Let’s talk about skin care. Go into any beauty retailer, find a sales person and ask them to recommend a skin care regimen. Then duck, because you are about to get hit with an avalanche of products your skin “needs.” They’re going to try to sell you a makeup remover, a cleanser, a scrub, a toner, a serum, a moisturizer, a spot treatment, an eye cream and a sunscreen. A really ambitious sales person will try to sell you two of each, a different one for day and night.

Now in a perfect world an elaborate skin care regimen can be very good for your skin, but let’s get real. When you’re coming back to the dorm at 4am and crashing, your makeup smearing off on the pillow is the closet thing you get to skin care.

It is a good idea to have a solid skin care system, especially if you have an issue like acne or dry patches that need treatment. But with so many steps, it’s all or nothing and you need a back up plan that you’ll actually use and that actually works!

So when time is tight or you are feeling lazy there are three very important steps to hit.

1. Remove makeup

2. Cleanse

3. Moisturize

Here are some products that can kill two (or three) birds with one stone. Read More »

So you just got in from a great night out, your aching head and tired feet are telling you to hit the sheets, but your makeup-covered face is screaming “wash me!” I know this is the last thing you want to do right now, but removing makeup is really important for your skin, and let’s not forget the risk of getting harmful mascara in your eye!

In order to keep your skin clean, glowing and moisturized it is vital to wash off your makeup. If that’s not convincing enough, makeup removal will at least keep your pillowcase clean, and who doesn’t love a clean pillow?

Below are some great products to help you keep clean.

L’oreal Eye Makeup Remover- $6.99. This remover is not greasy (like many products are) and it gets all makeup off (including waterproof liners and mascaras). It’s a drugstore brand so it’s fairly inexpensive, and, best of all, it smells like roses!

Clinique Rinse-off Eye Makeup Solvent: $16.50. This remover is not sudsy or soapy, and leaves behind no residue. Quick and easy (perfect for those late nights). This remover is a tad on the expensive side, but I think it’s worth it. While I love this Clinique remover, I’d stay away from Clinique’s Take the Day Off remover as it tends to leave skin oily and gross.

Bare Escentuals: bareEyes: $14 This remover is enriched with copper to make skin around the eyes soft. It is safe for contact users and is great for moisturizing and cleansing. Read More »

It’s no secret that drinking takes a toll on your skin. Dehydration, blotchiness and puffiness are just a few of the wonderful effects of alcohol–a moisture zapping diuretic– on your epidermis. So what’s a girl to do when faced with a serious liquor induced skin issue? Quit drinking? I think not.While that would obviously be the most effective move, it’s not one I plan on making any time in the near future (near future including this semester and every one after that until I graduate). Luckily, the makeup gods determined long ago that girl-kind should be able to have her cake (flavored mix drink) and eat it too (um, have nice looking skin).

The following products will salvage your face be you hungover and desperate for a quick fix, prepping for bed after drinks with the girls, or planning ahead for a night of partays (you overachiever, you). Read More »

The Walk of Shame is awkward. End of story.

Even if you are trolling through a college town filled with kids who fully support and expect it, walking home with last night’s hair, makeup and footwear is never your proudest moment (though mastering the Wheelbarrow drunk the night before came pretty close).

Unfortunately, for many college coeds, the Walk of Shame is inevitable, especially when you combine Dollar Pitcher night at the local bar and a whole lot of good looking boys. But just because you are walking home from some dude’s house early in the morning doesn’t mean you have to look that way.

I am a strong believer in preparing for everything, and the Walk of Shame is no exception. Pack a few things before you go and no one will have any idea where you were last night.

First things first, avoid that “going out bag” and opt for something bigger. You probably already have one, but in case you want an excuse to buy something new, I love this new Tycoon Dome Satchel from Juicy. Cute enough for a night on the town, but big enough to pack all of the essentials.

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