While I love Sephora, MAC, and department store makeup counters, I don’t love looking at my bank account after spending an afternoon there. While I do believe that “you get what you pay for,” I know that there are some awesome drugstore products out there that work better than their expensive counterparts.

Last week, I filled you guys in on the Top 5 Beauty Products Worth Splurging On, and this week, I present to you the Top 5 Drugstore Beauty Steals: Read More »

I know it’s cold and dry where most of you are living, and your lips and skin are probably suffering just like mine. Well, I have something that can save your lips from the arctic tundra outside your door and make them just as kissable as they were when it was nice and toasty out! Move over, Aquaphor; there’s a new balm in town.

I’m sure you’ve seen this stuff on the store shelves and wondered if it was worth the money. Trust me – it is. And with the wide variety of these babies, you’ll definitely find one that will be the perfect addition to your beauty regimen this winter.

Let’s face it—chapped lips are neither comfortable nor pretty. I don’t know about you but I’d rather sport a perky pout than a shriveled set of lips. So whether you’re in need of some major lip hydration or you’re just looking for a shiny tint, here’s a list of 5 poppin’ lip products (in price order!). Read More »

It is FREAKING COLD outside. Now that all the fun of the holidays is over (not counting Valentine’s Day cause, let’s be real, that’s not fun for most of us) the warm joyous feelings towards winter are gone and we’re left with nothing but bitter, bitter cold.

Living on a college campus makes it even worse. There’s no hopping in your heated car and driving to your heated destination. You are forced to put on your boots and puffy coat then trudge through wind chills and snow drifts to get from class to class. The result is insatiably dry skin, cracked lips and peeling cuticles. But there is hope! Here are some strategies to fight the battle against Jack Frost.

Non-Medicated Nighttime Lip Balm

Bedtime is the best time to restore the moisture that the cold weather steals from you during the day. Talking, eating and licking your lips means that lip products only stay on for a matter of minutes. Not enough time to make any real change, it only offers temporary relief. But while you sleep products have more time to moisturize. Avoid products with menthol or camphor (Like Carmex or Medicated Chapstick). The tingling cooling sensation is nice, but these ingredients are actually very drying. Any moisture gained is immediately lost again and you are back at square one.

Try Rosebud Salve ($6 sephora.com)

Bonus Tip: You can use this balm on your cuticles too! Read More »

[Welcome to my Weekly Love List. A list, on all things I love. Because if I love them - well then obviously you may (and should) love them too. As the Backstreet Boys song says (and yes I am actually quoting them) “My Love is All I Have To Give.” So with that throwback, here are this week’s list-worthy things…]

1. Wall Decals- The best way to make your dorm room or apartment look more legit. It looks like it’s hand painted or wallpaper, but- surprise! – it’s a removable decal. So leave those drinking posters with the ripped corners to the boys. You can find them in fun shapes, pictures, sayings – you name it – there is a decal for it. Click here for another great option!

2. T-shirt quilt. So you have 5 bajillion t-shirts from the 5 bajillion bar crawls, Powder Puff football games, Halloweens, college sports teams, etc. Some have holes, some don’t fit (thank you, Freshman Fifteen), but mostly you just don’t have enough room in your tiny closet, or enough days in the year, to wear all of them. But you can’t seem to part with them given that each has a fabulous drunken story behind it. Solution? The T-shirt quilt. It’s a bit pricey but it’s a way to keep them forever without sacrificing room in your closet.

3. Almond Breeze ‘Milk’. It’s yummy, all natural and super low calorie. Not to mention it’s a great alternative to dairy and soy and since the studies on soy being good/bad for you is more fickle than Britney Spears’s sanity, this milk is definitely worth loving. Read More »

Andy Rooney, a super old guy who used to make movies and now just sits in an office and lets 60 Minutes totally take advantage of his oldness, recently ranted about how Americans are carrying “more stuff than they used to”.

The Duhness factor of his rant notwithstanding (I mean, what did people carry around in his day? Keys to a car they powered with their feet?), I decided to take a cue from Jezebel and go through my own purse to see if all the crap shoved inside was stuff I actually needed.

(This is a day when my bag is not splitting at the seems from carrying my giant, heavy laptop.)

1) Burt’s Bees hand cream: Totally needed. Since I can’t ever hold onto a pair of gloves longer than a week, my hands take a beating every winter. Unless I want the skin to rip off, I gotta moisturize at least twice a day.

2) Three tubes of Chapstick: Okay. Three might be an excessive number…but sometimes I want my lips fruity, other times I want serious moisture action, and every once in a while, a little instant caffeine. Read More »

Because I just spent two of mine reading this blog .You read that link right. It’s a chapstick blog, offering comprehensive reviews of every single chapstick that ever existed, with frequent updates.

This blog, my friends, is not just a blog. It is a public service, because there is nothing worse than a bad chapstick (and nothing better than a good one). The government should give these bloggers honors. Enjoy. Read More »

After going through numerous different kinds of lip balms, lip glosses, and chapsticks over the years, I think I have finally found the crème de la crème of lip treatment.

Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1 has become an addiction for me.

It’s the first thing I put on when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I apply before bed.

It keeps my lips shiny, smooth, and chap-free all day, even after my usual coffee fix.

What is your favorite Lip Balm?