It’s hard to stay organized (and beautiful!) when you’re living in the cramped quarters typical of college towns. You barely have enough room for your clothes in most dorms or apartments and without a bathroom to call your own, it’s nearly impossible to store all that makeup you brought along with you. But with a little creativity and a few key pieces, anyone can find a place to keep their makeup, and keep it clean.

Today, I’m showing you how I store my all of my makeup and giving you some other great organizational ideas as well.

If you’ve got some extra space and looking for major storage, hit up The Container Store for a large drawer unit that you can keep in your bathroom. Looking for something smaller? Try Target for a set of 6 small storage drawers (like the one I use!) that can fit right on your desk or dresser. And if you’re really crafty, you can even turn your makeup storage into some much needed room decor! Whatever you decide, get that makeup organized. It will not only save you time, but it will protect your brushes and keep your makeup from cracking or going bad too soon.

It’s now almost three weeks since Christmas (and only 353 ’til Christmas Day 2010… not that I’m counting!) and, like many of you, I have a slew of gift cards for different retailers, many of them to Sephora. This year, instead of spending my gift cards on lots of little things, I’m planning a few splurges on beauty products that are really worth my cash.

Whether you’re planning some gift card splurges or just want to upgrade your beauty regime, here are five beauty products worth splurging on:

1. Blow Dryer/Flat Iron

It might be a bit of an exaggeration to say that my life changed when I got my T3 hairdryer for Christmas a few years back, but I can honestly say my locks haven’t been happier… or more hydrated. The same could be said for my CHI flat iron – my hair has never looked this good.

Now, your drugstore blow-dryer/curling iron/flat iron might be doing the trick for now, but higher end styling tools cut down the time you spend on your hair by at least half, and they also make hair look silkier and shinier. Don’t buy it? CollegeCandy.com’s beauty blogger Caitlin just raved about her new T3 Evolution Tourlmaine Blowdryer ($129.50 at BeautyChoice). Great quality flat-irons include those by Farouk CHI ($69.72 at Amazon), GHD’s IV Styler ($240 at Sephora), and Solano’s HAI ($55.95 at Amazon).

As a girl who used to spend 30+ minutes blow drying and 30+ straightening her hair, I guarantee these products are so worth the investment. Seriously, this is one splurge your hair will thank you for.

Find out the other 4 splurges worth making at CollegeFashion.net!

So if you’re like me, part of the fun of being a girl is getting all beautified and purtied up. I mean, beyond the fun that is playing with makeup, what’s the point of putting together a cute outfit if your skin looks dry, your hair looks flat and you smell like a thrift store?

Obviously, my all-time favorite one-stop-shop for all my beauty needs is Sephora. That place has it all… not to mention you can pop in there while you’re shopping and freshen up with their variety of samples. (Confession: sometimes I’ll make Sephora my last stop so I can use all their expensive makeup to get ready for the night!) The sad fact is, beauty products are muy expensive-o and can quickly add up.

Good thing Sephora has a nice stock of too-good-to-be-true goodies for under $20. Let the beautification begin!

Nothing says winter like peppermint hot cocoa and marshmallows, and this Philosophy set helps ya carry that smell around all day. And considering Philosophy’s usual prices, this is quite a steal! Holiday Bonus: The boys’ll find your scent irresistible.

I bought this set a few weeks ago and it’s totally perfect for beauty on-the-go. It comes with a gorgeous palette of eye shadow colors, a blush and 4 choices of lip gloss.  For under $20, you really can’t go wrong.

If there’s one guy out there who knows hair, it is Frederick Fekkai. He’s got tons of products to get your hair lookin’ its best and this spray is by far the most fun. It adds a nice golden shimmer to your hair that’s perfect for holiday parties and New Year’s Eve. Healthy, shiny hair? Yes please.

Perfume rollerballs are a great way to carry around a fragrance for those long days when you need to re-apply. (Like after that 100 question exam that left you sweatin’.)  I love this Stella McCartney scent, but they have a whole lot of options to choose from if Stella isn’t your girl.

Everyday essentials by Bare Escentuals? That are 100% natural? That will make you look perfect without making you break out? I can’t think of anything more heavenly.

If you’re a big Diet Coke/coffee drinker, these Go Smile Touch Up sticks are for you. You just pop one open and it will freshen your breath (because coffee breath is rank) and prevent stains from forming on those pearly whites (because yellow teeth are ranker…)

Bliss creams are. the. best. OMG. I can’t say it enough. This stuff rocks. It smells good, it absorbs quickly, it keeps your hands soft and it’s small enough to fit in your bag.

And for those days when you’re surrounded by snow, stuck in the library and all you can think about is a tropical vacation, try this lovely scent. It’ll take you to Hawaii…for under $20.

