comes out to play-er-study.

But alas- I have compiled a list of top ten products from body lotion to mascara that are the best of the best, will make you look/feel great, and best of all only requires that you hit the snooze button one less time.

Bliss Body Butter: this lotion is great because it comes in three different scents (I like the Naked because I wear perfume) and leaves your body so smooth no one will be able to tell if you shaved your legs or not.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer: this is great because you can rub it on with your fingers- it has SPF (an essential for our young skin) and is sheer enough for day but still gives great coverage. And did I mention it comes in oil free?

Philosophy- Hope In A Jar: small enough to travel with- this is a great day/night face cream that leaves your face with a glow. (plus Oprah LOVES therefore it must be wonderful)

NARS Bronzer in Laguna or Casino: if nothing else, throw this on with some mascara in the morning before you head out the door. It evens out your skin tone but does NOT make you orange like you’re trying to emulate LiLo after a self tanning session.

DIOR Show Mascara: huge thick brush = huge awesome lashes that will make you look awake for your 9am class (although you and I both know the reality of the situation is a major hangover)

Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Night Palette comes in four different color schemes and is the best “it’s finally the weekend” eye shadow I’ve seen in a looong while. Trust me on this one, get one while you can.

Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner: comes in as many colors as Joseph’s Technicolor dream coat and stays all day. Love it.

KHIELS Lip balm- simple to throw on your lips and in your backpack or purse.

Sheisedo- Oil blotting sheets: makeup or no makeup come 4′oclock we all get that “I just walked way to fast to class shine” look on our faces. Ickyness begone with these fabulous sheets!

Shu Umera Eyelash Curler: even if you skip eyeliner and mascara- this baby makes you look more awake than you actually are.

All of these products are Available at Nordstrom (either in-store or online) and what’s great about that is if you decide you don’t like a product even after you’ve used it- they will take it back no questions asked and help you find what will work best for you.

So there you have it ten products that will make you look effortlessly chic-well because it really won’t take that much effort. Your mom, professor and classmates will thank me.