2009 is just around the corner, so we decided to take a little look back at 2008. A lot has happened in the world, in the country and in our drama-filled, busy lives. We got so caught up in the working, the studying, the boys, the friends, the football games, the car sing alongs, the movies, the celebrity gossip, etc., that we forgot to stop and see just how far we’ve come in the past 12 months.

And, baby, we’ve come a long way.

We’ve all learned a thing or two in 2008, and we figured we’d share our biggest lessons with you. Who knows? Maybe these life lessons will help you get a jumpstart on a fabulous and splendid 2009.

Erica – Kent State: You know that book “He’s Just Not That Into You”? Well, it’s TRUTH. Oh, and a big bowl full of cottage cheese after a night of drinking is amazing and doesn’t make me feel guilty the next morning. Seriously.

S.E. – Fordham: The biggest lesson I learned in 2008 is that freshman boys are the easiest targets

for free drinks. I plan to abuse this knowledge until I’m a senior.

Lauren – University of Michigan: I learned that I’m more beautiful and desirable than I ever thought.

Sara C- Fordham: Not to spread myself too thin! I used to have so much on my plate, and I was always stressed. So I recommitted myself to the three things I love the most: running, writing, and reading. It’s made such a difference!

Kari – FSU: Don’t apply self-tanner while you’re drunk. Read More »

Spring has officially sprung here in New York City; the sun dress is here to stay, as are flip-flops, tank tops and shorts. If you’re like me, you might be looking down at your hairy, pasty legs and thinking “dear God, I actually miss December!”

And of course our trusty womens magazines are all about “getting ready for Summer” articles, reminding us that now is the time for manicures, pedicures, armpit shaving, leg shaving, fake tanner and…bikini waxes?

Really?

Bikini waxes are painful and, even worse, expensive! Cosmo online tells me I should wax about every 3 weeks, which would add up to probably about $400 over the summer months (considering the average bikini wax in NYC costs at least $50 w/tip!). At the moment I am a) single and b) not a surfer/lifeguard/swimmer/bikini model, so why the heck am I supposed to be getting bikini waxes? Painting my toes, shaving my legs, I get it–those are the bits that people can see when I’m wearing my little sun dress and flip-flops. Are shorts-that-are-so-short-we-can-see-your-pubes a new trend I haven’t heard about yet? Does casual Friday now include swim wear?

Someone, anyone: please enlighten me! Do you get bikini waxes in the Summer, even if you have no intention of hitting the beach/pool/water park?

Let’s put something out on the table. I’m pale. Year-round, unless I am recovering from a painful sunburn, any healthy glow I may have is courtesy of Cover Girl and a fluffy blush brush. I’m also not a fan of leather-face a la Rachel Zoe, so I’ve become quite intimate with the self-tan aisles of various department and beauty stores.

But there’s a problem with most self-tanners I’ve tried. And that problem is that they suck, in various degrees and respects.

I had high hopes for Jergen’s Natural Glow, the daily moisturizer that gives you gradual, but the color was so “gradual” that I gave up my daily application routine after a week of no results. I decided to try Mark bronzing self-tanner and spent the next day furiously scrubbing it off after looking like my tan was applied by a child painting with watercolors.

And Victoria’s Secret must be that she moonlights as an exotic dancer, because the only glow VS Bare Bronze gave me was that orange “my work uniform consists of 4-inch clear heels and glitter” glow.

I’d been mourning the loss of my summer tan on a daily basis since the beginning of the semester, until I came upon Elizabeth Grant Soleil Smart tinted leg lotion. And after a week of slathering it on, I’m just about ready to bathe in it. Read More »

Being Irish-Italian carries with it a few unfortunates. I’ve got a temper that can flair up out of nowhere and an unearthly hunger for all things bread. I’m also pale. Redheaded and pale. Pale.

Because of my unsightly whiteness, I find most self-tanners look completely ridiculous on me. I don’t just turn Lindsay Lohan orange, I turn Tropicana orange.

Until this summer, I had resigned myself to carrying the semi-albino torch forever, scoping on the SPF 45 and radiating whiteness like Kiki Dunst on a ski hill. But this May, I stumbled across a product that didn’t just make good on its promise: it came through with flying colors of tan.

Jergens Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturizer may have a long name, but that’s because it does more than your average body moisturizer. Not only does this product “firm” that cellulite, it also gives an all over summer glow that actually looks real. And unlike those other self-tanners, it doesn’t smell like musty, wet dirt. Read More »