One more thing: If you aren’t already a member, be sure to sign up for the Sephora Insider Pass. It’s a free club that gives you points with every purchase and sends you awesome perks (like free $15 gift cards, birthday gifts and more). Yay, Sephora!

There are many beauty freaks out there like me and trust me, we don’t ever get sick of unwrapping new beauty supplies for the holidays! I love the sweet smell of lotions and perfumes, eyeliners and mascaras! Honestly, I’ll take beauty products over another gift card to Bloomies, any day. Let’s be honest, I’ll end up spending that on stuff at the MAC counter anyway.

Most of the beauty supply stores are doing huge doorbusters and giving away lots of free stuff, so you can snag plenty of swag to get your friends. We beauty freaks appreciate the little fragrance samplers and mini tubes of lipstick, so I’ve put together the perfect guide for your beauty obsessed friends!

The Sephora Ultimate Blockbuster
This $400 value makeup kit is selling for just $48! That is a HUGE steal! It contains 84 eyeshadows, 60 lipglosses, lipliners, eyeliners, some brushes and a book with instructions for various looks. It all folds together neatly in a portable case and is definitely the most versatile gift you can get one of your beauty freak friends!

ULTA 3-in-1 Shower Smoothies
1. These bottles are gigantic. I’ve had one last me a year and a half.
2. They smell delicious and don’t leave an overpowering scent after.
3. They come in tons of flavors like Appletini, Pink Champagne, Chocolate Milkshake, and holiday flavors like Gingerbread Cookie and Candy Cane!

Right now they’re only $8.99 AND buy 2 get 1 free! That’s a major deal!

The Clarisonic Mia
I put this beauty tool on my Christmas list and it’s the only thing I want this year. The wonderful folks at Clarisonic have released a smaller and cheaper version of their skin cleansing brush. This tool is revolutionary for skincare. It gently exfoliates and gets all of that makeup, dead skin, and dirt off of your face leaving you with smooth, silky skin. The kit includes the Clarisonic Mia, charger, a sensitive brush head, and a trial size gentle cleanser. If you order from Clarisonic directly, you get a free gift and you can personalize your gift with an engraving!

Benefit BADgal World’s Best Mascaras
Benefit makes some great mascaras, and this duo of plum and black mascaras makes a great stocking stuffer! I’ve used both of these, and they’re amazing products. The plum instantly brings out the color in eyes, and everyone needs a good black mascara for everyday wear.

Deluxe Fragrance Sampler
Finding a good perfume is hard. Have you ever tried sniffing all the newest scents at the store? If you don’t end up with a headache, you do end up with some awful scent because they all start to smell the same. Well, not with this little kit. It comes with 12 samples of new fragrances that she can actually try on and take for a test drive and a voucher that your giftee can bring to Sephora to redeem for a free full size bottle of a fragrance she loves best!

Bedhead Mini Styling Iron
There is nothing worse than spending 30 minutes straightening your hair in the morning only to walk outside and have it frizz out in seconds. That is why every girl needs her own travel flat iron. This one is super cheap and the perfect size to throw in a messenger bag. She can fix her hair between classes, at the gym… the possibilities are endless.

Not Soap Radio Sorority Products
If you have a long list of sisters to gift to this year, Not Soap Radio’s line of sorority inspired goodies will do the trick. They’ve got everything from hand lotion to face palettes personalized for every chapter out there. The packaging is adorable and the products are really great, too.

"Out of my way, bitches! These sheets are MINE!"

When November 1st rolls around newspapers, billboards and TV commercials are invaded by Black Friday deals. They have you drooling over discounted cashmere sweaters, luggage sets for 65% off and 2 for 1 shoe bargains. My heart races every time a new ad pops up on my Facebook page. Half priced makeup at Sephora? A new TV for cheap at Wal-Mart? A diamond sale at Kay’s Jewelers? (Perhaps I should email this to my boyfriend…).

But of course this all comes at a price. You have to be up before the sun rises, usually in the freezing cold, and you have to fight your way through all the other women who are after the same deals you are.

Every year I find myself pulled in two directions. On one hand I want those deals and I want them bad, but the other part of me just doesn’t have the strength to battle the crowds when I am barely getting any sleep writing essays and getting ready for finals.

It’s pretty obvious: I’m Torn.

Love It:
An entire day devoted to shopping, what could possibly be better? Stores offer ridiculous deals, and the early bird specials reward those with the willpower to make it there at the crack of dawn with even further discounted stuff and special offers. For a deal-savvy fashionista, the advertisements for Black Friday are like invitations to a shopping competition, where only the strongest survive. And while you may have to wrestle those pumps out of that lady’s sweaty paws, all of us women who have braved the Black Friday sales share a bond. It’s an unspoken one. A slight smile before you both dash for the clothing rack, a nod as you direct the woman entering the store towards the best deal as you exit.

