[Welcome to Celebrity Chic on the Cheap, where our style guru takes a celebrity look and breaks it down for you, our poor college fashionista. What does that mean? It means that while the celebrities are spending $5,000 on an ensemble (even a lazy Saturday outfit), you don’t have to. All you have to do is click on the goods and - boom - you can buy the entire look. For cheap. Yes, we know - there is a spot for her in heaven.]

I don’t care for Katy Perry that much. I only like every other single that she releases, I think her taste in men is beyond questionable, and I thought it was highly ridiculous to claim that as a Christian, she was highly offended by Lady Gaga.

Yet, I cannot deny that I am completely fascinated by her style. She’s fearless, experimental, and not afraid to switch things up. She’s the only (non-Gaga) woman I can think of who is as comfortable wearing a bra made of cupcakes as she is dressed down and looking like Zooey Deschanel’s doppelganger. And I love that.

You know what else I love? This stunning polka dot number Katy recently sported on a stroll through London town. Gimme, gimme, gimme. Read More »

Spending a semester abroad can be a lot of fun, but being abroad for awhile can start to take its toll on you when traveling around a foreign country. While I had the best time studying at Kingston University in London this summer, I also broadened my cultural horizons and learned a few things about traveling and surviving in a foreign country.

For those going abroad for the upcoming semester or planning a trip to Europe anytime soon, here are some helpful tips to get you around:

You are from Canada: Let’s be honest – Americans like to think they rule the world, and sometimes that holier than thou attitude rubs Europeans the wrong way. Don’t go overseas acting like a stereotypical American (you know, the ones that yell loudly when speaking to someone that doesn’t understand English as if the other person is deaf…) It may be hard when adjusting to culture shock, but the best way to get past it is to simply embrace it. If you can’t … just say you’re from Canada and all the questions will go away.

“Tap Water is For The Prisoners”: When I was thirteen, I went to Europe for two weeks on a guided school trip. The tour guide told my class that only prisoners drink tap water, so we shouldn’t order it at a restaurant. Forget that, live like a prisoner. Unlike in the states, restaurants just don’t bring out water for you. They tend to bring out bottled water, and after walking around Amsterdam all day, finishing off one of those babies happens fast…as does racking up a huge bill. Unless you really have a problem drinking tap water, order it. Not only will it save you money, but it will be cold. Most restaurants will serve you room temperature bottled water, but if you want something icy cold … tap water is the only way you’ll get those extra ice cubes. Free, cold water? No complaints there! Read More »

In this tough job market, there may be no one with more job security than porn stars.  Let’s face it, the porn industry is on the rise now that thousands upon thousands of men are out of work and sitting bored at home.  However, for those porn stars who are down on their luck (or sick of getting stuffed all day), it may be time to look elsewhere for work.

As long as “elsewhere” isn’t on a bus.

In the UK, a porn star has been threatened with the proverbial pink slip if she doesn’t quit her night job. The reigning ‘Miss Nude Belgium 2009′ recently passed all her exams to become a bus driver and had just started working when she was called to human resources to explain some racy photographs. Turns out, you can’t show your nips and drive people around town.

Now, I see the issue with driving around town while showing your nips, but what is wrong with a dedicated young woman trying to hold down two jobs to support her family?  Sure, bus driver and porn star don’t usually go hand-in-hand (or DO they?…more research needed), but I’m thinking the bus company can only benefit from having a hot erotic star driving for them.  I sure would appreciate seeing a ridiculously sexy person driving my bus instead of the broken down shells of human beings that I usually get (no offense, but they look like they gave up on life about three years before I was born).

And besides, with all these bus drivers crashing into things while texting (and probably looking at porn…), aren’t there bigger issues than a few erotic photos?

OMG. I am afraid to admit this, but I actually yelped at the end of tonight’s episode of The City. I also may or may not have jumped out of my seat and given Whitney a “You go, girl!”

Ok, I definitely did. Our secret?

I know that most of this show is scripted and it’s all a bunch of crap, but the scene between Jay and Whitney really tugged at my heart. I can’t even tell you how many times a guy has treated me like utter crap and I’ve immediately turned around and rolled out the red carpet for him to do it again.

Not Whit, though. I don’t know if it was finding out that Olivia stole her London gig, the conversation with Lauren, or the sage advice from DVF herself (we’ll get back to that later), but Whitney was not about to let Jay run her life and her emotions.  Even if he performed the grand gesture of flying back to NY and calling her from the street corner. Looking hot. In a suit. Mmmm.

Whitney finally stood up for herself and took her NY life into her own hands. And for that, she gets a standing “You Go, Girl” from this girl. Read More »

I’ve studied abroad.  But not really.  If you are currently studying abroad, or plan to in the future, I can assure you that my overseas experience was a bit different.  I began my college experience in London, rather than waiting until Junior year to try the whole passport-and-a-long-ass-flight routine.  Whenever I say, “I spent a year in London,” (I transferred during sophomore year), people assume I studied abroad.  I did not.

