Now there is really no reason to get out of bed on Black Friday.

Part of me gets butterflies just thinking about racks and racks of discounted clothing. I’ve been dreaming of Black Friday since I woke up over the toilet in a Tinker Bell costume on November 1st; the cheap designer handbags, the plasma TVs, the stops at Cinnabon and Auntie Anne’s to refuel, the high of leaving the mall with all of my Christmas gifts and some money left in my bank account. There is just something about being in a mall on Black Friday that cannot be replicated.

Then reality sets in and I realize that while in a perfect world I would be skipping through sales racks, after finishing these freakin’ essays, traveling home and stuffing my face for an entire day, my (Queen-size!) bed is going to be much more appealing than lines at 4 am in the freezing cold. And don’t even get me started on those slow-walking old ladies that always get in my way.

That being said, I will remain in my pajamas and snag the deals I can from the comfort of my warm home as my mother serves me delicious leftovers. For those of you who will be joining me in cyberspace, here are the websites to put at the top of your bookmarks list to ensure you get deals just as good as those over-caffeinated, line waiters pummeling their way through mall crowds. Internet, I love you. Read More »

God, what did we ever do without the internet? Besides the amazingness that comes from sites like this, there’s online shopping. And it rules! You can get all your favorite things without leaving the house and online stores can charge less for all of it since they don’t have to spend all that extra money on actual storefronts. That means lots of fabulosity without spending lots of money.

And one of those great stores is a recent CollegeCandy find: Anique Michelle. It isn’t well known – yet – and might just be one of the best kept secrets of the world wide web.  The selection is small, but everything Anique stocks is adorable and affordable. Nothing costs more than $60! I’m totally digging the accessories and can’t wait to spruce up a few of my outfits with some of these. Read More »

Looks like winning supersedes basic human decency in Philadelphia.

In case you wanted to see Heidi Montag in Playboy...

Online shopping just got even easier.

So this is what the perfect pet looks like.

Stewie Griffin is gay!? I knew I loved him for a reason…

How do you buy the perfect jeans?

I have this awesome Chinese cut red dress. The tag says it’s a size 14 but it’s form fitting if you’re a sexy eight. But you know back during the 40s sizes were just different. There was a war going on then, you know. I wasn’t there. I heard about it from my grandma, the original owner of the dress.

In any case, in the event that you don’t have a grandmother who stock piles everything that she and her children have owned since BIRTH you might need a place to fill your vintage needs. Because vintage clothes are awesome and pretty and everyone needs some.

Fortunately, the internet is there for you:

1) Mod Cloth

This is a fun little boutique featuring everything from dresses to shoes. You don’t see many retailers sporting vintage shoes, so this is a rare find. Or maybe I just love shoes. Too much. Anyways, they also carry a wealth of accessories to augment your perfect retro look whether it be 40’s swing or 60’s flower child.

And they’re giving it all to you for 15% off until August 8th! Just shop your vintage little heart out, put it all in your “basket,” then enter the super special code (ModCandy 15) at checkout! That’s it. 15% off some of the cutest vintage-inspired goods on the web.

Read More »

We have very addictive personalities here at CollegeCandy. We’re addicted to coffee, to Chelsea Lately and to outdoor drinking in the summertime (that one might be slightly serious…). Our worst addiction, though? Clothes. We can’t get enough.

Most people update their wardrobes seasonally; we do it daily. And the fact that there are so many great online stores only fuels our addiction more. We don’t even have to put on any of the 40 pairs of pants that we own to add a new piece to the closet. We don’t have to slip into one of our 14 pairs of Havaianas to cruise the mall. All we need is a laptop, some internet and we’re in shopping heaven.

And where do we spend most of our time? Lulus.com. You see it featured on this site a lot and that’s because it’s got everything a girl could want: the trendiest clothes, accessories and shoes, all on the cheap. And not cheap in a “wash it once and say goodbye” sorta way. It’s just good stuff at a low price.

And it’s about to get even cheaper, because the ladies behind that store are offering CollegeCandy readers 15% their orders from today until August 1st!

All you have to do is type in COLLEGECANDY at checkout and you’ve got yourself a 15% discount. Woohoo! That means you can buy 15% more (OMG, we really do have a problem), and you’re most definitely going to want to buy more. More dresses, more tops, more bib necklaces….