And how fun is it to reconvene with the girls for lunch, as you all scarf down a sandwich and a shot of espresso, triumphantly sharing your merchandise, swapping tips on the must-hit stores, and then disperse for the afternoon session recharged?

Sure, it’s hard work, but nothing is better than spreading all your purchases out on your bed when you get home and reveling over the fact that you got it all at 80% off.

Loathe It:
Having your alarm ring in your ear at 3:30 am? Having to chug watered down coffee that you made at home because even Starbucks isn’t open yet? Not to mention employing your defensive driving course as your weave through traffic and race to find a parking spot. And all that is before you even get there.

Once you’re inside the mall it’s a madhouse. Crowds of women pushing and shoving, merchandise strewn all over the place. And if you aren’t quick enough you’ll be forced to suck in and squeeze into the LBD swearing you’ll live in the gym until Christmas or justifying the fact that you are swimming in that winter jacket with, “I’ll be warmer with more fabric…right?”

If you bring the wrong shopping companion, you’ll both be miserable (read: the huffy boyfriend who stands in the corner checking his Blackberry or the claustrophobic pal who starts hyperventilating the minute she steps foot inside the mall). Even if you bring along your shopping obsessed roommate, chances are the stress of the day will have you bickering over which stores to hit and who spotted those Charles David suede boots first.

Plus, a lot of stores offer online deals too, so why not sleep in and shop in my bunny slippers? It’s much easier to enter my credit card number than wait in line for 45 minutes with the woman who took all eight of the coach purses all up in my shiz.

What do you guys think?  Is braving the stores on Black Friday worth it or should we all pass?

I’m pretty sure he was referring to things like school work and job interviews, but I took that advice to heart….with beauty supplies.

Thanks to my dad I never leave the house without my big bag of beauty essentials. You never know what could happen on your way to class – blisters from your shoes, a sudden monsoon, laughing so hard you cry off all your mascara – so it’s best to bring along a few things to save you from a makeup meltdown. I’ll share with you all of my must-brings that have gotten me through all of my beauty emergencies and then you can customize your portable beauty bag to hold whatever you like (yeah, stacks on deck, Patron on ice…).

You’ve seen it on just about every red carpet from Hollywood to New York. It’s glamorous, it’s sexy, it’s chic… and it’s not that hard to do all by yourself. Nope, you don’t need a professional makeup artist to smoke out your eyes – you just need a few shadows, a few brushes and the know-how. Which is why I’m here.

Watch, learn and rock this look in no time.

]]> http://collegecandy.com/2009/10/24/cc-beauty-live-the-smokey-eye/feed/ 10 Caitlin-University of Alabama http://collegecandy.com/2009/10/01/makeup-101-the-makeup-site-of-your-dreams/ http://collegecandy.com/2009/10/01/makeup-101-the-makeup-site-of-your-dreams/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:00:37 +0000 Ali - Syracuse University http://collegecandy.com/?p=42383 ]]> It’s always hard to dump someone.  There are hurt feelings and harsh words, maybe a few tears, definitely some cocktails and desserts smothered in chocolate, caramel, and Oreo cookie crumbles.

Well get out the Edy’s, Sephora.

Everyone knows that Sephora and I (and Sephora.com) have been going steady since I was 15, but we’re currently on the rocks.   There’s a new makeup store in my life, and it’s name is BeautyTicket.com. Yup, although Sephora was the love of my life, I just can’t control my feelings for this much better beauty stop that recently rocked my world.

But it wasn’t just a one night fling; this is serious. I’m falling in love.

This amazing website carries super great brands like YSL, Smashbox, Stila, Tarte, Urban Decay, and Pop, for up to 85% off.  Wow.  I’ll give you a minute to think about how freakin’ amazing that is.  I’m talkin’ Smashbox wooden 4-shadow/blush pallet, originally $45, now $19.00.

These are a few of my favorite current finds, but the merchandise changes so check em’ out quickly:

Smashbox Muse Artist Eye Shadow Pallete: $48 down to $29.99: 10 different colored shadows with a brush!

Yves Saint Laurent “Love Collection” Blush: Was $60, down to $29.99.  This blush is embedded in a foundation so you can use one or the other, or both.  Oh, and its shaped like an adorable pink heart.

Stilla Lip Gloss in Peach: Was $20 down to $7.99. Perfect for nude lips. And, in case you aren’t good with math, that’s also a 60% savings – definitely something to brag about.