At my school, Americans who were enrolled in degree programs were labelled “Degree Students,” while Americans who were specifically there for a semester or two were labelled “Study Abroads.”  So, while I was an American sewing my wild oats just like you might be, there were some major differences.  I moved to the UK when I was 18, fresh out of high school.  I’d never had a keg party experience, I’d never lived in a dry dorm, and I’d never been to a major college sporting event.  Though I wasn’t always on my best behavior, my best friends were from all over the world, and I could see through their eyes how Americans earned bad raps as being obnoxious, immature, and annoying.  Make the most of your experience. Don’t make these mistakes.

1.  Do Know That Your Accent Says It All.

Have you ever heard an English person swear? I don’t care how “sodding” pissed off they are, it sounds so much nicer than an American politely asking, “Whaat tye-am is etttt?”  Most natives of whatever country you’re in won’t be instantly appalled by your accent, but they will know approximately where you hail from.

2. Don’t Get Wasted and Yell Things That Would Be Funny at Home.

As I just stated, your accent gives you away.  Which can work to your advantage… or not.  Screaming your school’s sports chant– P-I-T-T Let’s Go Pitt!– is not only loud and obnoxious, but do you really think the residents of Queensland, Australia give a f*** about the University of Pittsburgh?  Singing bar songs (American or otherwise) will also make everyone, including fellow Americans, want to punch you in the face.

Read More »

Angelina is looking freakishly plastic in London.

Check out Justin Bobby’s band on MySpace.

Out of the limelight and into the sunlight: Sarah Palin sunbathing.

Wacko sports traditions!

The perils of fashionable footwear.

Some really creative answers to the question, “What have you been smoking?”

Instant bug killer and other unconventional uses for your shampoo.

A cup size bigger for just $19.99?

Scarlett claws back at Lindsay.

Gag gifts for the holidays!

It’s rainy. It’s windy. You haven’t seen sunlight in days, you didn’t do so hot on today’s pop quiz, and you really don’t feel like reading about the Enlightenment for history class. What better way to beat the dreariness and procrastinate than by having a comedy movie marathon to boost your spirits and make you laugh?

When fall settles in and it’s not as much fun to walk through campus on a chilly, dismal day, grab a bunch of kids from your hall, pop some warm, buttery popcorn, and veg out in flannel pj’s and sweats. You’ll feel better, you’ll have fun, and best of all, these movies sure as hell beat anything that sprung from the Enlightenment! Read More »

It’s a battle of the ages. Do blondes really have more fun? Are red heads always saucy? A new study out of London has all the answers, and it seems your hair color reaches far deeper than your roots….

The truth behind those golden locks is that blondes have more going for them than simply being more fun. Those damn blondes also have higher self-esteem and are more likely to go after the things they want in life. Like your boyfriend.

Those bitches.

But don’t worry, brunettes; blondes can’t compete with you in the workplace. The study discovered that brunettes earn higher salaries on average than those blondies. Brunettes are also most likely to be wooed by the world’s richest men (cha ching!).

That is, of course, if a millionaire has never slept with a red head, because, according to the study, those fiesty ladies have the best sex lives of em all.

Which is why I’ve been dying my hair red for years.

Take that, blondes.

Recently, the Department of Health in England conducted a study of heavy drinkers to find out why they drink. Through a series of focus groups (which is probably the last place a hungover person wants to be) the health professionals concluded that heavy drinkers fall into 9 basic categories.

They outlined their conclusion here.

A lot of the categories overlap, and many categories aren’t included (“It tastes so good,” for example. Or, “I love that cotton mouth feeling in the morning!”). However, I found the study to be interesting and somewhat applicable to the average college lady. Personally, I have fallen into every one of these categories…in a single weekend, but maybe this thing has some merit.

Any maybe my mom was right: “Lauren, no one puts beer in their cereal. You have a problem.”

The report was written for a British man, so I took it upon myself to bring you the facts in words you, a college coed, would understand. Which group do you fall into? Which group do you want to fall into? And why is everyone all “you have a problem” all the time?! Read More »

Lots of people in the USA like to complain about the drinking age. And by lots of people, I mainly mean those who are under the legal drinking age of 21.

This included me when I was underage. I used to rant continually to any listening ear around me about how hard it was for me to get into bars. I despised the injustice of the photo ID and the fact that I had to constantly verse myself in the full name, birthday, and address of the older friend I was always pretending to be while out on the town.

I had a boyfriend in London and HE was allowed to drink already. It drove me, as he would say, mad. However, now that I’m a few years past the drinking age and a few years wiser, I have come to understand how detrimental a legal drinking age of 18, for instance, could have been to my life.

If I had been drinking (legally) when I was 18, things would be different for me now, I reckon: Read More »