[Disclaimer: This product was provided by FRSH UNCL. All our opinions are our own... and blatantly honest.]

I am not a leisure-wear person. I only wear hoodies out in public when running errands or when I’m at the curling rink. (Yes, I go to the curling rink. Let’s get over it.) I do dress for comfort when I’m at home, but people rarely see me like this. Want proof? A couple of weeks ago a friend came to my building to grab something and her boyfriend told me he had never seen me dressed casually before (I was wearing a hoodie and jeans).

After receiving my UNCL hoodie, though, this might change.

I am in love with this sweatshirt. Like, I-wanna-find-a-reason-to-wear-it-every-day kind of love. It’s a good fit, not too baggy and not too big, but long enough that it covers my bum (meaning I can get away with wearing leggings underneath it!). And it’s soft. So soft. But it’s also super cute. Unlike most dormwear that has massive school logos all over the front (what do you think I am, a walking billboard?!), the small U embroidered on the left side makes this hoodie totally inoffensive. It is the perfect balance of cute and casual and that’s the kind of lounge-wear I can support….and buy 12 of. Just be aware: the hoodie runs slightly small, so if I’ve sold you on it, I’d go a size up (I’m usually a small, but the medium fits perfectly).

Honestly, everyone should own one of these hoodies. And I’m not just saying that cuz I got mine for free. In fact, I want to buy another one so I don’t have to throw this one in the wash every 3 days.If there’s anything I hate more sloppy dormwear, it’s doing laundry.

[Meet Margaret, a freshman at Yale. We've been checking in with her every week to see what she's doing, who she's meeting, and what new college surprises she's tackling (or freaking out about) as she embarks on the journey we call college. Or as I like to call it, the best thing since Trader Joe's Honey Greek Yogurt.]

In high school, I had a clear label. I was Ms. Student Government, Ms. Good Grades, Ms. Overachiever. And even though all of our years of primary schooling have told us that labels are totally, totally terrible and that we should define people by their true selves and inner lights, etcetera, Oprah wisdom, etcetera, Oprah wisdom, I’m just going to say this: I heart labels.

Because for some reason, rather than being stifled and held down by my defined structural cocoon of a label, I ultimately felt freer to be anyone I wanted to be. Completely ridiculous, right? Yeah.

By being known as the Smart Girl, I no longer had to prove that part of myself. It was like, I could be flexible. I could get a B on a paper, I could forget to do my homework, I could bomb an English test, but I would still be known as the Smart Girl. I mean, I guess it’s kinda like how Paris Hilton could potentially save puppies and ace an LSAT, but she always has that Party Girl image. Except, the opposite, you know?

It’s like, when you have a defined label, all you need to do is be like, “But wait, that label is not all that defines me.” And wham, you can do whatever you want and you surprise people because obviously Real You is so much more interesting than Labeled You. Read More »

I’m just going to be blunt here: why do we feel the need to pretend we don’t know what we want?

I’m serious. Whether we’re looking for friends with benefits or a one night stand or – worst of all – an actual relationship, we’re terrified to openly admit it. We don’t want to be viewed as clingy or slutty or any other label that will send the guy running for the hills.

Because that’s what it comes down to, isn’t it? The reason we’re so scared to say what we’re thinking? That once we do, once we admit what we’ve been praying they’ll pick up on telepathically, the guy in question is going to reject us so quickly we’ll practically see a blur as he leaves?

Not that we should want to be with a guy like that anyway. But the problem is we do want this guy – in some capacity – and we don’t want to know if the word “boyfriend” is repulsive to him. And society (and possibly some past experiences) has taught us that the words “relationship,” “boyfriend,” and “girlfriend” are instant boy repellent.

I’d been sort of seeing a friend of mine for about a month-and-a-half and before we left for winter break, I tried to be honest with him: I couldn’t deal with the crazy back-and-forth anymore, with him acting like we were in a relationship one day, then actively avoiding me the next. Or hugging and kissing me around strangers and my friends, but literally dropping my hand and stepping away when we saw one of his. I was so proud of myself for actually having the nerve to tell him all of this, and to go one step further and flat-out tell him that I wasn’t sure what he wanted, but I wanted a- Read More »

I picked my last boyfriend up at the grocery store. Bing, bang, boom—some eggs, some bread, and a new dude. Sure, there was some out-of-store courting involved, but who would have thought you could actually meet nice guys at the grocery store? Or that guys even went to the grocery store?

Not me. But it turns out that great dudes are all over the place—you just have to know where to look and how to strike. Read on.

1. Smile.
This might sound dumb, but everybody’s attracted to a good smile. You can’t pick up a guy if you look sour, so flash those pearly whites. You never know when somebody cute is going to look your way.

2. Be who you wish you were.
If you’re shy but you really want to be outgoing and flirty, what’s stopping you? It’s hard to overcome labels you’ve placed on yourself, but you’re the only person who has the power to change things. So rather than slinking back into a corner, cross the room and talk to that hot dude. And hold your head up like you mean it. Read More »

In the words of Salt N Pepa, “the difference between a hooker and a ho ain’t nothin’ but a fee.”

