How many times have you seen a magazine claiming to have “curly hairstyles” inside, only to open it up and find out what they really show are hairstyles for people with straight hair who want to get that curly look. There’s nothing for girls with naturally curly hair who want to flaunt their tresses au naturale. Don’t fret! Curlies, there are so many cute things you can do!!

In this new weekly column, I will search high and low on the internet for the cutest looks, tools and products…and I’ll give you info on how you can DIY at home. Also, if you ever have any issues you want me to tackle in a future post, vent your frustrations in the comments section below!

Here are eight styles I found this week that I can’t wait to try…

initiating the gallery...

Throughout the past few years, our very own CC Beauty Live vlogger Caitlin, has been bringing us the best college beauty DIY tips out there. From teaching us how to correctly apply mascara to helping us master the art of braiding your own hair to showing us how to pull off the smoky eye — she’s covered it all!

And now, as we approach her 100th episode of CC Beauty Live, we’d like to look back at her five most popular episodes ever.

Like what you see? Then check back with us later this month as we celebrate the 100th episode with a giveaway! That’s right. All you CC Beauty Live fans will be eligible to win some pretty awesome goodies.

[The following is a guest post from our gal pals at CollegeFashion.net. These girls know their style. Seriously, if it weren't for them, we'd still be wearing JNCOs.]

Winter is in full swing. Whether you’re dealing with icy wind, slushy streets, or ceaseless snowfall, every college girl knows that winter weather means adjusting our wardrobes.

Bundling up in style, however, can present a variety of challenges – from finding cute and cozy layers, to worst of all, looking lumpy and frumpy. If you’re in need of some guidance on how to layer without looking lumpy or just some extra winter inspiration, consider this your handbook!

1. Wear your socks!
I’ll be the first to admit that I hate wearing socks. Hate it! Icy feet, unfortunately, instantly make the rest of you colder, making socks an absolute winter necessity.

Outside of warm boots, warm, insulating socks are the easiest way to lock in extra heat. For extra cold weather, look for tall socks – the more leg coverage, the better. Thigh-high styles were popular this fall and look adorable scrunched under boots, as do knee-high pairs. Finally, if you’re using your socks as an accessory, look for fun details or patterns for warmth AND style.

Product Information: Short Fair Isle Wool Socks, Toast. B.ella Vivenne Socks, Lori’s Shoes. Cable Knit Knee High Socks, Ruche. X-Ray Thigh High Socks, Nasty Gal. Ribbon Perlerine Knee Socks, Topshop. Argyle Socks, Asos. House of Holland For Pretty Polly Triple Chain Socks, Asos. Corgi Polka Dot Sock, Barneys New York.

2. Pile on thin fabrics!
Cold-weather girls have long been known to layer tights and leggings under the skinniest of pants. (This can be an amazing strategy for surviving below-freezing wind chills!) Opt for dark footless tights or get even warmer with workout tights. Leggings or footless tights are the college girl version of long underwear!

Even though this extra layer is thin, it provides some extra cozy insulation. The same goes for your top: go for spandex tanks to wear under the rest of your wardrobe, the tighter the better. In order to create a streamlined, chic look, these base layers should fit like a second skin.

Good stuff, right? Well, there’s more where that came from. Get the rest the CollegeFashion tips for lumpy-less layering by clicking right here.

Question for Tuffy?! Email her at TuffyLuv@collegecandy.com and leave a message at the BEEEEEEP.

Tuffy Question: Hey, where all the lesbians at?! How come I never hear from you girls?!

Dear Tuffy Luv,
I have been with my boyfriend for over a year and we are just crazy about each other, but we are still virgins.  We were originally saving our virginity for religious/moral reasons, but we both changed our minds on that and want to have intercourse now.  However, we each live in our parents’ homes and his family is super-religious.  And if someone finds out, both of us will be in deep trouble.  Apart from simply waiting, what can we do?