Bobbi Brown Essential Mascara in Black: Originally $22, now only $12.99.  This contains conditioning and strengthening ingredients.  I don’t think you’re gonna find Bobbi Brown for much cheaper!

Bonus: People Style Watch is sponsoring a promotion where you can get 15% off your total purchase! Just enter PEOPLE15 in the exclusive code section at checkout. You only have until October 11, though, so get shopping!

Bonus x2: If that first bonus wasn’t enough for you (greedy gal), if you order $25 worth of products you get a free Hard Candy product!  You’ll automatically receive a great extra gift like a lip-gloss ring, liquid blush, or eye shimmer.

Pause.

Not.

And this stuff doesn’t have a long term effect; you have to keep using it to keep your lashes looking good. The pros simply do not outweigh the cons for Latisse.

Luckily there are other things you can do and use to make your lashes looking beautiful that won’t permanently ruin your face. Things like, duh, mascara, false lashes, lash curlers, lash primers, and eyeliner tricks.

The first and easiest option is to curl your lashes using a clamp eyelash curler, like this one from Tarte. (Wait a second, isn’t Tarte on sale through CollegeCandy right now?? Score!) Clamp your lashes down at the base, hold for 3 seconds, repeat in the middle, and then the ends.  It also helps to heat up the curler first for a few seconds with a hairdryer, but do not do this every day, as you will damage your lashes with excessive heat.  It can be helpful to curl your lashes before applying mascara, then clamp once after to add a little extra oomph.

Another fabulous lash tip?  Pick a mascara that is designed to lengthen or add volume.  To find the perfect one for you, try the Sephora Favorite Deluxe Sampler.  It includes about 10 mascaras from all different companies so you can find which one does the most for your particular lash problem.  This whole sampler set is only $39, which is a steal considering how expensive mascara is!  A great mascara that’s included in this collection is Two Faced’s Lip Injection Mascara that builds tubes around your lashes, therefore lengthening them without the damage of Latisse!  Also, applying a black liquid liner dotted along your top lash line will give the appearance of longer lashes.

Another option is to try fake lashes. If you’re new to the fake lash scene try Sephora Brand’s false lash set for only $8.  It comes with full lashes and smaller pieces, along with adhesive.  Just apply the adhesive and let it sit for about a minute. Then apply the lashes beginning in the center and working your way out.  Or try Makeup Forever’s lashes which come in more styles and colors than you can imagine.  Some are thick, others are thin and natural, some are thicker on the outsides, and some are funky colors.  Once you know what you are doing with fake lashes and what looks best on you, these are a great investment.

Anything is better than risking your health for beauty, ladies!

Let me start off by saying that I am a firm believer in spending money on quality makeup.  Oftentimes well-trusted and expensive brands of makeup are more effective, longer lasting and – shocking – a much better product all around.  However, there are times when buying the expensive stuff is just stupid.

Case in point: when new makeup trends come along. It is silly to spend a ton of money on something without knowing if you’re really interested in the product or if it’s just all the hype. This is the perfect time to invest in the cheaper version to see if it’s something you want to incorporate into your makeup routine long-term. If it is, you can fork over the cash for the better stuff later.

Below are some of the major makeup trends happening right now that (if you get inundated with the ads as much as I do) you’re probably dying to test out. I included the expensive version and the cheap(er) version so you can try them on for size without going for broke.

Vibrating Mascara
Things that vibrate are good, but does that apply to makeup?  Vibrating mascara is the new thing, but I’m pretty skeptical about it being as effective as ads claim.  Lancome makes a vibrating mascara that retails for $34 (if I’m spending that much on something that vibrates it better do more than lengthen my lashes).  But if you just want to test out the pulsating mascara trend without breaking the bank, you could also check out Maybelline’s vibrating mascara for only $14.99.  Much better idea for a product that you aren’t totally sure of.
Savings: $19.

Foundation Finish
Foundation veils are a great way to add a matte finish to your look, but they don’t work wonders for everyone. Why spend money if you aren’t sure it will make a drastic difference on your skin?  As much as I love Bare Escentuals (trust me, it’s a lot), $19 is kind of a lot to spend on a product that may not make a huge difference.  So if you want to test out a foundation finish, try e.l.f’s mineral booster for only $5! Yes, the price of a Subway footlong!
Savings: $14.

Lip Boosters
If you wanna plump your lips without the aid of collagen, lip boosters are the cheap alternative.  But if you aren’t sure how your lips will react, or how great the change will be, you probably don’t wanna shell out a lot of money.  Laura Mercier’s Lip Plumper is $30.  Yikes! But, our ladies at Victoria’s Secret created a lip plumper for only $18.  Much better option if you want to test out this type of product.
Savings: $12.