Apparently, with today’s struggling economy, that ‘fee’ can come in many forms. Gas is well over $4 a gallon, and after a Kentucky woman sold her body for a full tank, a prosecutor commented that it’s sad when people are selling their bodies for gas. (Uh, duh?) Of course, there are plenty of other sexual behaviors out there that border the fine line between “hooker” and “ho.”

Look at aspiring “actress” Ranae Shrider, whose most prominent role to date is opposite Mini Me, Verne Troyer, in a scandalous sex tape. Reportedly, Shrider has been shopping the tape all over Hollywood, asking for $25,000 or more for the vid. What do you think, ladies? Hooker or Ho?

Of course, we also have the glamorized portrait of the “prostitute with a heart of gold.” You know, Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. We hate Jason Alexander for trying to solicit poor Julia, and we cheer when Richard Gere shows up in his limo to whisk her into the sunset. Then we call our ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend a “whore” behind her back. Read More »

Three nights ago, as I’m spooning in bed with my ex-boyfriend/current fling (the lines are a little blurred), he, out of the blue, drops a line that no ex-girlfriend ever wants to hear spoken about herself: he called me crazy.

I was speechless. Everything had being going rather well all night: I looked super-hot, we were flirting like mad and we had just engaged in a no-fuss, delicious two-hour romp on his blow-up mattress, resulting in the big “O” for both parties.

And then he had to go and ruin our post-coital snuggle session with the dreaded “C” word.

Now, let me set the record straight. This is definitely not the first time a male in my life has called me crazy. Everyone from my dad and brother to my high school gym teacher has felt the need to express their opinion about my level of sanity.

I can’t deny that maybe, they were right to drop the C-bomb. Let’s just say that high school was rough for me. I was involved in a serious relationship, which led me to act like a serious fool. I yelled really loud, pushed really hard and generally caused extreme amounts of unnecessary stress for everyone involved in my life. But hey, I was sixteen, riding high off the fumes of sweet adolescent hormones, and I didn’t think – I just DID.

Of course, douchebag ex-boyfriend heard all the juicy details of my teenage drama during our first year of dating. I mean, if I had to endure all the pain and horror – it was only fair that I pass it onto him, right? (Note: I realize now this was a huge mistake and that some skeletons really are better kept in the closet – forever.) So, after I got upset about a girl attempting to kiss him in front of me after a little too much jungle juice, he decided it was time to break out the one insult he knew would cut straight to the heart. Read More »

Who I was in the third grade does not define who I am today, and who I slept with two weeks ago doesn’t either.

If I wear 4-inch pumps and a cheetah-print dress on Monday, I’ll be viewed just a little differently by men–and women!–than when I wear sneakers and a Hanson hoodie on Tuesday. Even worse: I’ll actually be treated differently, too. But I’m going to change my outfits daily, because my moods will change daily, and that decision to choose what I wear when I wear it is a no-brainer. So if I go home with a guy after meeting him in a bar and have wild, upside-down, “we should totally record this!” sex one night, and then meet another dude the following night but prefer just to spoon and watch “Arrested Development,” why am I deemed a slut for having sex and then a prude for not putting out? And why do I even care so much about these labels?? They’re inaccurate and not definitive of who I am at all. Read More »

I may not be one of those girls who are into labels, but I am the kind of girl who is into bags.

Call me stereotypical, but I love getting a new bag, a new pair of shoes, a new wallet. And for a deal? And online? Pinch me!

KateSpade.com is currently in the throes of an amazing online sample sale where you can snag anything from a new purse to a new diaper bag (hey, I don’t judge…) for up to 60% off of the retail price. And they aren’t offering up bottom of the barrel duds either.

Everything they are offering seems to be top-notch and, to this shopper who is more H&M than D&G, it’s all beautiful but not stuffy.

Some of the best pieces are found in the handbag section.

This animal print bag is small enough to carry without feeling overloaded and packs enough punch to add some spice to an otherwise simple outfit. And the Hudson bag? It’s so chic and simple that it’s an investment worth making! And at more than half off…now’s the time!

Quantity is limited so scrounge up some cash and get on it! Online sample sales are few and far between so you better take advantage of this pre-holiday convenience, ladies! Read More »

If I put all the clothes I’ve ever given away into one place, it could probably fill up my entire bedroom, floor to ceiling and wall to wall. Over time I’ve made disastrous shopping purchases I was more than willing to give to Goodwill.

But the times I have painstakingly attempted to sell my clothes for a bit of extra cash, they never take the bait.

It is always incredibly perplexing as to what they do take. One time during a serious dough drought, I decided to sell some of my lesser worn yet well-known articles of clothing. Amidst an entire trash bag of recent goods the numbskulls took one item: a hot pink, crew neck, Lycra-cotton blend shell from the Gap OUTLET that dated back to ’98. Read More »