–All revved up with nowhere to go

Dear Revved,

What can you do?! Why, many a thing, young lass! Let’s see–

But first, let lil’ ol’ Tuffy just lil’ ol’ say: ALWAYS USE CONDOMS. In EVERY situation. In ANY genital exchange, with ANY gender. Okay?! CONDOMS. CONDOMS CONDOMS CONDOMS.

Okay, that said, first, I want to say that I am writing this advice to you, girl, assuming that you are of consenting age. Okay? Please, young ‘uns, wait till you’re ready. You should never feel pressure to have sex before YOU are ready to do it. No one tells you what to do with your body–you are your own and only your own.

So, now the fun! Things you can do:

1. Intercourse: Yes, you can have intercourse. Just take it slow. Kiss a lot. Talk, giggle, don’t take it too seriously. Just do what comes naturally. And, importantly: Tell him if it’s hurting you. Let’s be real, girls, it hurts the first time, but if you have a gentle and patient partner, he’ll go slow when you need him to and it’ll be much, much better. And, frankly, if you don’t have a gentle and patient partner, I highly recommend dumping his ass.

2. Making Out: What’s wrong with just heavy making out?! This can be a great precursor to sex. It’ll really help you find out what turns you guys on. Kissing and touching is the perfect way to experiment without having to go too far.

3. Oral Sex: This is SEX – oral is NOT casual. You still need a condom for this one (sorry, kids – no one likes the herp). Okay, the main thing here is being equals; you give him, and he gives you. It’s all about reciprocity. And it’s also all about listening. Don’t just get down there and try to look like a porn star; that ain’t doin’ nothin’ for no one. Listen to his reactions and learn from them (and expect him to do the same for you!!). And don’t be too shy to read up on the subject for tips (so to speak).

4. Manual Stimulation: You actually don’t need a condom for this one, but make sure the hands are CLEAN (and that you have a condom nearby, just in case you decide you want to switch activities). Again, feel each other out (haha. No, but seriously). See what works for you guys. It’s just touching to make each other feel good – remember, this is a person you love.

5. Anal: Okay, not for the beginner. Work your way up to this one. And, if you do eventually go there, use condoms and tons of lube.

Places, given the circumstances, where you can do said things:

1. Backseat of a car
2. Friend’s place (with friend’s permission, of course)
3. As a last resort, save up money and rent a hotel room during daytime hours (so no one gets suspicious)

This is all assuming you love each other. Remember, kids, Aunt Tuffy Sez: Don’t rush into anything. Sex is so much better when there’s love involved.

Good luck to you, girl. Use condoms, be safe, have fun!

Hearts & Skulls,
Tuffy Luv

If only everything else were so simple.

[Ever see something you want but don’t have the money to buy? Ever get sick of studying/watching TV and have the urge to get crafty and make things on your own? We know! Us too! We just don’t know where to start, which is why we got some of CollegeCandy’s craftiest writers to share their favorite DIY projects with everyone. These things are easy, fun and a great way to save some serious cashola.]

I was always a bangs girl. And by always I mean long after it was socially acceptable to have them. I even remember the monumental day when I finally listened to my stylist and grew those bad boys out. Too bad it was like 3 months before they started showing up in fashion magazines as the new “it” hairstyle.

Now bangs are everywhere and they add so much fierceness that I just have to have them back. And I can do it…all by myself.

Cutting your own bangs seems totally scary, but if you are careful and do it right, you can have a salon look without paying the salon price. So, grab some scissors, get in front of the mirror and get chopping.

Tools:
Shears (Do not use whatever scissors you have lying around the house – those will most definitely leave you with some seriously botched bangs. Invest in a pair of hair shears for a precise cut.)
Mirror
Hair clips
A good friend for moral support

Snip Snip:
1. Make sure your hair is dry and styled how you normally wear it. If your hair is wet it will be weighed down and you will cut off more than you mean to!

