Got something awesome everyone needs to know about? Email your “The Know” ideas to Jill@collegecandy.com and I’ll pass them along to everyone right here, right now. Everyone’s got something to cool share and it’s the season of giving, so give it to me.

L’Oreal Elnett Hairspray
I usually hate hair spray. I was scarred by my senior year roommate who sprayed an entire massive can of extra hold spray into her hair on a daily basis. In fact, if I close my eyes I can still taste the left-over mist in my mouth. It really made it a joy to pee…and shower… for a year. I so badly wanted to tell her that 80s bangs and poofy hair left with – uh – the 80s, but instead, I added hairspray to my food diary… and held my breath for dear life every time I had to go near the bathroom.

But, the fact is, sometimes, a girl needs some spray. When you’re curling your hair, when you have a Jew fro (unfortch, me), when you need to tame fly-aways without making your hair look like you just rubbed grease all over it… Read More »

[Make-up is wonderful, but it can also be confusing. There are so many shades and colors and sheens and reasons to wear it, that a girl can get completely lost attempting to find what fits her face best. What’s the best blush color for a redhead? How do you really put on lip-liner? Is there such a thing as too much eyeshadow?

In this weekly series, makeup expert Ali will use her makeup know-how to teach us all how to look flawless in class, out at a party, or grabbing coffee with that cutie from Psych 101.]

In order for makeup to keep you looking fresh and beautiful you need to keep up with fresh products. Yes, it can be a sad day to throw out your favorite MAC eyeshadow because its time has expired, but it is necessary for your skin and your overall look (and feel). Below is some important information about how long your makeup should last, and how to stretch out its shelf life. And don’t worry – we won’t judge you if you hold a moment of silence for your favorite products whose time has come.

Mascara: With such close contact to your eyes, mascara is likely to acquire bacteria and, as a result, should be thrown out after 3 months. Don’t believe me? Smell it. Go on, do it. If the mascara is ready to go you’ll notice a different smell, not to mention the mascara will likely not go on as well. Throw it out!

Foundation: Liquid and condensed powder foundations will likely become cakey or cracked after 6 months to a year and then it’s time to toss em. Loose powder foundation will likely last a little longer. Similar rules apply to blush. Read More »

[Welcome to the fourth edition of 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. The Amazon Kindle.

I l.o.v.e this gadget. A super light weight, hand held device that lets you download entire books in under a minute. It holds up to 200 books, magazines, newspapers and blogs. You may think you like the feel of a book better but trust me – after playing with this bad boy for 20 minutes you will be obsessed too. It is the best for travel, for class books, for everything. I adore it. What I don’t love is the $359 price tag… so ask your parents for the holidays. And think about it this way: what you spend on the Kindle you save on books, because every book is $9.99 or less on the Kindle (and you save paper! And bookshelf space! Your allergies will thank you!!). Read More »