Tell your friends, tell their friends and tell their friends’ friends. Then sit back on your couch with a cup of coffee, some Chelsea Lately and click your way to a fuller and more fabulous wardrobe.

In case you needed another reason to love Etsy.com, here it comes. All good CollegeCandy readers know that Etsy is a genuinely awesome online marketplace, where artisans from all over peddle their own unique brand of wares, whatever they may be.

Not only do I love Etsy for the seemingly endless supply of lovingly crafted goods for sale – jewelry, clothing, photography, stuffed animals, frames, glasswares, knick-knacks, and on and on and on – but I love the creative kick in the pants I get every time I visit. I see an awesome silkscreened dress and my mind immediately starts perusing my closet for items I could adorn myself. I see jewelry made out of old piano keys, or skeleton keys, or medical skeletons, or anything, and suddenly the overflowing basement in my family home is brimming with possibility instead of junk!

The Storque, Etsy’s brilliant and multi-faceted DIY blog takes this burst of creative energy (which, for my scattered self, often fades in light of the overwhelming possibilities) and makes all things seem possible. Some of their most frequent topics are as follows:

Step-by-step projects:
A la CC’s DIY Tuesday, The Storque offers up clearly written, well-crafted project ideas of all shapes, sizes and ideas. Now that all my cousins seem to be having babies, I am going to test out this adooorable squishy donkey pattern, as a way to turn out simple, personalized baby gifts to all the new additions! There are tutorials on making your own stamps, gussying up your old clothes, and making your own lip balm – and everything in between!

General craft hints:
There are a fair number of pesky instructions or terms that you run across in the DIY world that you seem to be expected to know; those pivotal and oft-screwed-up creative steps. The Storque seeks to fill in those gaps so that nothing stands between you and artistic greatness! Some examples are lessons in how to correctly measure for clothing, to properly frame your artwork, and working your color wheel. Read More »

Just because our economy is in the crapper doesn’t mean your style should be. In fact, one of the best things to come from our current economic….er….challenges is that great discount stores popping up all over the web. We’ve featured a few on CollegeCandy before, but we have a whole new batch of great online shops to pick up the hottest looks at some seriously discounted prices. We know, we know; you love us more than Easter Reese’s.

We get that a lot. Read More »

Being a poor college student sucks…except when other people notice and begin to cater directly to us and our needs. Like the student rate at the movie theater, or Apple’s sweet discount for college students.

Now take the excitement you feel when you get your movie ticket for $10 instead of $12 (wooohoooo!) and multiply that by the thousands of discounts you can get by joining my new favorite discount site just for students, StudentRate.com.

Did you pee your pants yet? (I’m sure they can get you a deal on some new ones!)

This fab new site allows college students to take full advantage of their school ID – all from the coziness of their own dorm rooms.  Even better? The user-friendly layout lets us search deals by category, location, “What’s Hot,” and by browsing keywords to see what pops up.  Of course, the site is free to join (what’s the point in saving money if you have to pay to do so?), so there’s really no reason NOT to take advantage.

Here are some of the best money-savers that I came across in my latest visit to the site: Read More »

A Warning: eBay is totally addictive! I have always loved thrift shopping, and eBay came along and totally enabled my obsession with hunting for the perfect dress/shoes/jeans/furniture in a way that probably isn’t 100% healthy.

Obviously, while clothes and jewelry are my personal area of expertise/weakness, they are just the tip of the eBay iceberg. I needed more memory for my computer recently, and I bought it on eBay for under $20. My boyfriend bought an icemaker for our freezer. If you need it, it’s probably on eBay, and you can probably save at least a few bucks off what you would pay elsewhere! Here are some tips to get you started: Read More »

[I want it, I need it, I can’t live without it. There are so many things on store shelves and racks right now that we want to take home and hang in our closets. Things that are so cute, everyone should know about them. We’ll share ‘em with you here (because we’re that nice), but as far as actually getting them goes….well, you’re on your own with that one.]

If you’re looking for an alternative to European-based companies such as Topshop, H&M, and ASOS, consider taking a peek at what Lipsy has to offer. Among the many fabulous pieces on its website was this classy tulip skirt with a bow sash. And I want it.

It comes in two great colors, so you can stand out in the crowd, yet still look sophisticated. The tulip skirt accentuates the hips and then narrows to show off your curves while the abundant bow adds that extra bit of oomph to an otherwise simple piece. Read More »