2. Gather the hair in the front that you’d like to cut into bangs. This can be as thick or thin as you want. Pull back the rest of your hair and secure it in hair clips so as not to accidentally cut something you shouldn’t.

3. Comb the bangs down in the front so everything is where it should be.

4. Grab the to-be-bangs between your index and middle finger and pull down lightly, holding them away from your face.

5. Take your scissors and, pointing them up, trim in upward snips. (Do not cut straight across! That will leave you with a very unflattering straight line. By snipping upwards, you will have more texture to the bangs and they will look less severe).

6. Make your way across and check your progress. If they are too long, repeat step 5, taking off very little length. Repeat as necessary until your bangs are at the desired length.

Remember to keep those hands steady. You don’t want to end up lookin’ like this. Also, it’s better to snip too little than to hack too much, so take your time. I did and I’m super happy with the chic and fabulous results.

Every Monday I will be back to teach you how to do something useful, even if it also happens to be completely random. Because, hey, you never know when you just might need to know how to change a tire…or mix a perfect martini.]

I’m off to the Obama inauguration with some friends this weekend, and I am sooo psyched about it. The inauguration itself will be cool, obviously (despite our lack of tickets—we hope), but what will really be cool is the ROAD TRIP!!!!!

There’s nothing better than hitting the road with some pals and feeling your everyday responsibilities and stresses trickle away behind you. Road trips seem to enable a greater sense of freedom than other vacations, and they can be done so spontaneously—just pack up and go, basically.

Still, a little planning goes a long way (both in terms of miles and preparedness). To ensure your road trip is a smashing success, follow these 4 tips.

1. Print directions!

A map is incredibly useful, yes, but it won’t necessarily get you to where you’re going. Some maps have such tiny print that you can’t read anything on them, and other maps aren’t detailed enough to get you back on track when you’re lost. To be safe and save time, use Google Maps or Mapquest to print driving directions for your trip, and designate the person sitting shotgun to be your navigator.

2. Be open to sideshows.

Road trips aren’t any fun if you just drive the whole way through—you have to explore! Before you take off, show your directions to everyone in your group, and ask each person to find a few places along the way that sounds interesting. They could be restaurants, museums, or really crazy national monuments, but if you hit up even half of them, you’ll be guaranteed an entertaining journey.

3. Keep a kit of essentials in the car.

On the open road, anything is possible—so do as the Scouts do, and be prepared. Store a box in the car that you’ve filled with a first-aid kit, wet wipes, Purell, a clean towel, a blanket (if you’re driving in cold weather), emergency phone numbers, a flashlight, and high-energy snacks.

4. Research detours, roadways, and traffic patterns.

I’m told that numerous streets and bridges will be blocked off in the D.C. area early next week for the inauguration. If I don’t check which streets are blocked before I go, I won’t be able to get home (which may not be entirely a bad thing…). To drive as safely as possible, try to learn about the roadways you’ll be traveling on before you go. That way, you won’t have to pull off any risky driving maneuvers or make any split-second risky decisions. Staying safe now means you can go on as many road trips as you want later!

[Image courtesy of autos.canada.com.]

I’m happy to share – after all, that is what this column is all about – so check them out!

1. Make a schedule for yourself.

This is really the most basic time-management tool. I use a daily planner and I write a new to-do list for each day. Then I cross things out as I finish them. For longer-term projects, I write down the due date and then I write down what I need to accomplish on the project on a daily or weekly basis. You can do whatever works for you—color-code your schedule, write it on a white board, use an electronic calendar, etc.

2. Consolidate activities.

I used to go to the bank every time I got a new check, which sometimes meant I’d be going several times per week. I wasn’t using that money immediately after depositing it, so there was no reason for me to go so often. Now, I only go to the bank once every two weeks. It saves me tons of time, and I just keep all my checks together until I go on my biweekly trip.

Think about the things you do often—run errands, cook, do homework—and then think about whether you can consolidate any of them. Maybe it would help you to cook several huge batches of food on weekends and then freeze them in meal-sized portions to use throughout the week. Can you do a quick math assignment while you’re riding the subway or waiting on the phone for a customer-service rep? If so, you’ll have more free time later.

3. Eliminate activities.

There are probably a few hobbies you have that you really enjoy doing, and a few things you do that you may consider a slight waste of time. I spend way too much time surfing the Internet, so if I’m going to write a big article or work on a portion of my book, I’ll disable my wireless connection. If you feel like you watch too much TV, you might want to drop a couple of shows from your repertoire and catch up on episodes online later (but only if you have extra time). Consider your biggest time-wasters (Bromance, anyone?), and get rid of them! You’ll be amazed at how your week opens up if you downgrade this way.

I know many of you guys are multitasking mavens, so please feel free to share more tips in the comments!

[Image courtesy of blogs.theage.com.]

For all of you out there who have ever wanted to do all of that crap that other people know how to do, your prayers have just been answered:

Instructables is here to save your life.

This site is one of the coolest sites ever (second only to CollegeCandy…) and I can hardly begin to explain all of the reasons why. Ok, so I will try. Here goes: they walk you through the instructions of how to do just about everything.

Literally, everything! No more asking guys to help with “guy” things or calling up your sister to teach you how to get your hair doing that perfect balance between chic and messy.

The Instructables people break their projects down for you by category. Once you decide between Art, Craft, Food, Games, Green, Home, Kids, Life, Music, Offbeat, Outdoors, Pets, Ride, Science, Sports, and Tech, they send you on your way to DIY heaven.

Step by step. Project by project. It doesn’t get any better than that.

The next time you have a project in mind, but just don’t know how the eff to do it, I can guarantee you Instructables will. And they’ll show you, too.

Tip 1: Search/Clip Coupons

I ordered my dad $30 worth of merchandise from Land’s End the other day and almost had a heart attack when I saw that the shipping was $8. Let’s get real here—it does not cost $8 to send two turtlenecks via 7-day delivery. In my incensed state of rage, I went to Google and typed in “land’s end coupons”—and lo and behold, a page with a free shipping code on it popped up.

Deals like that are only a few clicks away, so make sure to search every time you buy something online. If you prefer to do your shopping in the flesh, cough up a few quarters for the Sunday paper and comb all the ads. You can clip coupons from there and learn about the hot sales going on near you. It takes extra time, but you’ll make up for it in extra money.

Tip 2: Buy Used

It’s not always the best idea to give a gift that someone has already broken in (like undies), so use your discretion here. But for certain items and certain people, it’s a great bet. If you have a friend who has been dying to read a specific book, she probably won’t care if you picked it up at the used bookstore for $5 rather than paying the $25 price tag for the brand-new copy at Barnes & Noble.

This tip can also be used toward stylish purchases. If you know somebody who loves to dress uniquely, spend an afternoon hitting all the thrift stores in town and get them a few choice items that you know they’d love. An even better idea is to take them along with you and offer to buy them a full outfit of their choice—that way, you can be sure they like what they’re getting.

Tip 3: Think Practical

Yes, we all love unwrapping luxurious items when the holidays roll around. But wouldn’t it be nice to get something you actually need for a change? Sure, your automatic thought for a Mom Gift might be that nice cashmere-blend sweater you spied a few weeks ago, but before you part with too much of your hard-earned cash, stop and think. What could Mom really use? Maybe she’s always holding her place in books with old receipts and folded napkins, and you think she could make good use of a bookmark. Or maybe she’s always complaining about how food sticks to the bottom of her frying pan.

It doesn’t always make for an exciting gift, but thinking practically can help someone out far more in the long run than thinking luxuriously—and it’s probably also cheaper than springing for the cashmere-blend sweater.

[Image courtesy of ahckd.com.]